AUDIOVIDEO RECEIVERS
AUDIO/VIDEO RECEIVERSDenon AVR-5805
That's a bold claim, but until somebody builds a better mousetrap (and they will, of course), it's wholly accurate. There has been no other receiver in history that offers the combination of power, performance, and control provided by the AVR-5805. Let me elaborate. First of all, this isn't a simple 5.1-channel receiver. The AVR-5805 delivers a total of 10 channels of amplification, at an impressive 170 watts per channel. But, you protest, you don't have a 10-channel home theater system? That's not the point. The 10 channels offered here can be split between two separate zones. This means you can run two fully functioning 5.1-channel home theaters in different rooms, or a 7.1-channel system in one room with a simple stereo system in another. You have full control over what's playing in zones A and B, and over the speaker configuration. So you can set up your main zone for five, six, or seven main channels (the sub is always separate, of course, since it's not amplified), and feed the leftover channels to one or more other zones. Or you can bi-amp five channels in your main room, for a stunning 340 watts per channel. Wowzers! As you might suspect, all this configuration flexibility means you get a plethora of audio and video inputs and outputs. For inputs, you get 6 coaxial digital audio, 6 optical digital audio, 2 IEEE-1394 FireWire digital audio, 14 analog audio, 1 phono, 8 composite video, 7 S-Video, 6 component video, 1 DVI, and 3 HDMI. The selection of outputs is equally as impressive. This puppy also happens to be THX Ultra2 certified, which means that George Lucas himself will come out and tweak your knobs for you. (Okay, not really on the George Lucas thing, but THS Ultra2 certification does reflect the quality sound reproduction you can expect.) Everything is controlled via a programmable universal remote control.
Onkyo TX-NR1000As good as the Denon AVR-5805 is, it's not alone in the rarified air of high-end A/V receivers. Case in point is Onkyo's TX-NR1000, which gives the AVR-5805 a pretty good run for its money. It's THX Ultra2 certified, with 150 watts per channel across seven channels. You get all the typical analog and digital audio/video inputs and outputs, including HDMI and IEEE-1394 connections. If you don't care about all the multi-room configurations offered by the Denon, save yourself a cool grand and check out this puppy.
Yamaha RX-Z9The RX-Z9 is Yamaha's entry into the super receiver market. It offers 170 watts per channel across seven channels, plus another two channels at 50 watts per (ideal for second-zone audio). The only thing the RX-Z9 lacks is HDMI video switching; it makes up for it with Yamaha's typically impressive array of digital signal processing modes. And, like the Denon and Onkyo models, this puppy is THX Ultra2 certified.
Sunfire Ultimate Receiver III've long been impressed by Bob Carver's high-end audio offerings; Sunfire is Carver's latest company, and the Ultimate Receiver II shows what he can do in today's audio/video world. This is an A/V receiver made by die-hard audiophiles, so the sound's the thing and the Ultimate Receiver does sound more musical than the similarly priced Denon/Onkyo/ Yamaha models. Spec-wise, it's 200 watts per channel across seven channels, but the specs don't tell the real story. Try to arrange a demo for this puppy, and bring along your best CDs!
B&K AVR507 S2Audiophiles know that B&K makes some of the best audio separates available; the AVR507 essentially combines B&K's most popular amplifier and preamp/processor into a single unit. As with the Sunfire, the sound's the thing, and I'll put the AVR507 up against any high-end receiver or similarly priced separate components out there. It's a beautiful-sounding receiver that just happens to do the audio/video thing. (Plus, the remote control is a custom version of the Home Theater Master 700, which is my favorite universal remote.)
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EAN: 2147483647
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