AVR in the Rs 100,000 price range

[sidvee]

I am looking for a Receiver in the Rs 100,000 range. So far my research is indicating that the higher end onkyos are a fair deal - also prefered the sonics of the onkyos that I have heard in a friend's place vs the yamahas and denons of the same price range - (currently have a Pioneer Elite VSX54tx).
I am based in Hyderabad - can any one suggest a good (read friendly and not snobbish and hostile) dealer where I can audition and hopefully buy.
Thanks

 

[gopi]

I am not sure if you can audition such gear in hyderabad. If I have that kind of money for a receiver, I would be mostly picking up an Arcam. I have not heard high end Onkyo, but have heard Arcam AVR250 and they are very very good. AVR600 is way too costly. The problem is that if you want all the latest features etc, then probably AVR600 is the best bet, else AVR250, 300 will be there for your grabs.

 

[sidvee]

Thanks Gopi - will consider your advice - at this point I am not too concerned with the reproduction of music - I have a fairly high end two channel system with Conrad johnson, rega, musical fidelity and B&W components. I am looking for a dedicated movies only receiver that has latest processing codecs and has a smooth sound that is not shrill and grating with decent dialogue intelligibility and good surround panning/effects. The Hifi mags are hard to decipher with subjective opinions rather than objective analysis and bench testing so I am doing the leg work myself listening to the receivers where I can xcept that I am finding dealers to be either ill informed or hostile or both when I ask too many questions.I would think that spending a lakh would at-least make them try to earn the sale but unfortunately that is not the case. I am sure in a large city like Hyd., there has to be a dealer who is an enthusiast and a polite salesperson as well.

 

[qoolss]

Thanks Gopi - will consider your advice - at this point I am not too concerned with the reproduction of music - I have a fairly high end two channel system with Conrad johnson, rega, musical fidelity and B&W components. I am looking for a dedicated movies only receiver that has latest processing codecs and has a smooth sound that is not shrill and grating with decent dialogue intelligibility and good surround panning/effects. The Hifi mags are hard to decipher with subjective opinions rather than objective analysis and bench testing so I am doing the leg work myself listening to the receivers where I can xcept that I am finding dealers to be either ill informed or hostile or both when I ask too many questions.I would think that spending a lakh would at-least make them try to earn the sale but unfortunately that is not the case. I am sure in a large city like Hyd., there has to be a dealer who is an enthusiast and a polite salesperson as well.

Sid,

i understand your point of view. you may want to look at Denon 3808A or onkyo 906. I myself have come from onkyo 875 just recently to 3808A which also has Audissey dynamic eq and volume which makes it really amazing especially when you are driving it at low volumes the grunt of sub and dialogue every thing remain same as if you are driving it at high volume. I also took the audition of few others like marantz 8003 pre and power combo which was around 1.75 llkh + but in the end denon gave me the best movie experience. Onkyo was also good but it use to give me headache especially while bit streaming from my HTPC to it and it use to loose out on signal most of the time which could be rectified with firmware update but you have to send it back to do so. whereas denon has the ethernet port through which you can update the firmware and also can hook up with your LAN to listen to music from computer.

I don't know who you can go to in hyderabad but can guaranty most of the people have attitude while selling as they want people to take things blindfoldedly and don't ask them any questions. also, not many dealers are knowledgble enough to explain anything.

so my advice would be trust your ears but in this price range look for Denon 3808A.

kind regards,

swatantra

 

[subhash]

Sid,
hi,true,, i still have the onkyo 875 ,it sounded good in the begining but later on i felt it lacked power ,so now instead of changing the amp i have added external power amps for all channels except the sorround back , so the 875 is mainly acting as the processor/pre amp ---suddenly all the channels have come alive (low/ extreme high volumes) nad its much more exciting
i understand your point of view. you may want to look at Denon 3808A or onkyo 906. I myself have come from onkyo 875 just recently to 3808A which also has Audissey dynamic eq and volume which makes it really amazing especially when you are driving it at low volumes the grunt of sub and dialogue every thing remain same as if you are driving it at high volume. I also took the audition of few others like marantz 8003 pre and power combo which was around 1.75 llkh + but in the end denon gave me the best movie experience. Onkyo was also good but it use to give me headache especially while bit streaming from my HTPC to it and it use to loose out on signal most of the time which could be rectified with firmware update but you have to send it back to do so. whereas denon has the ethernet port through which you can update the firmware and also can hook up with your LAN to listen to music from computer.

