Receiver/Processor heirarchy?

kenshingintoki

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Generally what're the best processors?

I have heard of Arcam, Anthem, Lyndorf, Trinnov, Denon, Marantz....

As far as my limit research has told me, Trinnov and Lyndorf at the top dogs.

Marantz is amazing for music and good for home cinema.
Denon is good for home cinema, sucks for music.


Can anyone give me a breakdown of receivers and processors and which brands are best to watch out for?


(e.g. I can do it for anyone looking for a TV... Sony = best motion and picture upscaling, LG = best gaming features and OS, Panasonic = best picture colour accuracy and attention to cinematic PQ, Phillips & Sony = best sound) ...
 
You are probably going to end up getting a huge difference of opinion with this question.

Processors are a different category altogether, not all manufacturers make a dedicated processor and the market is small compared to AVRs.

Plus, each manufacturer has a range of different models.

However, I am curious to have a go, starting at the bottom..

1. Sony - functional, low cost, nothing particular of note

2. Onkyo and Pioneer - as Sony, but with more range of models

3. Yamaha - well built, reliable, sound okay, but horrible GUI, and ineffective room correction (YPAO)

4. Denon - very popular, big model range, fairly reliable, tonnes of features, and well supported, nice GUI, Audyssey room correction with the app for tweaking is pretty good. Sounds nice for movies but horrid for music.

5. Marantz - same as Denon but better for music

6. Nad - well built, nice sound for movies and music, comes with Dirac room correction which is good and very customisable

6. Anthem - Get well reviewed, good room correction (Anthem Room Correction), have a devoted following of owners

7. Arcam - sounds fantastic for music and movies, well built, long warranty, comes with Dirac, not without their shortcomings / characteristics, needs a bit of research before buying

8. Trinnov / Lyngdorf - I presume they sound amazing for the amount that they cost, they are well reviewed and liked by owners, not got much else to say as they are above my paygrade!
 
Thanks mate.

So..

Tier 1 = Trinnov & Lyngdorf
Tier 2 = Arcam & Anthem & NAD
Tier 3 = Marantz and Denon
Tier 4 = Sony, Onkyo, Yamaha

I'm hoping to eventually run a 11 speaker setup including 4 atmos speakers.
 
Good luck!

Have you got a large / dedicated room?

If you are still in the planning stage, this is quite interesting in terms of how many speakers is the right number of speakers:

 
Good luck!

Have you got a large / dedicated room?

If you are still in the planning stage, this is quite interesting in terms of how many speakers is the right number of speakers:




No mate.

About a 6-7Mx4-4.5M room.

TBH I don't really care for the videos which state 'how many speakers is right in a room' advice. I was given advice when I first started out that a stereo set of speakers and maybe a centre channel is 'more than enough' for smaller rooms and after experiencing immersive audio, i think its utter rubbish. ;)
 
I have a similar sized room to yours and I downsized to a 5.2.2 system. Too many speakers, and multiple seating positions makes it inevitable that some audio is going to be localised based on where the listener is sitting.

It's especially difficult to get the separation between the rear surrounds and side surrounds.

Good luck though 🙂
 
Thanks mate.

So..

Tier 1 = Trinnov & Lyngdorf
Tier 2 = Arcam & Anthem & NAD
Tier 3 = Marantz and Denon
Tier 4 = Sony, Onkyo, Yamaha

I'm hoping to eventually run a 11 speaker setup including 4 atmos speakers.

I’m specifically talking about processors, not receivers being used as such. Worth checking out Youthman’s latest YouTube video comparing the marantz 7706 vs 8012.

Add storm to tier 1, everyone will have their opinion as to what’s best, you can guess what I think.

remove Arcam from tier 2 and drop it to tier 8 unless you want bug city! (I also hated the sound for movies, didn’t work well with the arendals, far too laid back) 😜

tier 2 would be monoprice, Emotiva, marantz, anthem, nad - personal preference in whichever order you choose

probably discount anything below this, although you could make an argument for Yamaha and Rotel.

my room is only 4.6 x 3.3m, I’ve got 15 speakers and 4 subs. I get zero localisation on any of my speakers, you just need to make sure everything is setup right.
 
Last edited:
remove Arcam from tier 2 and drop it to tier 8 unless you want bug city!
Haha. The FMJ range are bug free, and from what I can gather from the new range owners forum, the new range are generally working okay now with updated firmware.

my room is only 4.6 x 3.3m, I’ve got 15 speakers and 4 subs. I get zero localisation on any of my speakers, you just need to make sure everything is setup right.
Well done!

