good receiver for under $400

[Grim Reaper]

im looking into upgrading my current one. im looking for one that does all the hd audio. my current one is a harmon/kardon avr 146. or something that will give me the best hd audio for the bd movies.

[ixlegitballinxl]

onkyo 605

[PanasonicPlasmaMan]

ONK TXSR605 you can find online used for like $350

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...9989941&sr=8-1

has everything, I love mine!!!

[mjbethancourt]

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665364791

[allstar780]

i would have to say... stick with onkyo in that price range... it will greatly outperform the sony MJ recommended, though you will pay a bit more for it

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by allstar780

i would have to say... stick with onkyo in that price range... it will greatly outperform the sony MJ recommended, though you will pay a bit more for it

The specs are virtually identical for both, except the 820 gives you 110w/ch versus 105, and stays under $400 (that is what the OP specified). Onkyo is a status-symbol fad, like Klipsch speakers or the Panasonic plasma.

[allstar780]

I dont understand why everything I say is taken as a personal thing... the sony receivers are absolute crap compared to Onkyo, Denon, Harmon Kardon, Marantz, etc.

How are the specs identical? The only way the Sony outputs 110w/ch is if only 2 channels are powered... and the Onkyo may only output 90w/ch but I guarantee it does so more efficiently and across the whole 20-20Khz spectrum. Sony makes good receivers in their ES line... the others are not worth the money.

By the way... as far as bashing Klipsch, Onkyo or Panasonic... no, they aren't a status symbol to me... hell, half the people who come to my house have no idea what those brands are, all they know is my system is great. I picked Klipsch speakers out of taste... if I wanted a status symbol among the kind of people I'm friends with I'd have an iPhone and a Bose lifestyle system with a samsung LCD

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by allstar780

I dont understand why everything I say is taken as a personal thing... the sony receivers are absolute crap compared to Onkyo, Denon, Harmon Kardon, Marantz, etc.

How are the specs identical? The only way the Sony outputs 110w/ch is if only 2 channels are powered... and the Onkyo may only output 90w/ch but I guarantee it does so more efficiently and across the whole 20-20Khz spectrum. Sony makes good receivers in their ES line... the others are not worth the money.

By the way... as far as bashing Klipsch, Onkyo or Panasonic... no, they aren't a status symbol to me... hell, half the people who come to my house have no idea what those brands are, all they know is my system is great. I picked Klipsch speakers out of taste... if I wanted a status symbol among the kind of people I'm friends with I'd have an iPhone and a Bose lifestyle system with a samsung LCD

It's not personal at all, unless that's how you're taking it. Didn't bash any of those brands, there's no reason to, they're very good brands. There is a prevalent fad on this forum for people to say that onkyo/klipsch/panasonic is the only way to go, and that everything else is crap; that's not directed at you personally. It only makes you self-conscious because you're one of them. The STR-DG820 is as good a receiver as anything at the $400 pricepoint, even the vaunted Onkyo; it's not crap compared to the other lower-end receivers of the other brands, that's just totally insane. Look up the specs yourself... you sell this stuff, you should know.

So it's not nearly as good as a $1200 receiver... big frickin' surprise!


I hadn't even noticed that you had onkyo/klipsch/panasonic, I don't bother reading those signature lines where you guys list what HT components you have... that's this community's pseudophallus, and I make a point of ignoring it.

[allstar780]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

It's not personal at all, unless that's how you're taking it. Didn't bash any of those brands, there's no reason to, they're very good brands. There is a prevalent fad on this forum for people to say that onkyo/klipsch/panasonic is the only way to go, and that everything else is crap; that's not directed at you personally. It only makes you self-conscious because you're one of them. The STR-DG820 is as good a receiver as anything at the $400 pricepoint, even the vaunted Onkyo; it's not crap compared to the other lower-end receivers of the other brands, that's just totally insane. Look up the specs yourself... you sell this stuff, you should know.

So it's not nearly as good as a $1200 receiver... big frickin' surprise!


I hadn't even noticed that you had onkyo/klipsch/panasonic, I don't bother reading those signature lines where you guys list what HT components you have... that's this community's pseudophallus, and I make a point of ignoring it.