I don't know who you can go to in hyderabad but can guaranty most of the people have attitude while selling as they want people to take things blindfoldedly and don't ask them any questions. also, not many dealers are knowledgble enough to explain anything.

so my advice would be trust your ears but in this price range look for Denon 3808A.

kind regards,

swatantra

very true , the onkyo 875 was dull @ low volumes , i have added external power amps to all the channels except sorround back , so the 875 has purely become a processor/pre and drives only the sorround back channels, suddenly i find all the channels have come alive and sound far better

 

[sidvee]

Thanks for the input Swatantra. What is the estimated street retail of the Onkyo 906 as well as the Denon? I will check these out, but want to stick to my Rs 100,000 budget. As it is when I see the international (especially US) prices of these rcvrs. it makes me think twice about spending big bucks here in India, but I guess there is no choice as it is very hard to lug these heavy monsters from overseas not to mention the duty trap at the airport.
Cheers
Sid

 

[qoolss]

Thanks for the input Swatantra. What is the estimated street retail of the Onkyo 906 as well as the Denon? I will check these out, but want to stick to my Rs 100,000 budget. As it is when I see the international (especially US) prices of these rcvrs. it makes me think twice about spending big bucks here in India, but I guess there is no choice as it is very hard to lug these heavy monsters from overseas not to mention the duty trap at the airport.
Cheers
Sid

Sid,

I have been using Kandy 2 for front duty for a long time and 875 was for surround. As for the sound difference to my ears Denon is way better. I have bought these items in UK since I was residing there, but I have seen on profx website for denon which is 110,000 and I am sure you ask for discount they may do it in your budget. I fully understand the pain you have to go through of spending huge money in comparison to US and UK, thanks to our excise duty and customs this will carry on. I have seen companies like north 21 from india which buy the stuff for you from US at cheaper rate and deliver the item to you in india. it will still be cheaper then india. Having said that, the warranty would be a huge issue. so its better to spend money in india then outside especially if you are living here.

I will be coming to india on 30th and my kit will hopefully arrive by 15th August to new delhi. you are more then welcome to come for auditioning. see yourself whether you want some thing like that or not.

cheers,

swatantra

 

[himadri]

though i am an outright 2 channel guy but i have listened to denon 3805 at my friend's with deftech and denon 4308 at my brother,s weith snells.the denon sound is smooth,and the 4308 is really powerful and can handle the snell,s 4 0hm loads with aplomb which i was surpised at. lastly they, are made in japan. explore them.

 

[hifipal4all]

Hello Sid ... Since you have a 1L budget why don't you look at a multi-channel pre-power combo units. May be you have to spend a little more but the sound quality & performance would be far better than the integrated ones. Well but if you want to stick on to 1L then, my suggestion would be an Arcam or a Denon. Check out all the models within your budget in these two brands and make a decision. All the best!!!

Buy the way, what about the speakers for your new receiver that you are planning to buy? Do you have already one or you have to buy a speaker package also?

Cheers,
Ramesh @ Bangalore

 

[ashishkesarwani]

In your budget you could try Onkyo's Nr906 imported, SR 876 from India, Yahama 863 Indian and Yamaha 1900 imported, Pioneer LX81 indian,Sony ES5400 imported.
Take a look at : Shop in the US from India @ 20North - Millions of products, Thousands of brands
you can order stuff from this website which charges in Indian Rupees and prices are all inclusive of Customs Duty, after this you just have to buy a decent step down convertor which would cost you around 5k, but this route will provide you maximum bang for your buck.
If possible try sourcing your need from Singapore or Dubai, you might end up with a good deal, Prakasee from this forum deals in this manner and he sources all his stuff from Singapore.

 

[sidvee]

First of all heartfelt thanks everyone who has taken time to reply to my post. I have learnt more in a day from the forum than past few weeks of pounding pavement, checking websites, magazines etc.
Swatantra,thank for your kind offer, I will be more than happy to check out your kit. I am assuming that you are hyd. based. I will check with profx and the denon.
Ramesh you have a valid suggestion - but unfortunately I cannot go beyond the 1lac budget and I doubt if I can find separates for that amount. I will check out the Denons - they seem to be highly recommended here. I already have speakers - Paradigm Studio series and a SVS sub - all of which I got from the US - when I moved back here.
Ashishkesarwani, my concern with importing stuff is the warranty? Does 20 north provide warranty? If so they do have some great deals. How can I get in touch with Prakasee?
Thanks
Sid

 

[venkatcr]

100,000 is really a funny price bracket.

