I have read all I can concerning Low Cost quality receivers and I have narrowed it down to these two. I will be strickly listening to music with 2 speakers and sub only. CD player, Ipod and radio will be my sources. The Panny can be had for approx. $75 LESS. Any Pros or Cons between the two. Thanks.
Thats actually a nice little setup. If you dont mind me asking, how much are you getting the H/K for? Maybe there is something even better in the price range.
I am only running on memory here but I believe this combination has come up before. If the Panasonic is a digital amplifier and the Axioms are not a consistent impedance load, the Panasonic will react to the load of the Axioms and the sound will tend to be quite bright to the point of fatiguing. Do some research on the impedance curve of the Axioms and the operational class of the Panasonic. Digital amplifiers and anything other than a 6-8 Ohm lowest/highest impedance point speaker do not go together.
If that's the case, buy the HK without hesitation.
I totally agree with Jan. In your case, the H/K should be purchased. And for 219...you cant go wrong. FWIW, I had a Panasonic receiver here that was left with the home. It was one of the newer models, only a few years old. Just for kicks I hooked it up on top of my NAD, and to say the least, the sound was absolutely horrible. They were just hooked up to my rear Monitor 3's,which are sitting on sand filled Monitor Audio stands, and are a very very easy speaker to drive. The little H/K will hold its own in the SQ area, especially given its price.
I had the SA-xr55 and sent it back and bought the HK 3485. The HK 3485 is superior in sound quality, ergonomics (except the lettering on the remote isn't as legible as it could be) and build quality and is easily worth the extra money in my opinion.