NEW RECEIVER HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
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X to tha Z | I have been searching the net for some time now and have found 2 receivers, Harman Kardon AVR-125 and Marantz SR-4300. Is the amp in the Harman Kardon discrete(5 seperate amps)or just one for all speakers outputs??? Also does anybody have info on the AVR-130??? When will it be avialable? |
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DWK | Timetable advised by HK @ CEDIA is: AVR 130, 230 Late September AVR 330, 430 Mid October AVR 630 Late October Just keep in mind that 1st availability is often heavily dependent upon allocation as I woudl expect these to be in short supply until early 04. They did look and sound great.. From: http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB73&Number=466743&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1 |
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| Here's some more info on the H/K AVR130: http://www.harmankardon.com/product_detail.asp?cat=REC&prod=AVR%20130&sType=C In fact, there in stock at J&R according to their website: http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?RestartFlow=t&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=946&Product_Id=3727682 Smitty |
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X to tha Z | I still need to know if the arv125 or 130 has discrete amps! Thats what is leaning me towards the 4300. |
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Max | Hello, WOW great thread!!! I had no idea these were out already!!! I think I might get the 230..maybe....Thank you smitty... Max |
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X to tha Z | I found the kenwood VR-6070 for 219$ at www.ecost.com would the 6070 sound better than the avr-125 or SR-4300? |
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Hawk | NO--not even close |
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Anon2 | Hawk, How could you say that? Have you heard it yourself? Or it's just your own opinion or based on other's feedback? |
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X to tha Z | I was comparing the top of the line Kenwood which is THX to the bottom end Marnatz/HK so I thought It would be comparable. |
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Max | Hello, Anon2 sorry but its just plain fact. I know that 6070 sounds good but nowhere near as close the sound quality of an H/K...Period....To be honest not many receivers do sound as good as H/K,for the price that is... |
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Anonymous | IMHO.....I don't think there's anything that sounds as good as H/K for the price. Unless you have $1500+ to spend, go with the H/K. |
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X to tha Z | I am trying to decide if I want features(the 6070)or quality but bare bones for features(avr125)or in between(sr-4300) Hawk what would you say? |
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Hawk | We all have outr preferences. When I first started reading this board about a year ago, the 6070 was just out and there were a lot of new 6070 owners crowing on this board about how great it was--so I had to go hear for myself. It is a serviceable receiver and I have nothing against it, but I just didn't hear the sound quality that I like. I found the Kenwood to be a bit bright and a bit edgy, not what I like to hear. The H/K and the Marantz, however, have a much more fluid sound that I find more enjoyable, especially for music which is an important part of my listening. Kenwood has made a concious design choice to focus on the HT segment of the market and to present itself as a "value" brand. But they are not going to please everyone and certainly not me as I don't think the unit's two channel performance is very good. On the other hand, I do think that the H/K and the Marantz do very well with both HT and music, hence, my earlier comment. I chose my last receiver based upon "features" and less on the quality of the sound. I have decided this was a horrible mistake, at least for me. My next purchase will be for a receiver that gives me the best sound and if I sacrifice a few features, I will gladly do so since I find I rarely use any of them. Remember, the question was whether the Kenwood would sound better than the H/K or Marantz. I happen to believe it sounds inferior to both, IMHO. |
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Hawk | We all have our preferences. When I first started reading this board about a year ago, the 6070 was just out and there were a lot of new 6070 owners crowing on this board about how great it was--so I had to go hear for myself. It is a serviceable receiver and I have nothing against it, but I just didn't hear the sound quality that I like. I found the Kenwood to be a bit bright and a bit edgy, not what I like to hear. The H/K and the Marantz, however, have a much more fluid sound that I find more enjoyable, especially for music which is an important part of my listening. Kenwood has made a concious design choice to focus on the HT segment of the market and to present itself as a "value" brand. But they are not going to please everyone and certainly not me as I don't think the unit's two channel performance is very good. On the other hand, I do think that the H/K and the Marantz do very well with both HT and music, hence, my earlier comment. I chose my last receiver based upon "features" and less on the quality of the sound. I have decided this was a horrible mistake, at least for me. My next purchase will be for a receiver that gives me the best sound and if I sacrifice a few features, I will gladly do so since I find I rarely use any of them. Remember, the question was whether the Kenwood would sound better than the H/K or Marantz. I happen to believe it sounds inferior to both, IMHO. |
