Denon AVR-988 vs Yamaha RX-V863

[z24lucifer]

I was pretty set on the 863, but my local futureshop (canada) has the Denon AVR-988 on sale for $500 off!

This brings the Denon down to a bit cheaper than the 863. I have researched the 863 quite a bit, and know very little about Denon's, except that they are supposed to be very good also.

Any thoughts?

[Riff Magnum]

$500 off!! Wow!! So you can get one for like $200? i'd say go for it, unless you can get the same discount on the Yammy.

[z24lucifer]

Originally Posted by Riff Magnum

$500 off!! Wow!! So you can get one for like $200? i'd say go for it, unless you can get the same discount on the Yammy.

HAHAHHA, I WISH for $200!. I live in Canada. We have to pay like double what you guys pay for the same thing in the US.

The Denon is $750 (thats what the $500 off) Canadian, the Yamaha is roughly the same price.

I was just wondering if the Denon is the best way to go between the two given that they are basically the same price.

[Pelican170]

in my opinion, id def. go with the Denon over Yamaha..

[fronn]

The AVR 988 does (Edit: Does) upconvert to 1080p as far as I know.

The 863 will.

Outside of that they should be rather comparable on paper at least... (they both have the DCDI and burr-browns). I haven't heard or touched either of them, so I can't say outside of paper specs.

[Johk]

I just bought the AVR-988 for myself (I'm from Canada also and this deals seemed too good too pass, it was the last one in store).

I will probably hook it up temporally tomorrow to try it since it will be used for the basement which is not currently set-up (the speakers for the basement are on their way).

I was looking at Yamaha RX-V863 or Onkyo TX-SR805 for myself but I didn't see much about Denon in this forum (I own a Yamaha and I'm pretty satisfied). But I've read Denon is great... Anyway I'll let you know.

Finally the rebate is 500$ but on the website it says that the sale will end tomorrow, so if I were you I would pick one up tomorrow and try to see if you like it (if not you can always return it in 30 days).

Edit: The AVR-988 is almost identical to the AVR-2808CI (except for the remote)

Comparing the Denon with the Yamaha (quick feature comparison to complete...):

The Denon AVR-988:
- 110 w/ch
- 2 HDMI
- 7.1 ch
- Audissey MultEQ XT

The Yamaha RX-V863:
- 105 w/ch
- 3 HDMI
- 7.2 (I wonder if the additional sub port is usefull or if it's just a marketing scheme)
- YPAO Sound Optimisation

One point that I would have like from the Denon would be the 3 HDMI outs...

[Johk]

Originally Posted by fronn

The AVR 988 doesn't upconvert to 1080p as far as I know.

The AVR-988 does upconvert to 1080p

[Johk]

Anyone else's got an opinion on the Denon, I tried it briefly (temporary setup since I planned to use it for my new ht which will finally see the light of day in July) and it sounded really good, I would say better than my current Yamaha.

However, I would like to get your advices regarding what is the better deal Denon AVR-988 vs Yamaha RX-V863. Currently they both sell for the same price (the Denon is discounted since it will be replaced by a newer model).

[blurayisking]

I faced the exact same decision, Denon AVR-988 versus Yamaha RX-863 (aka HTR-6180) and ended up choosing the Yamaha HTR-6180. Pricing and the extra HDMI input made the difference.

Both receivers have plenty of inputs/outputs, decode all of the HD codecs and have inputs for multi-channel SACD playback.

[Blu_Audio]

Hmmm…I don’t know much about the RX-V863…I had an HTR 6050 and now have a Denon 4308 (for now; much of the same features as the Denon 988, a very nice unit) and with all the same gear and setup I was more of a fan of the Denon.

[Johk]

Originally Posted by Blu_Audio

Hmmm…I don’t know much about the RX-V863…I had an HTR 6050 and now have a Denon 4308 (for now; much of the same features as the Denon 988, a very nice unit) and with all the same gear and setup I was more of a fan of the Denon.

