New home AV Receiver

[sroxberg]

My Marantz Receiver died this week and I need to purchase a new one. I'm probably willing to spend up to $1,000 but would like to be in the sweet spot where the sound is great, but it would cost a lot to improve it.

I current have an X-box, DVD player, Directv unit hooked up and could possibly add a Roku, Apple TV or other device since the screen is projection without 4k or 3d.

What advice do you have or what forum can you guide me to?

[Archengine]

I too had a Marantz that needed an upgrade. I went with the Yamaha Adventage series 750. I snagged it at Best Buy. I love it! Sound is great, inputs are great. And even more importantly the GUI is super easy to understand. That is important because my wife who is not a stereo junkie can navigate through everything. The old Marantz was archaic in that regard. I can roll out of bed and turn on car talk in the morning via my iPad, from a different room than the stereo. The iPad app for Yamaha is super nice. I can also tune in thousands of international radio stations from the app. So easy. I love it.


Rob

[Wild Turkey]

What speakers are you using? They make the system.

Search for "speaker builder" forum for some good ideas

I really like my Harmon Kardon receiver/amp and the "Tanzanite" speakers I assembled from plans and parts at the "Parts Express" forum

[FlaAllan]

Very knowledgeable bunch at this forum: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php

[sroxberg]

Thanks for the information so far. 

I own a set of Klipsch Speakers and this is for watching TV only I have a different setup for Music so I'm only interested in that.

I only have a 5 speakers and a sub so I'm thinking that I may be better off buying a 5.2 system so that all the money and power in the unit will drive speakers. If I get a 7.2 aren't I wasting some amplifiers that I won't use?

[Brian in sunny FL]

I also only needed 5 channels and bought a Marantz from a friend at dealer cost which was nice.  What I liked is I was able to dedicate the two unused home theater channels to a second zone for outdoor speakers.  I have independent control of sources which is great.  Built in support for Pandora and access to my music library and I can control it all from the Marantz app.

For just home theater, the usual offenders probably all make decent products; Marantz, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer, Denon ...

It sounds silly but compare the weight, that to me says how big the transformer probably is which has a lot to do with dynamic power and true output power.  IIRC, they only rate them with two channels driven which is fine for TV and a powered sub.

Moonoprice seems to have good deals on Pioneer Elite.  I get discount coupon emails from them all the time too.  Labor15 should get you 15% off sitewide today only

[bytestalker]

We are looking for a new av receiver also.  We were told by the folks at B&H that we should look for a receiver that has: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X (which will have firmware updates to move sound around, like helicopter sounds coming from speakers in ceiling), network connection, 4K, speaker calibration.   You can get that for around $599.00.  We are looking at the Denon line.  It has dual band Wi-Fi.  You can call and talk to them at B&H they are easy to talk with and good pricing.   I wander through their store when I go to see my daughter in New York.

Robert

[JDuke]

I'm thinking about a soundbar for the TV

I like the idea of the ones that have a wireless subwoofer that also has rear channel speakers attached to the subwoofer.

What's really a deal breaker for me is getting one that will work completely with a TiVo remote.

Duke

[Admiral]

I went through this a couple of years ago, and one question that is important is how much do you use the am/fm part of the receiver.  Adding in that capability involves compromises to audio quality, interference, etc.  At least that is what my research told me.  If the answer is no, consider a combination integrated pre-amp/amplifier without the tuner electronics.  I never play the radio on my sound system, so I ended up with an Onkyo A-9555.  It will do everything you want but play am/fm, does digital signals (I assume Tivo outputs digital like AppleTV) and produces great sound.  There are others out there.  Just some food for thought.  I bought it at B&H with good experience, not everyone carries it; link below. 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control...&A=details

[Bit_Fiddler]

If you don't mind buying factory refurb equipment, try www.accessories4less.com - I've purchased a couple of units from them over the years that have been flawless and a darn good deal at the time.  Been pretty happy with the Onkyo receivers, but they seem to have the other major brands as well.  

Not affiliated with them in any way, just like their prices.

Dave