The best stereo receiver for under $200?

[Curtis]

I need recommendations for a new stereo receiver for under $200. I'm on a tight budget and my old one just died :(

I just need a plain old 2.0 channel, no A/V or surround. I'm considering the Sherwood RX-4105 for $99 at Amazon. Is it any good?

[noddin0ff]

I would consider a refurbished (B-stock) unit if it is purchased from an Authorized Reseller with full warranty. Just looking at www.jr.com (I bought a Refurb Denon receiver a while back there), I see a couple Onkyo's in your range. The first is 2-channel. Search for 'refurbished' and narrow search.

Can't comment on Sherwood, personally, sorry.

ONKYO TX-8511 Stereo Receiver - REFURBISHED
Stereo receiver for home audio component systems / 100 Watts Per Channel / Phono Input / Sleep Timer ... more info
$129.88

ONKYO TX-SR502B 6.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver - BLACK REFURBISHED
An A/V receiver with built-in Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II / 6 x 75 Watts per channel / 8 DSP modes / Cinema Re-Eq ... more info
$149.88

[kexodusc]

If you're looking for a solid 2-channel performer, why not buy a used classic? I cannot think of a better stereo amp than the legendary NAD 3020 for $100-$125 on ebay or audiogon.com. It's not brand new but for 2-channel it'll smoke any $500 receiver today. Worth the investment IMO. - it's an integrated amp though, no tuner section.

You might try an inexpensive Harman Kardon receiver too.

[Mr Peabody]

If you want to buy new Onkyo's 2 channel just under $200.00 would be my choice. I bought one of those a few years back for my son and it's impressive for the money. I've heard better sound but not at that price and it drove speaker loads that would bring other receivers to their knees. This thing is rated at only 48 wpc and we hooked it up to an old pair of Infinity Kappa 7's. It had incredible control over the 12" woofers and didn't break a sweat driving them. The old Kappa's have a reputation for being amp killers but the 7's weren't as bad as the larger models. It's still a hefty load for a receiver the size of the Onkyo.

[Curtis]

^
Is that the TX-8211?

[poneal]

Harman Kardon Stereo Receiver 3380 from the manufacturer with full factory warranty, batteries, anteannas, etc for $135.00 on ebay. This unit looks brand new but obviously they fixed something. If you can snag one of these up get it over sherwood

[Mr Peabody]

The Onkyo I was talking about is a TX-8210, I guess it's older than I thought. You can probably find the current version on www.crutchfield.com

So far some good suggestions, the NAD, Onkyo or HK would all serve well. If you are looking for used HK made some excellent stereo receivers in the 70's & 80's, high current with all discrete circuitry and extremely wide frequency response.

[dean_martin]

^
Is that the TX-8211?

Like Mr. Peabody, I bought my son the $199 Onkyo receiver for Christmas. It's the TX-8211 and is over 2yrs old. We've had no problems with it. The only minor complaint my son has is that sometimes the buttons on the remote stick, but I think that's more a function of his eating in his room while using the remote. I have been surprised by the number of stations the tuner section is able to pick up w/the supplied wire antena.

[ecm3]

Try a vintage Marantz Receiver from the mid 1970's. They sound very clear, and the tuner section works great. I own a Marantz 2100 tuner and it picks up stations much better than todays tuners in the same price range. Not to mention the Marantz receivers from that age look sweet with the light blue illumination.

[Resident Loser]

...I'd tend to agree with the recs for the Onkyo TX-8211new...if you can score a refurb 8511w/ factory guarantee AND need the 100wpc, it wouldn't be a bad choice either...

There isn't much out there in 2-channel land...HT pretty much killed-off that segment of the market...there are units available from Denon, HK and Marantz but they are at least 2X+ your budget figure. Of course they do have the potential for growth and enhanced connectivity options...no biggie if you aren't planning to upgrade...

jimHJJ(...good luck and good listening...)

[nightflier]

While the Onkyo 8211 and 8511 are good receivers, they use spring clips instead of speaker posts. These will become weak if you change things around often, or if the previous owner did. I would go with the HK 3380 or 3480 instead. Ample power and a few other features I really liked was that the speaker A/B switching was available on the remotes, they have dimmers for the display (for when you want to use them in the bedroom), and they have sub outputs.

Audio Advisor is currently selling Marants units as well and I've read good things about these, though I've never had one in-home. I think Crutchfield sells a couple of comparable stereo Denon units as well. Both sites have second-hand/demo/outlet stores.

[jpb]

I just picked up a denon dra-685 from dakmart. It's great and it's half price. They also have other denon receivers which are cheaper and would be considered real bargains.

[Curtis]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I had decided on getting a refurb Onkyo TX-8511 from J&R Music for $130. The next day when I went to order it they ran out of stock -_-

So I stretched my budget to $300 and looked around, but finally decided on getting the Onkyo new. I got it today and set it up. I don't mind the spring clips as I probably won't ever touch it again anyway. It doesn't have a sub out, but it's no biggie. This Onkyo sounds better than a lot of much more expensive receivers I've listened to.

I had a hard time deciding between the HK2480 and the TX-8511, I hope I made the right choice.

[milaz001]

The HK3480 and the Onkyo 8511 are both very decent for the money. If you don't need the tuner, the NAD 320bee is gutsier than both, and can be had around $300.

[MARTINLOGAN123]

I highly recomend brocksonic mini system.That's what i have hooked up to my ML's.lol..
From what i listened to at work i like the sound of the yamaha receiver better than denon and you be surprised that the sony for 150.00 don't sound to shabby.

[psonic]

For that money, the $80 KLH 2400 at best buy is probably as good as any. I bought it for my dads little system and it's pretty darn good sounding. As good or better than any inexpensive receiver I have heard. Weighs a stout 21lb and has toroid transformer and discrete output stages (from what I can see). It has a remote and pre-outs so you can add a power amp later - very good buy.

Outside of that I would say try an older Rotel, NAD, H/K, Creek or Arcam integrated amp for <$200. Keep an eye on audiogon.com. That would get you the best sound, really...