Hey guys, if this is in the wrong section I apologize.

I am in the market for an Audio/Video Receiver, and was hoping if anyone here knew of some good dealers in the Raleigh area, who carry brands like Pioneer, Onkyo, Yamaha, or Marantz. I obviously have shopped online but this is the kind of thing you really need to hear in person before you buy. The displays at stores like Best Buy are hooked up poorly and not configured properly, nor do they have speakers that do any justice to the receiver. I am looking more for an audiophile store where I can ask questions and test out the systems. Thanks.

10/16/2009 12:47:46 PM

hhgregg?

10/16/2009 12:53:04 PM

Yea I thought about them but I feel it is going to just end up being another best buy, plus their online selection was pitiful, which leads me to think its not even worth going.

10/16/2009 12:56:05 PM

You could try audio advice or creative acoustics, perhaps.

10/16/2009 1:36:21 PM

I got a TV from HHgregg recently... for cheaper than I've seen anywhere else (except for one off of slickdeals). the one in cary just opened, so they still may be having their opening sale and then you can haggle them down from there.

10/16/2009 1:42:31 PM

Do stores with price-matching like Hhgregg match online venders such as Newegg? I will most likely decide on a receiver in store and then order it online for ~$50 less with free shipping and no tax, but I wouldn't mind paying tax if I could take it home right then...

10/16/2009 1:44:30 PM

you can haggle there, so you don't even really need the whole price-matching thing

10/16/2009 2:35:01 PM

the brands you listed are sort of in two different catagories - Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon (which I'll add since you didn't mention) and then Marantz is a little more higher-end (actually Denon and Marantz are the same company).

Audio advice may carry Marantz, but that's a very high-end store. Their least expensive speakers are about $1k/ea (not a pair, each). They carry receiver brands such as Rotel and McIntosh.

There's a store in Cary, I can't remember the name. It's a few stores down from the Outback that is in the same shopping center as Trader Joe's (off of Kildaire farm rd.). That guy carries what you're looking for. He set up a few things for me to listen to in the past. Speaker-wise, they carry NHT, Revel, etc.

There's another store on Glenwood (just before Audio Advice), called Audio Video Excellence. They may carry them as well, tough to say. I've been there a few times and the service has been iffy at times.


Audio/Video Excellence will do in-home trials. I think Audio Advice will as well, but I'm not positive. I imagine you'll want to hear the electronics with your speakers. What kind of speakers do you have?


And I don't know that I would say BB doesn't have speakers that don't do the receivers justice. The BB on glenwood has a magnolia center. They carry the lower-end martin logans (the preface and their small elctro-stats, the source). And they have vienna acoustics speakers. Trust me, they're doing yamaha, denon, onkyo, and pioneer their do. Now, I will agree that they're configured horribly and the employees usually don't know shit.

10/16/2009 3:13:51 PM

^ Thanks for all the info

I tried that place creative acoustics down off capital, and the guy there was really helpful. They mainly carry Onkyo and Denon, but are not pushing the Denon much after frequent customer issues. I am not looking to get the top of the line equipment, Marantz and McIntosh are out but I do want something of good quality.

Ideally I would like to try it with my own speakers, I have a pair of Infinity 2000.4 Floor Speakers, matching CC, and a couple Sony Satellites (had them from a stereo setup). I will get a sub after I get the receiver.

About Hhgregg, I might run down there tonight and look around, if I can haggle the in-store price down to what I would pay online, I would definitely get it there. Thanks for the info guys

10/16/2009 4:05:58 PM

^the guy was going to match my TV to a slickdeals price (about $240 less than HHgregg's price) but the online deal had expired so he said he couldn't. I still talked him down on another TV though.

10/16/2009 4:14:57 PM

nice!

10/16/2009 4:31:58 PM

while i understand your intentions it's not going to do you any good to audition a receiver in a demo room with audiophile speakers only to bring it home and connect it to your setup in your living room. i don't see why you wouldn't be happy with a denon or hk receiver sold at your local bb, hhgreg or even criagslist. btw some guy is selling a denon avr987 on cl for <$400. fantastic deal imo

10/16/2009 4:40:59 PM

yeah, those setups aren't going to sound the same as yours.

What were the customer issues with Denon? I've used several over many yrs and have never had a problem with them. If i was in the market for an a/v receiver of that sort, I wouldn't hesitate to buy Denon.

[Edited on October 16, 2009 at 5:03 PM. Reason : u]

10/16/2009 5:02:45 PM

There were problems with their power supplies producing buzzing, generally only in the lower to mid-tier models, though this is my price range so I don't want to buy something that has had problems in the past. I am going between Pioneer, Onkyo, and Yamaha at this point, the Pioneer is pretty full featured at its price point, and it might end up being the one I get, if I can haggle the guy at hhgregg down to newegg price then im sold.

