Help needed to select AVR for basement home theater!!

[bullet0770]

Hi All,

I came to know about this site through amir's AVR measurements. I am looking for a new receiver for my basement home theater projector. This will be used for mainly movies and some gaming or sports. My budget is around $1500, please help me find a good AVR. I read Arcam is good but out of my price range ? older model ? I have Denon 3313CI in my living room upstairs.

Can I just use CD player and amplifier ? Only thing is later I would be adding PC to the system(madVr) for movies.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[NoFuzz]

Hi Bullet0770,

Don't focus too much on the measurements. Try some receivers (if that is a possibility of course) in your own setup: room and speakers.
I have tried a lot of them, NAD t758v3 which measured badly here was too my ears and in my setup the best sounding for music.
For movies I found the current Denon X4500H to be the best because of the right soundfield it could create, even on low volumes. That is due to the audyssey dynamic volume feature.

NAD responded better to my HDMI setup (I use a Sony vw50es projector), the Denon starts to show some flickering but that is solved by reshaking the HDMI hands (changing and returning to the HDMI channel in use).
odd things happen to all receivers, NAD had problems with 44khz tidal tracks.

 

[Sal1950]

NAD 758 v3 or Marantz SR6014 in that price range.
NAD includes the Dirac room correction
Marantz can use the Audyssey Editor app
Just about a toss-up, Flip a coin.

 

[bullet0770]

Hi Bullet0770,

Don't focus too much on the measurements. Try some receivers (if that is a possibility of course) in your own setup: room and speakers.
I have tried a lot of them, NAD t758v3 which measured badly here was too my ears and in my setup the best sounding for music.
For movies I found the current Denon X4500H to be the best because of the right soundfield it could create, even on low volumes. That is due to the audyssey dynamic volume feature.

NAD responded better to my HDMI setup (I use a Sony vw50es projector), the Denon starts to show some flickering but that is solved by reshaking the HDMI hands (changing and returning to the HDMI channel in use).
odd things happen to all receivers, NAD had problems with 44khz tidal tracks.

NAD 758 v3 or Marantz SR6014 in that price range.
NAD includes the Dirac room correction
Marantz can use the Audyssey Editor app
Just about a toss-up, Flip a coin.

Thanks for your reply guys!

Denon and Marantz are same manufacture now and should perform same? I am looking at >>Arcam FMJ<<, is this good or I am better with NAD or Maratz/Denon? I may add amp (to power front speakers) later if needed, so I am looking for good DAC and room correction software with decent number of channels to expand later (7.2 as of now)

 

[Sal1950]

Thanks for your reply guys!

Denon and Marantz are same manufacture now and should perform same? I am looking at >>Arcam FMJ<<, is this good or I am better with NAD or Maratz/Denon? I may add amp (to power front speakers) later if needed, so I am looking for good DAC and room correction software with decent number of channels to expand later (7.2 as of now)

Arcam AVR390 also uses Dirac room correction and should be an excellent choice too. Nothing I can see to dismiss it.

 

[bullet0770]

Arcam AVR390 also uses Dirac room correction and should be an excellent choice too. Nothing I can see to dismiss it.

I checked and AVR390 is only 7 channels, in future I may need to add ATMOS. Is it worth spending on AVR10 ? or better off with others mentioned above?
Thanks

 

[Sal1950]

I checked and AVR390 is only 7 channels, in future I may need to add ATMOS. Is it worth spending on AVR10 ? or better off with others mentioned above?
Thanks

It will do up to 7.1.4 with the addition of 4 extra channels of amplification, same is true of the NAD, they both only offer 7 channels of onboard amps. The Marantz has 9 channels plus the advantage of being able to room tune 2 subwoofers, the other 2 only handle 1.
Your choice, you can't have it all at once at this price level.

 

[bullet0770]

It will do up to 7.1.4 with the addition of 4 extra channels of amplification, same is true of the NAD, they both only offer 7 channels of onboard amps. The Marantz has 9 channels plus the advantage of being able to room tune 2 subwoofers, the other 2 only handle 1.
Your choice, you can't have it all at once at this price level.

NAD or AVR390, which on would you pick ? I guess I can add amplification later if I need to expand the channels. Main criteria is DAC and room correction.

Thanks

 

[Cahudson42]

This will be a bit of a contrary opinion..I decided to separate 'serious listening' from 'Home Theater/AVR'. For serious listening, headphones. Right now, LG V20, Liquid Spark, HE400i.

For AVR, an Onkyo TX-RZ820 at $399, and a slew of Dayton 652 AIRs, 4 -biamped' L and R front. 2 in center/series. Sounds just great for movies to me. 'Fine' for 'Home Theater'..