At around 50/60K, you get most of what you need from an AVR including roughly 100 watts per channel. What that additional 40K gives you is upscaling and maybe 10 to 20 watts per channel more. If you are looking for a real jump, you have to go to the 2 to 3 lakh bracket where you get substantial jump is power, far more processing, full upscaling, and beautiful sound.

Products such as the Denon 2310, Yamaha 863 or Marantz 6003 fall into the 60K bracket and give you excellent control, authority, and sound for movies. Spending 40K more would not change the sound signature in any way.

I have been saying for a long time, that the best option is to de-link movies and music. A 60K AVR and a 40K two channel amp is a far better option than an AVR up to 2 lakhs.

Cheers

 

[ashishkesarwani]

my concern with importing stuff is the warranty? Does 20 north provide warranty? If so they do have some great deals. How can I get in touch with Prakasee?
Thanks
Sid

No, 20 north does not provide warranty for any product, and its company specific. You can either save your money by buying a superior product this way or as suggested by Venkat. In your budget I thing the best bet is Onkyo's 876 which if you could find a good deal would be quite rewarding. As for Prakasee, he is a member of this forum and he is based from Chennai, if you come accross any of his posts and leave him a PM to which he will respond back.

 

[sidvee]

Yes I agree with Venkat that it is better to separate movies and music into 2 systems - something I have already gone ahead and done. BTW I would be very happy to spend less than a lac., if the sound is the same - though upscaling would be something that I would consider because I am planning to use a LCD projector as my display with a 106" screen, and Tata sky plus even with component video leaves a lot to be desired in terms of PQ at this size.
Would it be possible to buy something in the 60-70k with 1080i or p upscaling?

 

[SAMUEL]

Hi Sid,
I too will vote for the Onkyo 876 :licklips:a.k.a Superman Receiver in our forum. Very Potent Av this 876 is.
It's got the best upscaler HQV-Reon-VX and ISF Video Calibration.And the price is spot on in your budget.
THX Ultra2+ and Audyssey Dynamic Volume to Maintain Optimal Listening Level and Dynamic Range.

This receiver should be on top of your list.The Denon 3808 is also a strong receiver but does not have Reon, still video processing is excellent with the faroudja.

All the best,
Sam

 

[audiodelic]

With that budget go for seperates
Emotiva Audio: Audiophile Quality Multi Channel Amplifiers, Stereo Preamplifiers, Audio/Video Processors, and Award Winning Speaker Systems At Direct Prices
Buy a monster amp and make your speakers sing like none other. what speaker are you planning to drive ?

 

[SAMUEL]

what speaker are you planning to drive ?

Oh well that question didn't strike me
Hi AD the Emotiva:licklips: will drive any speaker sing like king but Sid wants a good video upscaling capable Avr.
Moreover Emotiva when it lands on Indian shores the price will sky rocket for a pre-power combo.
So as venkat mentioned the 100K price is really a funny price bracket.
Cheers,
Sam

 

[Asit]

Hi,

Since you wanted some dealer info in Hyderabad, I know there is a ProFx store who sells Denon. If you want a Denon as many of the members are suggesting to you, you can go there.

Their contacts:
# 312, 3rd Floor, Babukhan Mall
Somajiguda, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500016
040 39122036

I have no idea about AVRs, but my wife once went to that store to buy something which was not available at the Kolkata ProFx store when she was in Hyderabad on a business trip, and that's how I came to know about the store.

Regards.

 

[sidvee]

Yup I agree with Sam - I dont think importing anything will work cause customs & shipping will quickly add up, a fact that I found out when I imported a Promitheus tvc preamp last year.
Asit thanks - I am going to check out the denon3808 at profx, hopefully I will have a good experience.
So now all I need is a good dealer for the Onkyo876 and I think I will be able to choose - have to say that from research on google users like the upscaling on the onkyo so I iwll be keen to check it out.

 

[skumar]

So now all I need is a good dealer for the Onkyo876 and I think I will be able to choose - have to say that from research on google users like the upscaling on the onkyo so I iwll be keen to check it out.

You may want to check out the Onkyo brand shops, unless you feel that other dealers may give you discounts and brand shops may not. There is definitely one brand shop in Hyd.