I think I settled for the Denon right now, the 4308 would have been sweet but it's way off my current budget (plus I might get killed by my girlfriend for spending that much on an amp).

I didn't like the video clipping "issue" on the Yamaha and I didn't like the random audio clipping experience with users of the Onkyo 805. Plus I wanted the Audissey MultiEQ XT for wich I heard good things. And the fact that I got the 988 on sale of 500$ less than the normal price (which is a pretty good deal in Canada).

Also, after a short listening test in my living room, I thought that the Denon sounded better than my current Yamaha and I didn't go threw the entire setup.

Finally my new Axiom speakers shipped today, if only my soon to be ex roommate would clear the basement, I could set up my system.

I think, I'll start fishing my speaker wires this weekend!

[Blu_Audio]

Originally Posted by Johk

I think I settled for the Denon right now, ...
Also, after a short listening test in my living room, I thought that the Denon sounded better than my current Denon and I didn't go threw the entire setup.

Finally my new Axiom speakers ship today, if only my soon to be ex roommate would clear the basement, I could set up my system.

I think, I'll start fishing my speaker wires this weekend!

NICE!!! Good luck with the wiring this weekend!!!

[bill931252]

Hi,
I'm new here, and for months research, I end up choose the 988 by USD649 from Circuitcity.com.
Still wait for my speakers (Mission M-Cube 5.1), don't know if it'll working good together.
Reading the 988's manul yesterday, it's .
Do you guys set it up already?
Regard,

[bill931252]

Goodday everyone,
I just received the M-Cube and hook it up yesterday.
It seems a little weak at the midrange when I use it to listen to music.
I think about add one pair of bookshelf speaker like Mission M70 or M31 to solve it.
Is there anyone has some good idea aabout this?
Any respond will be very appreciate.

[FilmFiend]

I was looking at this receiver as well (988). Because for the price it is well worth it. The only thing holding me back was that when doing research I read that this model wasn't that good with speakers that are 6 ohms or less (from what i've read only the 3808 & up are stable for 4 ohm). Since I am getting speakers that will be 6 ohm nominal and 4 ohm minimum, I was concerned that when the speakers dip down to around 4 there would be a noticeable audio quality loss.

If there is anyone running similar speakers with this amp and have any feedback. It would be appreciated.

Btw, the sale might end tomorrow, but they've been trying to clear these for a month or two now. Even if the price goes up on the site (which I don't think it will) you can go to a local Futureshop and probably get one for even cheaper. I had the salesman offer it to me for $749 (I think the price is $799 on the website). If it wasn't for the issue with the 6/4 ohm speaker capability I would jump on it asap.

[Newbie_in_Phoenix]

Originally Posted by blurayisking

I faced the exact same decision, Denon AVR-988 versus Yamaha RX-863 (aka HTR-6180) and ended up choosing the Yamaha HTR-6180. Pricing and the extra HDMI input made the difference.

Both receivers have plenty of inputs/outputs, decode all of the HD codecs and have inputs for multi-channel SACD playback.

I'm considering the RX-863 as a replacement to my Yamaha HTR-5890. Do you like the receiver?

[KenThompson]

Does anybody here know how to turn the centre channel levels up. Alot of times just can't make out what they are saying. Much thanks

[KenThompson]

Should mention I have the Denon avr 988 not the Yammy.

[Johk]

Originally Posted by KenThompson

Does anybody here know how to turn the centre channel levels up. Alot of times just can't make out what they are saying. Much thanks

Go to the Menu and select 2. Manual Setup > 1. Speaker Setup > 4. Channel Level then adjust the level of the center to your liking.

You could also use D.Comp and DRC to compress the dynamic range (difference between loud and soft sounds) however this is not usually what you want if you want the best sound quality but it can work for late night watching at lower volumes. You could also try the Night mode for a similar effect (note that I have never used these modes myself...).