what defines a good avr from bad besides amplification

[jenson]

My question maybe a little confusing as to what exactly i mean by it.. well here goes..

i was at hypercity yesterday and i got a chance ot audition some yamaha AVRs...they used a complete yamaha set upwith floor standers cetern speakers and rear book shelfs.. they played some sequence from hulk in blue ray.

now, the whole experience wasnt as engulfing as the demo i had at bose where they played Incredibles action scene.

now, could it be that bose had a better (read dedicated) setup and that's why it sounded better(also, bose was 10 times more expensive).. what are some of the things one shud look out for while buying an budget avr, especially in terms of noise separation and imaging quality.

 

[ukjeyaraj]

If it is hypercity at Malad in Mumbai, then that is not a suitable place for a proper audition. (Uptil my last visit, I havent seen any dedicated demo room in hypercity, malad).

You could have auditioned bose in a proper demo room(probably inorbit malad, next to hypercity).

If you can tell more about the AVRs and speaker of yamaha used for demo, I know lot of yamaha users in HFV are here to throw more light on this.

When buying AVR, one need to see few things

1) Proportion of Music,Movie,Games to be used
2) Whether its going to meet your future needs(like 3D, HD Audio etc) until your planned next change
3) Ofcourse if it fits your budget

If your proportion is more of music. Then there is going to be lot of other factors, and dont be surprised if our experienced members suggest you to the drop the idea of AVR for music.

 

[haisaikat]

You should mention your budget. However for the demo you received, Yamaha does not make that good speakers. You shouild try other brands, again I could have made suggestions but want to know your budget.

 

[jenson]

i had a budget of 10-15 k earlier for second hand...but reading thru this forum i realised, it would be in dumps in a year or two as it would lack features.. im now contemplating upto 20-22k.

i need the avr purely for movies. i plan to invest in a separate setup for my audio needs.

 

[spirovious]

Speaker matching & sensitivity can be another aspect.

 

[baijuxavior]

For 20-22K, consider denon 1312 or Yamaha 371.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I never watch cinema and seldom watch TV!

But still, I can imagine that choice of material would make a huge difference --- perhaps even a bigger difference than when auditioning equipment for stereo music. By manipulating the demo material to suit the product being sold, the shop has a big opportunity to manipulate the buyer. The answer has to be, as when auditioning for music, take your own material, and make sure that it is something you are familiar with.

 

[haisaikat]

Another point hsould the AVR-s capability to automatically go into protection mode when it detects clipping of the output signal.
This protects the speakers as well.