Trying to combine 'Home Theater' with low distortion high dynamic range 'serious listening' was an exercise in continuous frustration.. So for 'serious listening' , I bailed on speakers. Wife always screamed 'turn down that noise!' anyway. Solved with HP separate system.

'One size (system) fits all' - NG for me. Separate optimized/acceptable systems did.

 

[raif71]

This will be a bit of a contrary opinion..I decided to separate 'serious listening' from 'Home Theater/AVR'. For serious listening, headphones. Right now, LG V20, Liquid Spark, HE400i.

For AVR, an Onkyo TX-RZ820 at $399, and a slew of Dayton 652 AIRs, 4 -biamped' L and R front. 2 in center/series. Sounds just great for movies to me. 'Fine' for 'Home Theater'..

Trying to combine 'Home Theater' with low distortion high dynamic range 'serious listening' was an exercise in continuous frustration.. So for 'serious listening' , I bailed on speakers. Wife always screamed 'turn down that noise!' anyway. Solved with HP separate system.

'One size (system) fits all' - NG for me. Separate optimized/acceptable systems did.

WAF in an important criteria .... too many times, I too get that "turn down that noise"

 

[NTomokawa]

I don't have names, but some receivers have automatic room calibration features, which you might want to try.

 

[Sal1950]

NAD or AVR390, which on would you pick ? I guess I can add amplification later if I need to expand the channels. Main criteria is DAC and room correction.

Thanks

The NAD has a 2 year warranty, the Arcam 390 has 5 years.
Since they are pretty identical feature wise, I believe the 5 year coverage answers your question for me.

 

[Sal1950]

Wife always screamed 'turn down that noise!'

WAF in an important criteria .... too many times, I too get that "turn down that noise"

Tell her to never mind your music, go to the kitchen and cook you some steaks.

 

[Gedeon]

Have you already chosen the speakers ? If they demand too much current you might run short of watts.

 

[bullet0770]

The NAD has a 2 year warranty, the Arcam 390 has 5 years.
Since they are pretty identical feature wise, I believe the 5 year coverage answers your question for me.

Yeah but NAD you can get for 799 and AVR390 is 1599, still you would choose Arcam ? When you buy with amex you double the warranty.

one more in mix, what you think of this Denon X4500H? DIRAC live better ?

Have you already chosen the speakers ? If they demand too much current you might run short of watts.

Yeah I already have speakers KEF Q900, Q600C & Q300's, eventually I would build DIY speakers or buy HT specific speakers.

 

[Gedeon]

It isn’t easy.

It seems that NAD with Dirac enabled will give you really good sound.

On the other hand Denon seems to deliver a cleaner signal and Audissey with some fine tunning througth its app can reach Dirac (IMHO). Denon HEOS it’s also a plus, if you’re intereset in that features.

Just recheck twice power requirements/specs of your speakers.

 

[raif71]

Hi Bullet0770,

Don't focus too much on the measurements. Try some receivers (if that is a possibility of course) in your own setup: room and speakers.
I have tried a lot of them, NAD t758v3 which measured badly here was too my ears and in my setup the best sounding for music.
For movies I found the current Denon X4500H to be the best because of the right soundfield it could create, even on low volumes. That is due to the audyssey dynamic volume feature.

NAD responded better to my HDMI setup (I use a Sony vw50es projector), the Denon starts to show some flickering but that is solved by reshaking the HDMI hands (changing and returning to the HDMI channel in use).
odd things happen to all receivers, NAD had problems with 44khz tidal tracks.

Imho, you can bite the bullet (pun intended) purchasing any of the 5.x, 7.x or any higher speaker combinations of receivers from Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, Pioneer or Marantz even though they have less than stellar measurements. I'm using Yamaha (rx-v577) and Pioneer (sc-1224) receivers at the moment and I'm happy with my purchase and they don't break the bank.

 

[Cahudson42]

go to the kitchen and cook you some steaks.

She would ruin them. Anyway, she outsmarted me many years ago just after we were married. She cooked a meatloaf for 55minutes - her usual cooking time - in our new Amana Radar Range. A perfect, Rock solid, brick. I have been the cook ever since..

 

[Sal1950]

She would ruin them. Anyway, she outsmarted me many years ago just after we were married. She cooked a meatloaf for 55minutes - her usual cooking time - in our new Amana Radar Range. A perfect, Rock solid, brick. I have been the cook ever since..

That's a bummer! Trade her in on a model that performs to spec.

 

[raistlin65]

Hi All,

I came to know about this site through amir's AVR measurements. I am looking for a new receiver for my basement home theater projector. This will be used for mainly movies and some gaming or sports. My budget is around $1500, please help me find a good AVR. I read Arcam is good but out of my price range ? older model ? I have Denon 3313CI in my living room upstairs.

What's the rest of the project looking like in terms of speakers and sub? And size of the space?