Receiver advice-Yamaha or Onkyo

[rlpiii]

Originally Posted by cptpike

Just to throw my 2 cents in. I recently went through an AVR upgrade. I was replacing my old Onkyo txds777b. I loved this unit but with new decoding processes it was time to upgrade. I'd been planning on a Denon for sometime. I ended up with the 2808ci. I got it home and ran the audyssey eq setup with the mic on a tripod and 7 listening positions. Checked the levels with an SPL meter. Ran test source material and watched / listened to several movies. I came to the conclusion that I really didn't like the Denon "sound". It seemed a bit hollow and unnatural IMO. So, I took the receiver back and ended up with a Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH. I never pictured myself buying an elite, not that there's anything wrong with the brand, It just wasn't on my radar of possibilities. So to make a long story short, I'm very pleased with the purchase. The sound quality suits me well and the fit and finish of the receiver is outstanding.

I know you've made your decision but, I wanted to through out some other ideas for those who are viewing this thread looking for advice on a new AVR.

Congratulations on your new purchase.

I still have 3 pioneer receivers. Only two are still in use (VSX-45TX and VSX-D2S). They all have a good sound and I never had any build problems with any of them. I also like how all the Pioneer equipment integrates really well with each other. You can hard wire multiple pioneer components together using the control jacks. The only peculiarities I have noticed with the VSX-45TX is that sometimes if we have power outages, the unit will literally need to be unplugged and let sit for a few minutes before plugging it back in, in order to get it to power back up. Also when power goes out, the unit defaults back to speakers in A mode as opposed to another set-up. I was using the VSX-45TX as a music through the house receiver with it set in A + B mode when I learned this.

I just have preferred the sound, user interface, and remote control of the yamaha over the pioneer. I also like how yamaha has the front effects channels. They really make a difference in the sound field if you are able to use them. Also, my experience has been that all the yamahas I have seen have sleep timers which is very important if you are using it in a bedroom setup.

[Alexander]

I also plan to buy an AV Receiver and currently am in doubt between:

Yamaha 3800

Denon 2808 or 3808

Pioneer LX 60

I did not listen to them yet, but plan to do so if possible
most dealers in the area don't have all the brands together in there store
that's also the problem on getting good advice
one shop does not sell Denon or Pioneer, so of course he recommends Yamaha

Another shop has Denon and Pioneer and recommends Pioneer

I did not see any Onkyo yet ...

Any advice on these receivers ??

[TheMoose]

Originally Posted by Alexander

I also plan to buy an AV Receiver and currently am in doubt between:

Yamaha 3800

Denon 2808 or 3808

Pioneer LX 60

I did not listen to them yet, but plan to do so if possible
most dealers in the area don't have all the brands together in there store
that's also the problem on getting good advice
one shop does not sell Denon or Pioneer, so of course he recommends Yamaha

Another shop has Denon and Pioneer and recommends Pioneer

I did not see any Onkyo yet ...

Any advice on these receivers ??

There are many reviews here & I wrote up my thoughts on the Denon 3808ci in this post.