OK sound gurus, I need some advice. I am currently looking for a new reciever to replace my 7 year old Sony which at the time was pretty good, but is now painfully outdated. That, and it has this nagging issue with popping my CSW Bass cube when I adjust the volume.

Not really obsessed with wattage as a good 75 watt/CH system can still sound better than an a million watt, overdriven speaker system. I'm more looking for a good quality sound for both DVD's, HDTV and CD's. I also want something that will last a while and doesn't run hot (It'll be enclosed in an Amoire when in use) and I'd also like a system that does HDMI switching as my Bravia TV only has one HDMI input.

Right now I've got these two systems in mind:

YAMAHA RX-V2600

YAMAHA RX-V661

Even though the 2600 is more $, I've seen it listed on Amazon for the same price as the 661...

I also looked at a couple of Sonys and I haven't ruled them out but my research has told me that the sound quality on the Yamaha systems is fantastic. I've also looked at Denon, Panasonic and Onkyo but I'm not too sure about their performance.

So what do you guys think? For say, no more than 600 bucks what would you recommend? Are Denon systems better? How about Pioneer, Klipsh or HarmonKardon? I'll take any advice, I'm all ears... (well eyes in this case )

Thanks in advance.

 

They seem very similar in the feature department except for a few key things:

Power: Though you werent concerned with wattage the 2600 has wayyy more. this means your sound will be clearer at lower volume and you will stress your amp less.

Video: the 2600 has HDMI upconversion - important when using your A/V receiver as a switching unit - minimizes the cables to the monitor allowing just your HDMI cable out of the receiver and all other cables to your receiver. some videophiles frown upon upconversion but i personally cant see the difference.
The 2600 also has 1 more component video input allowing for more options later if you needed it.

Zones: the 2600 has 1 more zone output - 3 - vs 2 on the 661 - if you plan on using your amp for home audio control and being able to watch tv in one room and use the same amp and cd/dvd player to route music and video if you liked to another room then the 2600 is better set up to do so. both units will allow A/V signals to be sent to another room using a diffenent source but the 2600 allows for yet another audio signal to be sent elsewhere - do you like to listen to music while showering?

Look: the 2600 is definitely more elegant and clean looking - it just rounds out a well refined set of equipment.

If you can get the 2600 for the same price or close to the 661 then my vote goes hands down to the 2600. Yamaha makes some wonderful audio products especially for home theater but moreso for audio listening. Their listening dsp environments are second to none and are actual reprodutions of sound harmonics from specific venues around the world. Quite an upgrade from any sony.

Hope this helps - happy listening

 

[QUOTE=LazyProfessor,Nov 28 2007, 07:57 AM] They seem very similar in the feature department except for a few key things:

Power:

 

For the money, Yamaha is an excellent choice for audio products. They really are deep into the audio industry and is the focalpoint of their consumer products.
Denon is a comparable pruduct as far as features/$ - Denon is more geared toward Home theater while Yamaha is more toward Audio though both do both very well.
If you want to spend more then take a look at B&K. Very very nice A/V receivers but also a bit more "techie".
Glad I could help.

 

what kind of ventilation does the armoire have?

if it is a closed box it will get hot in there.
even at idle or off the are still good for a few watts of dissipation.
when operational you'll need cooling or the components will cook.

 

Just the cutouts in the rear and whatever tolerance between the doors and the frame. I've had it for years, even before I bought the old reciever.

Now that you mention it though, I haven't really thought about the heat dissipation issues. My TV even after I turn it off will run kinda hot. Even after it's been off, if I go back and open the doors, it's pretty humid in there. Do people actually run axilliary fans or extra cooling in Amoires? I guess I counted too much on the built in cooling systems for each unit doing there job.

I gonna have to look in to that...

 

My apologies, I'm having a bit of a brainfart here but what is B&K?

Blaupunkt?
Kenwood?

If not, I'd be curious to learn more. I really need to stay under the 600 dollar mark too...

 

You'll find in the owners manuals the manufacturer will recommend a certain amount of clearance around your equipment.

 

yeah but that assumes an open airspace convective environment.
when you close the box you lose that and all bets are off.
at minimum you need to have and equivalent opening at the bottom of the enclosure and the top as that stated by the manufacturer.

heat = premature death for electrical components.

 

B & K = B & K Components

http://www.bkcomp.com

Nice stuff but wayyy over $600

The Yamaha is a great buy.