Decided it was time to replace the 10+yr old Fisher Studio Standard, which by some act of God still works and is used regularly. Trying to find a decent replacement for under or around $1,000. The receiver would be used 70% Audio and 30% Video, so i'd rather have a receiver that has superior sound as opposed to one that has 12 component inputs for the same price...

After looking at what feels like hundreds of receivers, i've made a short list of some i'd be interested in. I'm hoping that you guys could either help me weed a few out or recommend some, even if not listed, for this price range.


Here's what I have so far:


Onkyo: TX-SR703 or TX-SR803

Pioneer: VSX-52TX or VSX-54TX

Yamaha: RX-V2500/RX-V2600 or HTR-5990

Marantz: SR7500

NAD: T753

Outlaw Audio: Model 1070

So far, I think I'm leaning towards the Outlaw or the NAD the most. Although, I read a post from someone who has owned both, and they stated the NAD has more "oomph" but the Outlaw had a better sound...

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks again!

-Chris

The Outlaw has the best bass management out there and if you want more oomph you can always add a more powerful amp down the road.

Also Im not sure if the NAD upconverts video but that is another great feature on the 1070.

I've always been a big fan of NAD gear, but the 1070 has thoroghly impressed me with it's flexibility, ease of use and powerful sound.

You should also look into the Boston Acoustics AVR7120. They are available right now for $999 and are based off the same platform as the 990.

I was actually just looking at the BA 7120, from onecall, and it looks like a steal! I was really surprised to find it weights 52lbs, it sounds like a tank. I couldn't find too many reviews on it, just some forum jargon on it and one HT review.

I think it's definately a three-way race between the BA 7120, Outlaw 1070, and NAD 753...

Thanks for your input guys!

-Chris

You can also look for reveiws on the Sherwood P-965 as well as it is the same unit. Here is a link to one of the reviews:

http://www.sherwoodusa.com/pdf/UltimateAV_R965.pdf

Here's one for the AVR7120 from HT mag:

http://www.hometheatermag.com/receivers/705boston/index.html

Good luck!

The Sherwood R-965 (receiver version of the P-965) is the same hardware as the Boston 7120, although the 7120 probably doesn't include some of the firmware improvements made by Sherwood.

Whoops! I meant the R-965. Thanks Gonk.

Just received the latest e-verion of The Perfect Vision. They have a AVR survey and provide a quick review of some popular receivers, 1070 included. Check it out, some good reading http://www.avguide.com/index.jsp

requires a free registration and PDF viewer.

BTW, the 1070 really did well according to these eyes.

Thanks for that link cedman1, that was pretty interesting.

Yeah, that's exactly correct about the firmware, and one of the issues I have with the BA 7120, no updates. And since this is the first receiver from Boston Acoustic, updates might be a good idea. Even though it was manufactured by Sherwood, neither Sherwood or Boston will have updates for these units. I also get the impression that support would be lacking, and the last thing I want is to be left like a windsock out in the breeze. If only the reviews, as provided for by Doug917 for the Sherwood/Boston weren't so positive, ha!

I called OneCall to see if they had a trial period, like Audio Advantage had when they had some in stock. Unfortunately they didn't, and they also told me they have less than 100 units left.

I think what i'm going to do is take advantage of Outlaw's trial period and get my hands on a NAD T753 to see which is right for me. I believe I'm leaning towards the 1070 already though.

What do you think you guys would do? I'm interested in your feedback. I'm already sold on Outlaw's support from this forum alone!

Now only if Outlaw had a 1090...

-Chris

Chris,

What sort of speakers are you using?

John

Originally I was looking at some Infiniti Beta 50's or Polk rti 10's, and build the system from thereon out. Not planning on anything past 5.1 though.

I have a good friend who is a serious audiophile with an amazing system (two speakers he has cost $10,000). So, what we are probably going to do is plug whatever receiver I get into his system and build the speakers around the receiver.

He does mostly high-end custom car audio (sometimes he lets me see the Ferrari's he's working on) and does home audio more as a hobby.