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Which AVR for "stereo"

dlh2

dlh2

Active Member
In general, which brand of big name, current day, HDMI switching AVR's sound the best with music when switched to the traditional 2 channel stereo mode (Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer, Marantz,etc)? I'm trying to kill 2 birds with one stone and keep the wife happy.
 
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I've been very happy with the Onkyo AVRs that I've bought over the years (2 in 15 years) - and they were not very $$ - something like 400.00 new from Vanns - it switches both video and music over hdmi(hopefully they all do this by now - this was hard to find a few years back in that price range.)
 
Everyone will have their favorites, I love my Anthem! After years with the Asian brands, it was so refreshing to deal with the simplicity of the MRX. I don't miss having hundreds of features I don't need or care for! Does exactly what I want it to do!

My second choice would be NAD (same reasoning). But you'll soon be hearing the Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer, etc crowd chiming in!

My best advice would be to get the one with the features and sound you want/need and find a nice 2 channel power amp to handle the fronts. My Anthem is only 65W, but the fronts are handled by my CL bought Parasound 2250 and I love this combo (until I go to the next one!)
 
This is REALLY a very subjective call. But that said, here is what "my" ears tell me:

Marantz and Harman Kardon are fairly musical and a tad warmer than the others. Although Denons are pretty musical as well.

Older and cheaper Yamahas aren't the best for music. But the new Aventage series is worth a LOOK!

As for Pioneer. I'd only look at the Elite ICE amp AVRs. They are very clean, detailed and fast.

Onkyo is "great" for HTheater, but not as musical as some above.

If it were me, I'd look at a Marantz (among the AVRs that I've run: Onkyo, Pioneer, and Denon, I prefer the Denon for "music").

It goes without saying that your ears might not agree with mine. So get out and listen to a few AVRs.

Oh, Anthem. First rate but "pricey"!

cnh2
 
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And it would be really great to ask a very general question for advise about brands without some smart-a$$ reply, but that seldom happens!
 
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Wasn't intended as such, just pointing out to those that ask these questions that some background info would be helpful. I am looking at about three such threads and none had that little tidbit. And rather than provide some insight there, you decide to be pissy about it. Whatever.....
 
If you have bright speakers , get a "warm" amp. If you have more laid back speakers, you can afford to get an amp that is not quite so "warm". I definitely think it's a two-way relationship between the speakers and the amp. Clearly if you have "bright" speakers you should avoid a "bright" amp. And if you like lush sound why not pair a "warm" amp with "warm" speakers?

Next, lets rate speakers for the their brightness --- warmth scale
and amplifiers for their warmth ---- brightness scale

and create a matrix for matching speakers to amps based upon personal preference for music type.
 
BayouTiger, my apologies. To re-phrase my original post, I'm simply trying to find out if any one brand has established a unanimous reputation as being the most "musical" (across the board, without regard to price point or specific model). Based on the replys so far, I guess that's not the case and it will come down to a subjective call on my part.

I've owned both Yamaha and Onkyo (older models) and the Yamaha was clearly the most musical, but the Onkyo did a better job with surround sound. The problem these days is there isn't a good place to go and audition equipment anymore like in the good old Hi Fi days!
 
No prob, bud. The "musicality" (???) of any brand is of course subjective. I think if you liked the Yamaha previously, that would be my fist choice. A am wondering if by "better job with surround sound" you are really more enamored with Onkyo's feature set for it's processing, and that's understandable, but to me at least, I subscribe to the "if music sounds great, A/V will follow" theory.

It certainly is frustrating that audio has become a sight unseen (or unheard) buying experience for so many of us! But such is the market now.

Unanimous! I don't think they do that around here!!!!! LOL
 
BT.. You nailed it when you said "if music sounds great, A/V will follow"! I feel like I would wasting my time driving into Pensacola to audition equipment at Best Buy or HH Gregg, so I'm depending on reviews and forums like this for advise. Guarantee you, if I walked in and said "I'm here to audition some Anthem & NAD, I would get a blank stare. I'll continue to do my homework via the internet before pulling the trigger.
 
Older cheaper Yamaha's are not very musical?
I have a R-V703 and a R-V1103, they both do 2channel music very well.
Neither have HDMI, but that's just more crap packed into a receiver that you don't need.
Run the HDMI from your cable/sat receiver straight to the TV, leave the receiver for sound as it's real purpose was meant for anyway.
 
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I would suggest trying to find a surround receiver with pre-outs for the mains. I have a Yamaha HTR-6140 that works great for me as a hybrid 2 channel and surround amp, my only complaint is that i can't use an external amplifier because it lacks pre out/main ins which limits the speakers i can use.

I agree with an earlier response though, if you have the money go for an NAD, less features means more bang for your buck in sound. The NAD will be nearly twice the price of a similar yamaha though.
 
BTW, i am listening to Paradigms through my Yamaha AVR...so, Yamaha is bright, Paradigm tends to be more laid back, they pair sufficiently well.

For example, if you have Klipsch speakers dont buy a Yamaha!
 
I've owned quite a few. Really liked Harmon Kardon, the higher end Yamahas wern't bad at all, and in fact I still have an RV-1105 I keep around for a spare.

If I wanted to purchase one today, I'd lean towards either Arcam or Rotel, or perhaps even NAD...
 
I vote for Anthem MRX avr's. Best stereo sound. Best surround processing. No frills. Just the basic features. ARC calibration is great. You will need a windows laptop for calibration. Once calibrated, download to avr and you are good to go.

An external multi-channel amp can be added if needed. I have the MRX-500. I have no need to add another amp. In stereo, it has the dynamics of the amps from the 70's & 80's. In surround mode, best I have heard in a home theater setup. You can tweak it after the initial calibration but I've never had the need. I just enjoy the music. Movies too.

ARC setup takes a while but well worth it. Not cheap.

If you are after the sound quality without the bells and whistles, this is it.
 
I'll throw my hat in for Onkyo. I have a sr606 which I think does a pretty nice job with 2 channel. I'm a huge fan of its bass management and Audyssey room correction with dynamic eq. You can get some great deals on Onkyo AVRs if you shop well.
 
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