which is better in home theatre recievers sony or yamaha?

Answer 1

Depends on your needs..like power (RMS) per channel, 5.1 or 6.1 or 7.1 channel outputs, features like # of a/v inputs and outputs..the list goes on. Ultimately , PRICE would decide the issue. Sony and Yamaha are big names worldwide when it comes to electronics and there products are made in some countries like China, Taiwan, Malaysia, The Philippines, Mexico ....Now , personally if i have to chose a receiver with similar features I would go for the receiver that is Made in Japan whether its Sony or Yamaha. Nothing beats the original manufacturer.

Answer 2

aaaaaaagghh!

Good grief, the manufacturers love you guys. You all threw money at them and most of you have no idea why. You are a product of "Brand Name Recognition".

One person got it right, but, did not elaborate as to why.

Okay, here is the real menu.

Nearly all name brands have a distortion number which is inaudible, so this is moot. Nearly all of them have audio video inputs, so this too, not a criteria.

Price don't mean diddly.

Problem with these amps, is the sound level setup is global, meaning what you set on one sound effect is blanket on all of them. Gross. You do not listen to Movies the same way as Music, why would you want global set up? You don't.

The real amp is a Harman Kardon. Good value and unbelievable sound range or "bandwidth". Plus, instantaneous current for those large passages of sound. While other amps will crackle at loud volume and loud movie explosions, the Harmon stores energy for just such an event, so you simply hear explosions, crystal clear and nothing more. Yeah, bring it.

The harmon will let you set each and every sound effect differently. The harmon also has an IPOD direct interface connection. The harmon will switch high bandwidth HD component inputs, and will even bring up the menu on these component outputs. Plus, Harmon has true Multi-room, in that it is simultaneous high level and low level out, independant of the main out. This means you can watch a movie in the family room, while momma enjoys her CD in the kitchen, all with the same piece of equipment.

This is how you quantify an answer.

Get a real amplifier, and don't look back.

Answer 3

RyanLeeDesign brings up some very good points.

THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is mostly a moot point on newer equipment, unless at rated power, the THD rates at 10% (.10) or higher. Depending on the application and the quality of your speakers, THD in these percentages will be audible to the human ear. As long as the THD (again, at rated power) is less than .05, the chances of hearing it are nill.

There are many receivers on the market that have input dependant audio settings, Onkyo being one of them, as well as Harman Kardon. If the Sony or Yahama you're looking at do not have independent audio settings based on the input, then I would suggest looking at other brands.

I've owned several Harman Kardon receivers over the years, the last of which was an AVR-85 that was close to $1200 brand new. It didn't last...and from what I've seen, the quality of Harman Kardon has been declining over the last several years. (Just my personal experience).

As far as sound is concerned....the sound is only going to be as good as the speakers you use in your setup. Audio spectrum is irrelevant at the receiver/amplifier level. Almost all receivers on the market today have an audio range of 15Hz - 22KHz and brand makes little difference in that respect. The cracking that you'll hear on lower end setups is actually a combination of an amplifiers distortion (clipping) at volume peaks combined with the speakers inability to remain linear while reproducing sound at the peak volume level.

So here's my take:

If you're looking for a good home theatre receiver, don't limit yourself to one particular brand at the outset. You're going to want a receiver that:

A.) Uses all discrete circuitry.
B.) Is Hi-Current rated (most sony amplifiers are not hi-current)
C.) Has a low THD at RATED POWER (that would be something like 120w x 7ch @ 6-8ohms @ .05 THD)
D.) Avoid ANYTHING that advertises it's wattage output at PEAK rated power.
E.) Has the input switching capability that suits your application. If you have three devices that are HD and use component or HDMI outputs/inputs and you want to run them through your receiver, then make sure your receiver has the inputs to match.

Quality sound begins with the receiver...but it absolutely ends with your speakers. DO NOT SKIMP HERE. You will regret it.

Good luck in your quest.

Some ideas from Onkyo / HK / Denon...you get the idea.
http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR703&class=Receiver&p=i
http://www.harmankardon.com/product_detail.aspx?Region=USA&Country=US&Language=ENG&cat=REC&prod=AVR%20745&sType=C
http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/623.asp

Answer 4

I also prefer the Yamaha RX-V1900. I have owned Harman Kardon, Onkyo, and neither of those turned out to be reliable brands for me. I've had Yamaha equipment now for about 5 years and am delighted with it. The Yamaha receiver blew the HK out of the water.

Answer 5

YAMAHA hands down. sony has nice AVR's but the only nice ones are from their ES series which cost alot more than Yamaha's entry level receiver's on the other hand Yamaha delivers, power,and good DSP for an affordable price.

Answer 6

Yamaha because the distortion rate is lower than the sony

Answer 7

yamaha makes the best receivers period. just check out reviews of each & see for yourself but sony does make good receivers i own one myself & it's been 5 1/2 yrs & counting and no problems (bottom line yamaha is better but you really can't go wrong with either)

Answer 8

Sony, definitely if those two were my only choices. Denon has better technology than the two of them for around the same price. You should spend the money and get a mid to hi end receiver, like Parasound and Rotel.

Answer 9

Yamaha.

Answer 10

Yamaha is better for recivers but try onkyo recevers are excelant top notch check it out at curcuit city