Help me choose a budget AV receiver (£300-ish)
Discussion
My AV receiver seems to be dying. It's a 10-12 year old Samsung AV-R720, and in the last few days it has started making a really bad crackling out of the front-right speaker. It improves once the box has been switched on for 5-10 minutes, but still produces random clicks and pops every few seconds.
It does it on both HDMI inputs, and I've tried swapping speakers - it seems to be the AV unit. Annoyingly it's probably just a dry solder joint somewhere, but I doubt it would be traceable. So it looks like I might need a new box.
My requirements are not that heavy, and I'm not a massive audiophile. I'd like something that sounds reasonably respectable, but don't want to spend a lot. Around £300 is what I have in mind.
My current AV receiver basically gets used with a Sky+ HD box and an Apple TV box. I can't remember when I last used my DVD player - I'm not a huge movie buff and quite content to rip DVDs into iTunes and stream them from my computer to the Apple TV. So at the moment I only really use two HDMI inputs (which is just as well, because I think this AV only has two!). I can see myself upgrading to SkyQ and a 4K telly in the next year or three.
Things I'd like:
Having read a review, it seems that the Yamaha RXV583 is a potential, and Amazon sell it for about £320. Any good?
Many thanks!
It does it on both HDMI inputs, and I've tried swapping speakers - it seems to be the AV unit. Annoyingly it's probably just a dry solder joint somewhere, but I doubt it would be traceable. So it looks like I might need a new box.
My requirements are not that heavy, and I'm not a massive audiophile. I'd like something that sounds reasonably respectable, but don't want to spend a lot. Around £300 is what I have in mind.
My current AV receiver basically gets used with a Sky+ HD box and an Apple TV box. I can't remember when I last used my DVD player - I'm not a huge movie buff and quite content to rip DVDs into iTunes and stream them from my computer to the Apple TV. So at the moment I only really use two HDMI inputs (which is just as well, because I think this AV only has two!). I can see myself upgrading to SkyQ and a 4K telly in the next year or three.
Things I'd like:
- Reasonably respectable sound for the money.
- I think 4 HDMI inputs would be plenty.
- Don't think I need 2 HDMI outputs (unless you persuade me otherwise...)
- Reasonable future proofing. 4K ready.
- Supported by my Logitech Harmony One remote.
- AirPlay would be nice, so I can stream direct to it without needing to fire up the Apple TV.
- Er... anything else I should have on my list?
Having read a review, it seems that the Yamaha RXV583 is a potential, and Amazon sell it for about £320. Any good?
Many thanks!
I'm a big fan of the Yamaha av gear. This is a nice bargain...
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/av-rec...
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/av-rec...
B17NNS said:
Thanks - I’ll have a look at that.FunkyGibbon said:
I'm a big fan of the Yamaha av gear. This is a nice bargain...
https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/av-rec...
That looks a better fit for my needs, at a lower price point. I don’t really need the 7 channels of the 583 model - 5.1 is fine.https://www.richersounds.com/tv-home-cinema/av-rec...
Another X2400H owner here. And a happy one.
I've currently got it running two pairs of bookshelves over two zones; end game is to have one 5.1 setup (Zone 1) and the PC speakers (Zone 2.) It works fine as is.
I don't totally agree on HEOS - on this unit it's fiddly but I quite like the phone app. There's the odd quirk to it but I find it usable.
The (separate) app for controlling the AVR itself works really, really well.
In theory it's got Alexa control but between Harmony and that integration I've lost track of what is controlling what these days.
I've currently got it running two pairs of bookshelves over two zones; end game is to have one 5.1 setup (Zone 1) and the PC speakers (Zone 2.) It works fine as is.
I don't totally agree on HEOS - on this unit it's fiddly but I quite like the phone app. There's the odd quirk to it but I find it usable.
The (separate) app for controlling the AVR itself works really, really well.
In theory it's got Alexa control but between Harmony and that integration I've lost track of what is controlling what these days.
OP, amazing - I could have written the exact same thing! My identical device started exhibiting same symptoms about 8 weeks ago - I've also tried swapping speakers round and concluded it's a fault with the box. Only difference is my speakers are Onkyo, I have Firestick whereas you have AppleTV, and I've removed my DVD Player . I also have the same Sky box and Harmony remote - also old but still going strong.
As an aside I've always found the AVR720 input/input-mode switching a bit haphazard/inconsistent (and confusing in the manual); hoping a new device will work more smoothly in terms of switching inputs/outputs etc correctly
So thanks :-) ...v useful thread!
