BEst Surround Receiver for less than £400. Any ideas?

ResB

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My apologies for an age old question but in technology a day is a long time. :)

I'm after a Surround Receiver which can decode Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital EX 6.1, DTS 5.1 , DTS ES 6.1, SACD perhaps but not THX, BUT, I only want to pay around £400 Max. :)

Can anyone assist?
 
There is a previous thread that somebody found a denon 2803 for £400 . This is the only option if you want a seven speaker system otherwise its the usual suspects.
Pioneer 812/912
Yamaha ax/rxv 640 or rxv-740
Marantz sr 5400/5400 OSE
Sony STRDB2000 & 790

Then look in the classifieds/ebay for second hand units from the above and H/K range

Hope this helps
 
... and Denon 1804.

You should be able to get most of the above amps/ receivers for £300 (new).

Balders
 
Cheers Balders forgot that one :D
 
What hifi liked it:

the vxc-501 is a thoughtful attempt to create a stylish reciever that delivers good performance, and alongside the dv-565a itll provide the basis for a slick looking system that'll thrash the best efforts of any home-cinema-in-a box kit.

The only criticism was that they didnt think it was as powerful as it states ie 75 WPC.
 
Dfour - Thanks for that. I have ordered the VSX-C501-S from www.qed-uk.com. I hope I don't have the problems some members are having with QED like they say it's in stock but it takes some time to get the goods.

kiddi - It has a good spec on that Sony but it's too tall.

Thanks ppl. ;)
 
What about the Panasonic SAXR25 or 45. i have just got the SAXR45 and am really pleased with it. Does all I want it to, pretty well, and has DD, DTS, Pro Logic II, DD EX/DTS ES and the DVD Audio decoder...96/ something or other.

Slimline and pretty good (I did not have room for a full size receiver either)
 
Haven't Denon just released a slimline A/V receiver? It is supposed to be very good from what I've heard, does 6.1 as well as far as I know. rrp is £400, will dig out the model number tomorrow for you, still at work right now :(
 
Hi, I recently purchased a VSX-C501-S from Unbeatable and must say I am very impressed with this little unit.
I was very restricted because of the amount of room I had but this receiver seems to pack the goods. It supports all the latest sound formats and has very good channel seperation. It also fixed a problem I was getting with my subwoofer popping when the central heating switched on in the house. I have mine connected to a set of Tannoy FX 5.1 speakers but I am using my old Yamaha YST205 sub because it goes much deeper than the tannoy sub. 23hz rather than 45hz. I am sure when your unit arrives you will not be dissapointed. The unit is quite deep though especially when you have some scart leads connected to it.
hope this is some help to you.
Roy
 
RobbythePat - Looks quite good however I went for the Pioneer!

Kazman - Thanks also. I have as I mentioned gone for the Pioneer. I own the Denon UD-M30 which is the only Denon I have owned and it is a very capable little CD Receiver. I have always rated Denon generally, but I'm too impatient.

gudjong - Too high. :)

paul1672 - Nice piece of kit but again too high. It won't fit in my Rack.

royster - I take delivery of the unit on Monday. QED seemed to take their time in shipping even though they said it was in stock. It might be me but I'm used to ordering on an evening and it being shipped the following day. However it's on it's way. :) The only disappointing thing is that they use "Initial City Link" which IMO are the pits in terms of courier.

I went to audition some Bose Acoustimass® 10 and 15 today and if I'm honest wasn't that impressed. I blame the guy who demoed the system though. It was teamed up with a NAD DVD player and it kept skipping like a 6 year old school girl playing hopscotch. So, it's perhaps a little unfair. The Bass was provided by the AM15 Sub and was far too much for the small room. All I could hear was a drone throughout some scenes which just annoyed me. The Bass didn't seem to cut off quickly at all. However, when the Bass was not really being used the speech from the centre speaker etc was clear and concise. Action scenes just turned into a loud mess but I blame the demo. Wasn't conducted very well at all. I need to demo the Anthony Gallo offering ASAP, but where?

Anyway, I've gone off on one and I'm glad you think the receiver is very good. It sounds like I will be satisfied. :)

Singh - Looks okay. But I've done the deed. :)
 

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