Among these

hey sub boss.
most of these are good for Ht. the yamaha and the onkyo may perform just a bit better than the others. but the H/K (the older ones atleast) were just top of the class(among these). the marantz is equally good and betters the yamaha in some cases . it is a bit forward while the yamaha is a bit laid back . the action scenes are better in the Marantz while dialogue is better in the yamaha. the denon are also a good choice but not when u are considering the other models u have posted here. the others are simply better(IMHo of course). i listened to the Kef speakers with Denon, wharfedale with the yamaha and marantz, onkyo with onkyo, and h?k with Jbl speakers.i would have personally gone for the H/K if my dad had agreed to spend another 12 k for the receiver. but the yamaha does everything more then satisfactorily(only wish i had a bit more reserve power). the Marantz is a very good choice(if u go the grey market route. else u might think abt considering the H/K models along with it). regarding the onkyo , it is very versatile and quite neutral when compared to the others. but the features are limited and the dialogue is a bit below par when compared to the yamaha.
hope this helps.
Regds,
Benks

p.s go for one with 6.1 or 7.1 preouts.

But benks many claim that YAMAHA is very upfront and Marantz is laid back

I heard Yamaha AX-392 and Bose(201 I think) stereo set up,and I just could not listen it for 5 minutes,I do not know who was the culprit.There was only noise,no musicality.
I was surprised to see Bose using Yamaha-392,for the demo.
Why is it so,Bose such a respected name for speakers,uses Yamaha for Demo,at their showrooms?

nope. u must be referring to the audio playback and not HT. for audio the yamaha is as u say a bit bright and the marantz laid back and warm. but in HT mode the yamaha is laid back (the action scenes have a litlle less oomph) while the marantz is quite superb in this regard.
to answer ur question hifivoice. don't u see . the reson they are selling yamaha and denon along with their speakers is because they hope that by pairing up with other low end and mid end electronics they can try and hide the fact about their horrible products. they hope to skim their products on the name of other reputed companies.
regarding the yamaha. i have heard the ax-396(not the 392). horrible is all i can say. very bad amp.that's my opinion.
Benks

Me too have a similar question, Some people are so impressed by yamaha that they dont recommend anything else, whereas some people (including me) never recommend Yamaha until the budget is below 15k. I mean I have seen a few yamaha AVRs and amps ranging from RXV450 to RXV-1 (its a high-end model), none of them has even drawn the slightest curosity to listen to them once more.....what is it guys, the RXV1 was paired with the Bose acoustimass 5.1 system, it seemed just ok to me and nothing high-end. To me the HK AVR130 at 26k seemed much much better......I have heard that NAD has AVRs, got to see how they perform !!!!!

hey abhi,
i'm definitely not impressed by my yamaha. believe me the marantz 4400 is better. but considering all the parameters and when everything is said and done the yamaha does its job very satisfactorily. i have not heard the H/K130 but i have heard their older models. simply superb is all i can say.
Benks

Benks most prob I will be going in for a demo of AE + marantz 4500, in case I make it I will give you a first hand report.

I havent heard the Marantz, but more than one people have said that they are laid back and flat, detailing is high but not punchy, the way you want your HT to be. I have to listen to them....are they Japanese ?

marantz is very much japanese but made for British market. I just love the looks.onkyo's and denon's look like toys when compared to Marantz.I mean purely looks , so no offences meant to Onkyo or denon fans

Guys any more inputs on the other models.... chburpppppppppp hick hick

HK....dont forget HK Man..and also NAD have recievers..

There is a Pioneer VSX-1014. This is a THX certified AVR and goes for about 350-400$ range in the US.

I have not had a chance to see it but is supposed to be very good. It is highly recommended in its reviews.

I am trying to get a chance to audition it myself but have not come across a Pioneer dealer in Bangalore yet.

Abhi, no offence meant, but you have probably not heard of the Yamaha DSP A1, which, when introduced, simply turned the HT world upside down, and now the DSP Z9, which is as flagship as flagship can ever be...

Also, any dealer who can only find Acoustimass speakers to pair with a RXV1 should be looking at another profession...

Mr adi pavi,

sub boss wrote :

6.Harman Kardon models priced in the range of above mentioned stuff)

you wrote :

HK....dont forget HK Man

I must tell you harman Kardon is HK or otherwise. Don't need to thank me for the info I gave you.

Ok Big-ears, I agree that I havent heard the DSP A1 or Z9 but then they seem to be very high-end models (correct me if I am wrong). The RXV1 that I spoke about is infact owned by one of my relatives who had auditioned them at US with the acoustimass speakers. Now, according to him the shopkeeper had demonstrated the combo and he liked it and picked it up (around 4 years back). He bought the acoustimass because of lack of space at his residence and he found them to be great for that price Rs.60,000 around 4 years back. Now, I am yet to conclude whether he made a good decission or not but as you say that the RXV1 deserves much better speaker package, that might be the overall limiting factor.
So overall Yamaha might have some very high-end flagship products, but then their basic sound is not all that great, is what I feel. There is no reasons that I have any reservations against yamaha but a typical yamaha product doesnt appeal by its sound (please dont go very high-end in considering my points, beacuse I am speaking more or less in the entry-level and somewhat mid-level band of products).
Let me know about your experinces with Yamaha and what do you feel are their Strengths and weaknesses ?

Yes, Abhi, the A1 was the top model some 6 years ago. It won numerous awards and was cited “Best Buy” by practically every reviewer on the face of the earth. I owned one for 2-3 years and I can certainly vouch for the performance. It was followed by the AX1 and then the RXV1. However, if you have formed your opinion after hearing it with the Acoustimass speakers, then I cannot blame you for thinking the way you do. I have also owned Acoustimass speakers in the early part of my association with this hobby, so I know exactly how they perform. They look very cute, and the sound they offer at first listen is pleasing enough, so many people feel they are tremendous value. But, if I were to list their demerits, I would need quite a bit of space. Suffice to say, I got rid of my acoustimass system very quickly indeed.

Strengths and weaknesses? Well, I have found Yamaha to normally offer good value for money. You get almost all of the performance of their Denon counterparts, but at lower prices. Denon is stronger on amplification, Yamaha on DSP processing. Technology-wise Yamaha are quite in the forefront. However, it all boils down to the type of sound. I can live with it, but, if you don’t care much for it, you are better off choosing something else.