Which best AV receiver for £1000 max

[Mr-Lex]

Hi guys,

Which best AV receiver I should go for? I have a budget between £600-£1000

I have a particular model in mind the Pioneer VSXLX70 which will match my LX508D screen!

I know Pioneer will soon be introducing new range of receivers and SC-LX71 will be replacement of VSX70? Is there much difference in the models between them two? If so, what are the differences?

What other models I should consider? and why?

Thanks in advance!

[davepuma]

What made you pick the LX70 out over the other LX models? What particular features are you looking for? I believe the US equivalent is the VSX-92TXH going by the lineup on the US Pioneer site. If that is the LX71 in US guise, you should be able to compare the specs and see what changes have been introduced. All I've seen on the LX71 is the Pioneer Euro press release and this. Their release date will be closer in the States, so perhaps check avsforums.com?

There are a host of other receivers around this price point. Do your homework and visit some dealers and demo preferably with your own source material and speakers.

[rcaudwell]

The best sub 1K AV receiver is?

[alfromscotland]

I just picked up a Yamaha DSP-AX763 for £500 and it is excellent. Everything i need. Black and sexy. Not Pioneer though...

[rossini]

Hi Alfromscotland

How good does the 763 sound? I am thinking of upgrading from a Yamaha 759SE. How good does the 763 sound with stereo music as I listen to music through my current amp and I do like the 'warm' sound of the Yamaha I currently have. By the way, does it decode all the current HD audio formats?

Thanks in advance

[alfromscotland]

Originally Posted by rossini

Hi Alfromscotland

How good does the 763 sound? I am thinking of upgrading from a Yamaha 759SE. How good does the 763 sound with stereo music as I listen to music through my current amp and I do like the 'warm' sound of the Yamaha I currently have. By the way, does it decode all the current HD audio formats?

Thanks in advance

Salut,

I have literally JUST got my amp and now i am away for 3 weeks from yesterday and missing it already. I have plugged in my two big old sansui speakers to the left and right channels and it sounds great.

I sampled it in the shop with a rel quake and 5 b&w MT1's and the sound was excellent. I bought this amp due to the fact it did music very well along with excellent 7.1 full HD surround (although i dont have any full HD sources...)

You can get full specs on the yamaha website regarding all HD sound, I was looking at the 863 but the only difference i can find is 10w less power, no upscaling (which my TV does well anyway) and one less HDMI input - for £400 less...no contest really.

The '7 dynamic' setting on the amp made my crappy MP3s sound amazingly full and warm, and the 2 channel stereo (all i have tried at home) sounded great with the same rubbish source.

Hope this helps...

berry nice!

[Davieboy00]

Originally Posted by Mr-Lex

Hi guys,

Which best AV receiver I should go for? I have a budget between £600-£1000

I have a particular model in mind the Pioneer VSXLX70 which will match my LX508D screen!

I know Pioneer will soon be introducing new range of receivers and SC-LX71 will be replacement of VSX70? Is there much difference in the models between them two? If so, what are the differences?

What other models I should consider? and why?

Thanks in advance!

All depends on what your priorities are.
If you are not bothered too much about HDMI switching / upscaling / having more gimmicks than your mates - and if music is important to you the I would consider looking at an Arcam. Arcams are outstanding musically and will probably outdo any other reciever at the same price range with stereo sound.
There are some great deals out there at the moment.
Happy searching

[Mr-Lex]

Done a fair bit of reading but really hasn't helped

Current digital/HD set up Sky HD, PS3 and Sony Vaio Blu ray laptop. Might also invest in dedicated Blu ray player!?!

I definitely want the receiver to upscale HD contents to TRUE 1080p 24fps (PS3 an other blu ray player's) without losing quality of the picture. HD sound as well with 7.1 ch.

The LX70 has come up quite frequently by reading many posts.

What concerns me now is this thread:

VSX-LX70 DCDi version and 24fps..?

I thought most if not the Pioner VSX LX/50-70 series are capable of TRUE 24fps?