Yours is a dedicated, custom built room though isn't it?

I was talking about a standard family living room, in a house, with furniture and multiple family members / seating positions.
 
McIntosh should also be added to the list of high end processors, between Lyngdorf and Trinnov / Storm.
 
Haha. The FMJ range are bug free, and from what I can gather from the new range owners forum, the new range are generally working okay now with updated firmware.


Well done!

Yours is a dedicated, custom built room though isn't it?

I was talking about a family living room, with furniture and multiple family members / seating positions.

pretty sure @kenshingtoki will be having a pretty much semi dedicated room though, so should be able to have ideal speaker locations, which is generally the most important part when having a high speaker count.
 
pretty sure @kenshingtoki will be having a pretty much semi dedicated room though, so should be able to have ideal speaker locations, which is generally the most important part when having a high speaker count.
Ah, okay, I did check that and the response was a 'No'.

Out of interest, what audio do you have in your family lounge?
 
Ah, okay, I did check that and the response was a 'No'.

Out of interest, what audio do you have in your family lounge?

I was responding to the large bit.
It is dedicated :)
 
I’m specifically talking about processors, not receivers being used as such. Worth checking out Youthman’s latest YouTube video comparing the marantz 7706 vs 8012.

Add storm to tier 1, everyone will have their opinion as to what’s best, you can guess what I think.

remove Arcam from tier 2 and drop it to tier 8 unless you want bug city! (I also hated the sound for movies, didn’t work well with the arendals, far too laid back) 😜

tier 2 would be monoprice, Emotiva, marantz, anthem, nad - personal preference in whichever order you choose

probably discount anything below this, although you could make an argument for Yamaha and Rotel.

my room is only 4.6 x 3.3m, I’ve got 15 speakers and 4 subs. I get zero localisation on any of my speakers, you just need to make sure everything is setup right.

👍👍

mark you have read my mind. The reason I made this thread is due to youthmans video 👍👍

I think I might just go for marantz then when they update their processors and pair it with some nord amplification. It’s sad I need hdmi 2.1 as otherwise I could have done the upgrade now. His video was very convincing for an upgrade
Or maybe I should go for the one with the prettiest case 😂
 
having owned a few in the denon and marantz land, it really depends on level you buy ...as you go up the range they get better all around in dacs, processing, analog stages and processing. I owned a denon avp-a1hda for some 8-10 years it was a beast of a thing. denon kept it updated all the way through ! it would change any perceptions folk have of denon and they only did that processor every 10 years for 3 gen. but no more. there is still nothing on the market right now anywhere like this thing. still has a loyal following if there is a replacement it will be amazing. either a denon marantz or classe as all brands owned by sound united.

I've stuck with marantz last 5 years and cant complain. its not upto level of the denon avp... but its rock solid works and sounds sensational (for movies concerts etc) I dont use for 2ch analog as have a seperate dedicated 2ch side to the system.

Id personally agree on the anthem arcam, nad, marantz at about same level

I do think things like Macintosh, lyndorf, trinov are in an upper level. if can afford price of admission.

personally right now I wouldn't touch an arcam/jbl thing. also read monoprice with issues going back from one fellow and emotiva another one i wouldn't touch...

rotel is a brand i wish would do more ... they are missing a big daddy processor as they once did .. the basic processor of theirs is just a tad too basic I think... :)
 
I think I might just go for marantz then when they update their processors and pair it with some nord amplification. It’s sad I need hdmi 2.1 as otherwise I could have done the upgrade now. His video was very convincing for an upgrade
Or maybe I should go for the one with the prettiest case 😂

with the current marantz you have a paid update coming in june... so will get you to hdmi 2.1

re youtube this one from gene is worth a watch :) while kicks off re sony dying (not) it swings across to AV processors...

 
Lyngdorf, Storm or Trinnov at the top end of things.

Most sensible buy will be the upcoming Anthems. Unless you have a top flight speaker setup to match. I would not advise anyone to buy a new Arcam unless they hate themselves. NAD, Monoprice, Emotiva have all had their fair share of problems as well - Storm are the only people with Dirac done right it seems.

Anything using Audyssesy is generally a disappointment, even if it's McIntosh - there's no reason to have the McIntosh RP units above the Lyngdorf tho, unless you want to spend more and have a turntable input.

