[narlus]

ok, so 8 weeks after my marantz SR7200 got yanked out of my home for troubleshooting, i find out that it's probably not salvageable. :redhot:

apparently there are problems w/ the digital board, and Marantz doesn't sell the board complete, so the technician would have to find what component(s) is causing the problem and replace. doesn't sound too practical on boards where there could be loads of capacitors, resistors, etc...great.

so after spending about $800 on a now useless item which i got 3 years of service out of, it looks like i'm back to square one. nice one, marantz.

here's what i want the replacement to do:

drive 7 speakers + sub, w/ at least 100W per channel
drive a secondary set of speakers (outdoor speakers on my deck)
have a digital (optical) input for my squeezebox
have the necessary video inputs for future flexibility (currently my vid sources are non-HD TV, VCR and DVD)
have good sound quality
have a decent remote
not cost too much scratch

what are good options?

 

[N8 v2.0]

RX-V2400 Yamaha Receiver is what I've been using for the last couple years.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/YamahaRXV-2400Receiver-p1.html

 

[narlus]

looks like i can buy a refurb one for $430 or one from a high volume ebay seller for $500.

 

[N8 v2.0]

looks like i can buy a refurb one for $430 or one from a high volume ebay seller for $500.

Yep. I am not sure what the current replacement to it is but I'm sure it's quite nice!

 

[narlus]

from an epinions review:

So there you have it. I feel it is an excellent receiver for the price. Is it perfect, no! I would have liked High-Def Cinema DSP, Progressive Scan Conversion, Faroudja Video Processing, and a Time Base Corrector to hold picture stability! However, like most things in
life, I had to compromise, and selected the RX-V2400.

does any of that crap mean anything?

 

[N8 v2.0]

Here is the current model:

RX-V2600

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=200003&CTID=5000300

 

[binary visions]

The Faroudja chip is the current benchmark chip for video upconversion. So yes, that means something - it means it's a good up-converting video source.

Just FYI, narlus, Yamaha is very strict about adhearing to their minimum pricing policy. If you aren't paying close to MSRP, you are not getting a warranty with it. I went through this when I was looking into receivers and you just can't get both a good deal on the receiver and a warranty at the same time.

 

[N8 v2.0]

from an epinions review:



does any of that crap mean anything?

Not to me!

 

[Toshi]

i can't remember what my parents ultimately decided on but it was down to some yamaha model and the integra lineup, especially the card based one

http://www.integrahometheater.com/prod_class.cfm?class=Receiver

 

[mud'n'sweat]

Yamaha is pretty meh imho. I sell them but I am very wary of them. It really just depends on how much pressure you are going to put on it, which judging by your post there will be impedance drops and heavier loads on the amplifier. If you mainly listen at lower to moderate volume levels you should be okay. If you ever like to crank it up, I'd have some different suggestions for you.

 

[narlus]

i'm all ears.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

Okay, few questions for you....

-what is the size room you are working with (dimensions)?
-what speaker models are you running?
-are you planning on going with HDTV in the same time frame you plan on keeping the receiver?
-what is your budget?

 

[habitatxskate]

sony
mine has video, dvd, tv/sat, tape, cd, radio and aux
and then you get the 5 disc changer for another 100 bucks which holds 5 cds/dvds

thats 200 bucks with 4 speakers..this system is like 4 years old.i know they still sell em, notbad, but the inputs for the speakers go bad after a few years..comes with a sub too.

 

[binary visions]

thats 200 bucks with 4 speakers

He's looking for something significantly higher quality than a one of these kits that runs $200 for a receiver, 4 speakers and a sub.

There's no way that your Sony receiver from that kit meets the first list of requirements anyway.

 

[narlus]

Okay, few questions for you....

-what is the size room you are working with (dimensions)?
-what speaker models are you running?
-are you planning on going with HDTV in the same time frame you plan on keeping the receiver?
-what is your budget?

the room is about 22' x 26' w/ a vaulted ceiling; the TV is in the corner. running 3xMC200 speakers (L/C/R), 2xS200 (side L/R) and 2xAmbience 80s mounted in the ceiling (rear L/R, currently wired in mono). the outdoor speakers are the Outdoor 62, one pair. all speakers by Cambridge SoundWorks.

yes, i will plan to upgrade to HDTV at some point; my current TV is over 10 years old.

my budget....famous last words. i'd like to keep it reasonable, to say $500 or so, but maybe that's not possible?

 

[jacksonpt]

7x100 + outdoor speakers... do you want multi-room/source?

By the sounds of things, you'd be best served going with separates, especially if you are going to be running the outdoors at the same time as the indoors, and with any real load.

However, that's not always in the cards. I didn't really read down through the thread, but I didn't see any mention of a budget (sorry if I just didn't read close enough).

I've been through a lot of gear in my day, and I've learned that this is one area that you really do get what you pay for. If music quality is a concern for you, buy something good, where acuracy and distortion are priorities. Go with something like the NAD T773 (7x110, multi-room, multi-source, component video, etc).