I do sell it and I do know... the sony receivers dont compare to their "equivalent" Onkyo counterparts... I really hope one of the other people on this site who knows this chimes in and helps me out here because I rarely have to sell any sony stuff so I dont exactly make a point of learning all the details... but I do know they don't quite stack up.

As for the signature... the only thing in it that is not helpful to other users in one way or another is the number of BDs I have... the rest can be helpful if someone has or is looking at the same or similar equipment and has questions.

[Kenshiro]

As a long time Sony fan and an owner of a STR-DG910 and a Denon 2807, I'm going to have to agree with allstar here. These Sony DG receivers are only worth $200-250 as the advertised specs are an absolute lie. Overall they are decent receivers with good AV switching and easy set-up, but if you care about quality sound then look elsewhere.

Looking at the specs for these receivers they are rated at 100 watts x 7ch .09%THD on crutchfield while on the Sonystyle site they are rated at 110 watts x 7ch %1.0 THD which is a big difference. The truth is neither are even close to true. I always could tell the 910 was underpowered but I didn't know how much until I saw the Sound and Vision magazine bench tests of the DG910 versus the Onkyo 605.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/rec...-receiver.html

With one channel being driven the 910 tested at 84 watts @8 ohms. With 2 channels driven it made 75 watts @8 ohms. Now for the bad news..It only makes 30 watts per channel driving 5 speakers @8 ohms.. I wonder how much(or little) power it makes drving 7 speakers?

Meanwhile the 605 test bench was a lot closer to its advertised specs making 85 watts per channel driving 5 speakers @8ohms.
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/rec...-receiver.html

After reading the review I checked the back of the 910 manual to see what was up. There must have been some translation errors or something, the specs in the manual list the power in surround mode as something like 150 watts per channel at 10% THD(yes 10% distortion! not 1.0%). The bench test confirms that the 150 watts it makes is the TOTAL for all 7 channels to share...pathetic.

So I sent Sony several e-mails with links to the test bench results and I only got back ambigious replys stating the amp has a 260 watts power consumption. Needless to say I ordered the Denon the next day and WOW we are talking night and day difference. Sony makes ok HTIB solutions for the casual listeners and it seems like their entry level receiver share some of the same specs as their HTIB's. I still have the 910, I just moved it to another room where I don't need real power. It will probably do just fine in many listening environments like small rooms and apartments. The Sony ES line of course is a lot better, but after reading their bench tests results they are not making their specs either.

For a $400 receiver you can do much better than anything Sony.

[mjbethancourt]

I read both articles. That interpretation is selective, to say the least. Comparing both articles, Kumin notes the Onkyo cut down to 1/3 power with output sustained beyond a few hundred milliseconds; then he says of the Sony that it was capable of "bursts" much greater than the rated 30 watts, and also admits that his measured output ratings were not consistent with the sound test, and speculated that it is a result of software limiting steady-state power-supply current... in other words, they are both reducing power to about the same levels under the same circumstances, but he was not able to get the same type of readings from both receivers, because he could not obtain direct testing of power-amp channels from the Sony, but he could from the Onkyo. So the published power numbers are apples to oranges (comparing peak multichannel to software-limited multichannel). He also thoroughly praised the sound-quality of the 910. Anyway, the 910 is an older generation, it doesn't do lossless formats like the 820 (to be fair, so is the 605).

The $400 Denon AVR-689 doesn't even do any lossless HD formats, and only lists at 80w x 7. The lowest 7.1 Harmon-Kardon is $600, and only lists 50w x 7. The Marantz SR4003 is $550, 80w x 7; the next one down does not do lossless HD, does 60w x 7... notice a pattern yet? These receivers are either more expensive, or not as good. There aren't much better receivers at $400, you have to pony up a few hundred more dollars to get that. The 820 is a bargain.

[JasonR]

Don't let the Sony hate bring you down. I looked past all that and got the 920 and am very pleased with it. Go out and decide for yourself, try to even audition your choice at home if you have a good return policy. Don't make a decision of acoustics based on words, it is something you need to do with your ears...

[D1-2005]

I'm going to recommend the Yammy v663 I have had it about a month. Got it for 370 from 6ave and so far I love it.