As an aside I've always found the AVR720 input/input-mode switching a bit haphazard/inconsistent (and confusing in the manual); hoping a new device will work more smoothly in terms of switching inputs/outputs etc correctly
So thanks :-) ...v useful thread!
Glad the thread is helpful - it has certainly been helpful to me too.
By way of update, I decided to go for the cheapest option and bought the Yamaha RX-V483 from Richer Sounds for £249.
I’ve just finished plugging it in and setting it up - so far so good. It seems to have a “brighter” sound than my old Samsung, with more detail. It sounds a bit less “muddy”.
I haven’t yet reconfigured my Harmony One remote. My heart did sink a bit when I realised that the Yamaha uses repeated button presses to cycle through the HDMI inputs, because this is much flakier with the Harmony remote which has to know how many times to press the button and it’s much more likely to get out of sync. However, I’ve also discovered that you can program the AV unit to respond to the four coloured buttons on the remote by selecting an input - so these four buttons can work as direct input selectors. That will work far better.
By way of update, I decided to go for the cheapest option and bought the Yamaha RX-V483 from Richer Sounds for £249.
I’ve just finished plugging it in and setting it up - so far so good. It seems to have a “brighter” sound than my old Samsung, with more detail. It sounds a bit less “muddy”.
I haven’t yet reconfigured my Harmony One remote. My heart did sink a bit when I realised that the Yamaha uses repeated button presses to cycle through the HDMI inputs, because this is much flakier with the Harmony remote which has to know how many times to press the button and it’s much more likely to get out of sync. However, I’ve also discovered that you can program the AV unit to respond to the four coloured buttons on the remote by selecting an input - so these four buttons can work as direct input selectors. That will work far better.
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Glad the thread is helpful - it has certainly been helpful to me too.
By way of update, I decided to go for the cheapest option and bought the Yamaha RX-V483 from Richer Sounds for £249.
I’ve just finished plugging it in and setting it up - so far so good. It seems to have a “brighter” sound than my old Samsung, with more detail. It sounds a bit less “muddy”.
I haven’t yet reconfigured my Harmony One remote. My heart did sink a bit when I realised that the Yamaha uses repeated button presses to cycle through the HDMI inputs, because this is much flakier with the Harmony remote which has to know how many times to press the button and it’s much more likely to get out of sync. However, I’ve also discovered that you can program the AV unit to respond to the four coloured buttons on the remote by selecting an input - so these four buttons can work as direct input selectors. That will work far better.
Glad you like it.By way of update, I decided to go for the cheapest option and bought the Yamaha RX-V483 from Richer Sounds for £249.
I’ve just finished plugging it in and setting it up - so far so good. It seems to have a “brighter” sound than my old Samsung, with more detail. It sounds a bit less “muddy”.
I haven’t yet reconfigured my Harmony One remote. My heart did sink a bit when I realised that the Yamaha uses repeated button presses to cycle through the HDMI inputs, because this is much flakier with the Harmony remote which has to know how many times to press the button and it’s much more likely to get out of sync. However, I’ve also discovered that you can program the AV unit to respond to the four coloured buttons on the remote by selecting an input - so these four buttons can work as direct input selectors. That will work far better.
You should be able to specify directly the HDMI ports needed if you create an activity to link the devices. I've just added the RX-V483 to my harmony one account and it looks like it will all work just fine. You can create a activity for each input source.
FunkyGibbon said:
You should be able to specify directly the HDMI ports needed if you create an activity to link the devices.
Indeed, there are often more remote commands defined than the buttons that appear on the remote itself, so you may well be right that there's already an "HDMI 1" command, and an "HDMI 2", etc.Understand the HDMI/input cycling issue - exactly what I've found challenging with the AVR720 and Harmony One - especially when trying to use "Activities" to make the whole setup family-friendly. I foresee one possible issue with the coloured buttons approach - if for example watching Sky then these buttons also have meanings to the Sky HD box, so I'm not sure how this would work if you're wanting them to switch inputs on the AVR box.
Appreciate it if you can let me know how you get on before I make a decision on the Yamaha or the Denon
Appreciate it if you can let me know how you get on before I make a decision on the Yamaha or the Denon
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
Indeed, there are often more remote commands defined than the buttons that appear on the remote itself, so you may well be right that there's already an "HDMI 1" command, and an "HDMI 2", etc.