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Anon 2 | well, we all have different tastes. different senses. What I don't like to see may be a beauty to somebody. What I taste sour may taste delicious to others. We all have our own tastes. And If we don't like something doesn't mean that it is bad. Just like the food we eat. Chinese food may taste "yuck" to americans and vise versa but it does not mean that chinese food is a junk or the other way around. We all have our own opinion. It is better just to respect them if we don't agree. That way, everyone lives happily. I really hate bashing here whether it is against Marantz, Kenwood, Denon, HK, etc. VR-6070 does not really sound good in stereo. What do you expect? But it is comparable to other brands in its class in terms of Movies based on my auditioning - this is my opinion. Better if we audition brands, open our minds and free it from what we hear. Sometimes, we're already influenced by other's opinion before we start auditioning and there the mind is already "decided" Anyway, hawk, you somewhat shows respect to other's opinion by the way you answer questions. PEACE. |
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Anon 2 | One more thing. A real auditioning must have the same parameters setting, that is, same speakers, source, cables and acoustics. Have they done it this way? Or is it that they have decided that a Receiver sounds inferior because they did not put consideration to the set parameters? PEACE. |
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Anon 2 | Why are we asking or expecting that a Receiver should sound good in stereo? Come on. It is not desgined for that. Let's see how your HK can beat my Tube Amp in stereo? Is this a fair comparison? of course not. |
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Kar | Anon 2 By that reasoning there is really no need for this forum  Obviously everyone has their own opinions and tastes but their is no harm is hearing what others have to say. and oh by the way, lets put the H/K vs the Tube Amp to test. Somehow I get the feeling I may like the H/K better  |
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Max | Hello, I do not agree with anon 2. I think audio/video receivers should sound good in 2 channel stereo. A good,quality receiver should be able to sound just as smooth in music as movie. To be honest I have heard old pro=logic sherwood receivers pull of this task excellently, and that was like 6 years ago. Max |
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John Allen | I agree with Anon 2, except to say - this is important - we may also learn from each other's mistakes. We also have differing experiences and points of view. That is why this forum is a good thing, Kar. The hidden danger is "I have every right to believe something that may be untrue; it will be OK as long as I can get others to agree with me" In evolution and development, you can't jump stages. Give me great stereo, and I might then ask for things to add. Like HT. Tell me stereo doesn't matter any more, and I will say you have lost the plot. Our forebears had ears, just like ours. So did their forebears. You might as well have said in 1960 that nobody needed full frequency response any more, it was replaced by the Blumlein pair of microphones and two speakers. Actually, stereo made good mono more important, not less. Today, a 5.1 system incapable of good stereo will be bad 5.1. It is that simple. There is such a thing as progress. Not everything is up for grabs. |
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Max | Hello, Yes I agree with him about having different tastes and opinions. I just didn't agree that 2 channel stereo doesn't matter,but again thats just MY opinion. If all I ever did was watch movies, well then it would not matter, or if I had biampable speakers than I would just get a seperate stereo receiver, but since I and many people do not have the space,money, or right speakers for 2 receivers, we rely on a "kill two birds with one stone" type of receiver which in my opinion is accomplished by H/K and only a few others in the H/K price range. Max |
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elitefan | There is no reason why a receiver paired with the correct speakers should not sound very good in 2 channel mode. I have owned various amps, receivers and speakers over the last 30 years and my present system of a Elite 45 paired with Monitor Audio speakers is a pure joy to listen to music through. My sister is a PHD music professor and she was bowled over when she heard my system. She is a very fine pianist and loved the way my system reproduced piano and woodwinds. If it impresses a music professor with an understanding of tone and pitch that's good enough for me! |
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Kar | Anon2 has been contradicting himself. In his first post he claims people have differents tastes and one should not judge based on personal preference and proceeds to give examples to prove his point. By the time he comes to the third post is baising himself in favor of his Tube Amps. John Allen, I was confused by your response. You started by saying you agree with Anon2's claims but go on to state Today, a 5.1 system incapable of good stereo will be bad 5.1. Isnt that opposing Anon2's views Why are we asking or expecting that a Receiver should sound good in stereo? I am confused! |
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| Max, You said "or if I had biampable speakers than I would just get a seperate stereo receiver". I happen to have biampable front speakers. Are you saying that I could have two separate receivers connected to the same speaker? Is this safe? The chances of accidentially turning on one receiver when the other is on seem pretty likely with a multi-function remote. I know I occasionally often turn off my DBS receiver when I meant to turn on the TV especially when the batteries get weak. Perhaps a speaker switch-box would be a safer route to go? It's an interesting option though, I currently have an HK AVR30 pro-logic receiver that I'm perfectly happy with in listening to stereo music and have been looking for a 5.1 receiver that plays music well to replace it but maybe I'd be better off ( and spend less money ) getting a 5.1 receiver more targetted to HT and use both. |
