Pioneer, Denon, or Marantz help !!!

[orgasmdonor]

Thanks Ed. Y our advice is leading me in the right direction...I'll keep you posted on my final decisions. Have a good evening sir.

[EdwardGein]

Thanks Ed. Y our advice is leading me in the right direction...I'll keep you posted on my final decisions. Have a good evening sir.

I'm really curious if you notice a significant difference in sound which I did from my previous system. Hope Motorhead sounds awesome

[Eric Z]

You really can't go wrong with any of the receivers you listed. As EG says, you can find some good deals on Ebay, but it's hard to really know what you're getting- EG says to stay away from a refurbished item, but how do you know the guy selling their on Ebay wasn't refurbished- there's no way to know. Be careful because let's say you buy your receiver on Ebay and the thing breaks a month after you get it- you're out of luck! I know you'll save a bunch of cash buying it on Ebay, but you're also getting a unit years and years old- how do you know how the previous owner took care of it. I like the feeling of buying a receiver at a decent price from a local dealer so if something goes wrong, I can disconnect everything and bring it in. I'm not saying totally stay away from online shopping, but just be aware of the consequences- especially if you just purchase something from someone not going through the official Ebay procedures- if you just e-mail the guy and tell them you'll buy it and pay through paypal; there's no contract or anything, so he can receive your payment and enjoy the cash and never send the receiver- there is no contract this way. It's great if it works, but are you willing to take this chance?

Be careful with buying new from an unauthorized dealer as well. Samething as buying from Ebay- yeah it's new, but if something happens, you're screwed.

Also, do you really need a receiver in the $800-$900 range? A lot of people get the same results from a receiver in the $700-$800 range- sometimes the extra "options" won't benefit you that much. I always look at receivers one step above and below my price range- just to be 100% sure I'm getting what I need. Just something to think about. Also, it's not like the Athenas are very hard to power- a nice $500 receiver will make them sound great.

Maybe buy the 3805 from a local store, test it out at home and see how you like it with your current DVD player- maybe do the same with a step below and see what differences you notice and then maybe with Onkyo, Yamaha, or Marantz. It could be a pain to hook everything up numerous times, but this isn't a cheap investment. Also, be careful with hindsight- all receivers in the same price range perform very similarly- that's why they're in the same price range.

Talk about rambling...

Good luck and enjoy!
Eric

[EdwardGein]

From personal experience, I've never gotten burned by a seller with a good reputation- meaning someone with feedback over 25 & 98% or so positive feedback. The odds of this type person selling a clunker I think is very small & if it is, chances are that he would accept a return. I'd say listings by this type person are pretty accurate so you're buying what you're getting. I don't have a problem buying something direct from that type of person either. Anyone who doesn't meet the above criteria, I would err on the side of caution & not buy from. Here is an easy example of what to always avoid that I just saw on Ebay: Foreign sellers with little or no feedback selling electronics. Some dude in Japan was trying to sell a $300 set of headphones that he listed for $5 & wound up getting $150 or so for. I guarantee the winner will never see his product. As mentioned, yes if you buy direct, you are giving up all Ebay protection, but if your positive the seller is totally reliable & he lists items as described, the chances of the item being a lemon is very very slim & the odds are almost all in your favor. If you want to be extra cautious & you can wait, then either wait till your receiver comes up at a buy it now price that you want or bid at the last 10 seconds only (if you know how to do this) as regular bidding by you will almost without fail just succeed in bidding the price up and not having you win the auction. It's just like throwing money away. Most of the reliable sellers on Ebay do use the word Refurbished if it is applicable.

[GMichael]

If you really need tons of power then I would think that you should make sure that whatever you get has pre-outs. Then you can add a sepperate amp for 2 channel blasting.
Good quality 200wpc x2 amps can be had for a couple hundred buck on Ebay.

[orgasmdonor]

i have yet to do anything...My wife thinks I'm a nutbag for spending as much time as I do researching. I have nothing to lose since she won't provide the lovin. So that means I must find other "hobbies" . whAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS.....ECOST.COM HAS THE DENON REFURBISHED DENON AVR2106 FOR $383 PLUS 14 BUCKS FOR SHIPPING ....DENON FACOTRY AUTHORIZED DEALER....
I CHECKED DENON'S WEB SITE...And they are. Now the unit comes with a 90 day parts and labor warranty through Denon. For the same receiver I can buy the same thing through an UNauthorized agent "brand new" for around $500 with shipping but would have to purchase one of their warranties for piece of mind DAKMART.COM is also a factory authorized dealer. I can gat refurbished from him for around 480 with shipping and a one year parts and labor warranty. Why are there so many denon's refurbished ? Is it because they take too good of care with the customers or are they getting cheap with the build specs....and where they are built. I don't see web sites for too many high end yamaha or Pioneer refurbs...but then again maybe there is no market for them either.....rambling....tooo many busch light tall boys.....you guys are great .

[Eric Z]

Good points about Ebay, EG! I think I actually feel the same way- I guess I was just in a confrontational mood I've bought tons of things on Ebay and was only burned once- luckily it was less than a $10 purchase.