I'd be very surprised if this wasn't the case.Every piece of AV kit I've had over the years has extra remote codes for reliable operation . My latest Marantz AVR even has a multi-page Excel document listing the many remote codes available as did my previous Denon amp.
This spreadsheet even includes specific codes for set volume levels, discreet commands for off and on and directly codes that select an output (and power up the amp if it's not already on)
The harmony software should be aware of these extra codes so should be able to select inputs reliably without having to navigate menus.
beedj said:
Understand the HDMI/input cycling issue - exactly what I've found challenging with the AVR720 and Harmony One - especially when trying to use "Activities" to make the whole setup family-friendly. I foresee one possible issue with the coloured buttons approach - if for example watching Sky then these buttons also have meanings to the Sky HD box, so I'm not sure how this would work if you're wanting them to switch inputs on the AVR box.
Appreciate it if you can let me know how you get on before I make a decision on the Yamaha or the Denon
The buttons thing shouldn't be an issue - with Harmony you specify the device the command is being used with. Appreciate it if you can let me know how you get on before I make a decision on the Yamaha or the Denon
I’ve managed to get the Yamaha AV unit working nicely with the Harmony One remote, after a bit of faffing.
When I started setting it up, it became clear that it was heading down the path of multiple repeated button presses to cycle through the inputs, which is not good.
I noticed that there were indeed a bunch of direct “input” commands, but they were called things like “InputCD”, “InputTV” etc etc, i.e. nothing that corresponds to the physical inputs. And these commands appear to do nothing when you fire them at the AV unit, so I suspect they’re just garbage in Logitech’s database.
So I reverted to my idea of using the coloured buttons, which I’ve configured the AV unit to treat as HDMI 1-4. But the colour commands weren’t available in the Harmony software, so I had to teach them to the remote and add them as custom commands. I could then tell the Harmony software that I select HDMI1 by pressing red, etc.
So a bit fiddly, but it’s working nicely now.
When I started setting it up, it became clear that it was heading down the path of multiple repeated button presses to cycle through the inputs, which is not good.
I noticed that there were indeed a bunch of direct “input” commands, but they were called things like “InputCD”, “InputTV” etc etc, i.e. nothing that corresponds to the physical inputs. And these commands appear to do nothing when you fire them at the AV unit, so I suspect they’re just garbage in Logitech’s database.
So I reverted to my idea of using the coloured buttons, which I’ve configured the AV unit to treat as HDMI 1-4. But the colour commands weren’t available in the Harmony software, so I had to teach them to the remote and add them as custom commands. I could then tell the Harmony software that I select HDMI1 by pressing red, etc.
So a bit fiddly, but it’s working nicely now.
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
I’ve managed to get the Yamaha AV unit working nicely with the Harmony One remote, after a bit of faffing.
When I started setting it up, it became clear that it was heading down the path of multiple repeated button presses to cycle through the inputs, which is not good.
Have you got the latest software for the Harmony One? I tested this amp (as stated above) with my Harmony One and you can create an activity and directly assign which inputs to use on Amp and TV...When I started setting it up, it became clear that it was heading down the path of multiple repeated button presses to cycle through the inputs, which is not good.
Here we have TV on HDMI 2 and Amp on HDMI 3 (which has SKY box connected in this example) then use HDMI out from AMP to the TV (on HDMI 2 in this example).
My software looks nothing like that, but your screenshot shows nothing about how it is selecting the HDMI inputs for each activity. Is it selecting the appropriate HDMI input by cycling through the available inputs and stopping when it believes it has probably reached the one it wants, or is it using a direct command to select the input?
By the way, I don’t understand why you’ve got the TV as an input; surely that’s connected to the AV’s HDMI output?
Just realised, you’re using HDMI2 input on the TV, right?
My point still stands though. I never had any problem telling the Harmony software to use HDMI 3 (or whatever) input on the AV unit. The issue is how the remote communicates that to the AV unit - does it send the “next input” command umpteen times in the hope that it lands on the correct one, or does it use a direct “HDMI3” command? Your screenshot doesn’t show how this is happening.
Just realised, you’re using HDMI2 input on the TV, right?
My point still stands though. I never had any problem telling the Harmony software to use HDMI 3 (or whatever) input on the AV unit. The issue is how the remote communicates that to the AV unit - does it send the “next input” command umpteen times in the hope that it lands on the correct one, or does it use a direct “HDMI3” command? Your screenshot doesn’t show how this is happening.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Tuesday 9th October 17:04
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