Like most things it'll come down to money - If you're UK based and want a demo of these things go see Rich at @Seriously Ltd
 
with the current marantz you have a paid update coming in june... so will get you to hdmi 2.1

re youtube this one from gene is worth a watch :) while kicks off re sony dying (not) it swings across to AV processors...




Thank you mate. I will keep an eye on the Marantz. As soon as a receiver comes available which can do 4k/120, GSYNC.. I will buy :)
 
Lyngdorf, Storm or Trinnov at the top end of things.

Anything using Audyssey is generally a disappointment, even if it's McIntosh - there's no reason to have the McIntosh RP units above the Lyngdorf tho, unless you want to spend more and have a turntable input.
I place the McIntosh MX170 above the Lyngdorf MP 60 because it has support for analogue sources - 1 x 7.1, 5 x 2.0 (1 of which is MM). Both processors use RoomPerfect.

Although there is a 30% price difference (over here), you only need one unit with the McIntosh, as opposed to needing an additional stereo unit with the Lyngdorf.
 
I place the McIntosh MX170 above the Lyngdorf MP 60 because it has support for analogue sources - 1 x 7.1, 5 x 2.0 (1 of which is MM). Both processors use RoomPerfect.

Although there is a 30% price difference (over here), you only need one unit with the McIntosh, as opposed to needing an additional stereo unit with the Lyngdorf.

All you really need is a phono stage and you only need that if you're into vinyl. Since vinyl is a more romantic notion than anything, I would argue that in an already niche market this is even more niche making that 30% very hard to swallow.

Also as we've seen with McIntosh in the past, it was left with a 10.2Gbps HDMI board where the Lyngdorf MP50 did get an HDMI 2.0b upgrade. I think the McIntosh at that time was either close to or over $20k?
 
I would have thought someone would have mentioned Classe by now.
 
@kenshingintoki Probably be a good idea to give us a budget you're thinking about? There's obviously quite a big difference in a denon and a Lyngdorf/Trinnov!!
 
@kenshingintoki Probably be a good idea to give us a budget you're thinking about? There's obviously quite a big difference in a denon and a Lyngdorf/Trinnov!!


I just wanted to understand the general pros and cons of receiver landscape.

I don't have a budget yet as honestly I'm budgeting for the house + house extension + decor + extra bedrooms + home cinema.

So honestly dependant on number crunching and how much I want to designate to the HT, i can go for a trinnov or I can properly furnish the house and pay more attention to construction and opt for a Marantz or if I wanted to be really smart, I could just go second hand and forget about HDMI 2.1 for a little while.

Was moreso education for myself as I feel I have a very strong grap on TVs, projectors and to a lesser degree speakers, amplifiers.. but my knowledge on receivers (and subwoofers until recently) is very low.
 
All you really need is a phono stage and you only need that if you're into vinyl. Since vinyl is a more romantic notion than anything, I would argue that in an already niche market this is even more niche making that 30% very hard to swallow.

Also as we've seen with McIntosh in the past, it was left with a 10.2Gbps HDMI board where the Lyngdorf MP50 did get an HDMI 2.0b upgrade. I think the McIntosh at that time was either close to or over $20k?
How does one connect other analogue sources to a Lyngdorf processor? I can find nothing in the manual and no indication of any analogue connectivity options on the home page. The TDAI series has a module for stereo inputs.

Of course, if you don't need analogue connectivity, then you don't need to pay for it. Mcintosh's MX100 doesn't include RoomPerfect.
 
How does one connect other analogue sources to a Lyngdorf processor? I can find nothing in the manual and no indication of any analogue connectivity options on the home page. The TDAI series has a module for stereo inputs.

Of course, if you don't need analogue connectivity, then you don't need to pay for it. Mcintosh's MX100 doesn't include RoomPerfect.

Being 2021 and it being primarily a cinema processor one doesn't, unless they buy a phono stage and connect it digitally. Why would anyone buy a McIntosh with Audyssey?... or anything with Audyssey for that matter....


I could just go second hand and forget about HDMI 2.1 for a little while.

Are you going to game thru a TV at 120hz? You'd have to weigh up the cons of having HDMI 2.1, 120hz gaming since it literally does nothing else and the price for a 2.1 board upgrade that actually works isn't going to be cheap.

Lyngdorf just released a 2.1 board for the MP60 which imo has the best sound and most sensible feature set. You'll see all prices on everything go up now because of brexit.

If you want to keep the money down - Anthem AVM90 or Lyngdorf MP40
 

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