Reliability of Modern AVR's?

[dormamu91]

Hi Folks,
NOOB here.

I'm planning to do my first Home Theater setup and was doing some research and what I noticed is most of the budget AVR's have the price going North of 35K minimum (which I'm totally fine with)

The brands i'm looking forward to is Yamaha/Pioneer/Marantz.

My expectation is that it should work for atleast 3years without giving any Issues (if it goes beyond that will be more than happy).


Here are my queries/observations and I guess the Pro's here will surely have an insight to it.

1. How Reliable are these AVR's/ AVR's in general (the Newer ones). I have read the older ones were built like tanks in terms of reliability.
2. What I saw with these is that all have almost exactly one year warranty ( didn't see any Extended Warranty options)
3. I checked Amazon,in and some of the AVRs have started giving issues within the 1st month itself (eg. Denon AVR-X250BT 5.1)
Most of the Receivers on Amazon.in even though have a rating of 4 or above but those ratings are mostly from Foreign users and the most Indian users seem to have some sort of issues with the Units (the Denon AVR-X250BT 5.1 had underwhelming reviews from Indian counterparts, hence its out from my list)
4. Its a continuation of Point 3, are the AVR's available outside India more reliable than the ones available in India as on Amazon.com the Reviews are positive for almost any receiver

For my personal standpoint, My concern is that if I spend that much amount or more on something it should not turn out to be a lemon.. ( correct me if i'm wrong here)

Going through the Threads here i'ld hate to buy a HTIB (like a Sony HTIV-00 => My experience with Sony has been pretty good though and if they would have sold an AV Receiver in India i'ld have bought that)

A Soundbar also seems to be a No-No ( read a lot of Lipsync issues with HDMI-ARCs unless the Soundbar has 2 HDMI Inputs to mitigate the issues )
Yes, had narrowed down on a Yamaha YAS 109/ couple of Samsung Soundbars with multiple HDMI inputs..

Need your help/ advice!!!
My usage would be mixed with Cinema/Music...

My location is Kochi, Kerala....
Thanks.

 

[sand87ch]

hi,

dont know if my response wud make any sense any more now since i gues su posted this last month but to get an idea if this is still relevant to u.
people used to ask me this wen i was lukng and i never understood the reason.
but trust me it does matter.whats ur primary or most usage --->music or movies.
we will come to the answers for ur ques after this.

 

[spirovious]

My expectation is that it should work for atleast 3years without giving any Issues

Yamaha and Marantz AVR have reliable to me.Used RXV667 for 7 yrs without an issue. Marantz is also built in better way. One has use it as per instructions in the manual to get better life.

 

[revolty]

My expectation is that it should work for atleast 3years without giving any Issues (if it goes beyond that will be more than happy

I have been using pioneer vsx 1131 since last 4 years. Its hdmi board malfunctioned after 3.5 years. So, i got it repaired from nearby repair center and its working great.
As long as you use AVR carefully and take necessary care, i don't think you have to worry about it.

 

[VRavichandar]

No amount of care / protection will help If an equipment has inherent reliability issues.

There was a thread that listed some dos and donts for AV equipment. Clean power - no voltage fluctuations/surges, clean earthing, sufficient ventilation, clean environment (no dust/fumes/contamination), and careful handling are the things that a user can do.

I would suggest from my personal experience to avoid connecting your DTH directly to your TV/AVR HDMI. Stick to wifi rather than ethernet cable. Do not go for firmware updates, unless the AVR is under warranty or it is a must.

I'm using a denon AVR - the first one failed in two years (software issue?), the second one now into the third - touchwood!

 

[sud98]

I would suggest from my personal experience to avoid connecting your DTH directly to your TV/AVR HDMI. Stick to wifi rather than ethernet cable. Do not go for firmware updates, unless the AVR is under warranty or it is a must.

Any reason for not using ethernet and preferring wifi?

 

[rpmahale]

I have been using Denon AVR 2113 from last more than five years and it's working flawlessly. After every two years, I send it to Pro-Fx, Mumbai for preventive servicing. In which they clean the moisture, dust, rust from boards. They clean jumpers, relays and switches etc. This ensures long life and trouble free working of AVR. This cost just Rs.1200/two years.
Operational and Handling care , proper ventilation is also necessary like for smooth functioning of avr. Never change the IC while AVR is power on.

