Which Receiver to Buy and Wireless Streaming

[dukeden]

I'm new to this so I apologise for what might be a obvious answer.

I'm looking to put my first system together, it will be my main source of music, plus used for cinema surround when watching blu rays. I've already decided on B&W MT-50 speakers and a Panasonic DMP-BDT220 blu ray player.

Now for the item that has given me sleepless nights.....the AV Receiver

I had initially decided on the Yamaha RX-V473, then decided the RX-V673 would be a better option. Having looked on-line, for similar money I could buy a Yamaha RX-A810 £449, or pay a extra £400 for the Yamaha RX-A820 £719 [with Airplay] or Yamaha RX-A2010 £849 [without Airplay]. Here's my stumbling point, I wish to stream my music wireless from my iphone 4 and MacBook Pro. I know the current models above have Airplay, but neither the RV-A810 or RX-A2010 offer this feature. Should I choose the RX-A810 or RX-A2010 are there ways of streaming my music wireless? Would a Apple Airport Express be a good stable option? Are the RX-A820 and RX-A2010 worth the extra £300/£400? I have a maximum budget of £850.

I'd really appreciate your advice.

Many thanks.

 

[bigboss]

For your speakers, I would recommend a minimum of RX-A1020 / RX-A1010 / RX-A2010 / RX-A2020. The next option would be the RXA820 / RX-A810. I wouldn't go for your other options.

What about Denon AVR-3313, which is currently available at a good discount, and has AirPlay?

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/p/denon-avr-3313av-receiver?gclid=CNDyus2TqbUCFU_HtAodNz4Axg&gclid=CNDyus2TqbUCFU_HtAodNz4Axg

 

[dukeden]

Thanks for that, seems to have everything I'm after. I'll look into getting a demo. I guess the reason I went the Yamaha route was because all the entry level models get great reveiws. Being a novice I can only go on what I read on-line and in the magazines.

 

[bigboss]

I found the Denon to sound quite similar to Yamaha when I demoed 3 years ago. Demo & compare to see what you think.

You can always connect an Apple TV if your receiver doesn't have AirPlay:

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57449017-221/should-you-care-about-built-in-airplay-on-your-av-receiver/

 

[dukeden]

Interesting reading, I'll have to decide on the RX-A2010 plus apple tv or possibly the Denon you suggested and RX-A820. I can get demos on the last two but not the RX-A2010

 

[bigboss]

Demo the RX-A2020 & see if you can appreciate the improvement over others. You'll get an idea of what to expect with the 2010.

 

[dukeden]

I now have a demo booked for Tuesday, will let you know how it goes. The guy in the shop reckons the yams are the way to go for the MT-50's, be good to see for myself.

 

[bigboss]

Strangely enough, quite a few dealers don't recommend Denon. I raised this question sometime ago:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/av-receivers/why-are-denon-receivers-unpopular-amongst-dealers

Can you ask your dealer the reason when you go for demo on Tuesday?

 

[dukeden]

My dealer said in his opinion the Yamaha and Pioneer are the better receivers currently. He also said that he wouldn't be at all suprised to see the Denon and Onkyo back up the top when they release their next models later in the year. So from this I got the impression that he wasn't bias.

 

[dukeden]

I've now had a demo with the Yamaha RX-A1020 and B&W MT-50's. Great for watching movies, not so great for music, and this will be my main music source. I listened to some porcupine tree [prog rock], the MT-50's sound great with just acoustic guitars and singing. But couldn't really keep up when the tracks started getting a little heavy. The chap in the shop suggested using the MT-50 for the centre and two rear speakers plus sub when using 5.1. Replacing the front left and right MT-50's with floor standing speakers. What would you suggest for a budget of £650.

Having had a quick look I could get Q Acoustic 2050i for £396, they won best speaker up to £700. Or Monitor Audio bronze BX5 or at a stretch BX6. Anyone out there have any of these speakers?

Would really appreciate advice on this

 

[expat_mike]

I've just bought a RX - A1020.

I'm interested in buying a tablet, so that I can use it both to control the RX - A1020, and stream music to it.

The obvious answer (and most expensive) would be ot buy an iPad, and use the AC Controller app, plus airplay, to achieve both of the needs.

I wondered if anyone has used an iPad for this, or if they use a different tablet, such as the Nexus 10?