Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Need a new receiver.

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-25-2003, 07:34 AM:

Well it happened. My 100 watt Sony receiver that has been trouble for almost 8 years has finally done it. I got smoke. The right channel is out, and multitudes of burned parts tell me that I dont want to fix it again.

In another post, I thought my Cerwin-Vega speakers were causing the problems. Naah. The amp died while it was connected to a pair of 100 watt dummy loads, and a scope, and signal generator. Before it died, there was distortion on all channels.

I need something that can handle a pair of 200 watt C-V speakers. It needs to have surround sound, video switching, etc.

The current Sony set-up was a STR-D715 if this helps.

I looked at a Marantz receiver until I heard the price. Wow.

$600 is really the top of my spending limit. I'm going stir crazy without music here.

Any comments welcome.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-25-2003, 10:50 AM:

As I look to upgrade a bit above your price range, I've been hearing good things about the Denon AVR-3803:

http://www.800stereo.com/prods/denonAVR3803.html

You might also be able to find one of the discontinued AVR-3802 models at a discount.

Denon AVR-3802

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 07-25-2003, 11:58 AM:

Denon has always made excelent surround products. Even their old Pro-Logic systems sound better than many of today's digital processors.
evrything sounds warm and crisp.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-25-2003, 04:40 PM:

Denon is great. You also might want to look into Yamaha, another excellent product, IMO.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-25-2003, 08:15 PM:

The local stereo dealers handle Sony, Pioneer, Harman-Kardon, JVC, Panasonic, Magnavox, Onkyo, etc. I've had enough of Sony and their high-priced replacement parts.

The high-end dealer here sells Marantz, and Carver. Both of these are incredible systems, but waay out of my range.

No Denon systems around here. Any good dealers on the net?

My old receiver was fine at half-volume until the generator came up to around 12k. This is when the distortion came on. The right channel outputs blew and shorted. I dont think that it was pushing more than 20 watts when it died.

In the past, the right channel would not come on when I turned on the receiver. I was never able to catch the offending part before it popped on.

Is Denon a division of Sharp?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-25-2003, 09:04 PM:

Pioneer is pretty good. You could get one with Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES (discrete 6.1), and Pro-Logic II for around $450-ish or less.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-25-2003, 10:10 PM:

Denon is it's own company I believe.

The only authorized e-tailer for Denon is www.6ave.com

Posted by Chase Taylor (Member # 778) on 07-25-2003, 10:59 PM:

I have a Denon AVR-3802 and love it. It is by far the best receiver I've owned. Cruchfied is an online E-Tailer. Defiantly on the high end of products but it is worth it. Be careful though there are a lot of online e-tailers that are not Authorized Denon Dealers and Denon will not honor the warranty unless it was purchased from an official Authorized Dealer.

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 07-26-2003, 12:54 AM:

I also have a Denon AVR 3802 and I also love it. I used to have seperate amps with a receiver (Adcom) and outboard Marantz Dolby Digital and Millennium DTS 5.1 decoders but when the Marantz
'died', I decided to scrap my existing sound system and get the Denon. It was a very good decision because I did not have EX and ES playback capabilities with the Adcom system.

-Claude

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 07-26-2003, 04:39 AM:

Denon is nothing special and is WAY over-rated! Pioneer is the BEST bang for the bucks!

>>> Phil

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-26-2003, 07:05 AM:

Is Pioneer overrated? A few years ago, I did Pioneer warranty service for a large local company. Their larger receivers were always coming in with blown power amp stages. This is all I know of newer Pioneer stuff. The old stuff was always on my want lists. Have they gotten better?

Friday night, I went through my storage area and found my Sony pre-amp, and Dynaco ST-70 tube amp. It's all hooked up and working.

For now, I am leaning toward the Denon that John P mentioned. The AVR-3802.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 07-26-2003, 12:29 PM:

for low end I have found Kenwoods to be a very good choice for receivers. If you want anything good in the high end area you have to spend more than what you want for it. That does not mean that the high end stuff is any better than the low end stuff.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-26-2003, 01:21 PM:

I recommend Crutchfield. They are honest and reliable. Though I can only find the 3803 there and not the 3802.

