UltimateAVmag.com: Buyer's Guide: AV Receivers: Ultimate Choice

	UAV's Current Top Picks. These components offer the Ultimate in pure performance in each product category.


	Denon AVR-5805 $6,000 Channels/Power: 10x170W Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6/DTS 24/96, Dolby Headphone, HDCD Ins and outs: Six coax and four toslink digital audio, two multichannel analog (9.1-and 5.1-channels), three HDMI (spec 1.1), one DVI, six component video, Denon LINK, two FireWire, MM phono, Ethernet, Two RS-232 Features: THX Ultra2, Audyssey MultEQ with auto setup and microphone, transcoding of composite and S-Video to 480p component video with Faroudja deinterlacing with DCDi, XM Satellite Radio Ready, 24/192 A-D and D-A conversion w/DACs in differential configuration, A/V Sync Delay, multi-source/multi-zone, backlit remote. The Skinny: Trust us when we tell you that the loooooong list of ins and outs and features that we've listed above aren't even a beginning! We don't even pretend that this is a comprehensive catalog of this AVR's extensive capabilities. This is the most complex and feature-laden AVR we've ever seen, which is its great strength and just about its only weakness. While its audio/video switching and setup flexibility are practically limitless, performing anything other than the most rudimentary functions can be a test of one's frustration tolerance! Oh, and the sound leaves absolutely nothing to be desired either. Another important note is that the 5805 has HDMI spec 1.1 switching, which means it will pass hi-res multichannel PCM from HD DVD and Blu-ray players digitally. If you can fit this behemoth in your rack, take a look!
	Lexicon RV8 $7,000 Channels/Power: 7x140W Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6/DTS 24/96, Logic 7 plus five other proprietary Lexicon DSP surround modes Ins and Outs: Four coax and four toslink digital audio, configurable for two stereo and two 5.1-channel analog inputs, three component video, RS-232, MM phono, two 12V triggers Features: THX Ultra2, Massive toroidal power supply, Logic 7 driven Headphone L7 listening mode, 24/96 A-D and 24/192 D-A conversion, multi-source/multi-zone, broadcast grade component video switching with 150MHz bandwidth, internal expansion slots for future applications (like HDMI switching?), backlit remote with LCD screen. The Skinny: While it's certainly expensive, virtually everything about Lexicon's THX Ultra2-certified RV8 is in the rarified "as good as it gets" air: the fit n' finish, the build quality, and the sound quality. This eight-channel receiver has seven channels of real-world powerful amplification, broadcast grade component video switching, more computing power than most desktop PCs, fully assignable audio and video inputs, and of course, Lexicon's vaunted suite of surround processing DSPs, including Logic 7. We'd like to see HDMI switching, and a few updates at this price, but the RV8 is at least somewhat upgradeable by virtue of its now empty "expansion slots." The bottom line is that MF has heard his share of flagship AVRs and this reference quality Lexicon is the best he's heard, and by a wide margin.
	Marantz SR9600 $4,199 Channels/Power: 7x140W Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6, DTS 24/96, SRS Circle Surround II, HDCD Ins and Outs: Four coaxial and five toslink optical digital audio inputs, two IEEE 1394, two HDMI (vers. 1.1), four component video, one 7.1-channel analog audio, 7.1-channel preamp outs Features: THX Ultra2, 24/192 D-A Conversion, MRAC (Marantz Room Acoustic Calibration) auto-calibration and room EQ, A/V Sync Delay, multi-source/multi-zone The Skinny: AVRs loaded with more features than a BMW 7-Series are, amazingly, a dime a dozen. While Marantz's SR 9600 is certainly loaded with meaningful features, it's not the features that set this AVR apart. In spite of its complexity the SR 9600 is easy and intuitive to setup and use on a daily basis, and even more important, the sonics are nothing short of spectacular. The SR 9600 has speed, clarity, and transparency, and yet also sounds rich, majestic and completely un-mechanical with convincing dimension and soundstaging. A product that the late Saul Marantz himself would have been proud of!