Which receiver?

[lordguffington]

About to move my home theatre setup and I'm going to need a new receiver

it will be my 3rd so I'm looking beyond the entry level this time and it'll be paired with all this

the upcoming benq w1080st projector (big image, short throw - its a small room) throwing to a 120" screen.

this screen drops down in front of a Samsung ue55f8000 tv SO I WOULD PREFER 2 HDMI outputs

kef 3005 se speakers and sub

sony bdp s790 blu ray player for blu ray and DVDs and CDs (very occasionally)

ps3 for games

mac mini connected to a 10tb Drobo which houses all my media. I use iTunes for all my music and the incredible Plex media server for tv shows and a few movies. I watch loads of tv shows and listen to loads of music. Most of the films I watch are hd.

A Pioneer DVL909 laserdisc player (I like it old school) for laserdiscs and region 1 DVDs

I currently throw my music to a couple of AirPlay speakers around the house too

Ideally I was thinking of spending £500-750

Ive been looking at the Yamaha rx-a820 and found one for £599. But having had a chat with the yamaha support guys they're keen to point out the rx-a1020 handles music better and is obviously newer and more expensive. Also they both have AirPlay, 4k upscaling and passthru and quite a few bells and whistles. 1020 is gonna be best part of £1000

but looking around I see the rx-a3010, last years flagship £2000 model is available for £799. It reviewed well and looks the part but isn't future proof without 4k functionality and doesn't have airplay. The mac will be plugged into this receiver however so I don't really need it to receive airplay. Although it would be nice to throw stuff to it from my ipad. Also the 3010 is missing networking features which I think will be noticeable soon. Everything I do is at some point done through wifi

i like the lol of the yamahas, aesthetically they're easy on the eye and that is semi important to me and obviously they won the awards, but I'm open to suggestions

I'd be very grateful to hear susuggestions

thanks very much

 

[pantechnicon]

Hi,

I bought an A820 just last weekend from Richer Sounds, the guy didn't take much convincing to knock it down to £560. I think they're becoming thin on the ground though, as I believe the replacement A830 is due soon. I figured that would be an extra couple of hundred, so didn't wait.

Not much to report so far, I pickup 3 B&W M1s at the weekend for surround, but stereo seems fine to me. Not the most discerning though!

Any questions though ask away.

P

 

[bigboss]

1) Yamaha RX-A1020 is not newer than the 820. They were released simultaneously. The 1020 is a class above the 820.

2) If you want to stream music via wifi, you can connect the 3010 to a Belkin bridge (worth £30). Yes, it doesn't have AirPlay. The manufacturers are still uncertain regarding delivery of 4K technology into homes.

3) I would suggest you demo the 820 & 1020 (& 3010), and see if you can appreciate the difference and if it's worth the extra spend.

4) Do not assume that since the Yamahas won a lot of awards, they must be best for you. Every AV receiver has a signature sound. Also, system matching is important. People have different preference to sound. I'm sure the Yamaha will pair very well with the Kef, but you should confirm that with a demo. Compare with the Pioneer & Denon in your price range.

 

[GSB]

I was running the kef3005se's off of my yamaha RX A-1010,110w pc so i would say that the 1020 would be ideal.

 

[lordguffington]

Thanks for your input guys.

I'm swaying towards the yamaha rx-a1020 although I would like to take Big Bosses advice and demo them against the denon and pioneer offers. Iread about another guy on the forums who's dealer has offered him the 1020 for £699...which would probably seal the deal for me. Any ideas where a price like that could be achieved?

Thanks again