What AV Receiver is best?

Question

I have an overall budget of $4000 for receiver and speakers and i just need to know which of these brands would be the best with features and power. If anyone could help me that i would really appreciate it. Thanx...

Yamaha RX-V663, Onkyo TX-SR606 or Pioneer VSX-917-S

Answer 1

If it is mainly for music, I would consider the Pioneer because they tend to have a warmer sound ideal for music lovers.  Power isn't as important as the features you want in it.  I would just make sure whatever receiver you have has Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, along with any other features you might desire.  Most receiver in the same price range have similar features.

Chech out Martin Logan's for music.  They will blow your mind, and fit right into your budget.

Answer 2

Yamaha and Onkyo generally get the best reviews.  But also check out Denon.  However, Pioneer is also excellent.  Apparently you want a multi-speaker surround system.  For your budget, I would put in $1000-$1500 for the amp, and the rest for speakers, with the two front speakers getting the major part of the rest.  Consider Magnepan, Infinity, Vandersteen, Boston Acoustics, Klipsch and many others.  But whatever you do, listen to them first.  Speaker sound is a personal taste, they all sound different even though they are all good.

Answer 3

First of all, it's not even a fair comparison for the Pioneer. The 917 is a much cheaper, lower-end receiver than the other two. A fair comparison would be the Pioneer 1018. Anyways, Onkyo has the most power out of the 3. Onkyo still rates their equipment quite accurately. The actual power output of an Onkyo is usually within 5-10 watts of its rated power. The Onkyo 606 also has the most features and connections out of the 3. The ONLY advantage the Yamaha has is that it has pre-outs so you can add an external power amp if you feel you need more power. But the internal amps in the Onkyo should be more than enough for most people. The 606 also uses a high-current power supply which is good to have when driving power-hungry speakers. I have the 606 and it's a great receiver. It works great with both music and movies. It has a very crisp, detailed sound. The Onkyo 606 has also been praised by many home theater magazines and enthusiasts as one of, if not the best receiver under $600. The 606 retails for $500-$600 but you can get it on Amazon for as low as $400 shipped. That is an absolute steal! As an owner of the 606, I would highly recommend it.