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How to find a HIFI multi channel receiver for under 2000$?

Arc78

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Jan 4, 2025
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I never seems to able to get a decent sound system for my living room. I guess I like to build one system for home cinema and 2 channel music.
My hifi interest has always been there but I have many kids and a lot of work and relations have come in between.
I post a longer story maybe you can get a better picture what I am looking for...

Sound Experience Onyx OA30 +DM 601
When I was grown up I aimed for buying a good book shelf speaker for my computer and listened to second hand speakers and found an old B&W 601.
First I bought an other speaker but I went back cause I just wanted to hear it again. It ended up with me buy both the DM601 and the Onyx OA 30 class A amp from this seller. This was my first HIFI experience. It’s still amazing.
Tight bass good detail clarity and quite impressive separation of the different instruments.

But I haven’t given up on a main system with floor speakers, I did a lot of trying with different setups.

Sound Experience MARANTZ SR8000 + DM683
I bought DM683 they was affordable they costed 1000$ for a pair second hand and for them I bought a Marantz SR 8000.
This one had special two channel listening mode etc. it all looked premium and hifi.
I bought it secondhand it coat me like 800$ quite a lot.
It looked so nice I really wanted to like it. It was my first complete 5.1 setup with HDMI it had a lot of power BUT it played soft but with so little bass but worst was the feeling that the music remained in the speaker.
I would say that I sounded like you have a 4 ohm speaker running on a 8 ohm amp setting. It didn’t even help that I bought a small Rotel poweramp for the bass and biamped them. It got better but not good at all.

Sound experience NAD 3130 + DM683
Then I almost by accident set the B&W DM683 up with the an old and very small NAD3130 2 channel receiver I bought for 40$ WOW. These DM683 started to live. The instruments came out in the room. The bass was tight the music was full of life. It played with presence that the weak sound from the Marantz never could master. This small NAD got really hot yes even smelled warm electronics after a evening but the combination was amazing. This aluminum bass woofers came to life and even without having the sound extremely loud.
With the Marantz it was the opposite not even at unpleasant levels it could get them to start playing for real.

Eventually the Marantz started to get digital problems dropping picture and needed to be restarted. I bought a really cheap 300$ old NAD t748 multichannel receiver I used while trying to build up a new system but kids and life came between so I have just waited.

The B&W CM experience
I had a friend in England David that sold B&W speakers when they phased out the CM series he called me and recommended me them. I had bought the CM center for use with the DM683 a few years earlier since the center for the 600 series was a bit dull.
Now I bought the whole B&W Cm series CM10 for front and CM8 for back and CM center that I already had.
I bought two really big Vincent power amps unfortunately 2 channel ones they had a 7 channel model I tryed to get but these i got they have really nice sound with the correct preamp tried them with a NAD 2 channel preamp with very good results.

I have barely been able to unbox them and connect the front speakers to the small nad t748 still without the power amp(like ten years have passed). The sound is not amazing but I hear that speakers have a great potential. What I have now is far from what these speakers are made for.
My plan was all along to buy the NAD 758 V3 connect it to the Vincent power amps and run the CM series for both music and movie.

But after many years when I finally almost bought the NAD 758 I read a few reviews that I measured poorly with a lot of distortion from the digital processing chips and poor HDMI DA conversion

And my friend that wanted to sell it didn’t like the sound either he warned me a little, I have not listen to it yet and I probably should as soon as possible…. But just haven’t had time to travel to him.
I am wondering is 1000$ worth the NAD t758? I don't like distortions in the music and I am not even sure its the right way.
But in which way should I aim?? They aren’t many HIFI multichannel receivers out there. HK gone, NAD haven’t released something new in a long time and are extremely expensive. Marantz and Onkyo have merged with Denon not know if they still are different. And very few left you have possibility to listen to.
And different shops have there own brands and its not easy to listen to them.

I do not want to repeat the lifeless and weak soft sound of the Marantz with B&W that I experienced cause that not something you would prefer listen to music on its just not fun and of course not the bright and sharp sound of the Yamaha.
But rather powerful yet detailed sound of the old NAD3130, ONIX or even the 20 year old HK I once had.
Where music comes alive and the instruments come out in the room. Like you can hear them separated in the room not inside the speaker and where the bass is present for real but not slow boomy that gives headache of course.

