What receiver would be best for my epos els3

04-21-09: Armstrod
I've owned the ELS-3s, and they need a good bit of power to really open up. Both Jaybo and Johnnyb53's suggestion are good, and you might also consider the Outlaw RR2150. I haven't owned it, but it get's great reviews, has enough power, plus the phono stage and sub out you desire.

True, the RR2150 has the sub out and a phono stage. Recommendations would be easier if the RR2150 lived up to the hype. I *did* own the RR2150 and I sent it back.

The subwoofer output was so low it didn't work nearly as well as using the speaker terminals of my previous setup. But the main thing was I just couldn't get any magic out of it. It simply could not replace my wheezy old pawnshop Amber stack. The Onkyo, on the other hand, replaced the Amber stack (and a VSP TransMOS amp) handily. Even though the Outlaw and Onkyo units are both Stereophile Class C, they don't deserve to be in the same category. The Outlaw should be Class D and the Onkyo should be borderline Class B.

Johnnyb53,

Thanks for the opposing view on the RR2150, because I was considering it for my bedroom system, just to get down to one box. Guess I'll stick with my tuner and T-amp for now.

:-)

David

thanks for all the info! You guys/gals are a great resource to a newbie!

M

I'll second jaybo's recommendation for Yamaha and Harman Kardon as I think they will meet your price/features requirements. I like the RX-797 from Yamaha based on auditions and I have owned a Harman Kardon HK3375 for six years and it has given me solid service so I think the current HK's like the 3490 would be a good choice. I particularly like the amp section in Harman's receivers and mine has done a good job driving several bookshelf speakers I have owned. Both brands are 4 ohm capable so your ELS3's should present no problems in that area. Good luck!
Gary