which receiver for under 400

kopite

Standard Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2002
Messages
112
Reaction score
2
Points
35
Age
44
Location
Liverpool
Well my budget was 300 but thats a bit buggered now :D

I have so far tried the technics sada8 and the yamaha dsp ax 630. The technics was pretty good but the yamaha seemed weak in bass and didnt seem to want to work all the time.

I`m looking at the marantz 5200 and was wondering what ur opinions are on this or what other receivers I should be looking at. Its gonna have to be from richer cos thats were i have bought the other 2 from. thanks in advance peeps
 
I don't see why your budget is stuffed. It depends what you want from your receiver.

For 5.1 systems there is the Denon 1802 for £250 from RS. It's a good machine and sounds good in both music and movies - has DPL II etc.

Also you can get the Marantz 4200 for £200. V. good for music.

If you "have to have" that additional rear speaker then there is the Marantz 5200 (although currently for more than £300).

I have the 5200 and think that for music and movies its great. I currently don't use the 6th channel and am not sure that I ever will.

Whatever you buy this year will be "out of date" next year. Just enjoy what you buy and don't read this forum too often!
 
Could have been a bad yamaha. I tested one on Mission773es and the bass felt uncontrolled in comparison to the Marantz 5200. If anything, too bassy for my tastes!!!!


There are lots of threads comparing the denon/marantz/yamaha. Try a search. Many of the comparisons are recent
 
I think I just didnt set up the yamaha properly.

I`m gonna give it another try tonight.


By budget being stuff I meant that I started looking under 200 then it went up to 300 now i`m saying 400 :D

At the mom its a toss up between the yamaha dspax630 se(which i have at home at the mom) Or the marantz 5200.
 
Its a close call between the two. Most opinions agree the Marantz is better if you intend to use it as a music amp as well. But its very very close and down to personal taste.

The yamaha on the other hand has more to offer on the AV (many more DSPS and full DTS ES and endorsed DD ES). Its a matter of taste which amp is better for AV
 
thanks for the help :D

I`m gonna give the yamaha a try again tonight. Take some time and set it up properly. If I`m not impressed i`ll try the marantz one.
 
Isnt there any way you can get a side by side comparison. It took me 2.5 hours over 2 lunchtimes to decide which one. I dont think I could have done it without having them side by side
 
I asked at richer sounds and they said it would take ages to set up a demo there.

I`ll give them a call and ask them though.

Cheer for the advice
 
I love my 630, i had to jump down from a Denon A11SR as i moved and the 630 puts on a great show next to the A11.

My review is here; http://www.area450.com/homecinema/amplifiers/dspax630se.htm

For the money it's superb, it was close between this and the Marantz 5200, but the 630 did it for me with the movies - i listen to music on a seperate system so music wasn't a big issue.

Wasn't fussed on the Sony 1080 at all though. My Yammy had a fault and i had one on loan, it was very average indeed!, (apologies in advance to the Sony lovers here - i just don't think its that good!). I was glad to see the 630 again let me tell you...;)

Westy
 
I have the yammy 630SE. I upgraded from the DD only 595 and it certainly sounds better than that did, much much better bass. The DSP modes are a bit of waste though, just seem to add a bit of echoy reverb.
 
Don't forget that the Marantz '300 series is out now and still within your budget. By all accounts they are quite an improvement too.
 
There are more amp manufacturers than Marantz, Denon and Yamaha out there. Here are some more options at this price point: Sony DB1080, Onkyo TX-SR500, NAD T741 and Harman/Kardon AVR 2500.

The Sony is good for HC and, in broad terms, similar to the Yamaha 630 in its abilities (though I prefer the Yamaha "sound"). NAD make surprisingly good kit but, as you'd expect, they are geared heavily toward music performance. I thought them very warm and relaxed. Harman/Kardon are excellent in most respects (they are a little odd aesthetically), and would be the one I would go for if I were you.
Quite why people aren't buying/mentioning these amps is beyond me.

Russell
 
I don't know if you saw the what hifi test for multi channel amps but it was won by the Yamaha RX-V630RDS. Richer's have it for £320 on their web site, which I got their local store to match.

I've had it for a few weeks and it really is the mutt's danglers.
 
Oh well, if it wins the what hifi test than why bother discussing it.The Oracles have spoken!
 
Other sight!!!


____________Marantz 5200-----------Marantz 4300
Dac ___________24/96-------------------24/192
Power_________85w*6------------------80W*6
Price___________430£--------------------350£
 
I will not upgrade. I will not upgrade. I will not upgrade.....:(
 
The Marantz 7200 is only £486 - even bigger bargain.

I will not upgrade. I will NOT upgrade...
 
hehe.

I`ve had the yamaha dspax 630 for about a week now and i`m starting to like it the only prob is that I have to plug my game cube in on the front which is messy :(

Im gonna get a marantz 5200 on wedneday and see how it sounds. I am gonna get em both home and try em side by side and see which one I prefer.

I do like the yamaha though :D
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom