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    favorite receiver as an installer?

    37 Comments by motech Published on 09-23-2008 12:51 PM
    im for onkyo, love the pricepoint and the feature set . .
    706 and above ofcourse . . 232 etc . .

    i know most installers prefer integra . .
    but id rather sell a higher line onkyo for the same price . .

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  3. #21
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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Quote Originally Posted by QQQ
    I don't see it as a matter of bypassing programming time per se, even though that may be a (VERY) slight result. Ever since Lexicon designed all their processors to turn on from an input selection (well past 10+ years now), I've felt it should be a standard on all electronic components, even TV's. It's more reliable (especially if someone is using IR as opposed to RS232) since it doesn't require a turn on, then a delay, then an input switch and most of all it's faster since when you enter delays you always have to make them a little longer than necessary so the next command does not misfire.
    One feature that Runco had right on "some" of their TVs was you could "build" a string that had the power and input commands. Problem was keeping track of which tv/projectors you could do it with. Some of their stuff didn't like it. I'm looking forward to CEC as it becomes more mainstream since it is a standard and not just made up information that is poorly documented and only the janitor knows what the document should have said.

    Mark

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Quote Originally Posted by motech
    anyone know which receiver (dual zone with hdmi upconvert)
    will show volume osd when using an all hdmi set up?
    I know that the Denon 3808CI does it...
    "No sir, that's one bonehead name, but that ain't me any more"

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Been happy with Denon for years, $ climbing, like the 4308 up another $400 cost. I've ordered 3 of the Pioneer Elite $1000 - $2500 avr's to test, the specs look great. Anybody use the Parasound $3000 AVR? Looked at Interga but goofy rep company claims it takes 2 months to get approved ??
    "Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance. "

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    We've been doing Denon since we started 4 years ago. I have a lot xp with Onkyo and HK as well. I really don't like HK.

    I've had some xp with Marantz and don't have anything bad to say about the line.

    We have never had a problem with a single Denon Product, they do what they say they will and always are on the cutting edge of new technologies backed by a 2 year warranty.

    AVR3808 is my bread & butter. I like to pair it up with a Parasound 5250 or 5125, plus Audyssey Pro calibration. I have worked with the the 58xx Series as well and am very impressed by the overall AV performance. They do a very good job with video for the price points IMO.

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Marantz. Period.

    I swear by it, and have for the last 4 years. Cut me open and you'll see Marantz gold and maroon running through my veins.

    Ultra-reliable, great sound quality, easy to control, etc. etc. etc.

    Who cares what the OSD looks like. You use it once or twice, then never touch it again. The simple fact is it's easy to navigate and it's not encumbered with useless items to mess up.

    Fred

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Quote Originally Posted by aforlano
    Marantz. Period.

    I swear by it, and have for the last 4 years. Cut me open and you'll see Marantz gold and maroon running through my veins.

    Ultra-reliable, great sound quality, easy to control, etc. etc. etc.

    Who cares what the OSD looks like. You use it once or twice, then never touch it again. The simple fact is it's easy to navigate and it's not encumbered with useless items to mess up.

    Fred
    AMEN!

    We switched from HK when literally 1 out of every 3 AVRs had to be replaced due to them turning themselves off. (not heat related - same thing happened with one that sat on a floor with nothing around it for 3 months - yes the customer used it this way)

    My only gripe with Marantz when compared to Denon is that Marantz is less feature-packed than Denon is. To me they seem a year behind Denon in the feature set. However, the Marantz isn't whored out quite as badly as Denon. We don't like that you can go to BB or CC and buy Denon, even if it is just the low end models. I also found the $7,000 Denon AVR at Costco's website last year for around $4K. That sucks.
    "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." -- Albert Einstein

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Used Marantz for many years, distribution changed up here, started to find it available in a lot of discount retail shops.
    Also like Integra.
    Have used Cambridge Audio for awhile, nice price points, good sound and control (once you change the codes from RC5, if your using RTI) plus Rs232 for projects that you can use them in. Not found everywhere so good margins. Only quirky issues, their receivers do not up convert as well as others, and you have to have a separate digital audio if using HDMI, as it just passes through HDMI signals, which isn't really a bad thing.
    For higher end, B&K receivers and pre amps are great.

