Well, it appears my Sony DN1040 is slowly giving up the ghost, sometimes no picture or sound, but more recently the on screen memory is failing; only 3 of the 4 menu pillars appear, the visuals are all glitchy like there is software corruption / damaged cable.
Internet suggests the HDMI board is on its way out & is not cost effective to repair, so new amp required in the near future.
100% no interest in a soundbar solution, I’ve got a Monitor Audio Radius set up with a Silver W-12 sub, so it will be a massive regression, even if I’m running only a 5.1 vs virtual Atmos from a bar etc. Already lost the negotiation on ceiling speakers or upfiring ones in the lounge, so won’t be going down the increased number until I have my own tv room.
Having done the research, looking towards the Sony AN1000 which seems to be the closest equivalent. Not cheap at £999 though. The other more budget option is the Denon AVR2800 which is on promo at affectively half of that price.
Around the £1k mark there is also the Marantz Cinema 60, but don’t really know an awful lot about them as a brand, aside from a friend’s receiver many years ago which broke, frequently.
Any thoughts form those who have been looking recently?
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Got one of these last year and I am very happy with it. I realise its a bit more than your budget. I had a Yamaha before and the Denon is so much better. Perhaps the 2800 is also a great setup?Originally Posted by Mj2k
https://www.av.com/Home-Cinema/Denon...ier-Black/56OJ
I would only use Yamaha Avantage personally. They probably use the best steering chips out there and this is a great buy....
https://petertyson.co.uk/yamaha-rx-a...CkdsjN-aBKzHgg
I bought a Lexicon MC10 a couple of years ago, it's faultless, does everything really well, , you can find them on offer
I went down the 2nd hand Yamaha receiver route when something similar happened to me last year. If you just require 5.1 then that might be a good option. I ended up with a mint RX-V671 Receiver from c2011 for £125 via Facebook marketplace and it's been flawless. If you are interested in seeing what might work from Yamaha, then their model history up to 2020 can be found on this site --> https://kane.site44.com/Yamaha/Yamah...l_history.html
100% in accord on sticking with proper surround sound vs a sound bar. I was warned off sound bars by the Richer Sounds guys in their Southampton branch, who couldn't say enough bad things about the comparison LOL :-)
Have fun with the search !
The Denon is a good shout for new kit.
Scored well in the what hifi review, but the Sony scored better; albeit at £750 vs £999 not the £499 vs £999 current gap. I trust RS and have done for years, but this size of gap is interesting.
Looked at those but bloody hell that is some depth on it! Made the mistake of a curved rear stand, so it fits into the bay window better. Already removed the right hand lining at the rear so the current amount fits, that would have me moving the stand forward. Love the AI sound teaks though, brilliant what tech is doing these days.
Lovely receiver, will do some research.
I’m still using my old Yamaha RX-V350, which I bought from Richer Sounds at least 20yrs ago now. Still looks pretty modern and hasn’t missed a beat. The remote control gave up the ghost a while back which is the only annoying thing.
Could do with some more modern connectivity though, but I think I’ll just persevere with the old girl for now having seen the prices of some of the mid-level stuff these days.
I had similar, may have been the 375 but bullet proof until it died.
Tvs are cheaper, receivers are not with the passing of time.
Quite excited, as the upgrade from the old Yamaha was a real 'wow' sound wise, hoping the same again in the next few days.
A mate of mine who installs home cinema for the super rich says that Marantz is Denon for professionals. They are the same company, but apparently for those in the know, Marantz is better. I went with his advice and bought the £1k Marantz (at the time) as he said he had put several (lower end!) systems together for mates with it. I've had no cause to complain
Interesting, not heard that before. Getting a little brain dead reading so many reviews today, more research tmrw!
I did it for a living too when I ran my hifi business. Once you get up into hi end stuff it's the law of diminishing returns.
Yamaha engaged some British audio engineers to move away from that 'edgy' sound quality that most av amps exhibited (except Arcam) on music.
When Yamaha introduced the Avantage range, sound quality went up on the music side considerably.
Shame it won't fit in your cabinet, but that's massive transformers for you!
