A/V receiver: HK, Yamaha or Denon ?

[ed_bunker]

Hi, I have to buy a new a/v receiver and I'd like have some your opinion about this models:

Yamaha RX V540
Denon AVR 1803
Harman Kardon 2550

What, between these models, do You think is the best about mechanics, construction and performances ?

Thanks.

[cam]

I own the denon 1804 which is pretty much the same as the 1803 except with a little more power and on screen display and it sounds very smooth and detailed. The 1803 does not have pre outs so there is no future upgrade. You would have to move up to the denon 2803 if adding another amp. The yammy rxv 540 is weeker then the 1803 so for a more equal comparison you would need to be considering the rxv 640 or even the 740 which I do believe has pre outs which is a plus. One thing I noticed when I was shopping around was that the yammys sounded a little processed, but there are many people out there that like the yammy sound. In all fairness I liked it also but I was fortunate to hear the denon 1803 side by side with the rxv 740 at a&b sound and I liked the denon sound much better. The yammy bettered the denon with the pre outs though. The HK I know nothing about but some people have said there has been reliabilaty problems whereas denon and yamaha are very reliable.

[ed_bunker]

On other forums I saw that Denon is very appreciated for music and 'harmonic' sound while Yamaha has some useful functions for home-teather use.
Under construction profile I like much Harman Kardon but I didn't see many opinions about it.

Any suggestion ?

thks

[bhd812]

Hi, I have to buy a new a/v receiver and I'd like have some your opinion about this models:

Yamaha RX V540
Denon AVR 1803
Harman Kardon 2550

What, between these models, do You think is the best about mechanics, construction and performances ?

Thanks.

what is the price range you are looking to spend????

[ed_bunker]

what is the price range you are looking to spend????

Hi, my budget is only of 350/400 euro (About 240/300 pounds, I think...).

[spacedeckman]

Except that was the 5803, so we are talking a different receiver. Can't tell you much about the 1804. Had nothing to do, so stopped into an Ultimate store the other day...salesman agreed with me after I made him listen and choose. Denon sounded congested in comparison, and lacked extension on both ends, although it did seem a bit tighter on the bottom. Yamaha had wider soundstage. I expected more for a $3800 price differential. Then again, I've always thought the big Denons of the past few years have been pooches.

To each their own.

[Woochifer]

Keep in mind that the 540 is about to get discontinued, so you could take advantage of the closeout pricing and move up to the 640 or 740 for about the same price. Because the 640 and 740 include preouts and a little more power, I would look to those models. Or you could wait until probably sometime in April or May for the new models to come out, which by then could very well include Yamaha's YPAO acoustic room calibration feature.

[ed_bunker]

Unfortunately I need now to buy the receiver. I can choose only between two models (excluding Denon as it is 'out' for my very small budget...; ... and because I haven't interests for future improvements):

-Harman Kardon 2550
-Yamaha RX V540

One or other; what do You say ?

thks

[cam]

The denon 1803/1804 might be out of your budget but there are 2 models below that. The 1404 which is 5.1 and the 1604 which is 6.1.

[Woochifer]

Unfortunately I need now to buy the receiver. I can choose only between two models (excluding Denon as it is 'out' for my very small budget...; ... and because I haven't interests for future improvements):

-Harman Kardon 2550
-Yamaha RX V540

One or other; what do You say ?

thks

Why now, and why no other choices?

You're fine with either choice. Go with the one that best meets your needs. How well you set it up and correctly use the settings and calibrate the speakers will make a much bigger determination in sound quality than the actual choice in receiver will. Over the years, Yamaha has had an edge over h/k in build quality, but that doesn't mean that you can't get a h/k that will last the next 20 years or a Yamaha that fails out of the box.

[Ricardo ferreira]

Denon avr 1804, best for music and ht, very best pro logicII.

[ed_bunker]

Denon avr 1804, best for music and ht, very best pro logicII.

Yes, I know but its price is very higher than H/K 2550. At the price of Denon AVR 1804 I'd choose indeed Marantz 4400 or an H/K of new series.