I have an Infinity Alpha surround setup. I want to upgrade my receiver. Which is better, Yamaha or Denon?

Question

I realize there are many models for each brand. I have been doing research and can not decide. I have heard good things about Yamaha but have heard they can be bright. I want up-conversion and auto calibration. I can not decide. <$1000

Answer 1

Hi there .Does it have to be Yamaha or Denon because there are other brands that have better sound quality.Rotel NAD and Cambridge are far better with sound quality.These are British designed amplifiers that offer better sound than most other brands. But that is not your question.

Just to put you in the picture. A Receiver uses a single power supply to run the preamp section, the power amp section and the Tuner.The needs of the power amp section affect the preamp section. The result is Receivers are not as smooth ,effort,open and full sounding as separate preamps and power amps.because they use a separate power supply to control them. The preamp is more important than the power amp because this is where the signal from the source starts its journey to the speakers..Any change to the signal (except the first stage of amplification) will be passed on to the power amp which will amplify the changed signal and pass that on to the speakers.The speakers will not be able to improve the signal they will only reproduce it along with their own coloration. And buying more expensive speakers won't help either.They will just reproduce the same as cheaper speakers and may even sound worse because they are giving you more detail of the faulty signal

So if you still want the Yamaha or the Denon either will do .They both are similar with all their compromises and will give you the surround sound features but not the best sound that is available with other equipment.

Answer 2

Denon sounds better than Yamaha. I used to sell audio and found this to be the case. My friends who still sell both brands say Denon is superior. I too have heard critics say Yamaha sounds artificially bright, but the result I have heard is too mellow. Furthermore, Yamaha seems to have been going downhill in quality faster than Denon has over the years. They have changed the way the measure some of their specs, but a comparison of old Yamaha with new will be surprising to you. I would go with the best Denon that fits in your budget.

Answer 3

It's best if you can arrange for home demo or go to a shop which have the speakers setup as yours. This way, you test the Denon or Yamaha amp with your apeakers.

The point is to get the best matched system. Either amp maybe superior but if they don't match your speakers, it won't give you the best sounds.

if you are doing your own research, research by finding the best match amp for your speakers.

Answer 4

Another option (the one I would take) is spending a little more and buying a pre-owned power amp and surround processor. This will give you the very best sound quality. But, upconversion and auto set-up are fairly new features in the pre-amp/processor world and would cost an arm and a leg.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampsmult&1189036694
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.pl?PRIC=1&PMIN=400&PMAX=1000&CTGSK=homeproc&submit=Go

So, another option is pairing a power amp with an entry-level receiver (that has AutoEQ) that has pre-outs for a power amp.

Answer 5

NAD bites in my opinion!!! You should audition many brands to get a idea of what they sound like with your content. Tell the sales guy to bugger off and listen to what you want to at low high and normal volume.

Listen to at least three with your speakers before you settle.

Answer 6

Denon is better for Home theater, but onkyo beats both denon and yamaha.

Answer 7

they are both good personally I would go for the one that you can afford and is THX certified being that they need to pass certain specs to get the THX certification, have you ever considered Pioneer Elite or Onkyo?