Who makes the best quality A/V receiver?

Question

I like Sony but a salesman once said that Yamaha's are much better. I need at least two HDMI inputs.

Answer 1

Sony never truely made good A/V receivers .Yamaha is a better choice .So is Harman Kardon , Marantz .

Answer 2

Best quality for what price. I really like the Pioneer Elite models. But I own a Yamaha. I bought my yamaha as a Demo. It played non stop for 2 years in a best buy store display. Not the shelf display but the one used to demo the speakers. so it was never tortured but it never turned off during store hours. Its built to last and just simply works all the time. I do really love it. Its ahrd to replace something that works so well but when I get a an HD dvd player it will have to go because my plasma only has 1 hdmi input. Both offer HDMI switching and great sound. to many features to list on the Pioneer. MY next receiver will be a pioneer elite with ilink aka firewire for the DVD audio and SACD. Denon is also really nice and Ii may sway towards them. I just really like the look of the elite and great sound. They have more models now to fit just about anyones needs. Sony ES series gets some nice reviews but im still leary of sony stuff. They were great but now they are so many companies that just do electonics better.
Pioneer Elite is my choice.

Answer 3

I own a B&K AVR-307 (www.bkcomp.com) receiver and it is by far the best "bang for the buck" type of reciever I have ever heard! Having been a very high end salesperson for brands ranging from Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer Elite, to McIntosh, and Krell, the MAJOR factor to consider is HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO SPEND? My receiver was about $3000 Retail a few years ago, but to be honest, other than not having HDMI, it is STILL competitive in today's market! But if you have more money than I did, the names to consider would be Krell (www.krellonline.com) and McIntosh (www.mcintoshlabs.com) That is, assuming you have AT LEAST $5000 to spend at one time on a receiver. You also need to let us know what type of listening environment and speakers you have/plan on using. These ALL matter and make a huge difference in what you should be considering! To be honest, the best brand I sold at a "reasonable" price were Denon's (www.usa.denon.com) mid/high end stuff, like the AVR-5805 Mk II or even the AVR-3806 which is MUCH more reasonably priced and VERY well equipped! Yamaha is a VERY good brand as well and you can't go wrong with most of their products either, but at the VERY LEAST, put Sony OUT of your list of "maybe's" as a previous post said, they make great SMALL electronics, but their components have never been worth the money they charge!

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Who makes the best quality A/V receiver?
I like Sony but a salesman once said that Yamaha's are much better. I need at least two HDMI inputs.

Answer 5

Go to any a/v retail shop and ask to demo their high end speakers. You will find they demo them primarily with Yamaha (not Denon) or Marantz. Harmon Kardon is high quality stuff too, but the reliability ratings aren't that good.

Yamaha is the best bang for the buck. Sony makes great small electronics, stick with Marantz and Yamaha on the high end.

Answer 6

I have not seen an outboard Dolby Digital processor in years. I saw Yamaha DDP-1 on e-may for about $500, but nothing else lately. If you reciever has 5.1 input, you can plug DVD using this input. If not - you are out of luck. If you have more than one Dolby digital source - DVD and Cable/Satellit reciever, you can get a cheap reciever with Dobly DIgital processor, and plug it's 5.1 output to your reciever's 5.1 input. Of just get a new receiver - DE605 is nice, but there are newer ones which can deliver compatible or better sound. Check out Rotel, Arcam, better Denons, Outlaw. New Sony ES serioes is not bad either.

Answer 7

Denon and Yamaha are the leaders, but be aware that all makers have receivers in wide range of prices. I know the high-end Yamaha and Denon are always rated very highly, but I'm not sure if their inexpensive models are that much better than others. Evaluations stress audio quality primarily, and that is where the lower-priced units are likely to suffer.

Answer 8

just answered your own question, really any a/v receiver that supports HDMI a very good bet. better yet, best a/v receivers are those that are certified to work with hdtv's to actually display a 1080p signal--only a/v receivers dawning the SIMPLAY HD logo are certified to actually return your investment via proper implementation of HDMI chipset.
the "best" receivers cost as much as $100k, recommend you abandon "best" quest, unless you can afford it. sony and yamaha's latest products will suffice, assuming you have hdtv that can display 1080p, using hdmi cables, and hd-dvd or blu-ray dvd.

Answer 9

Marantz, Krell, McIntosh.

Answer 10

I have admired the Onkyo receivers for a long time. Now I own one and it is great. There newest ones should have theHDMI inputs.