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Anonymous | because that is no' 1 before anything. If the 2 channel stereo won't sound good no way anythging will sound good - sort of a fact. |
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John Allen | Kar, "Isnt that opposing Anon2's views Why are we asking or expecting that a Receiver should sound good in stereo?" Yes, it is opposing his view. I was agreeing with "We all have our own tastes. And If we don't like something doesn't mean that it is bad. " That is important. But there is more to it than that. There are sometimes real differences, real progress. But new things, to be better, have to be added to, and build on, what was already good before. John |
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Anon 2 | Hey Kar, I am not contradicting myself. That is why I said "Is this a fair comparison? Of course not" I am not bashing HK there. I know it is unfair to match it to a tube amp. I don't know but from my opinion, a Receiver's focus is really to sound good to Movies or Multi-Channel Processing. Probably you would notice that everytime your Receiver switches from Stereo to Multi-Channel and vise versa you hear a click from inside. This means that there has been a change in signal path or circuitry. Maybe, for those which do not sound good in stereo, the "stereo" path is not that good. I guess this is where HK wins the heart of many people - that it sounds good in stereo and multi-channel. While other receivers sound good only in multi-channel. You got your point there John Allen. We have to progress. And the development is a combined stereo and "multi" sounding good. Thanks for your calm responses. I was expecting a violent reaction. PEACE |
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John A. | A pleasure, Anon 2. |
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X to tha Z | So u guys are saying that the 6070 is completely horrible in 2 channel? or is it just not as good as the Marantz 4300?it will be used for Dolby Digital 5.1 on my x-box 90% of the time, and my cd player the other 10%. So for gaming I should be looking for a receiver thats good with HT?I am very close to buying the 6070 but Hawks reply really got me wondering. I would just listen to it and try it out in my home but its on the internet.(www.ecost.com 219$ refurb) |
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X to tha Z | One more thing I run my amp all day long I heard that the 6070 runs really hot will it be able to run all day long at fairly loud volumes? |
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Max | Hello, Hey smitty, No I dont beleive it is risky. Just make sure your other receiver is at volume zero just in case you accidentaly turn it on. Max |
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X to tha Z | PLEASE!I need to know what u guys think about the 6070 in stereo i will use it for a little bit of music too so that is important to me. Hawk what would you say about the 6070 is it horrible or just not as good i need to know!plz thanks |
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Max | Hello, I am not trying to rain on this parade but for the price of the 6070 you could get better. I think the cheapest I found it for was about 480$, now for that money I would suggest looking at Harmon Kardon, Nad , or Marantz...I know it sounds like a broken record to be suggesting these brands, but it is for a reason. I just truly beleive for the money you can get better. |
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X | I am looking at it for 219$refurbished at www.ecost.com |
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Anonymous | X to tha Z: OK buy the Kenwood but I promise you that once you are settled with your purchase you will always wonder how good was that Harmon Kardon or that Marantz and should I have paid the extra for either of the two? Cruel but true! |
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X | I have heard the Marantz and it sounded ok, but not great I couldnt really tell a difference between it and my Fisher Intergrated Amplifier(CA-38A)with 5 awsome watts per channel. Only one channel works now so I am upgrading, I already ordered the 6070 and I will tell you guys what I think of it when I get it. |
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Max | Hello, Yes, please tell us what you think of it when you get it. |
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Anon 2 | X, 6070 is not that bad. It's just that some of the people here do not have the respect for kenwood for no valid reason. It's more of a brand issue. If only it is a Marantz or Denon or HK 6070 then most people here will love it. The best though is audition it yourself, trust your ears, free your mind and take note of the other equipment being used. I have a 6070, to tell you honestly, it sound average on stereo but sounds wonderful on multi-channel like DVD Movies, SACD and DVD Audio. I have a tube amp for my stereo setup by the way. You just have to wait for a while for it to be totally broken in. In one of the auditioning my friend has done in buying stereo speakers for his setup, i observed his opinion to be very stupid. Here's how it goes: He had been auditioning speakers for his stereo setup. And he got a Monitor Audio B2 for that. according to him he like the sound of B2 very much. Well, you know, in all of the auditioning he done, I was always with him. Some of the brands he auditioned were Mission M72i, Mordaunt Short MS 902 and B2. Yeah, the B2 sounded good because IT WAS CONNECTED TO A DENON A1SR RECEIVER AND DENON HIGH-END DVD PLAYER compared to the modest setup used for the other two brands. Besides, the cable used for the B2 audition was also a high-end one. We were auditioning from different stores on the different brands mentioned above. It was such a stupid thing that he liked the B2 without even considering that it was connected to high-end gears. Peace. |
