Recommendations for a new 7.2 AVR

 

Bronze Member
Username: Dlovell2001

Alexandria, Virginia United States

Post Number: 62
Registered: Jul-12
I'm looking to upgrade my sound. Right now I have an 18 years-old JVC receiver with Dolby Pro Logic (Surround Sound). I already have Klipsch Reference RF-52 II fronts, RC-52 II center and an SW-310 sub. The sound I have now is pretty good but definitely not high-end. I'm listening to mostly classic rock, some Jazz and classical and lately i've actually gotten into House / EDM (electronic dance music) which is very hard to get sounding good anywhere except with headphones because of the heavy deep bass.

That aside - i'm looking at new amps. I'm leaning towards a 7.2 AVR that will allow me to bi-amp my fronts (although I seriously doubt that will have any noticeable improvement as small as my speakers are but what the heck), give me the newest decoders (TrueHD, DTS-HD MA) and give me a reason to buy surround speakers. While i'm doing this I want to make sure I get an upgrade in quality in the amp itself.

Yamaha makes what they call the "Aventage" line - Pioneer has the "Elite" line and Sony makes the "ES" line. Are these receivers really any better than the standard lines or would I just pay more for the same thing?

Are any of these receivers of good quality? So far I like the Yamaha Aventage RX-A720/820 and the Pioneer Elite VSX-60/70. These are what - class A/B amplifiers? Would these be better than what I have now or not enough difference to notice?

Many of the Pioneer Elite receivers have what they call a "Class D3" amp in them. I'm really not feeling good about that - I think i'll steer clear of D3 if I can - the VSX-60 and 70 do not seem to be D3. Pioneer calls them Discrete Direct Energy amps.

My guts tell me that these new amps are probably not much better if any at all than what I have now. I'm having a hard time imagining myself throwing out a piece of equipment that has "made in Japan" written on it - one that has lasted 18 years and is still going strong - and replacing it with something that has "made in China" written on it that most likely will have to undergo a firmware upgrade the minute I turn it on just to function.

Anyway - how good are these new amps - the under $1000 class - brands like Denon, HK, Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, Integra? Are there brands that you suggest if I want to keep it under $1000?
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