Input please

[mrpink134]

Ok guys I have about 1300 dollars to play with and I'm looking to get a new receiver. I have a Yamaha 663 and I know that its a good receiver but I would like to upgrade with more HDMI inputs and more power. I like Yamahas allot and I heard good things about Denons but I heard they are hard to set up so please point me in the right direction

Thanks

[ZIPPO]

this makes setting up a Denon easy:

http://batpigworld.com/setup.html

[mrpink134]

I was looking at the Yamaha 1900 or the Denon 2809. What do you guys think?

[rded]

for that money you can get a Denon 3808CI

Denons have a more complicated set up menu than an onkyo but it doesn't mean it difficult to set up.

[Cisco in HD]

If I were you, I'd look at the 2809 and above. Rded mentioned the 3808 which I read is a great AVR but only has 2 hdmi inputs. I believe the 2809 has 4 hdmi inputs, someone might correct me on that.

Now as for setups, it's really not that hard. Connect wires, do the Audessy for the distances, then manually set up levels with the SPL meter. The rest... is cake.

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by Cisco in HD

If I were you, I'd look at the 2809 and above. Rded mentioned the 3808 which I read is a great AVR but only has 2 hdmi inputs. I believe the 2809 has 4 hdmi inputs, someone might correct me on that.

Now as for setups, it's really not that hard. Connect wires, do the Audessy for the distances, then manually set up levels with the SPL meter. The rest... is cake.

The 3808CI has 4 hdmi inputs

[Cisco in HD]

Oops, my mistake. I stand corrected. Thanks for the correction.

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by mrpink134

Ok guys I have about 1300 dollars to play with and I'm looking to get a new receiver. I have a Yamaha 663 and I know that its a good receiver but I would like to upgrade with more HDMI inputs and more power. I like Yamahas allot and I heard good things about Denons but I heard they are hard to set up so please point me in the right direction

Thanks

I would recommend keeping your 663 as a pre-amp, and investing the $1300 in a great separate amplifier for your system. In the end, it will sound much better than most A/V receivers in the $1300 range. I'd suggest looking at the likes of Rotel, Parasound, Adcom, NAD, our Outlaw Audio for a good 5.1 or 7.1 channel amp. Another good option to consider, which is touted around here a lot, is the Emotiva MPS-2. I have not heard it, so I can't vouch for it's quality, but it has received some good reviews.

Any one of those options as a separate amp would bring your system more punch and detail than you'll find in most A/V receivers priced $2K and under. Plus, separate amplifiers tend to remain viable longer than A/V receivers, since you can just change your pre-amp down the road as technology and sound codecs change.

If you truly need more HDMI inputs, you can always add a separate HDMI switcher, which they carry at monoprice.com. There are automated HDMI switchers available that are really cheap.

[CosmoKid]

Amazon has an unbelievable deal on the Yamaha RX-v3800 right now.

$970 with Free Shipping, no tax

So if you are looking into an all-in-one receiver, I think that is the way to go.

* 7.1-channel home theater receiver with 980 Watts of total power (140 Watts-per-channel)
* Latest HDMI 1.3a (4 in/1 out) specification supports deep color (30/36 bit) transmission, 120Hz and 24Hz refresh rates and auto lip-sync
* Analog video (480i or 480p) upscaling to full HD 1080p
* Supports Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio
* Network Receiver functions allow you to play Internet radio, stream PC music files, use Yamaha MusicCast, and play USB portable audio players and flash drives


Othewise, go with the Emotiva and use the 663 as a pre, like kingofgrills suggested. I think the 5 channel amp is like $700.

[sokrman14]

Originally Posted by mrpink134

Ok guys I have about 1300 dollars to play with and I'm looking to get a new receiver. I have a Yamaha 663 and I know that its a good receiver but I would like to upgrade with more HDMI inputs and more power. I like Yamahas allot and I heard good things about Denons but I heard they are hard to set up so please point me in the right direction

Thanks

I have found the denons extremely easy to setup. I dont know why this topic has been brought up so much. I have actually found the controls and setup of Yamaha to be the most difficult by far. To each their own I guess, but with $1300 you may be able to find a AVR3808, which has a graphic user interface (GUI). That makes it very very very very easy to use.