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Max | Hello, Totally untrue my friend...I have nothing against kenwood. It would make no difference if was H/K, Marantz etc... If I dont like a product I dont like a product...I also don't hate the 6070, I especially don't hate it for 219$...I had just thought he was gonna spend 489$ which is what it costs new..I thought for that money he could get better, but for 219$ the 6070 is a steal in my opinion... |
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X | I have two more questions is the VR-6070 brighter or laid back/warm? And will it handle 6ohm speakers? I have quest Q610's(8ohm)as fronts and Aiwa 811's as rears(6ohm)and a Polk 404 as a subwoofer. I may buy quest towers(which are on sale now)but dont want to if they will be a bad match (quest are laid back Canadian speakers by the way) |
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Al Holland | I have in the past owned the 6070. I have also owned all other brands or had them in my system to demo. The other brands were the mid-level or high end series (Denon 4802, B&K307, 777ES to name a few). The 6070 was = to any HK as well as the others in HT but was lacking in stereo. When used as a pre/pro with an outboard amp stereo became as good as the others. Please understand that I am not bashing HK or Marantz I am only relating my experiences with them. The lower end Marantz's and all HK's that I have had would break up (maybe distort is better) at higher volumes. The 6070 never lost it's composure at higher levels. The HK's also had channel bleed or noise in all channels when an input with no connected component was selected. HK or Marantz is excellent with stereo music. If you want power, clarity, and like subtle sounds in HT then I do not believe that the 6070 will dissapoint. If you like good stereo music I think that you may be disappointed with the 6070. Best of luck with your decision. If you want |
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G.DawG | Have to agree with Al here, the 6070 was awsome with HT but very lacking in the stereo/music department. Like Al, I also had the 6070 but switched to Elite once I bought a new cd player and started listening to music again. Your getting a helluva deal and shouldnt be disapionted. At the same price I think it would be the same for stereo music as low end receivers at the same price. |
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Anonymous | hi der, i agree that the 6070 is great in movies. music is quite ok. but upon testing with receiver bleeding, i have never experience that with my HK 225(3550) receiver. i have a friend though that experience the bleeding with his 6070 (9060D) but only at max level sound upon switching sources. maybe its just on isolated cases that experience this bleeding. I heard some bleeding also at nad t752 and Marantz SR5300. but like i said, it could be on a selected models. |
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Anon 2 | X, since I have the 6070 as my HT Setup for months now, I notice that it is forward sounding with no harshness even at higher volume (one thing I admire with the 6070). If you are going to use a 6-ohms speakers, it is farily ok as long as you use it as suround. Make sure that you have 8 ohms on fronts and center as most of the sound comes from there. It is safer to follow the specs written at the back of the unit. |
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X | Does 4-8 ohm mean I cant use it with the 6070(which i still do not have:@) http://www.ecost.com/ecost/ecsplash/shop/detail.asp?dpno=168458 and has anyone ever heard of Aspire Digital? Are they any good? |
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X | I finally got my 6070, and have one problem, the volume knob feels really loose. it wiggles up and down and has some play, is this normal? |
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G-Man | X--I am sure it is NOT normal for any receiver to have a loose volume knob. Call or e-mail customer service and ask them how to tighten it. I would only use 8 ohm speakers with this receiver to be safe. Aspire Digital makes cheapo speakers for mostly warehouse stores. You will never see them in a serious Audio/Video retailer. With speakers it depends how much you want to spend and whether you really care about any sonic differences. Many people are happy with speakers that would make me miserable. Many teens and college aged guys just want LOUD--they don't know or don't care about accuracy. I don't think it is necessarily because their hearing is worse--I think it is because they either never have LISTENED (as opposed to have heard) very good speakers, or they have no memory or knowledge of what sounds good. |
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John A. | X, Even in well-designed equipment a volume knob can just be held on with spring clip. Have good look at the spindle. If there is grub screw (aka worm screw) holding the knob on the spindle, it might just need tightening a bit. if there is none (usually the case), it is a spring clip and you can firmly pull the knob right off. Then fimly push it right down on the spindle. Be careful the force is along the spindle axis, not perpendicular, because you could just break it or dislodge the potentiometer from the circuit board. A firm, decisive push (making sure it is a the right position o'clock on the dial to mate with the spring clip and the cam on the spindle) is usually enough get it back on for good. This is not a fault. Those knobs have to be removeable and "put-backable" easily for cleaning and servicing. You can usually take them off and put then back on hundreds of times without wear or damage. |
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