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Quote Originally Posted by QQQ
    I don't see it as a matter of bypassing programming time per se, even though that may be a (VERY) slight result. Ever since Lexicon designed all their processors to turn on from an input selection (well past 10+ years now)
    I have also been selling/installing Lexicon since the CP-1.

    When I meant time saving on programming, I was thinking more for the bread-and-butter Denon sales, not necessarily those advanced projects where you are constructing tons of macros anyway.

    Think about the company who regularly throws a $700-1200 receiver in a master bedroom or a family room system with a $150-250 IR-only remote...

    Instead of building a macro, let the receiver's input turn the unit on, and let the Personal Memory Plus function automatically assign the correct sound mode, video switching, etc. to that source input (all pre-determined in the AVR setup).

    Bottom line is just like Lexicon... One command can get it to work like you want it to...
    Rick Murphy
    Tandem Marketing - Michigan
    248-376-8315 cell/text

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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    Quote Originally Posted by jimstolz76
    AMEN!

    I also found the $7,000 Denon AVR at Costco's website last year for around $4K. That sucks.
    I know that Denon is very good about tracking their serial #'s and will not honor any warranty if not purchased from an authorized seller, and Costco isn't one.

    They have the Serial #'s digitally stamped to the board that can never be erased, and on lower-end models they use hidden ink that can be seen under a black light and stamp it somewhere like under the front left foot.

    I like that they go this far to help protect the line, even as popular as it is. I was unhappy when they release the 3 Digit line to CC. BB only has access b/c Magnolia did.

    Also, the fact that every model from the 23xx and up is hand built and tested helps provide quality and reliability.

    I'm pretty sure Denon and Marantz are owned by the same parent company (or whatever you'd call it)

  12. #30
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    Re: favorite receiver as an installer?

    D&M Holdings, which I think was purchased recently, right?

    Marantz here, because of control first of course, but definitely because of audio quality second. Integra has all the control but Marantz definitely sounds great. I'm surprised about someone switching because of HDMI. Why change brands because it doesn't work well for something new? We sell stable, controlled evironment, always works systems right? We're the "geek" for our clients instead of them needing to think about or do any research or needing to know how it all connects? Selling a "solution" not a product or a box? Maybe I have the wrong philosophy about how I approach my work...

    Top brands over and over and over and over and over and over and over and ... well, you get the idea... here:

    Integra
    Marantz
    Denon
    Yamaha

    In no particular order.

    It's kind of like displays. I think we as a majority choose based on control and then product quality. At one point the display list probably would have gone something like:

    Fujitsu
    Pioneer
    LG
    Samsung

    With stragglers like Toshiba and 1 or 2 others squeezing in occasionally.

    I honestly tell ALL of my clients that I don't want them to think when they want to use their systems. I just want it to work, consistently, when they choose their activity. They shouldn't have to think to make it work, it just should. No 2 pages of notes. No user manual. Too many options gets too confusing for the normal user. The approach for products shouldn't be about features, it should be about the system working, all the time every time.

    Along with the "think with the client's wallet" should be another anecdote to remember. "Think with the client's brain". You might be geek enough to care that HDMI works, 1080p, and all the other BS jargon, but as long as it works and you sell quality product your work will look better than the AVSer down the street with the 1080p, the upscaling DVD player, blah blah blah. Who cares about technical specs or features besides AVSers and us, the geeks our clients put their trust in?

    I'm not typically arrogant, but I can guarantee that my clients that have 720p plasmas in their houses looks better than the DIY buddy down the street that has the newest, greatest 4400p TV that he got from Sam's Club or BB and set up himself.

    Sorry for the rant! Maybe I shouldn't have had a glass or 2 of wine first before getting on IP. Maybe I should start my own "F the features, sell stability" thread?

 

 
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