[JamesBaby]

Originally Posted by Mr-Lex

Done a fair bit of reading but really hasn't helped

Current digital/HD set up Sky HD, PS3 and Sony Vaio Blu ray laptop. Might also invest in dedicated Blu ray player!?!

I definitely want the receiver to upscale HD contents to TRUE 1080p 24fps (PS3 an other blu ray player's) without losing quality of the picture. HD sound as well with 7.1 ch.

The LX70 has come up quite frequently by reading many posts.

What concerns me now is this thread:

VSX-LX70 DCDi version and 24fps..?

I thought most if not the Pioner VSX LX/50-70 series are capable of TRUE 24fps?

The LX70 is capable of handling 24fps signals. I have just bought it and it's an amazing bit of kit. It will pass through the 1080p 24fps picture from your PS3 etc no problem without affecting it. Naturally it will also accept the Sky HD 1080i signal also, no problem.

It can also decode HD audio Bitstream signals from an appropriate player that outputs HD in Bitstream. (Or as in the case of the PS3, decode the same HD signal sent to it in PCM format.)

[MarkTaylor]

Originally Posted by Mr-Lex

I definitely want the receiver to upscale HD contents to TRUE 1080p 24fps

Your source has to provide 24fps the amp can't fix it by upscaling.

Scaling in amps is very over-rated anyway, your TV is more than capable of doing at least as good a job as any amp in your price range.

[rwniel]

Originally Posted by Mr-Lex

I definitely want the receiver to upscale HD contents to TRUE 1080p 24fps (PS3 an other blu ray player's) without losing quality of the picture.

Blu ray movies are natively 1080p/24, so no upscaling required on a full hd television. It's then best if the particular television can accept 24hz natively and usually output it at some multiple of that (i.e. 72hz).

I would suggest you get a demo of the Yamaha RXV1800 and see if it fits your needs.

Robert

[Richdog]

For under 1k I would go with the following:

• Yamaha RXV-1800 (a proven performer, very highly rated)
• Maratz SR7002 (also good musically but seem sto have a few bugs)
• Denon 2809 (yet to be released, part of their new line-up. Wait a couple of weeks and it should be out)
• Onkyo 875 (very highly rated, great all-round performer. Looks like crap though)

Originally Posted by rossini

Hi Alfromscotland

How good does the 763 sound? I am thinking of upgrading from a Yamaha 759SE. How good does the 763 sound with stereo music as I listen to music through my current amp and I do like the 'warm' sound of the Yamaha I currently have. By the way, does it decode all the current HD audio formats?

Thanks in advance

The 763 has only 2x HDMI inputs... which is imo inexcusable for a "new" receiver these days if you want some future-proofing. I am really not impressed with any of Yamahas line-up below the RXV-1800, they seem underspecced in critical areas for too much money.

[Dav1dF]

At the moment, the 3800 can be had for less than £1,000, which pretty much makes it one of the best amps available in it's price point. It may lack one or two little bits compared to some, but has some of it's own exclusive bits that others won't have.

It all depends whether you want features or quality. Quality wise you'd be hard pushed to match it for the money.

[JamesBaby]

The Onkyo 905 can now be had for around £850 brand new. This was a £1400 amp. Pig ugly like you say, but 2 HDMi outputs and good reviews etc.

The Pioneer VSX LX70 can be had for £800. I managed to get the last box from a well known forum retailer for little over £600. Amazing sound, setup, and drop dead gorgeous.

Folk are selling off the Yamahas plenty. IMO they simply havn't been anywhere near as popular this year. My 2p

Shop, haggle, and then haggle some more I'd say.

[Dav1dF]

Originally Posted by 57an0baby

Folk are selling off the Yamahas plenty. IMO they simply havn't been anywhere near as popular this year. My 2p

The Yamaha 1800 and 3800 have been the most popular maplifiers ever since their release. They have everything most people need, and they're the simplest amps to set up. Previous ranges haven't been as popular, but the current range are selling like hot cakes, so to speak.