Hands down, your fav receiver for <$1000

[lynn2c]

yes, they did come out with a fancy remote and at first I thought "this is cool". It functions ok, but just feels cheap. The backlighting only last 20 sec, which can get frustrating when trying to make changes and forget seeing it when your in a sunny room.
I ordered a Harmony universal anyway, with the Denon remote, I would still get calls in the middle of the day saying "I can't get any sound" or "The TV won't work". hehe

[Klipschnut]

Well, here I am, still with nothing to drive my poor neglected speakers. I got a little crazy looking at Ebay and AudiogoN auctions, and started looking into separates, as you can see by my post the other day. I was just about to bid on a B&K Reference 30 pre/pro on Ebay for $850, but I decided with about 5 minutes left that I had better give myself more time to do research. I still watched the auction closely, and some guy bid $1025 in the last 10 seconds of the auction, so I wouldn't have snagged it anyway.

I've been looking at the Outlaw 950 pre/pro lately, and it seems like a great value, but they are hard to find used, and I can't quite afford the B-stock combos that they offer at outlawaudio.com.

I started thinking in more realistic terms, and I realized that I just want something to listen to right away. If I go for some hifi separate setup, it'll take me another month or two before it's completed, the amp and pre/pro will probably be totally mismatched, and who knows what I'll end up with, as there are so many brands and models out there. I also really need a new center speaker to complete my 5.1 setup. The BIC America center I've been using the past few years has served its purpose, but it just can't keep up with my Klipsch fronts and surrounds. Speakers have the most to do with how your system sounds, so it would be silly to have audiophile grade processing with a mediocre center speaker.

With my current budget, I just don't think I can swing a pre/pro, a 5 or 7 channel amp, AND a Klipsch center, so I think I've decided to buy a decent 7 channel receiver, and a new center, then add a separate amp when the funds become available. I may even decide to put the separate amp on hold for a while, and just let the receiver pull full duty.

Now I'm looking for a 7 channel receiver with all the current surround decoding, and plenty of setup options to use as a workhorse, until I find an amp that suits my tastes. After that I will let the receiver act as a pre/pro.

Since I'm going to be purchasing a center right away, and I don't need a massive wattage output, I'm looking at slightly less expensive units in the sub $600 category (Ebay prices, of course.)

My question is this: Out of the 3 main contenders, those being Denon, Yamaha, and Pioneer, which, in your opinion, would serve as the best pre/pro? In other words, which has the highest quality signal decoding and sound processing?

I'm currently comparing Denon's AVR-3803, Yamaha's RX-V1400, and Pioneer's VSX-2012 (aka VSX-45TX).

I'll throw one more question out there, just for good measure. The auto EQ features that Pioneer, Yamaha, and now Denon, with their new 3805, are offering sound like great features, but is it possible to manually adjust all the settings on the 3803 to compensate, or does the 3805's auto EQ feature tweak settings that are unavailable on the 3803?

[topspeed]

My question is this: Out of the 3 main contenders, those being Denon, Yamaha, and Pioneer, which, in your opinion, would serve as the best pre/pro? In other words, which has the highest quality signal decoding and sound processing?

The only thing the 3903 doesn't have is DLP2x and auto-eq. I think the Yammie and Pioneer actually have auto-eq, but don't quote me. Highest quality dsp's? The Denon uses excellent Burr-Brown DAC's, Yammie designs their own, and I have know idea what Pioneer uses. As for DSP modes, I can't stand the things so I have no opinion on which works best.

I'll throw one more question out there, just for good measure. The auto EQ features that Pioneer, Yamaha, and now Denon, with their new 3805, are offering sound like great features, but is it possible to manually adjust all the settings on the 3803 to compensate, or does the 3805's auto EQ feature tweak settings that are unavailable on the 3803?

You can absolutely calibrate the 3803 manually. You simply need a SPL meter from Radio Shack and a calibration disc such as the AVIA or S&V offerings. You can use the pink noise from the 3803 but the calibration discs will do a more thorough job.

[kexodusc]

My favorite receiver for under $1000? That's easy...the RX-V1400...why? Because I have one!
How's that for bias?

Actually when I bought my 1400 a few months back, the 2803 Denon was the closest thing in my budget...damn fine receiver in its own right, it didn't have the parametric EQ feature which ultimately sold me on the Yammie.
Now that I've used it, I've come to the realization that the Parametric EQ doesn't live up to all the hype that comes with it, though it does improve sound marginally. It does however set levels and delays better than me, my measuring tape, my SPL meter, and a S&V's test disc ever could. This I find does improve sound significantly.
Anyway, the 3803 looks like a heck of receiver too. Don't think you can go wrong with either.

[Klipschnut]

I went up to the Portland area for 4th of July, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to look for stores that carried the brands I'm comparing. I was pretty pressed for time, so I figured I'd just check out what Fry's had to offer. After a dissapointing walk through their theater rooms and a quick laugh at the Bose section booth, I walked through the receiver isle and took a look at the brands they carried. All they had available at the time were Yamaha, Harman, and Onkyo. I got about 2 seconds time to start looking at the units on display before a pushy sales guy walked up and tried to be my best friend. I talked with him for a few minutes. He had some experience with the various brands, but his technical knowledge was pretty limited, so he didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know.

After my stealthy escape from the sales guy, I remembered that Magnolia Hifi was in the area, and although I had never visited their store, I had heard alot of good things about them. It took a while to find where they were located, and by the time I found them, they had already closed.

So now I'm back home with little more information than I left with. I've all but ruled out Yamaha's line, as my experience with them in the past and the opinion from others on the current models is that they are very bright, and a poor match to Klipsch, or any other horn loaded design.

Denon's 3803 looks great, but I think Pioneer's VSX-45tx or VSX-2012 would suit me better. They have some features that Denon's lacks, namely autoEQ, and they appear to have better build quality. I also wouldn't mind a change from the Denon sound, if for no other reason than to be different.

I've also found some other interesting receivers on auction since my return. I'm still doing research on the Marantz SR7300, which seems like a very nice unit. Another is the NAD T762, which is a little more expensive than the others, but shows very strong build and sound quality. Any opinions on these units or others would be much appreciated, as well as any on the receivers I am ruling out.

[sy_lu]

VSX-2012 is on sale at Goodguys for $499.85. I got the unit over the July 4th weekend after my Denon 3300 died suddenly on me. I am happy with sound and you can check my review on unit in the review section. Overall a good bargin for the price.

[DougD]

sy_lu, thanks for the heads-up on the VSX-2012 sale this past weekend. Goodguys gave me the same price just the other day after I mentioned the sale. Saved me some $. It was time to change
out the Denon I have had for the past 6 yrs.