Question New Amp advice Yamaha / Pioneer / Denon

Soundwave

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Hi all,

I'm about to take the leap to the world of 4K tellies which means my current Pioneer amp (as per sig) wont cut the mustard for future HDR goodness so its time to upgrade her

Now I'll be sticking at 5.1 with the Monitor Audio Mass setup I currently have so only need a new amp.

I have a budget of around £500 for the new Amp & have my eye on an amp from Yamaha (RXV581) Pioneer (VSX1131) & Denon (X2300W)

All look to have everything I need (and then some) but choosing between them is proving difficult so I'm looking to hear experiences from owners about how they perform in the real world

They will be used mostly for movies (no TV use) a little bit of gaming & streaming Spotify so a good all rounder musically would be nice

So what are peoples thoughts?

Any input is really appreciated

Thanks.

Neil
 
Buy the Denon 2200 for 299. Pointless paying the extra for 2300 when the difference between them is minimal. I've not heard the other two.
 
If you like the sound of your pioneer with the your current soeakers then get another pioneer.
The denon are cheap at present but also have a history of being troublesome with multiple build issues. The 2300 may have those build quality issues rectified but only time will tell.
The yamaha is probably a more musical brand than either if the others and gas the musiccast facility on board.
In terms of sound my ears would qualify them as follows
Pioneer slightly bright sounding
Denon slightly warm sounding
Yamaha pretty neutral.
So if specs are comparable then which type of sound signature would you prefer?
Also don't discount a second hand unit from 2015 as many of them are still future proofed for hdr 444 12 bit Dts x etc etc
 
Longy has a point. There are more and more members reporting issues with their 2200. My own amp isn't without it's faults.
 
Setting reliability aside for now, my ears tell me that the choice is likely to be between Pioneer and Yamaha. I find them slightly better, sonically, than Denon. Granted, that is my preference which may not match yours. However, factor in reliability then I would suggest these two become more compelling.
 
I would agree with you there. The denon can sound nice but to my ears only at lower volumes. I find once some power starts going through them everything starts get muddied. The bass can get unwieldy which impairs the mid range affecting the clarity of dialogue. If you don't go loud though it does sound nice . as mentioned above I think a better sound can be found elsewhere, for a given amount of money you might have to sacrafice 1 or 2 features to get that better sound.
 
Yeah I've been doing at lot of listening lately at ref volume and the 5010/2200 isn't up to the task.
 
You deaf yet ?
 
No!

My last hearing test showed my hearing is above average for someone of my age.
 
WHAT ?
[emoji4]
 

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