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stereo receiver recommendations

Hi folks,

A friend recently got me interested in this hobby, but I'm definitely still a newbie without much real world listening experience. A colleague at work knows I'm interested in audio and came to me for advice to replace a broken stereo receiver. Problematically, she was fairly coy about budget, so a few recommendations would be greatly appreciated... Lets go with <$500, $500-600, & <$1000 as the 3 price ranges.

She definitely wants to have a phono input for a connected turntable and to have a FM tuner built in so unfortunately we're stuck with stereo receivers rather than integrated amps, which drastically limits the options. She also definitely wants to buy new. She didn't know the model of speakers so I'm not talking about a serious audiophile but rather someone who just enjoys having music playing in her home and doesnt want to give up local radio or her vinyl collection. For that reason I'm thinking ease of use, functionality, and reliability are probably just as important as sound quality (I hope that doesnt make too many of you cringe), but I still want it to sound good. Searching through musicdirect & crutchfield, I've come up with the following:

<$500: Cambridge SR10 or Yamaha R-N303
$500-600: Cambridge SR20 or Yamaha R-N602 
<$1000: Outlaw RR2160 or Yamaha R-N803

Would love input from people with experience with any of these products or recommendations about something else that might be better. Any problems any of you have found with any of the above models? Anybody experienced both in a particular price range and found one to sound particularly better? 

Thanks!
ethos123
2channel8
753 posts
 
HK receivers are legendary and priced amazingly.
https://www.crutchfield.com/g_356350/Stereo-Receivers.html#&nvpair=FFBrand|Harman
Here is a review WITH BENCHMARK TESTING of it's predecessor.
http://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/hk-3490

So if I had to buy a new receiver today on a budget, that's where I'd go.
Yamaha receivers are always a very good choice. I had one for years and was quite happy. I upgraded to a Nakamichi Receiver 2 which I still have and love; but the best receiver I ever owned, by far, was a Rotel RX-1052. I had to go pretty far up the ladder of integrated amps to significantly outclass her. ($3,000 +) If you find one, it's a keeper.


willemj
1,036 posts
 
The good news of all this is that it is actually quite hard to go wrong if you stick to the mainstream brands. Just look at the various options they sport, like digital inputs  etc.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 

Magnum Dynalab have five models.


teddyv
3 posts
 
Yamaha R-N303B is a good amplifier...i have one so i could test it. Unfortunately, the tests i did show that in fact the amp only drives
~65 W / channel on 8 ohm and not 100 as they said. Also, the amplifier
frequency response curve in relation to power is quite non-linear: at
lower frequency (20 - 100 HZ) the amp delivers only ~50 W / channel -
while at 15-20 KHz the power goes to ~75W / channel (BTW: now i know why i burned 2 tweeter. Input signal was kept at such level that the output
signal (on the load) was clear sin and not clipped. Also, the tone control on Yamaha was set to "0" - neutral. If that is being changed, depending on the input signal you use (especially if you use a computer or DVD optical output which has volume control) you may/will clip the output.
abidal
1 posts
 
Hi everyone!
Thanks for all your tips. 
One month ago I didn't know how to choose a stereo receiver, but I have YAMAHA R-S202BL right now, it's really awesome, unbelievable sound. A lot important information you can find on my blog, just follow the link https://besttechexpert.guide/best-stereo-receiver/, after reading, you will understand which one stereo receiver is the best for you.
Good luck!
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