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 07-26-2003, 02:07 PM:

Older Carver recievers are excellent!

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 07-26-2003, 04:30 PM:

Please consider also the NAD electronics line. They make a long line of highly respected A/V gear, and they have a great line of receivers. I have had a great deal of NAD electronics over the years, the stuff sounds great and is totally bullet-proof:

www.nadelectronics.com/av_receivers/index.htm

The T742 is closest to your $$ cutoff, at $650.

Posted by Jeffry L. Johnson (Member # 453) on 07-26-2003, 06:03 PM:

The Perfect Vision gives the Outlaw Audio 1050 an Editors' Choice Award.

Outlaw Audio
The Model 1050

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-26-2003, 06:32 PM:

I'm going to do some calling around on Monday. I'll let you know what we get. I have looked at all the links that have been supplied. Thanks.

My old Stereo 70 is 35 watts per channel. These C-V speakers sound good, but not really loud. Nice and clear. Listening to an old RCA Dynagroove sampler album with the incredible Leontyne Price singing her heart out on a Porgy and Bess number recorded in 1964.

Just think! someone that looks like me that likes classical music! Can you say "Silence Of The Lambs?" [Smile]

ITS SATURDAY NIGHT!! LETS GET LOADED! [beer]

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 07-26-2003, 08:58 PM:

the Denon 3802 was last year's model it has been replaced the the 3803.

Outlaw is taking a piece of the HT market little by little, mostly in the seperates catagory. Apparently they have pretty good price/performance ratio. It's an internet only company, much like the very highly regarded SVS Subwoofers.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-28-2003, 08:22 AM:

Oh No!

I found an AVR-3802 over the weekend new in the box for about half of the 3803 price. Now, I cant find it.

Now, I continue the search...

Bruce

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-06-2003, 06:23 PM:

I appreciate all the replies and suggestions that have been made on this topic.

Monday evening, (8/4/03) we had a major summer storm that dumped golf-ball size hail on my house and cars. No broken glass, but MUCH damage to the roof, and cars. The vinyl top on my 1985 Olds Toronado looks like someone hit it with a ball-hammer over and over again! Lightning struck close-by and nuked the power supply on my computer. I bought a new supply, and am working on getting a good surge protector for the house.

One TV bit the dust when residual lightning nailed its tuner.

The roof was not covered by insurance because it is 18 years old, and was 15 years old when I got the current policy. So, I get to eat the cost of a roof. So, there goes the stereo for now.

BTW: The roof was rated as a 15 year roof, so I got 3 extra years out of it.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 08-06-2003, 06:35 PM:

I don't think there is a Surge protector in the world for home use that is going to protect your equipment from a direct proxemity lightening strike. A strong enough bolt of lightning near electronic equipment will damage said ewuipment with it's electro magnetic pulse similarities. when you do get your new stereo make sure you get the extended waranties with the lightening strike coverage.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-06-2003, 08:49 PM:

Thank you Darryl. An engineer pal 'O mine told me the same thing this evening. My insurance will cover the TV.

BTW: the area where the strike hit is 100 feet from my house. The tree is still there, and standing, but, it has a massive burn on the bark, and looks like it exploded from the inside out.

I'm just glad that nobody got hurt. There are many trees down in this neighborhood. My buddy that does tree work will be busy for awhile, too.

Posted by Bill Mantz (Member # 754) on 08-07-2003, 03:39 AM:

I had a Sony receiver and them upgraded to a Denon AVR-5800 it was like night and day the Denon receiver blew the Sony sound and built quality away. There are several dealers on the internet that can sell you a good new or recondition Denon receiver but it must be a certifided e-dealer or Denon will not warrant the receiver here is a like to the dealer Denon deals with. www.usa.denon.com/dealers/dealers.asp?l=1 hope you find a reciver that will fit your buget

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 08-07-2003, 10:17 AM:

Bruce, I have Sony receiver and it also has a blown right channel out. Not sure if it was blown or component failure, my ex-roommate complimented me on the sound one night, then the next week I noticed it was blown. [Mad]

I think Pioneer is over-rated. I never liked their interface and color display or remote design. Sony products have always done well for me. I will probably buy another Sony receiver but with all this Devon talk, I need to look into it now.

