Harman Kardon AVR vs. Yamaha RX-V2400 ??


Hi--I am in the used market for home theater equipment and recently picked up a pair of Energy Veritas 2.4's as our main speakers. I am now looking for the receiver and believe we can only afford a single combined unit. I am considering the HK AVR 7200 and the Yamaha Rx-V2400. Since I have not followed audio for a long time, I am looking for assistance. Any suggestions with details as to the differences between these units? Quality of sound? Reliability?? Features?? Thanks for any help. Be Well, Dan
paradoxfunccf1
I vote for Yamaha because it's good for both music and HT. You can read the following thorough articles:
Review by HTM and Review by GDS.
Good luck.
I personally like the newer H/Ks, you can get the AVR430 for less than the 7200, it looks better, and you can use it's preamp outputs later if you wish.
If I don't get a hgih end pre/pro soon I may just get the 430 and pair it with some form of multi-channel amplification, as the amps in it are weak and can cause music to sound a bit strained, especially at reference levels.
I'm bias. Go for THX RX-V2400. THX may be meaningless on A'gon, but to mass consumers, they dig it, so resale value and foot traffic may be higher.
Do yourself a favor and look into used separates if you value sonic integrity(and to me, sound is everything in an audio system)!
The Outlaw audio 6/7 channelx100 amp and pre/pro would only run you %1500 together!..the sound blows away any receiver at that price period!..and it has 24/192 dac's, dirrect analog inputs for sonically pure connections, and built quality is that of a tank, and customer support is excellent!
You can buy a recevier, but you will get(I know, I've sold everything on the market in 6 audio stores over the years, and do custom!) less than 40% of the sound qualtiy, maybe less! To me, it's not worth it. Thos speaker can sound soo good...why skimp. But, that's me.
If it where my money, the Denon at that price is better. I like Yammie's, but only used as a pre/pro, and adding power amps from the pre-out's. Processing is good enough.
Again, used separates(like old Acurus ACT 3/100x5 power amp or Parasound AVP1000 and HCA1205 used are about what you would get the AVR2400 new..sonically however, it's no contest...so you might consider.
I know everyone is inlove(why I have no idea) with receivers, and they have their place indeed. Still, if I was spending $1k-$1500 on amp/pre/pro, I wouldn't hessitate to do separates..every time...the sound is leaps and bounds a
ahead..if that's anything too you anyway
As the matter of fact, I agree with Exertfluffer. I have my Yamaha RX-V1400 (also THX certified) driven by a Marantz 5-channel amplifer at 170watt each channel. Just couldn't afford a better amp. Regardless, they sound very good to my ears. On the other hand, separate Outlaw have received nothing but rave reviews. Used separated units are pretty hard to beat. They offer great values for the money. Since you have found Audiogon website, be patient and shop for preowned units. However, since you wrote that you could afford only a single combined unit, I'm not sure if space or money would be the factor. Good luck.
I have the 1400's predecessor, the 1300. According to Yamaha's web site (below), the 1300 has a 192/24 DAC, so don't sell it so short. I also picked up an out of box Yamaha 3200 the same day (I have 2 different systems) I got the 1300 (each for $500) and they sound very, very nice. But I've never heard an Outlaw, so I can't compare.

192kHz/24-BIT DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTER SYSTEM
The RX-V1300's vitally important digital-to-analog converters use an extremely high performance 192kHz/24-bit operation type. They perform accurate sound field reproduction for high quality multichannel sources, and for two-channel stereo, provide outstanding separation and precise musical delineation.
Check out the H/K dpr 2005 120 X 7 digital amped reciever for around 1300.00 street imo.

All digital sources stay digital to the binding posts.
Some specs and features of the H/K dpr 2005
120 x 7 @8
200 x 7@4
0.05% thd 20-20 whith all channels driven
105 s/n
Selectable output filtering for different speaker impeadances 8/6/4ohm
dpl2x
dts 6.1 es
logic 7
zone 2 output
sa-cd/dvd-a bass manager
quadruple x over
input titling
a/v sync delay
iec socket
backlight learning remote.
I would go with the HK simply because they are generally a high current design and let's face it, it's the amp section that is the weak link in any receiver. Don't take what Exertfluffer says with a grain of salt. He might be up on separates but when it comes to receivers, he's asleep at the wheel. He still thinks that ALL receivers are the pitiful little weaklings that they always were. A lot has happened since he's been asleep. Seriously, though, a good receiver will give separates a run for their money and in many cases surpass them.
I would have to agree....recievers just don't suck like they used to.by the way I would go with the HK just because I happen to thing they sound better to me.Yamaha often sounds dry to me....a little too digital if you know what I mean.