Just spotted this on Jb hifi website
A great price for an excellent all round receiver.
Sony AV Receiver STR-DN840 for $548 Save $250 @ JB Hifi
60
Ldazmar on 22/05/2014 - 11:23 jbhifi.com.au (504 clicks)
Last edited 22/05/2014 - 17:44 by 1 other user
Last edited 22/05/2014 - 17:44 by 1 other user
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If I were in the market for a new receiver, I'd probably buy one of these. Last years model, got good reviews.
I've always wondered why receivers are so expensive. Is it because they're (relatively) high end, niche electronics so manufacturers can charge high margins, or is there actually really expensive stuff inside them?
They know people are willing to pay for the latest features. These features also drives the design which is why most modern Receiver/Amps like this wont last longer than 3-5 years without developing some kind of problem. Why should they make it last any longer when it's going to be obsolete within 6-12 months anyway and they know people will just keep buying newer models to feed their hunger for the latest tech features anyway.
The above also explains why they can get away with a poor THD figure of 1% too. Most wont care because all they want to do is stream music from their phones and crank it up at a party or when playing a movie. Nothing wrong with that at all but not my cuppa tea personally. "I'm getting too old for this sh1t" :)
You're right. When I bought my receiver 4 years ago, I was comparing a Sony receiver. It had a whopping 0.13% THD at nominal output levels! I ended up buying a Yamaha with an advertised 0.06% (my Akai stereo amp from 1994 had 0.05%… go figure). Onkyo also does not fare too well with THD.
As far as I'm concerned, the only metric for quality is how closely "what goes out" matches "what goes in".
On the other hand I AM getting too old to hunt for the THD low figures, my ears do not work as they used to do and a 1% is no different from a 0.1% to my hearing…
my 2cHa, granted. There's that too ;)
"Why should they make it last any longer when it's going to be obsolete within 6-12"
I don't know. From a product family line-up yes, there will be newer products. That said, home theatre standards really don't move that quickly. People don't buy new TV's every year and formats such as DVD, BluRay etc can have lifespans of 10 - 20 years. Newer standards will pop up over time, but very few of them will require consumers to update their receiver if they are happy with the experience they currently have. A new audio format for example won't result in hardware manufacturers dropping support for existing formats.
If you want to watch movies on a 5.1 setup, then a receiver released seven or eight years ago with support for 1080p would likely meet most peoples needs still, with the big exception possibly being if they want to watch 3D content in which case you'd get by on one released in the past three years.
But yeah, some of these receivers are pretty unreliable long term.
Yeah, the products will become obsolete in 6-12 months… not the technology. That takes a few months more ;)
If you want to watch movies on a 5.1 setup, then a receiver released seven or eight years ago
My poor old ONKYO TX-DS494 reciever was bought about 12 years ago and every now and then i think about buying a new one but i just can't justify it because it still does what i need it to.I missed that differentiation :)
I agree that they are overpriced. Interestingly, stereo amplifiers nowadays cost double what they used to cost as well.
With receivers, I think it's because much of the target audience do not understand what they are buying. They look at the obvious (7.2 is bigger than 5.1, 650 watt is more than 400 watt) without knowing whether it is good or useful to them (where are you going to put all those speakers? Can your speakers even handle that much power?).
Personally, the first thing I look at is the THD, to see whether the sound quality is good (which nowadays is rarely published for nominal output levels, only max levels).
I think Sony receivers look good, but their THD is traditionally poor. They seem overpriced for what they are. I think the Pioneer VSX528 for $397 is better value for money, with comparable features.Well put 'Make It So'
I'm hoping that this relatively new movement of small & cheap digital (Tripath or Class-D) Amps will re-educate the masses and make them realise that 10-15W of pure, distortion-free power is all most people ever need… as long as it's running through a pair of decent speakers of course. Step up from that to a 20-30W per channel Amp and you'll have a kick-ass party on your hands. Go to 50W per channel and you're easily annoying the neighbours so be sure to invite them to the party too ;)
None of this needs to be expensive either. Those small digital are around $40-50 each and a nice pair of Bookshelfs to suit can be had for $100-$150. Connect your smart phone and you've got yourself a pretty amazing sounding system that could even be considered actual Hifi!
Pretty rare anyone would ever need a genuine 110W per channel with low THD in a home situation but as this Sony Receiver proves by its specs it's only 110W at a massive 1% THD which through decent speakers you could easily detect when compared to a higher quality Amp… but 'Bells & Whistles' usually wins the race for most these days as convenience is far more important. Again, nothing wrong with that at all, I just wish Sony & many others would produce respectable specs even on their standard domestic stuff like this.
Can you please point us in the direction of a smaller 10w-20w amp? I'm keen to get something new but i don't need some big receiver, i want a 2.1 system with optical in and that's about it!
What's the signal source MyWah?
From the TV.
Hmm, you're probably better off just sticking with a Receiver then. The little Tripaths are really only designed for basic 2-channel systems. There are models with USB input but they're usually just L&R analogue RCA in with 2 channels out.
Don't underestimate what a simple 2-channel system can do though!
Ok cool! Thanks for the help!
I too would love some links - need a few simple stereo ones for home audio zones, just using a stereo input source (3.5mm or rca).
Taken from another reply of mine from the recent Pioneer Bookshelf Speaker deal:
"http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2011-New-Version-Lepai-Class-Tripath-TA2020-Amp-20WX2-W-/180669093926?pt=AU_Electronics_Audio_Amplifiers&hash=item2a10b79826&_uhb=1… These baby Amps are great little all-rounders and there are so many variants available. Just do a 'Worldwide' search for 'Tripath' and/or 'T-Class Amplifier' on eBay and sort by lowest price & postage first and go from there. Pay twice as much (approx. $45-$50) and you'll get a similar version with more power output, in a much sleeker case and with a convenient headphone socket on the front.
