What is the best home theater receiver for $200-300?

Question

I'm looking at Best Buy, Circuit City etc. I'm replacing a Yamaha HTR-5835 after I lost sound in the middle channel. I'm going to have to buy a separate subwoofer at a later date, but that doesn't concern me at the moment.

What's the best company to go with? I don't have an HD TV, but hopefully willl be in the position to buy one in a few months -- what concern should I have in buying a receiver that can handle the transition?

Inputs I'll need:

Digital cable

DVD (just regular right now, but perhaps Blue-Ray later)

VCR

CD-player

(maybe) Cassette deck (if I find a workable one)

The 4 receivers that appear to fit my needs right now are:

Yamaha RX-V461

Pioneer VSX-517-K

Harman Kardon AVR-146

Sony STR-DG710

What do you think of these? Is there one that is better than these? Thanks!

Answer 1

out of those, i would go with the harman kardon. but, i personally like onkyo receivers, more power for the moeny. it might be hard to find a receiver with a cassette input, but you can use any input for that really. a cassette input just allows you to have an cassette output so you can record.but if you dont want to record, than any input will work.

Answer 2

Unless the A/V receiver (AVR) must be compatible with a new(er) protocol, such as HDMI v1.3, you could benefit by purchasing a used receiver.  A budget of $200 to $300 will purchase an entry-level receiver, whereas you can purchase a better-quality receiver that is two to three years old for the same amount.

You should also consider purchasing a demo unit.  These are usually sold off when newer models are introduced.  Most retailers will offer the full manufacturer’s warranty on a demo unit.  However, I would hesitate to purchase a demo unit from Best Buy, Future Shop, Circuit City, or any of the big box stores.  Access to display models is not controlled in these stores and demo equipment can be damaged by finger-poking customers.  (Actually, I don’t buy much of anything from big-box stores, because of the poor customer service and limited product selection.)

As far as manufacturers are concerned, most products within your budget will offer quite similar performance.  The restrictions on designing an AVR that will sell for $200 to $300 new are pretty severe and most manufacturers will cut the same corners to reach your price point.  The four manufacturers you listed can all produce good-quality products.  I would lean towards Harmon/Kardon, unless one of the others offered you features you required that the HK did not (e.g., number of input channels).  A used HK (or Yamaha or Pioneer) would provide you with better performance than any of the AVRs you have listed.

Answer 3

I would look at the Onkyo TX-SR575.

One Call has it for $230.00    http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.as...

It has gotten good reviews

http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/...

I believe this is a really good AVR for the money!

Answer 4

I use that Yamaha from time to time in small room applications, for clients, with great success. The Sony isn't even in the running. Pioneer and Harman Kardon are not known for great reliability in that price range, even though Pioneer Elite is exceptional in the higher end. Onkyo and Denon would be okay in that price range too, but I'd stick with Yamaha as a first choice.

Answer 5

There's nothing really fantastic in that price range, but you can't go wrong with Yamaha at any price point.   There are better ones in the more expensive lines, but Yamaha's hard to beat under a grand.

Sony's are the worst of that list by far.