I need help choosing a reciever

KrisC123

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Hi all,

I am looking to spend about £500 on an AV receiver, I have been looking at the yamaha V671, Yamaha V673 (really liking this), Sony STR-DN1030 (wifi and Bluetooth built in) , Marantz 1603. It would be my first time buying a receiver (got given an old sony) and i would really like some help.

Id really like something easy to set up, nice set of features (USB is a must) and plays nicely in stereo as i listen to music constantly. Id also like it to last me a while.

Thanks.
 
What speakers are you looking at?
Yamaha and Marantz are generally regarded as more musical than Sony receivers. The 1603 is a slim line amp and hence for the money will be compromised in terms of sound quality compared to a full sized receiver. Hence unless you really need a slimline receiver I would not bother with that although one of the full sized Marantz would be worth a look. The older Sony 1000 series were not great value for money as they were an 800 series underneath with a few added bells and whistles. Not sure about the latest 1030 though.
 
Currently i have ave cambridge audio SL30s in a stereo setup which i would like to incorporate into the system, i was look at the CA s70's for fronts when i get the money and relegate them sl30s to the rears. I really just want a system that sounds good in stereo (thats why i was looking at the yamaha and the marantz, i think there were some cheap denons too) but the whole spec sheet of the sony has really muddied the waters for me.

I went to richer sounds and had a listen to the V673 and really liked it, though it may be abit tall for my stand, thats why i was looking at the slimline marantz.

Most likely any modern receiver would sound better in stereo than an older one right??

Are there any other alternatives with a USB socket, that sound good and are easy to set up or have you had any experience with any of those?

thanks for the input by the way, its great learning about all this cause im pretty new to it all.
 
A new AV receiver does not mean it will sound better with music compared to an older one. In fact there is a school of thought that new receivers are getting worse due to cost cutting to pay for all the new features. These cost cuts come in the form of cheaper components and smaller (lighter) power supplies. Evidence of this would be the drop in weight of most new receivers compared to their older equivalents. For the best music (stereo) quality for a given budget you would be much better with a stereo amp although this does have its drawbacks in terms of connectivity and also you are limited to only stereo.
 
Id really need a surround sound receiver for games and movies though, thats the only thing about it.

Would a surround sound receiver sound better than an old(ish) Panasonic mini hifi?? (in stereo)
 
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Considering what you have then an AV receiver should not be a bad option and should still sound good if not better than your current system. Go have a listen and let your own ears decide.
 
Cheers mate, will do. Had a listen to the V673 and i really do like it, the feature set is pretty good and would do for the future, though its just slightly too big for the stand i have, but i could just take the feet off right??
 
The feet are designed to give airflow to the bottom. You should also have a fair bit of space above the receiver (around 10cm or so) for heat to dissipate. Hence I would not take the feet off and I would not try to squeeze it into a narrow slot. AV receivers generate a fair bit of heat and need space to breath otherwise it will trip out on thermal overload and could even damage the receiver.
 
There is or at least was a Yamaha RX-V1800 available in the classifieds that for sound quality will blow all the basic receivers you have listed away and for less than half price. If you can wait I am sure a RX-V3900 will come along and be well worth the wait.
 
Thanks for the input Darkstar, the only thing is i would rather buy my receiver brand new just incase something goes wrong i would still have warranty on it, but i will keep those receivers in mind.

Cheers guys, i think im going to go for the V673 and keep it on a separate stand until i can get a bigger stand (or get the marantz, will have a listen and see how it goes), cheers for all your help
 

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