Note: The Amp in the link above does not come with a power supply. They are 12VDC so you can use them in a car or direct off a car battery or you can use an old 12VDC Power Supply you may have to run it. Alternatively most sellers also list these with Power Supplies included for an extra $10 or so so just have a look at their other items. Digital Amps like these don't need the super squeaky clean power old Amps did so you don't need to be too picky with what supply you get, just make sure you get one that can supply enough current (12-13.8V at 5 or more Amps)."
I bought a couple of these about a month ago and they literally just arrived: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/350709620982?ssPageName=STRK:MEWN…
VERY nicely built and assembled and sound very good through headphones but I'm yet to test them with speakers. Will do that tonight. Amazing quality units for only AU$38 Shipped.
They also sell it with adapter it appears:
http://item.ebay.com/141023181042?tfrom=350709620982&tpos=gu…
Probably better for most people. Wonder what the THD on this is.Did a bit of research on this before I took the plunge… not that it's really a 'plunge' at these prices ;) Not much solid info for the TDA7492 but I did find a few reflecting similar specs to these: http://www.parts-express.com/2x50w-tda7492-class-d-amplifier…
So yeah this '2x50W' Amp has a much more realistic rated output of 20W x 2 (8 ohms, THD 0.1%) so still not amazing but for $38 I consider it pretty good. Not an actual 'Tripath' either but I thought I'd start small and work from there ;)
what about the Pioneer VSX828 for $498 with a $35 gift card from HN —> http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tv-blu-ray-home-theatre/home-…
it's 7.1 with more legacy inputs.. comparison with VSX528 (which used to be as low as $347 during xmas —> http://www.pioneer.com.au/au/products/42/98/405/compare.html…
comparing it to the sony.. it has front mhl hdmi (very handy) + component video (but doesn't upscale to hdmi apparently according to some reviewer on amazon uk) which the sony does not have.. however the pioneer doesn't have built in wifi nor the second sub out of course
when i click on buy, the price goes to $797
seems the price isn't valid atm
Complained and got this:
The pricing should be fixed by 2pm today. Sorry for the inconvenience.Regards,
Kellie | Online Customer Service Team | JB Hi-fi Online
Australia: www.jbhifi.com.au | New Zealand: http://shop.jbhifi.co.nz
Apparently the AU version does not come with BT, can anyone confirm?
No blue tooth. Good receiver. Average price. There were quite a few around the $550 mark when i bought mine off eBay about 3 months ago from the Sony outlet online. Based on all the reviews i read at the time its the best value amp as well as the strdn1020 or whatever model it is. It has so far lived up to the reviews. Best value amp ive had. Menu screen is a little boring and basic.
Interesting that you guys mention THD, just checked and my old Denon has 0.08% THD.
My 30 year old Yamaha M-80 is spec'd at 0.003% over 20-20k at its full rated output of 250W per channel at 8Ohms . I don't have the test gear to confirm if it's still at that spec but it still sounds phenomenal even now however I doubt I've pushed it over about 40-50W for many years so I'd probably be well below 0.003% anyway :) The first 30W is Class-A then it switches over to A-B above that.
… and it cost me only a little bit more than this Sony Receiver! Can't do anything but amplify tho.
Hold on to it. Whatever you do, hold on to it :) They don't make 'em like they used to.
Can't do anything but amplify tho.
Nothing wrong with that, I'm still sticking with a Luxman A-1 mainly because I use PiP all the time and I couldn't find a PiP-capable receiver with the features/inputs/flexibility I wanted for a reasonable price.
Ahh, the old A-1. I've got one of those in my repair pile :) Cute little Amp.
Whoops I meant L-1, got distracted looking at the difference between the L-1 and the L1-A.
It's Sony guts…. its good!
no no no no no… this is what you want… $450!
If anyone's looking for more receiver for you money consider this refurb
http://www.graysonline.com/retail/strdn1040-r/audio-tv-and-h…
Hmm $480 (doesn't seem like there's a buyer's premium) delivered seems like a very good deal. It's refurbished though….. I really don't know…..
If I were to buy refurbished I would get a Yamaha RX-V675 from rio though for $589
$279 - http://www.binglee.com.au/yamaha-rx-v375-5-1ch-av-receiver
Cheapest AVR that isn't Sherwood. Floor stock only.
This one is $274: http://www.harveynorman.com.au/pioneer-5-1-channel-av-receiv…
I'm a Yamaha fan, but this pioneer is not bad for the price. Would pick it over floor stock.Maybe floor stock of that Yamaha. But according to Bing Lee it was a one off deal. Sold out months ago and they won't be getting in any more stock. That's why it says Check For Availability.
They don't make em like they used to. :)
Still running my Yamaha RX-V2092 (purchased in 1998!) in my family room setup:
Main = 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.02% THD = 100W
Center = 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.02% THD = 100W
Rear Effects = 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.02% THD = 100W
Front Effects = 1 kHz, 0.05% THD = 25W
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/amplification/a-v-receivers/y…A great receiver…no HDMI, no wifi, no DTS! Just great DD sound that keeps on going.
Running my "newer" Yamaha 2400 (purchased in 2004) in the Home Theatre:
FRONT, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.04% THD, 8Ω 120W + 120W
CENTER, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.04% THD, 8Ω 120W
SURROUND, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.04% THD, 8Ω 120W + 120W
SURROUND BACK, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.04% 8Ω 120W + 120WOnly thing is that older receivers don't do HD Audio (DTS-HD and Master). But if they have optical input then you can get your blu-ray or HTPC to decode it into PCM.
Gone down to $497
You own one dazmar?