[JJ]

I must heartily agree with Kingofgrills. Everything he said, from brand selection to the HDMI switch, if you need more outlets. You already have a capable receiver with pre-outs. Use that $1,300 for separate amplification components - they will offer you much more than a new receiver would. Amplifiers don't need to be replaced, since for the most part, power is power. It would be a better long run investment than a new receiver, which would probably have to be replaced in 3-5 years.

[got rice]

If you are set on an AVR, a $1300.00 budget will give you a few options.
Yamaha 3800, Denon 3808, Pioneer SC-07, Onkyo 876, Marantz 8002 are the ones that come to mind.

Any of these will offer plenty of power, multiple HDMI inputs, video upconversion as well as music streaming. Each will offer the newest audio codecs Dolby True HD, DTS MA etc. Also the nice thing abou these receivers is that you can update any of the newest formats via the internet.

On the other hand, I have to agree with King of Grills and some of the others as far as a separte amp. Rotel 1095, Anthem A5, Sunfire Grand Cinema can all be found on Audiogon.com within your budget.

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

I would recommend keeping your 663 as a pre-amp, and investing the $1300 in a great separate amplifier for your system. In the end, it will sound much better than most A/V receivers in the $1300 range. I'd suggest looking at the likes of Rotel, Parasound, Adcom, NAD, our Outlaw Audio for a good 5.1 or 7.1 channel amp. Another good option to consider, which is touted around here a lot, is the Emotiva MPS-2. I have not heard it, so I can't vouch for it's quality, but it has received some good reviews.

Any one of those options as a separate amp would bring your system more punch and detail than you'll find in most A/V receivers priced $2K and under. Plus, separate amplifiers tend to remain viable longer than A/V receivers, since you can just change your pre-amp down the road as technology and sound codecs change.

If you truly need more HDMI inputs, you can always add a separate HDMI switcher, which they carry at monoprice.com. There are automated HDMI switchers available that are really cheap.

Yeah, do this. Money much better spent than buying another AVR. I plan on going this route someday.

[sandman6662]

Try the Marantz SR-7002 or SR-8002 , Both in the price range , Ouststanding setup easy , and great power, I Have the SR-7002 and no regrets what so ever, and if you want more power doen the road buy a 5 channel power amp and add it on, it has plenty of HDMI inputs , Plus two HDMI outputs , You also sell your old reciver to buy the power amp or something else you need to upgrade,, Jusy my feelings, hope this helps..

[mrpink134]

Originally Posted by CosmoKid

Amazon has an unbelievable deal on the Yamaha RX-v3800 right now.

$970 with Free Shipping, no tax

So if you are looking into an all-in-one receiver, I think that is the way to go.

* 7.1-channel home theater receiver with 980 Watts of total power (140 Watts-per-channel)
* Latest HDMI 1.3a (4 in/1 out) specification supports deep color (30/36 bit) transmission, 120Hz and 24Hz refresh rates and auto lip-sync
* Analog video (480i or 480p) upscaling to full HD 1080p
* Supports Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio
* Network Receiver functions allow you to play Internet radio, stream PC music files, use Yamaha MusicCast, and play USB portable audio players and flash drives


Othewise, go with the Emotiva and use the 663 as a pre, like kingofgrills suggested. I think the 5 channel amp is like $700.

Well after looking at everyones input and I thank everyone I have decided to buy the Yamaha 3800 its just to good of a deal to pass up. Again I would like to thank everyone

[lucv13]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

I would recommend keeping your 663 as a pre-amp, and investing the $1300 in a great separate amplifier for your system. In the end, it will sound much better than most A/V receivers in the $1300 range. I'd suggest looking at the likes of Rotel, Parasound, Adcom, NAD, our Outlaw Audio for a good 5.1 or 7.1 channel amp. Another good option to consider, which is touted around here a lot, is the Emotiva MPS-2. I have not heard it, so I can't vouch for it's quality, but it has received some good reviews.

Any one of those options as a separate amp would bring your system more punch and detail than you'll find in most A/V receivers priced $2K and under. Plus, separate amplifiers tend to remain viable longer than A/V receivers, since you can just change your pre-amp down the road as technology and sound codecs change.

If you truly need more HDMI inputs, you can always add a separate HDMI switcher, which they carry at monoprice.com. There are automated HDMI switchers available that are really cheap.

+1
This I believe would be your best plan of action and one that will likely bring you the most satisfaction from your system

[CosmoKid]

Nice choice mrpink! You will LOVE that receiver. I may throw my 1700 up on craigslist and upgrade.