There's an unwritten rule that the more you invest on a receiver, the more power it will allow you to wield. The three nominees in this category, by that token, should bestow all the Grayskull has to offer. Yamaha's RX-V2700, Marantz's SR7001 and Arcam's DiVA AVR-350 stick chewing gum in each other's hair...
The Winner
Yamaha RX-V2700
£1,300 (approx)
01923 233166
Reviewed: HCC #138
Packing in power and features galore, including networking capability, this mid-priced receiver is an AV treat in a brushed aluminium case. Featuring seven 140W channels, it’s festooned with sockets and has both a capable handset – and a remote for a second zone. The YPAO sound optimiser system makes setup easy, and an Ethernet connection allows access to a home network and internet radio. There’s also a port for the optional iPod dock, but the 2700 isn’t all high-tech gimmicks; it’s also a capable home cinema receiver with a large, potent and spectacular range, spacious treatment of music using the PureDirect mode, and only the lack of THX post-processing to lay against it.
Yamaha's Terry Murphy enjoys a hearty handshake
Also nominated
Marantz SR7001
£1,000 (approx)
01753 680868
Reviewed: HCC #138
First of a line which combined all the hallmarks of Marantz audiophile design with a high feature count, the SR7001 boasts
four-in-one-out HDMI switching, 1080p compatibility, video i-to-p conversion, and full auto setup with Audyssey’s MultEQ calibration system. The advanced 32bit chipset handles all the standard Dolby and DTS formats, plus CircleSurrround, Dolby Virtual Speaker and Dolby Headphone. A powered second zone or bi-amping of the front speakers are possible, the remote is the best in its class and build quality is well up to spec. With a rich balanced range and big bass effects, this Marantz really delivers; it’s perhaps a bit too tweaky for some, but should thrill the enthusiast.
Arcam DiVA AVR-350
£1,500 (approx)
01223 203200
Reviewed: HCC #133
Arcam’s audiophile roots are evident in the spec of the AVR-350, with its flagship Crystal Semiconductors DSPs, Wolfson 24/192 DACs, metal-film resistors, and through-plated circuit boards on show.
There’s no LCD remote, video upconversion to HDMI, or fancy graphical interface, but the sumptuous sound is sublime, and well worth the money.
Posted by Wilson Mhlanga (127.0.0.1) on October 06, 2007 at 06:45 AM BST #