 

[VRavichandar]

Any reason for not using ethernet and preferring wifi?

A forum member had written about a lightning strike passing through the ethernet and frying the electronics up.
https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...u-use-a-voltage-stabilizer.70196/#post-773137
There was another post to this effect as well.
edit:
Found this other thread as well

A very rough patch in hi-fi journey, reinstating my Onkyo AVR TX-NR 818 - Need help!!

A very rough patch in my 10 -12 yrs of hi-fi journey is what i can say :mad:.. Let me summarize the events in chronological order.. I got this Onkyo AVR back in 2013 from Kuwait.. All was working fine until an unfortunate thing happened last year in Oct'15. Oct'15 - I wasn't at home...

www.hifivision.com

 

[sud98]

A forum member had written about a lightning strike passing through the ethernet and frying the electronics up.
https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...u-use-a-voltage-stabilizer.70196/#post-773137
There was another post to this effect as well.
edit:
Found this other thread as well

A very rough patch in hi-fi journey, reinstating my Onkyo AVR TX-NR 818 - Need help!!

A very rough patch in my 10 -12 yrs of hi-fi journey is what i can say :mad:.. Let me summarize the events in chronological order.. I got this Onkyo AVR back in 2013 from Kuwait.. All was working fine until an unfortunate thing happened last year in Oct'15. Oct'15 - I wasn't at home...

www.hifivision.com

Frankly, if you are worried about lightning, I think ethernet is smaller of the worries as anything connected to the power supply would have a higher probability of frying. These can be solved by a CVT or a double conversion (pure sine wave) UPS. But these have nothing to do with the capabilities of the AVR (modern or otherwise).

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

Hi Folks,
NOOB here.

I'm planning to do my first Home Theater setup and was doing some research and what I noticed is most of the budget AVR's have the price going North of 35K minimum (which I'm totally fine with)

The brands i'm looking forward to is Yamaha/Pioneer/Marantz.

My expectation is that it should work for atleast 3years without giving any Issues (if it goes beyond that will be more than happy).


Here are my queries/observations and I guess the Pro's here will surely have an insight to it.

1. How Reliable are these AVR's/ AVR's in general (the Newer ones). I have read the older ones were built like tanks in terms of reliability.
2. What I saw with these is that all have almost exactly one year warranty ( didn't see any Extended Warranty options)
3. I checked Amazon,in and some of the AVRs have started giving issues within the 1st month itself (eg. Denon AVR-X250BT 5.1)
Most of the Receivers on Amazon.in even though have a rating of 4 or above but those ratings are mostly from Foreign users and the most Indian users seem to have some sort of issues with the Units (the Denon AVR-X250BT 5.1 had underwhelming reviews from Indian counterparts, hence its out from my list)
4. Its a continuation of Point 3, are the AVR's available outside India more reliable than the ones available in India as on Amazon.com the Reviews are positive for almost any receiver

For my personal standpoint, My concern is that if I spend that much amount or more on something it should not turn out to be a lemon.. ( correct me if i'm wrong here)

Going through the Threads here i'ld hate to buy a HTIB (like a Sony HTIV-00 => My experience with Sony has been pretty good though and if they would have sold an AV Receiver in India i'ld have bought that)

A Soundbar also seems to be a No-No ( read a lot of Lipsync issues with HDMI-ARCs unless the Soundbar has 2 HDMI Inputs to mitigate the issues )
Yes, had narrowed down on a Yamaha YAS 109/ couple of Samsung Soundbars with multiple HDMI inputs..

Need your help/ advice!!!
My usage would be mixed with Cinema/Music...

My location is Kochi, Kerala....
Thanks.

The problem with using AV equipment in kerala is mostly moisture and inbeleivably bad power supply which fluctuates like crazy then on the top thunderstorms. Most av equipment would last long if they are not turned off and on everyday completely. I had moved several stuff between my rented apartment in chennai and home in kerala in the past and I had too many av gear that failed on me only to due to power spikes in kerala. Most Europeans and Americans keep the stuff in standby and rarely power spikes happens in those grids which are dangerous. Also, the homes are warm and humidity free.

