Which one: hk525, elite 53tx, or Yamaha RX-V2400

 

I have been looking and reading up on these three receivers for a little while. Just don't know which one to go with. The most important feature is the auto speaker setup, since I don't have the time and the know how to set them up myself (thats why all three listed have this feature). Here is my speaker setup:

Mains - Cambridge Soundworks Tower II's
Center - Cambridge Soundworks CenterStage
Surrounds - Cambridge Soundworks Newtons S300
Sub - Cambridge Soundworks P1000

I'm asking do to reading many forums, and there are some very freindly and knowledgable people here. I have owned only Yamaha Receivers (currently V2092) but i'm very open to any brand

Thanks
Paul
 

Paul
No Opions out there, will someone please help point me in the right direction.

Paul
 

Anonymous
Well for me it would be a tough choice between the H\K and the Elite, and rule out the Yamaha - it just doesn't compare to the other 2.
Mind you the H\K is not THX certified (but I wouldn't care.
Again between these 2 It would be a matter of personal taste, apart from power and speaker driving capabilities I think the Elite would be the better component.(evev though H\K is my personal favorite)
Sound wise they are both similar laid back great sounding receivers - either of the 2 would be a great buy.
Hope this helps without getting to technical
 

paul
Thank You Anonymous,
I was leaning towards the Elite. I know the Elite & the H/K are more laid back. I was hoping for some opinions on my speakers if they are more toward the brite side or more towards the laid back side.

Thanks very much for your opinion.
 

elitefan
I am not familiar with your speakers. You sre the one who should know if they are bright or not. I can say that the Elite and the H/K are excellent receivers and better than the Yamaha so I think you would be happy with either. The Elite has more inputs[8] than the H/K and is more user friendly but both sound great. I have a Elite vsx45 and it is a wonderful unit. You can't lose either way.
 

hi all,
help me to make my mind up, been looking for the right receiver I do have two in my list,
which one???
harmon kardon Avr-5550
or the new yamaha Rxv-2400
 

Anonymous
Get the HK over the Yamaha.
 

Sarandon Johnson
dude get the RX-V2400 over the H/K!!! Or get the VSX-55txi!!!!!
 

Eric Kearney
These people surely have never carefully tested these three models. Are they only picking the h/k or the pioneer because they are more familiar with those names in electronics? Based on all the technical comparison, sound, ease of use, etc, etc, etc, I would choose the Yamaha hands down. Research this further before you buy! Thoroughly test the three yourself and LISTEN at your local soundstore. If you believe all three are relatively equal in all the categories, then just let your ear tell you which to buy. If it were I the Yamaha is a no brainer. I chose a Yamaha RX-V3300 last year after six months of research and listening. I chose it over h/k, Pioneer elite, Marantz, Sony, Denon, and Integra. (My final choice came after I bought the final three and tested them in my living room. I took back the others and kept the Yamaha. It sounded better and was much easier to use.) As far as your speakers, if you believe they are good then buy the amp that you believe is best for you. I don't think anyone will be able to tell you which amp will "match" those speakers the best. The best test would be though to buy them and test them out at home, then take back the ones that don't measure up.
 

Hawk
Paul

Believe it or not, I have heard your speakers. Cambridge Soudworks is the last company that the late, great Henry Kloss started before his death. I used to live in Pleasant Hill, CA, and I often stopped in the local Soundworks store (there in the Sun Valley Mall) to listen to what they had. CS only has stores in the Boston and San Francisco areas--the bulk of their sales is through mail order (you can find them at www.hifi.com).

I listened to those Tower IIs though a number of receivers there, Onkyos, Sonys and Marantzs. I personally prefer the Marantz sound with those speakers. The Cambridge speakers sound a lot like the old Advent speakers of the early to mid 70s (another Henry Kloss company before he sold it and made a mint), but with much more bass. Their sound is very good, with great stereo imaging (a Henry Kloss touch). They are also power hungry, so you can't get anything small. (BTW, take any receiver power rating you read and cut it in half to get its true power, unless you are talking about an NAD or H/K receiver which generally rate at or above their manufacturers published power rating). The Marantz has a very warm sound that the CS speakers favor--check out a Marantz 7300, which is a personal favorite of mine and which has pretty good power. They are being closed out in favor of the new model 7400, so you can get them at a favorable price right now, generally at or about $700.

Good luck!
 

Paul
Hawk,

Thank You for replying, I was wondering if anyone ever heard of my speakers. It's funny how you stated that the Marantz sounds very good with these speakers. I life in the Boston area, and they have many CambridgeSound Works around. They mainly sell Marantz Receivers. Hawk, how about the new H/K AVR630 and the 55txi, I'm not very good at setting up speakers and I like the speaker setup options that these receivers have. Also Hawk have you heard any of their lasted speakers (Newton Series) just wondering how they stake up against other uperscale speakers.

Again thank you
Paul
 

GT
Hawk,
You used to live in Pleasant Hill? I live there now and am familiar with the Cambridge Soundworks in Sun Valley Mall. I've probably been in there 5 times. I've never been a huge fan of their speakers, maybe because the little cubes reminded too much of Bose (albeit better than Bose and cheaper) and their sub/sat systems usually had passive subs. I'm sure much of that has changed now.

Small world isn't it?

They appear to still carry Marantz and Onkyo receivers but not HK anymore.
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