Isn't part of the decision here based on whether the receiver will be used more for home cinema or music? It's been a while since I last dipped my toes in the water and the shop I used to use has long since closed down but Yamaha amps used to be well regarded as the best all rounders with Marantz better for musicality and Denon better for home cinema. I've tried all three in times past and would tend to think the same. I use a Denon receiver with Bowers and Wilkins / REL speakers and it's been flawless for home cinema. I have tested a number of different speakers at my price level and a pair of Dali Epicon 8's slightly outside of it. The Dalis were stunning but so they should be.
I have a Yamaha avantage. Can't remember which model. Bought it off a bloke on AV forums who hardly used it. Have it hooked up to some AE neo's in 5.0.
Just wish I could ramp it up but being in a semi I hardly use it. If watching a film on my own I plug my beyerdynamic headphones into it.
Glad I spotted the dimensions of it before progressing with anything!
100% home cinema / tv usage. Dont listen to music properly, it is just a background noise for me & Sonos works fine for that.
There are some amps which talk about being Sonos ready, but require a £400 purchase to actually use them which is a bit of a joke tbh.
For me I'd be looking at the Marantz or Denon options.
If size is an issue, Marantz essentially do the equivalent Denon receiver but in the slimline size. As they are sister companies, you'll find that they share most features and menu systems. The Audyssey Mic is included usually, so setup is a doddle.
I had the Marantz NR1510 in my conservatory for 5.1 Cinema duties, while having an NR1200 Stereo Receiver used as a PreAmp in my Lounge for TV and Music. Both outstanding products in my opinion. However, the NR1510 suffered a power failure after 3 years. I replaced it with the equivalent Denon which is basically identical in features, but a lot larger in height.
I would highly recommend them for features, but to combat any possible reliability, I would buy from Richer Sounds and add the 6yr Warranty at 10% of purchase price - if it doesn't break within the 6yrs, they give you that money back. I use the telesales rather than online and you can usually negotiate with them to either get a lower price, or get them to throw the warranty in with the deal/equivalent discount.
Thanks guys, in the end I went for the Sony as it won what hifi award last year & im used to the way it works / sets up (although need to measure the ceiling height and tv height for some clever 360 sound stage / phantom Atmos)
Delivery from RS is tmrw, originally planned on collecting it but not convinced the box will fit in the boot of the smart or even fit in the frunk of the cayman.
Also means I get it a day earlier too!
Enjoy !
I find it both amusing and refreshing that you went in a direction that no-one at all recommended LOL
I'd bet your wife probably won't even notice the difference, seeing as the fascia is pretty much identical to the unit you are swapping out. Tell her you fixed the old one, and have money left for some unobtrusive ceiling speakers :-)
Haha yes, that aspect of recommendation had appealed to me also. I’ve also been over the forums and speaking to dealers, so not just here!
It is buried in a cabinet, annoyingly with a dotted effect over the glass rendering the screen useless. Wanted a stand as wide as the screen but that could still slide into the bay window, the previous stand was so much better for equipment.
She would spot ceiling speakers a mile off as soon as she walked into the room.
Next challenge is with my sources being PS5 and Sky Q, my next weak point in my system is the 6yr old tv. Keep looking at the Sony A95L 55” and it’s bloody tempting if a little pricey.
At some point tmrw will certainly be playing with a few tried and tested films to see if I can actually tell the difference in 10yrs evolution before I play with the new fangled features.
Just dreading the wiring it all up & labelling the speaker cables. Given the rear panel is similar am hoping I can just throw the new one on the old and move cable by cable….if I’ve got enough cable length as it’s all under karndean flooring and I cannot remember how much is hidden under the stand!
To wrap this thread up, I am astounded the difference 10yrs of AV evolution can make to my watching experience.
Blown away by the soundstage, the phantom speakers and the 360SS option.
There was an amazing forest demo after doing the set up, showing the spatial sound; wish I could find it again in the menus lol.
Even my wife noticed the difference when watching a film this evening, which is clearly a good sign; but tried to negotiate the ceiling speakers, but yet again a hard 'nope'.
TBH I can see this negating my need / desire for them until they become micro in size & she really wouldn't spot them!
Thanks for all the advice I didn't listen to lol.
Usually the best kind!
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