Also, there is outlet store near Asheville, N.C. It might be in SC, after my sisters graduation at Gardner Webb, my dad and I stopped off at the Sony outlet store. They had good prices on some receivers.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune with mother nature. Hope all is well.

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 08-07-2003, 11:24 AM:

The only Sony receivers that are of decent build quality are their ES line. But for the price Sony charges for those you might as well go for a Denon.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 08-08-2003, 09:03 AM:

Right on target Ron. Sony sucks the big one. Not only over-priced, but mediocre performance...even most of their "ES" stuff blows.

Bruce: While "arrestors" and MOV's will help protect from real HV entering on the "wires", nothing will protect equipment from a nearby lightening strike. As Darryl mentioned, the electromagnetic pulse will pretty much destroy all the fragile junctions in the solid-state electronic equipment.

It's really an issue with military stuff since it is critical and MUST work under all threats. Not only do they have extended operating parameters, many critical devices are "hardened" for protection against both lightening and nuclear EM pulses. That's why the mil grade stuff costs 10 times the "consumer" grade stuff for the same part.

>>> Phil

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-09-2003, 07:22 AM:

Thanks Bill, William, Ron, and Benny's twin.

As for the blowing of Sony's right channel, its probably just a conspiracy!! [Smile]

They probably all die that way.

If the ES series is made in Malaysia, I won't buy it.

Last night at Best Buy, I was DVD shopping. Over in the home stereo department the music went to ear-splitting volumes not once, but three times. It went up again, and went Fdzapp! Dead silence, except for the employees that work back there.

What happened? Some kid cranked the display Pioneer amp to full volume, then started pushing buttons. When I looked at it, it was in 'protect' mode, but they never got it running again. They got another one and replaced it.

More 'reconditioned' goodies for the customers. [Roll Eyes]

Getting quotes on the house now. The roofers must lay gold up there. Their prices are out of this world! Sheesh. Hey! I can sell blood... [Razz]

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 08-28-2003, 12:36 AM:

Although the Denon 5803 is the high-end standard of large manufacturer home theater receivers, and I eventually might wind up with it myself, I've had bad feelings about Denon ever since a very expensive Denon audio cassette deck I had blew its logic twice. (I realize you're looking at lower priced models, like the 3802 or 3803.)

As for e-dealers, I find that Crutchfield sells almost everything at list price. You might want to try J&R, which is a very large independent dealer in New York City with a very good reputation. And they are authorized for almost everything they sell. J&R Homepage

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 08-28-2003, 02:51 AM:

Martin,

For the price of a 5803, you might want to look into seperates. Seperate processor and power amplifiers.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-28-2003, 07:20 AM:

Ooh... Monoblock amps.... Ahhhhhhhhh....

UPDATE: Just for now, I aquired an identical Sony amp that was offered to me after I posted my plight. It had major pre-amp problems, and a terrible hum problem. It's power amp is good, so, I unsoldered the secondary boards from the power amp board and installed the board in my amp. I found several bad solder connections on the replacement board, too. Fired it up, and it runs.

UPDATE-2: Insurance totaled my car over a vinyl top! Buying it back for $$ and doing the work myself.

Topic for another thread: Dont you hate insurance companies!?

I can just see myself with a huge tube amp system! Turn on the system, watch the lights dim in the room, hear the electric meter scream on the house, etc.

Years ago, I was given many 2A3 amplifiers that were junk. I took them apart. I was 11 years old. I've even trashed a Western Electric amp pair that used 300B's I've still got a single 300B WE tube that is very weak in my tube display.

I'm going to buy a new receiver. Just wait until the money comes back!

Thanks for all the comments.
Bruce