New receiver to replace my ageing Harmon Kardon AVR-245

H

hirenmistry

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Oct 13, 2010
Messages
38
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Location
Stockholm, Sweden
Hello all,
Starting up a new thread to gather your thoughts on a new AVR.
This is my current set up:
AVR: Harman Kardon AVR-245
Floorstanders: JBL Northride E90
Center: JBL Northridge EC25
Bookshelves: JBL Northride E10
Sub woofer: JBL Northride E150p

Let me be straight up and say that I have no issues whatsoever with my sound quality. Infact I'm in love with the way it sounds. The only drawback AVR-245 has in the form of HDMI. Its bundled with HDMI standard 1.1 (i think) which only allows for HDMI passthrough and cannot process sound. Hence I need to connect a separate co-ax/optical cables to get the sound through the speakers.

The only reason I'm getting this 'itch' to upgrade is by reading various threads on this lovely forum, that makes me realise that my avr is really getting old.

Hence this thread! I want to retain my speakers though. Having said that I don't want to exceed 40K as I also want to get a 42'' LED (mostly the Panny). So what are my options? I would prefer an AVR that has bluetooth and wifi capabilities.

Can't wait to read the responses and thanks for the time.

Cheers,
Hiren
 
Hi Hirenmistry,

If it ain't broke, do not fix it.

I mean retain your AVR which seems to be fine. As long the AVR is able to do what you want, leave it be. There are plenty of current batches of AVR with different problems.
I have got a 2005 AVR without HDMI and I am pretty happy with it.

OR, buy a player which can decode onboard and your problem is solved.

Vinod
 
Thank you Vinod.R
That thought is still weighing in heavily on me. Quite agree with you. Probably trying to find a solution to problem I don't have.

Thanks vivekms for your input. I got a chance to demo Harman's AVR-171 along with HKTS 60 set of speakers and it blew my mind. But I doubt this AVR will fit in my budget.


Any thought on Onkyo TX-NR626?

Regards
 
hirenmistry said:
Thank you Vinod.R
That thought is still weighing in heavily on me. Quite agree with you. Probably trying to find a solution to problem I don't have.

Thanks vivekms for your input. I got a chance to demo Harman's AVR-171 along with HKTS 60 set of speakers and it blew my mind. But I doubt this AVR will fit in my budget.


Any thought on Onkyo TX-NR626?

Regards
Click to expand...

One of my friend recently bought an Onkyo TX NR 626 from Dubai for 28K..:licklips:
 
From a sound perspective, I doubt if you stand to gain that much to justify the cost. However; if you still want to get a new receiver, check out the new Pioneer VSX - 1123.
 
AVR 170 i think should cost you around 35 to 40k and it has network connectivity too

I had spoken to a couple of dealers for Onkyo systems but the common feedback that I had received was that after the floods in Thailand a couple of years back the Onkyo stuff coming into the country has a lot of complaints..... Would ask you to check that out before considering Onkyo...
 
I would still say, do not try to fix what is not broken.

But if you are serious about an sonic upgrade, save the money you have now, build on it and then later on buy a reference grade AVR or a pre and power combination.

That would be great, also you can look at Emotiva pre and power and as I see you live in Sweden, the cost might really work out for you.

Also Sweden being what it is, you might get some really fantastic deals out there which we cannot imagine in India.

Vinod
 
elangoas said:
One of my friend recently bought an Onkyo TX NR 626 from Dubai for 28K..:licklips:
Click to expand...

sandeepmohan said:
From a sound perspective, I doubt if you stand to gain that much to justify the cost.
Click to expand...

Vinod.R said:
I would still say, do not try to fix what is not broken.
Also Sweden being what it is, you might get some really fantastic deals out there which we cannot imagine in India.
Click to expand...

Apologies for the super delayed response. Got tied up with work and forgot all about this.
Thanks to all of you for your responses and I'm beginning to feel that I should hold on to my AVR as of now. Perhaps will go in for an upgrade later on in the year.

Vinod, you cannot imagine how expensive Sweden is. So buying anything is surely out.

Regards
 
Hello guys,
Reviving this really, really ancient thread. The intention is the same as my original post, I want to replace my Harman Kardon AVR 245 with something more modern. This coincides with a move to a newer apartment. I plan to retain the JBL speaker set up, its just the AVR that i want to change. Just a cursory search on some local sites and I have these 4-5 options, would love to hear from you.

1. Yamaha RX-V685
2. Pioneer VSX-933
3. Denon AVR-S750H
4. Denon AVR-X1600H

I want to limit my outlay to around INR 50K. I am based out of Mumbai, so would prefer a place around the city to audition/buy.
My usage will mostly be music and the rare/weekend movie.

Thanking you in advance.

Regards,
Hiren
 
yes 1500h will do the job for you, there's little difference between the two. Probably only earc functionality which is not that important to you.
 
dr_rocket said:
yes 1500h will do the job for you, there's little difference between the two. Probably only earc functionality which is not that important to you.
Click to expand...
Thanks Dr. I will decide in a few days on this. Apparently, none the dealers have any stock except a few AVR's. No Yamaha, Pioneers at all. Ooberpad has Denon AVR-X2700H but that is quite a stretch for me.
 
hirenmistry said:
Thanks Dr. I will decide in a few days on this. Apparently, none the dealers have any stock except a few AVR's. No Yamaha, Pioneers at all. Ooberpad has Denon AVR-X2700H but that is quite a stretch for me.
Click to expand...
Hi Hiren,
Ooberpad rates are more on the higher side generally.
For auditioning and purchasing, Hifimart in colaba or KEI should be good. You can also try Cinebells, in Khar, linking road for a Denon demo.

Regards,
Nitin
 
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