Just Curious - About using a AV Receiver as main unit


Just curious about something.

I know it is preferable to use a Integrated Amp or Pre-Amp+Amp combo as your main unit in the system but sometimes I see used AV's receivers see from manufacturers who make really good high end 2 channel equipment and these receivers sell for less then say a 2 channel component from the same manufacturer (units from say Rotel, Anthem, Arcam, Marantz, etc). Also, since we are talking about AV Receivers, I guess it's fair to compare them to SS Amps. If your into Tubes, then that is whole different story.

I wonder sometimes if you start a build using one of the AV receivers instead of the 2 channel component, would that be a good system to build off of.

I will say for myself, I started with a Denon AVR-5700 (which I still have and was a beast in it's day) and I think it was an excellent piece of equipment and had a great 2 channel section.

Last year I bought a Integrated amp but honestly, I could have easily stayed with the Denon and build off of that.

Sure, these AV's receivers wont compare to components that are way up there in the thousands but if your budget is bit tight I think these components would be great to start with and I am not talking about your $400 dealer receiver from best buy, I mean AV's receivers that were top of the line in their day and now can be had for much cheaper. 

Well just curious and my opinion.

Thanks
jay73

Showing 4 responses by millercarbon

Actually no not even that part is correct. An AVR is not a compromise. An AVR is abject surrender. Total fail.   

Most any relatively cheap stereo integrated will outperform the priciest AVRs for 2-channel.   

Correctamundo. Absolutely. Without a doubt.
This was just a thought experiment
I can’t imagine they are all crap
Well then thanks for letting us know this is all in your mind. Would have been nice to know before wasting our time. But whatever.
If you do at some point decide to quit just making stuff up and venture out into the real world, there you will discover the reality that AVRs are indeed all pure crap. Whether you can imagine it or not.
Reality. What a concept.
And how about using the AVR as just a pre-amp and adding a really good 2 channel amp to it, if power is a issue in the AVR? 
Nope. Sorry. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
They sell for 10% of original price for a reason: nobody wants them. Nobody wants them for one very good reason: they are crap.
When money is tight the absolute last thing you can afford to do is throw it away on crap.
Pennywise, pound foolish. Think about it.
I see used AV's receivers see from manufacturers who make really good high end 2 channel equipment and these receivers sell for less then say a 2 channel component from the same manufacturer

Yes and for a really good reason: AVRs are crap. Pure crap.
Its not that they set out to deliberately make crap. As you point out there's some decent names with decent 2ch rep making AVR crap. It is however always crap, no matter who makes it, and for good reasons.

One of the hardest things to do, and most important to get right in any component, is the power supply. A seemingly simple thing to do it is in practice quite hard to supply constant clean power. Hard to do with just one component. In an AVR one power supply is supposed to power a 5 channel preamp, 5 power amps, one multi-channel processor, one tuner, and God knows what else. Because AVR buyers all think the more they get the better the deal. They are in other words ignorant and misinformed. Don't be like that. Especially not now. Having been informed you are mono longer ignorant and would then have to be deluded. Don't. Just don't.

Sure, these AV's receivers wont compare to components that are way up there in the thousands but if your budget is bit tight I think these components would be great to start with and I am not talking about your $400 dealer receiver from best buy, I mean AV's receivers that were top of the line in their day and now can be had for much cheaper.

Yeah, no. Not even. Quite the opposite. The less you have to spend the harder it is to get quality and so its even more important not to search out a high value integrated and not squander your scarce resources on a POC AVR.  

But hey, don't take my word for it. Just go back and look at those prices. Listen to price. Hear the message those prices are sending: this is all its worth- because its crap.