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Just Curious - About using a AV Receiver as main unit

Just curious about something.

I know it is preferable to use a Integrated Amp or Pre-Amp+Amp combo as your main unit in the system but sometimes I see used AV's receivers see from manufacturers who make really good high end 2 channel equipment and these receivers sell for less then say a 2 channel component from the same manufacturer (units from say Rotel, Anthem, Arcam, Marantz, etc). Also, since we are talking about AV Receivers, I guess it's fair to compare them to SS Amps. If your into Tubes, then that is whole different story.

I wonder sometimes if you start a build using one of the AV receivers instead of the 2 channel component, would that be a good system to build off of.

I will say for myself, I started with a Denon AVR-5700 (which I still have and was a beast in it's day) and I think it was an excellent piece of equipment and had a great 2 channel section.

Last year I bought a Integrated amp but honestly, I could have easily stayed with the Denon and build off of that.

Sure, these AV's receivers wont compare to components that are way up there in the thousands but if your budget is bit tight I think these components would be great to start with and I am not talking about your $400 dealer receiver from best buy, I mean AV's receivers that were top of the line in their day and now can be had for much cheaper. 

Well just curious and my opinion.

Thanks
128x128jay73
jay73's avatar
jay73 OP
219 posts
 
@noromance

Thanks for the positive feedback.
Yea, I also used my Denon in the past and I thought it sounded pretty decent and that is why I am keeping it. Besides, I wouldn't get much for it anyway, it might have been close to $3k in it's day but I picked it up for about $250 a few years ago. It works perfectly and is a hefty monster.

I packed it up and put it away as maybe I can use it in the future for a 2nd system if I get more room.

shtinkydog
689 posts
 
Jay, not all receivers are crap.  I still have an old Denon receiver (pre-HDMI), made in Japan, 45WPC, 4 channels, non AVR, just straight up receiver.  It blew the crap out of a Parasound P3 and Acurus A150 combo, no questions asked.  How's that for crap?
cakyol's avatar
cakyol
940 posts
 
older cambridge audio azur av receivers were very good. 
asvjerry's avatar
asvjerry
4,681 posts
 
Jay, I pulled up the owners' manual on your Denon...!
It has more jacks on the back of it than an old Moog synth....or even the new ones....*whew*G*

You might employ it as a 'head unit' to feed whatever input into whatever you'd consider....your integrated, an amp, or ?

I feed 'source' into my 'puter....can employ eq that way, run a monitoring prog, run the output back into the matrix I have.

Defeat the tone controls if you can.... but all of the above makes the SAF go *foom*, so....;)

Mine has her own system...simple as a brick, but she still has issues with it....*shrug*
auxinput
2,920 posts
 
Millercarbon has a knee-jerk reflex where has has to call all HT stuff crap. He has a big negative attack especially on AVRs. I wouldn’t take his comments too seriously.

That being said, there is a small grain of truth in his comment (however, a very small one). It is trued that AV receivers can give a nice bang for the buck, but the preamp sections are not really going to compete with dedicated preamps. Part of the problem is that everything runs off one main shared power supply, and it’s always a power supply that is severely undersized (especially for the amp boards). The compensation for that is that receivers usually run at higher voltage (such as 60 or 70 volts DC). The preamp circuits are just regulated down from that. Or they may be run off a separate switching power supply.

A receiver is not going to compete with a dedicated HT pre/pro (which has no amp part). Some exceptions might be Anthem and Arcam.

If a AVR receiver is what you have to start with due to budget constraints, then go for it.  It is an okay platform "to start with".  If you have to budget for a dedicate HT processor, that would be significantly better.
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