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stereo receiver recommendations

Hi folks,

A friend recently got me interested in this hobby, but I'm definitely still a newbie without much real world listening experience. A colleague at work knows I'm interested in audio and came to me for advice to replace a broken stereo receiver. Problematically, she was fairly coy about budget, so a few recommendations would be greatly appreciated... Lets go with <$500, $500-600, & <$1000 as the 3 price ranges.

She definitely wants to have a phono input for a connected turntable and to have a FM tuner built in so unfortunately we're stuck with stereo receivers rather than integrated amps, which drastically limits the options. She also definitely wants to buy new. She didn't know the model of speakers so I'm not talking about a serious audiophile but rather someone who just enjoys having music playing in her home and doesnt want to give up local radio or her vinyl collection. For that reason I'm thinking ease of use, functionality, and reliability are probably just as important as sound quality (I hope that doesnt make too many of you cringe), but I still want it to sound good. Searching through musicdirect & crutchfield, I've come up with the following:

<$500: Cambridge SR10 or Yamaha R-N303
$500-600: Cambridge SR20 or Yamaha R-N602 
<$1000: Outlaw RR2160 or Yamaha R-N803

Would love input from people with experience with any of these products or recommendations about something else that might be better. Any problems any of you have found with any of the above models? Anybody experienced both in a particular price range and found one to sound particularly better? 

Thanks!
ethos123

Showing 1 response by artemus_5

artemus_5's avatar
artemus_5
1,992 posts
 
   Shoff
do not be afraid of the Luxman R-117 because it is not new technology.  Do some research and read the reviews.  This is one of the best receivers of all time!


Willand
I definitely would say the R-117 is legendary.

I had the Luxman R-115  It replaced a Harmon Kardon 730  (45 wpc) which had lost the left channel. I listened to the Lux in the showroom. However when I brought it home and hooked it to my large original advents, I was sorely disappointed. There was no bass line...., only a thump for the bass drum. I was happy to sell the Lux and get my HK repaired. Maybe the 117 was a different animal. But Lux had 3 receivers on the Mkt which doubled in wattage as you went up the line. IIRC, the R113 was 35 wpc, the R115 was 70 wpc and the R117 was 140 wpc, all solid state. I've heard others praise the R117. But the 115 was not very good at all IMO. FWIW, I tried Infinity 5000 (?) with the Lux also. Same result. No bass line. So i'm always surprised to see great reviews of the Luxman R series of receivers.
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