10/16/2009 5:17:38 PM

And while I know those speakers are different from mine, I mainly wanted to see what the receiver is capable of, I do not want to buy something that I cant grow with and upgrade down the line.

10/16/2009 5:18:48 PM

Audio Exchange on Hillsborough St. The owner's name is Joe and he's been in the business for like 40 years. He sells mostly audiophile equipment and whatnot....

10/17/2009 12:08:58 AM

Quote :

"hhgregg?"

Yes hhgregg has the best prices and will match or beat any deals you may find. My brother is the manager at the new one in Winston so I get stuff at cost which is way cheaper but still they are pretty unbeatable otherwise.

10/17/2009 12:34:19 AM

It's been a few years since I messed around with ht receivers at all but 2 things:

#1, I used to work at Audio Advice, they're going to be pretty far beyond what you're looking for.
#2, Yamaha used to blow Pioneer away. Onkyo used to vary to Yamaha quality or Pioneer quality depending on where it fit in the line (higher end was Yamaha-ish). Pioneers used to put a bunch more power & features into their receivers but they really just sounded like crap when you compared them. The THD on Pioneers was so high that the Yamaha & Onkyos did more with less power and sounded better doing it. This is all talking about your typical BB/Circuit City receivers. Pioneer Elite and absolute top of the line Pioneer (usually Elite without the badge) were more equivalent.

Like I said before, this is all from several years ago so it's possible that everything has changed now but....

10/18/2009 9:29:13 AM

hhgreg is like bestbuy if bestbuy was staffed by people who knew what they were selling.

10/18/2009 5:40:09 PM

I went to both Hhgregg and Best Buy to look at the receivers, at both stores they ended up going to their online website to tell me things I already knew... I ended up talking with an audiophile friend and bought the Yamaha RX-663BL, http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V663BL-7-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0013ZGOWY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255955819&sr=8-1

By the way, Creative Acoustics down off of Capital is a great place, they don't carry a lot of receivers in store because they are like 2 miles from their warehouse, but they have really knowledgeable staff.

10/19/2009 8:38:23 AM

Quote :

"Audio Exchange on Hillsborough St"

is this the place that's located just before the bridge to downtown? if so, this guy is crook who knows nothing and carriers some shitty equipment. I got swindled by him a few years ago.

10/19/2009 8:46:41 AM

for that a mount of $$ i woulda went with something with more than 2 hdmi inputs.did you not see this ?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16882120146

10/20/2009 3:59:10 AM

Nah I don't need more HDMI inputs, and the big reason for going with the Yamaha is that it has pre-out connections, meaning I can add in amplifiers to increase the power, and ultimately the longevity of my system, should I upgrade down the road.

10/20/2009 11:04:29 AM

^^yeah that one, his prices do suck ass.....i'll give you that one

10/20/2009 3:28:41 PM

chances are you'll add more devices before you add amps. very few people actually need/benefit from adding an external amp. they don't do much if
1)you live in an apt
2) you currently watch movies at <75% max volume
3)you only want to spend 400 in your receiver... a decent amp that does >80x5 is going to cost >$500.
while watt for watt they will give you lower noise, lower thd etc. but you'll prob never hear the difference until you upgrade your speakers. but its your setup and your$. so i'm sure u'll be happy either way good luck w/ it all.

10/20/2009 3:30:15 PM

I was actually debating between the Onkyo 607 and the Yamaha 663, the Yamaha does everything the Onkyo does, for a little less money, has the pre-out, and I liked the look and feel moreso in the stores.

10/20/2009 4:11:49 PM

Got my receiver last night, they sent me the RX-V665 instead, which has bi-amp capabilities, 5 HDMI, and a couple other features. The amp inside I learned is not as powerful as the RX-V663, but with pre-out connections thats not a problem for me. Just need to get some banana plugs and then I can fully test it, btw it is a gorgeous looking piece of hardware, much nicer than the Denon, Pioneer, or Onkyo receivers.

10/23/2009 9:37:43 AM

I'm all for future compatability and such... but what are you going to do with 5 HDMI ports?

Sat, Cable, PS3, Blu-ray, 360 all at once?


[Edited on October 30, 2009 at 1:53 AM. Reason : just curious...]

10/30/2009 1:47:16 AM

i don't think 5 hdmi was necessarily a feature he was looking for. It just happens to be what the receiver has.

The RX-V663, which is what he ordered, actually only has 2 HDMI inputs I believe.

10/30/2009 3:39:09 AM

Yea, I mean everything is going to be HDMI soon enough, so it was nice to have a few more.

10/30/2009 8:17:06 AM