First Setup - what amp?

[admin_exported]

Hi All,

I am embarking on my first home cinema setup and have looked at the Yamaha AV61 & Denon 1356 bundles but have decided that I can push my budget a bit farther. I'm looking at the older Tannoy FX5.1 speaker package at £150 from Richer as these have had good reviews but I have a quandry with what amp to choose. My choices are as follows:

Denon AVR-1707 (can be had for ~£210 at the moment)

Denon AVR-1507 (~£150)

Yamaha RXV-559DAB (~£200)

Onkyo TR-505 (new, so £250)

The Onkyo has only just come into the reckoning, and its HDMI capability appeals to me. However, the AVR-1507 has had good reviews so I assume its older brother 1707 is also good. Both Denon models and the Yamaha are older and hence discounted as opposed to the Onkyo which is very new; the question is, will either Denon or Yamaha provide better sound than the Onkyo, given that they were in higher price brackets when originally released? Do they therefore represent better value than the Onkyo?

All help gratefully received.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi Dave,

There's a full review of the Onkyo in the current (August) issue - we love it.

We haven't group tested it against our Award winner at this price (the Denon AVR-1507), but the Onkyo's certainly a newer spec, and is great (for the money) with music as well as movies.

We weren't as keen on the Denon 1707 or the Yamaha, though both are great deals at this price.

If I were you, i'd bag the Denon 1507 for £150 - that is one SUPERB deal - and spend a bit extra on your speakers. Why not try the KEF 1005s - available for £300 or under. They'd be a great match for the Denon: we paired them together for our suggested Award-winning budget home cinema system last year.

 

[Anonymous]

I have had the Tannoy FX5.1 speakers running on my Sony STRDB900 (I wanted a slimline amp - sorry) for about 2 years - the Sony packed in this weekend and I've narrowed down my preferred replacements also to the Denon AVR1507 and the Onkyo TX-SR505. I would love to know where to get the Denon for £150? Cheapest I can find it is £180...