Which HT reveiver to replace Nak av-10?

The most future-resistant AV receivers on the market right now are from Onkyo. Unless something has changed in the last 2 weeks, they're the only ones who have fully implemented HDMI 1.3 switching and decoding--at least as much as is currently available. Their latest can extract the Dolby TrueHD datastream from an HDMI input and decode it at the receiver.

"Elorian":

From what I've been reading only recently, right now, the receiver to buy (or at least look at) is Onkyo. The current Onkyos have been doing well in reviews and in tests of all the magazines (and most noteworthy, the Onkyo 605 and 805 tend to give you a lot of bang for the buck). These Onkyos have all of the latest features and codecs, features that most competitors don't even offer or can't touch at the moment. That being said alone, the Onkyo models definitely deserve a hard look.

For your budget, I would also consider receivers from Denon (in that line, I like the new 2307 (HDMI Connectivity, the latest format codecs and a Faroudja Deinterlacer that can upconvert up to 1080p...... for less than $800.00....... has 100W x 7 amplification too)), Marantz SR5002, one of the NAD models or a Yamaha RX-V661 or RX-V881.

Or if you don't mind a lower power output and/or don't need a lot of power (and in the end, it current that drives the loudspeaker and not just wattage), I could also steer you toward the Harman/Kardon AVR-347.

So you see, for your price range, you have at least several (if not a lot) of options to choose from.

I liked the Nakamichi AV-10 when it was out. Sorry that it had to die a graceful death. May the Nakamichi AV-10 rest in piece.

Anyway....... Good Luck and Happy Shopping.......

--Charles--

Thanks for all the replies. I'm much more concerned with timbral accuracy and warmth than raw power or a ton of connectivity options. My setup is pretty simple and likely to remain that way- just a DVD as source and a single video monitor.

I listened to a pair of Mac 275's driving dynaudio c-2's today (mac pre as well- don't recall which one) and *that* was the sound I'm looking for. Don't understand why they weren't willing to part with a 5ch setup for my budget :).

Guess I'll have to listen to a number of the suggestions and see how they hit my ears- I like NAD fairly well, but need to hear most of the others as I haven't auditioned much for a while. Now if I could only find one with a good old analog volume pot...

Rather than an analog pot you might want to look at the remote features.

I highly recommend you audition the new Integra DTR-7.8. It retails for $1300, but our local dealer gives 20% off and I'm sure you can easily find one at this price.

The Audyssey EQ system is fantastic for movies, it's as future proof as you can get with HDMI 1.3, etc., and it sounds great. Direct bypass mode for analog and digital.

It supports pass through for all HD formats that will not degrade the signal. It does not upconvert or alter the signal in any way. This is how I like it. Most newer DVDP's already do this.

I don't know if your into multi-channel music, but with HDMI 1.3 you can have all your multichannel sources sent to the reciever digitally with a single cable.

Nice Burr Brown DA converters, THX Ultra II certified (can handle four ohm loads that most receivers can't), ability to use two of the amps to bi-amp front two channels if only using a 5.1 set-up, etc.

A lot of reciver for the money. Three year warranty and built in Japan, a major selling point for me.

I was looking for a AVR in the same price range as you and after much research it came down to this unit and the Denon 3808.

Both very good, but this one is the better bang for the buck IMO.