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October 2, 2007 - 3:30pm
#1
Recommend a low-budget receiver
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I should add that I don't need any Home Theater capability. So I guess I'm looking for something that's not so feature-rich, and perhaps undervalued by todays' market.
Welcome, K2000! I don't think your questions are cringe-worthy at all.
The Harman Kardon HK3380 might be worth considering. I think it does everything you need it to do (it even has a phono stage), and is very attractively priced. jr.com sells them for $200. I haven't looked, but I've heard that H/K operates an eBay store, and they generally sell for around $150.
Take this with a grain of salt because I've never actually heard one, but for your money and the functionality you want, the 3380 might be a solid choice.
Happy hunting!
P.S. Do you mean K2000 as in "Yamaha K2000"? If you're ever looking for a spare, I have one I don't use and I want to see it go to a good home. Send me a PM if you're interested at all. I know you have receivers on the brain right now, too.
Thanks for your reply. I actually stumbled across the H/K receiver you mentioned, on Ebay (refurbished). Your comment encouraged me to buy one that's a half step up (120 watts per channel versus 80 wpc), the HK 3480-Z. A bit more money than the model you mentioned, but still under 200 dollars.
I also saw a Denon model with some interesting features and similarly priced (USB in, if I remember correctly, for an iPod). But I decided to go for the more robust wattage in the end.
I was interested in an Outlaw Audio receiver that got a nice review here, but I figured it's just out of my price range for now. That might change in the future.
Thanks again.
The Harman Kardon HK3485 for $250 is always a good bet from J&R. If you really want to economize the Sherwood RX4105 for $85 is actually quite amazing for the money. The Sherwood Newcastle RX-770 for $216 is another option. The amplifier sections in the Sherwoods are pretty darn good for the entry level application.