If this is more for the average rec room and going to be used mainly for movies and such (i.e. where accurate repoduction isn't as necessary), look at stuff from Harmon Kardon, Sherwood, Denon, or Yamaha (in that order, H/K is the best of the 3, IMO).

Good luck.

 

[jacksonpt]

my budget....famous last words. i'd like to keep it reasonable, to say $500 or so, but maybe that's not possible?

ah, just saw that... Nix the NAD.

 

[narlus]

just to be clear, this system will be used for general music, movie and TV use...my 'serious' music system is in another room and doesn't have to be linked to this one (though i do run a digital output from my CD player from that system into this one, as well as an analog out of the preamp (though there's tons of signal loss for such a long line).

 

[jacksonpt]

just to be clear, this system will be used for general music, movie and TV use...my 'serious' music system is in another room and doesn't have to be linked to this one (though i do run a digital output from my CD player from that system into this one, as well as an analog out of the preamp (though there's tons of signal loss for such a long line).

Definitely don't go with the NAD then - it will be overkill for your needs (not to mention your budget). The sherwoods are nice, but have limited inputs, HKs are nice, as are Denon and Yamaha. I think the Sherwoods are easier to setup, but the HKs probably have the best quality top to bottom.

 

[narlus]

eh, i had some issues w/ an integrated amp from HK a while back...i just want something which is rock solid and reliable, and has the capacity to grow w/ future demands.

the marantz was a very good unit, and cost about $900 in '02 so it's probably not far off from the NAD unit...if i could get a 10 yr warranty on something i'd probably just do it

 

[N8 v2.0]

eh, i had some issues w/ an integrated amp from HK a while back...i just want something which is rock solid and reliable, and has the capacity to grow w/ future demands.

the marantz was a very good unit, and cost about $900 in '02 so it's probably not far off from the NAD unit...if i could get a 10 yr warranty on something i'd probably just do it

I've had 4 Yahama amps and receivers spanning from 1984 till present and I've never had a single problem with one.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I got to second the Yamaha, I still us an old RX-900 back from 1987. The thing still works like a champ. If you are looking Sony, make sure you get the ES series

 

[narlus]

i had an ES series cd player which i played the crap out of, and it lasted for almost 10 years. thing was built like a tank, too.

i'm gonna call Marantz HQ to see what they can do. i find it hard to believe the service center rep's claim that he can't get a replacement digital board, and has to troubleshoot the failure.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

As far as the outdoor speakers, you might be better off getting an inexpensive reciever & cd player to take care of that.

 

[Brian HCM#1]

i had an ES series cd player which i played the crap out of, and it lasted for almost 10 years. thing was built like a tank, too.

i'm gonna call Marantz HQ to see what they can do. i find it hard to believe the service center rep's claim that he can't get a replacement digital board, and has to troubleshoot the failure.

I still have an old top of the line Yamaha CDX-1100, it's starting to take a crap on me but still sounds good. Talk about a tank, it weighs over 30lbs too.

 

[mud'n'sweat]

This is a tough one. I went back and reviewed the whole thread again. The Yamaha N8 mentioned is pretty well loaded, but if you are finding prices on it for around $500 I would DEFINITELY question the provider. 9.5/10 times, this is a bad idea. You are purchasing through and unauthorized dealer which screws your warranty. You have absolutely no idea what you are actually getting under that housing. It's basically grey market, which is a very risky grey area. As Jacksonpt mentioned, my years in this field have taught me the same. This is one area where you get what you pay for. The first receiver that I would point you toward to get you closer to the $500 mark and have an amplifier that can handle more than the Yamaha would be the Denon AVR-2106. You will get a lot of debate in favor of Yamaha, but many people do not realize what has happened with the Yamaha receiver line over the last 5+ years or so. The 2106 is running at $699 at the authorized outlets. Obviously I have my store preference since I work for one, but I'll leave the shopping up to you. To give a Denon comparison of a model that stands next to the Yamaha N8 mentioned as far as price goes, the Denon AVR-3806 is a badd ass receiver for the money. This receiver has great power, DDSC construction, and the best thing to happen to hom theatre in the last 7 years..... the Audessey Lab's MultEQ processor. Instead of calibrating one sweet spot in the room, this processor calibrates the entire room making every seating position sound great.

Well, I have run out of time, I'm headed down to Douthat state park to hit up 40+ miles of amazing single track. It's my day off beeeeehotches!

 

[Atomic Dog]

Narlus,

A few years back I bought the same receiver you had. (the 7200) I haven't done any reading up since then, but I remember that the company Outlaw was getting tons of really good reviews for their "entry level" receiver, the 1050. I don't think it was out yet when I got my Marantz, or I would have picked that up.

I didn't read through the website to see if the current model fits your needs exactly, but you might take a look at it. The current model is the 1070. (For that matter, I dunno how people feel about that brand any more, either, but it might be worth checking out.)

Outlaw Audio