 

[sand87ch]

every avr has issues i suppose.my yamaha and many yamahas randomly have electric potential on their body and tend to give small tingling shocks.but i think if one is lukng for music i wud suggest yamaha then probably marantz.

 

[ajayrt]

I have been using pioneer vsx 1131 since last 4 years. Its hdmi board malfunctioned after 3.5 years. So, i got it repaired from nearby repair center and its working great.
As long as you use AVR carefully and take necessary care, i don't think you have to worry about it.

Hi I am having the same problem with the same set, voltage surge after 5 yrs now it's in fort cochin with a private repair person hope it gets repaired.

 

[mahaaprasaad]

..............Most av equipment would last long if they are not turned 'off and on' everyday completely...............

Are you suggesting to keep power mode ON at all times? I thought it should be other way, I am keeping my AMP power-cord disconnected from Socket, whenever I don't use. I will connect and switch on only when I want to play.

 

[revolty]

Hi I am having the same problem with the same set, voltage surge after 5 yrs now it's in fort cochin with a private repair person hope it gets repaired.

I hope that your AVR gets repaired soon.

 

[vishal_k]

Most Europeans and Americans keep the stuff in standby and rarely power spikes happens in those grids which are dangerous. Also, the homes are warm and humidity free.

That's because of the ambient temperature in those countries, but here in india we should use it as suggested by @mahaaprasaad . Heat degrades electronics over time, keeping it on standby develops excess heat, also the temperature here in most parts of the country are relatively high which drastically reduces avr's lifespan as most of us not always using air conditioners.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

Are you suggesting to keep power mode ON at all times? I thought it should be other way, I am keeping my AMP power-cord disconnected from Socket, whenever I don't use. I will connect and switch on only when I want to play.

Switching on and off components have more impact to longevity of electronic components than them constantly running.

Leave it on

In an earlier post I mentioned that we were one of the guys who first introduced the idea to high-end audio of just turning the front panel light off instead of the power. I wanted to touch on this subject once more because I think it's important. Important to keep your equipment powered up and...

www.psaudio.com

 

[Tuhin Lavania]

Switching on and off constantly any electronic equipment hampers its life.
Same applies to TVs, same applies to lamps in Projectors, same applies to avr's, anything.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

That's because of the ambient temperature in those countries, but here in india we should use it as suggested by @mahaaprasaad . Heat degrades electronics over time, keeping it on standby develops excess heat, also the temperature here in most parts of the country are relatively high which drastically reduces avr's lifespan as most of us not always using air conditioners.

I live in Europe now. My apartment is 27 degrees all the time. My integrated amp is on for almost 6 months now. It takes around 5 watts when nothing is being played. Also, I contacted the manufacturer regarding this and they too said the amp needs a warm up time of 30 minutes to sound right. I don't have 30 minutes everyday to waste until my music sounds right. may not be right for other amp designs. Also my TV is on standby since I bought it in 2017. At my home in kerala when electronics are off, in monsoon seasons the moisture is too high that sometimes metal surface of amps become sticky a bit. Leaving them on would have kept it bit warm to avoid condensation. But it's not practical due to the unpredictable thunder possibilities there. When I lived in chennai, none of my gear broke despite abuse and most of the time they were on standby. But once when I moved the same stuff to kerala it started breaking. May be a coincidence but 3 led tvs, 3 avrs, one integrated and were broken by powerspikes and humidity.

 

[Ravikiran 33]

Hi Doramamu

The sad truth is the quality of electronics being produced now a days not upto the mark when compared with the past .

Coming to indian scenario as u told the Avr's available abroad comes with 3 years warranty and also they are more reliable because if the products are faulty then there are strict laws abroad which a customer can sue the company for hefty amount which is not the case in india as we all know.

 

[rrunner]

My Yamaha Rxv-2700 receiver is still going strong after 14 years of purchase. What I did was, I never placed it in an enclosed space ensuring proper ventilation. No unnecessary power on-off moments. I also used a 3.5kva pure sine wave inverter and a Belkin power conditioner to protect my gear.