Stereo Only Receiver

[yarkman]

I am looking for a stereo receiver for my living room. I am trying to limit my budget since I will be working on my HT project this fall. I was hoping to spend < $300. I am looking at the Harmon Kardon HK3380 and I was considering the NAD C740 (however slightly out of my price range). Any comments or suggestions for me?
FYI..My current speakers are Eosone RSF200 bookshelves, but I'm considering an upgrade to Magnepan MMG.
Thanks!

[poneal]

I have the HK AVR-320 which I have developed a fond relationship with. I think for analog listening the HK 3380 would be more than sufficient. The manual actually states that it drives 4ohm loads. My receiver only puts out 55wpc and is plenty of power. The 3380 puts out 80wpc. My receiver has +-35amp, the 3380 has +-42amps. As far as driving speakers, the 3380 should have no problem. I think that you will be more than happy with the 3380.

I'm not trying to talk you into it just giving my opinion. Others on the Board prefer Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, etc. It really comes down to what you like best within your budget. Hope this helps.

[ppopp]

Spending a little more on the NAD would be my recommendation. They would be a better match for For the speakers you wish to purchase. HK make some decent surround receivers, but for music I believe you will find the NAD to have much more of a musical presentation to it's character. Few brands out there have the know-how of NAD with regards to fine-sounding budget amplifiers.

[PPG]

I'm partial to Sherwood products. I'm on my second one, and still got the first one, upgraded to digital 5.1

[Resident Loser]

...the Onkyo TX-8511...it even has a legit phono input(if that matters)...

I recently purchased their MC35 Tech mini system for various reasons and it has sparked me to do some investgation into cost vs. performance of audio gear...the tuner/amp is rated a 20wpc@4ohms but the performance belies that number...I'm not sure if their WRAT concept is the reason, but all their gear utilizes it...

jimHJJ(...I have read, in some circles, the prevailing opinion is that NAD is resting on it's laurels FWIW...)

[yarkman]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I was a former Onkyo loyalist having owned several of their products in the past. In fact, it is an Onkyo system that I was replacing. The reason for the switch is that I have always had a problem with hiss with my Onkyo product. Especially when playing at higher levels. Because of other posts, I narrowed myself down to HK and Nad thus thinking that I was taking a step up.

I've found some Nad "refurbished" product that gets me closer to my budget, but I've recently read on another forum that there are alot of "bugs" with Nad lately. Any truth to this, or is it just rumor? Also, I've found that I can buy a NAD T-742 for $399. Since this is a HT receiver, is there any merit in using this over the C-740 for 2 channel audio?

[Resident Loser]

...During playback or between selections? With what source? With any gear claiming a hi-fi specd s/n ratio, hiss and/or noise floor should be relatively nonexistent. How loud are we talking about...how hot is your top end? Under certain circumstances any gear may exhibit this characteristic.

Are you quite certain the gear wasn't in need of repair?

jimHJJ(...just curious...)

[yarkman]

The hiss developed between selections or during "quieter" periods regardles of the source. IMHO, I've used reasonably high quality sources including a Marantz DVD Player and Onkyo CD Player. Obviously, Hi Fi quality is a matter of perspective. The sound level was <105db.