Denon vs Yamaha?

To come straight to the point, what would YOU spend your money on - Denon 1804 or Yamaha AX640SE?

I've just about decided to splash out on a set of Kef 2005.2s, and am now wondering which amp to get to drive them. Main use will be home cinema, but also used for music (and the wife's a musician)

I had all but decided on a Yamaha AX640SE, but I've just noticed the new Denon 1804. The old model 1803 got good reviews, so I'm assuming the 1804 is going to be pretty good too.

So, my question is, how do the Yamaha and Denon compare against each other, with regard to features (I'm still quite new to all this!), and sound quality. Has anyone auditioned the two side-by side, or found any head-to-head reviews?

Both are available at around the £300 mark, and I don't really really want to spend any more than this (so no, I don't want to get a 3803 or similar before anyone suggests it !)


Thanks,

Balders.

 

Hmmmm, don't know what either of you are used to (is this your first foray into hifi?), but the above 3 together may lead to a feeling that something - midrange - is missing when listening to music.

The Kefs are good, but very careful setup is required to get the full-range working properly. I'd probably go for the Denon as the Yamaha has a fixed crossover of 90hz, the Denon's is variable which is useful for getting better integration between sats and sub.

I suggest you 2 try to demo the Kefs vs a set of full-range speakers eg. Mission M3 range or Wharfedale Diamonds.

 

On the understanding, I would retain my 2-channel equipment upstairs, I'd plump for the Yamaha. Brilliant with all surround formats, capable of silly volumes, massive connectivity and really impressive build quality. The Denon is some but not necessarily all of the above.
I would however reverse this decision with the 2803/4 vs the Yamaha 740 and the 3808 vs the RX1300, Denon get better the further up you go whilst Yamaha are budget champs.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Nobber, from your comments it sounds like you think the lack of midrange would be due to the Kefs, not the amps themselves. Correct? Or would a different (but same price range) amp provide better results?

I've read some stuff recently that implies that this was the case with the older versions, but the new ones are greatly improved. I do need the wife's trained ear to test the sound quality though! If the eggs aren't up to scratch, I've also been considering the Mission M72 cinema pack, or the Mordant Short Premiere pack.

We're both pretty new to 'proper' home cinema - We've got an old Pro-Logic Technics mini system, and the TV has built in Dolby Digital 5.1 (with some tiny speakers), but this is our first real foray into the seperates arena.

Balders.

 

To put this into a bit more context, I'm considering the kef 2005.2 package, and understand that these seem to work best with a 100-120 crossover frequency. The Denon supports variable crossover, whereas the Yamaha is fixed at 90Hz.

In this case, would the the Denon be a better match for the Kefs?