I have got one recommendations like
Onkyo TX-RZ30 (I don’t know if Onkyo is same sound as Marantz any more or if it is bright like Yamaha)
I also heard about brands like but never listen to them:
Emotiva
Arcam
Rotel
I also heard that NAD T778 measured with much better values and less distortion than T758…. But its so incredible expensive
The problem is that I would like to be under or around 2000$ for the receiver. I would like to have Dirac and Atmos. I would like to be able to play 2 channel music at least in pair with a 30 year old NAD 3130. I think that is not to much to ask for? Anyone have an idea? I thought that the development would be to better sounding HIFI equipments but I am not so sure anymore....
I would be so grateful for some help and advice. I still have these two monster Vincent SP20 power amps...
 
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“The problem is that I would like to be under or around 2000$ for the receiver. I would like to have Dirac and Atmos. I would like to be able to play 2 channel music at least in pair with a 30 year old NAD 3130. I think that is not to much to ask for? Anyone have an idea? I thought that the development would be to better sounding HIFI equipments but I am not so sure anymore....“

Once you want Dirac, it gets a lot tougher. The previous generation Arcam could fit your needs.

The other option would be the AVR-X3800H used as a preamp with your amplifier of choice.
 
“The problem is that I would like to be under or around 2000$ for the receiver. I would like to have Dirac and Atmos. I would like to be able to play 2 channel music at least in pair with a 30 year old NAD 3130. I think that is not to much to ask for? Anyone have an idea? I thought that the development would be to better sounding HIFI equipments but I am not so sure anymore....“

Once you want Dirac, it gets a lot tougher. The previous generation Arcam could fit your needs.

The other option would be the AVR-X3800H used as a preamp with your amplifier of choice.
Tend to agree here - questions of sound quality from amps aside, good AVRs are not cheap these days.

I would check secondhand listings near you, to me that's usually the best way to get performance on a budget. For gear less than 10-15 years old, it is usually not much of a risk.
 
FWIW Onkyo/Integra and Pioneer merged, and not with Denon & Marantz at Sound United. I'd stick with the big avr brands rather than the boutique brands nor have I experienced sound signatures as you describe. Personally I'd get better speakers rather than worry about avr/amp. I'd probably get the Denon 3800 and if you need external amps, do that. Cheaper than pre-pros that basically do the same thing with similar performance. Integra/Onkyo/Pioneer did just change hands again, tho fwiw.
 
Another vote for 3800H. Alternative could be Onkyo RZ 30 or 50 depending on feature requirements. Dirac would be paid upgrade for Denon, but there is Audyssey on board, and people are raving about free EQ programs built by an enthusiast that will work with $20 D&M Audy app.

Onkyo and the gang found the new owner as noted, while D&M is still on the block for sale and has been for a while. D&M's owner noted recently that "there are no potential buyers" (whatever that means). D&M are undergoing reorganisation and cost cutting. Their historic release schedule of products has also slipped and we did not get new 3900/4900H models last year. While difficult to imagine that D&M would cease to exist, theoretically possible. As owner of D&M products hope that they stay around though and above is just for full disclosure.
 
I also think the 3800H is the best choice.The 3800H seems it can turn on and off internal amps, it has preouts for all channels and Dirac even though you have to pay to license it, it has atmos, four discrete sub connections and with external power amps I think this is the most promising way to go. It has all features for making it long time relevant.
In Sweden it costs about 1200$ without dirac.
After trying different options with what I have today I can see that a large high quality external power amp totally changes everything in sound character and stereo picture. I have old T748 NAD a bought secondhand and tried it with a Vincent SP20 power amp. The difference is breathtaking I don't really understand exactly how but I guess that a simple receiver not have enough power to drive the C&W CM10 at enough power to sound like the were intended to or to fill the living room with music.
 
IF I go with the 3800H anyone now the best way to extract the audio loss less to separate audio preamp/external dac for 2 channel music?
I plan to use my TV with Tidal app and stream to the reciver and with an extractor like

NÖRDIC HDMI 2.1 Extractor 8K 60Hz 4K​

Then to a s.m.s.l dac and then to preamp... anyone know if 3800 be able to stream hdmi zone2 output continuously without a lot of meny changes? Will this config work?
 
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