[mjbethancourt]

Originally Posted by JasonR

Don't let the Sony hate bring you down. I looked past all that and got the 920 and am very pleased with it. Go out and decide for yourself, try to even audition your choice at home if you have a good return policy. Don't make a decision of acoustics based on words, it is something you need to do with your ears...

Especially when those words are coming from people who are trained to upsell you out of your budget.

[fsavoie]

Originally Posted by JasonR

Don't let the Sony hate bring you down. I looked past all that and got the 920 and am very pleased with it. Go out and decide for yourself, try to even audition your choice at home if you have a good return policy. Don't make a decision of acoustics based on words, it is something you need to do with your ears...

Is there a big difference between the 820 and the 920 (other than the 100$)

[JasonR]

1080P upconversion and GUI. I think the power supply might be different, but don't quote me on that. The 7 pound difference has to come from somewhere.

I got mine for the price of the 820...

[Kenshiro]

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

I read both articles. That interpretation is selective, to say the least. Comparing both articles, Kumin notes the Onkyo cut down to 1/3 power with output sustained beyond a few hundred milliseconds; then he says of the Sony that it was capable of "bursts" much greater than the rated 30 watts, and also admits that his measured output ratings were not consistent with the sound test, and speculated that it is a result of software limiting steady-state power-supply current... in other words, they are both reducing power to about the same levels under the same circumstances, but he was not able to get the same type of readings from both receivers, because he could not obtain direct testing of power-amp channels from the Sony, but he could from the Onkyo. So the published power numbers are apples to oranges (comparing peak multichannel to software-limited multichannel). He also thoroughly praised the sound-quality of the 910. Anyway, the 910 is an older generation, it doesn't do lossless formats like the 820 (to be fair, so is the 605).

Your preaching to the choir because I have the 910 so I know what it is capable of. The 910 accepts multi-channel PCM over HDMI. So for a PS3 owner like mself and the OP, the onboard decoding on the 920 is useless. Also it has the same amplifier specs in the manual as the 910, they don't change much year to year, check the manual. The review speculates that the 910 might be able to make short bursts of more power.... 30 watts per channel plus short bursts of more power is not good enough for me. I tried to convince myself before that it was ok, but for the money its not. The sound quality of the 910 is ok, but the ears can be deceiving, test bench results are not.

Originally Posted by mjbethancourt

The $400 Denon AVR-689 doesn't even do any lossless HD formats, and only lists at 80w x 7. The lowest 7.1 Harmon-Kardon is $600, and only lists 50w x 7. The Marantz SR4003 is $550, 80w x 7; the next one down does not do lossless HD, does 60w x 7... notice a pattern yet? These receivers are either more expensive, or not as good. There aren't much better receivers at $400, you have to pony up a few hundred more dollars to get that. The 820 is a bargain.

Again why does a PS3 owner need a receiver that decodes lossless formats when the PS3 has onboard decoding and can not bitstream to a receiver that can decode? All that a PS3 owner needs is a good receiver that accepts multi-channel PCM over HDMI. I want people to save money and not buy things they don't need, I don't sell receivers. I also want PS3 owners to get the best sound the can afford, and if they can afford $400 then they can do much better than these underpowered Sony receivers.

Oh and all of those receiver you listed make more power than the Sony DG series, even the 50w x 7 Harmon-Kardon, but they are all overpriced and I wouldn't reccomend them. The 605 is good but I'm not too crazy about Onkyo either as they tend to run a little hot.

I would reccommend these though, both of which accept multi-channel PCM over HDMI, and actually make the power they advertise.

Denon 788 85 watts x 7 $350 shipped

Denon 888 100 watts x 7 $375 shipped

[Grim Reaper]

should of mentioned that i dont shop online.

[fsavoie]

Originally Posted by Kenshiro

Again why does a PS3 owner need a receiver that decodes lossless formats when the PS3 has onboard decoding and can not bitstream to a receiver that can decode?

But those Denon youre talking about is decoding too no? Can you buy good receiver with HDMI witout the decoder part?

[Jacobisthe]

Originally Posted by Circuit City

ONK TXSR605 you can find online used for like $350

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...9989941&sr=8-1

has everything, I love mine!!!

you can get the 606 for about the same price (newer model)