Denon AVR 1610 - $293.63 with shipping

[Immaletyoufinish]

Denon AVR 1610 5.1 Channel Receiver

Electronics Expo has this 5.1 Receiver for the lowest price on the net at the moment (with a coupon): $273.64. The coupon to use is JKL33X and it takes off $104 from the price of the receiver. After that the shipping is $19.99, which gives you a grand total of $293.63. I went on to pricegrabber to compare prices, and their best price on this receiver was $339.9 <~ I don't know if this is a typo on their site, or if they just meant $339.90. I'm guessing it's the latter. Here's the link for the Pricegrabber:

Pricegrabber

 

[Fayd]

free ipod?

 

[Immaletyoufinish]

That's great and all, AND IMMA LET YOU FINISH!

But MySpace had the best free ipod promotions of all time! OF AALLLL TIME!!

 

[Ricochet]

Nice Kanye reference, but your link is borked.

 

[imported_smartadze]

Denon is always fair-traded, deals are rare, and chances are that if there is a discount, there will be no warranty. Sometimes you will only find out after you order, and the merchant will send an email alerting you of that fact (there is usually an option to cancel the sale).

That said, I myself took the plunge and replaced a Yamaha and an Onkyo with the next-model-up Denon (the 1910). I am really impressed with the substantial improvement over the Yamaha (and an Onkyo I had previous to that). For one, the Denon uses the 'full' install of the Audessey tools (the "Multi' version rather than the 'EQ' version used by Okkyo) and that makes a big difference in setup (6 microphone positions), inclusion of sub in speaker analysis, and inclusion of the full version of the Audyssey sound-damping "no big noises" feature.
Second, my Denon handles the rear channels better than the Yam or Onky, in everything from 7.1 surround to playing 2-channel music over 7 speakers.
Third, the Denons (and some new Okkys) feature 7.2 Dolby, which I find is a real improvement over 7.1 (has 2 front 'height' speakers rather than 2 rear 'ambience').
Fourth, the video upscaling of the Denons is supposed to be better (check the online forums). I have no experience of this myself.

I am no audiophile, but I know what I like 🙂 The Denon's seem to me to be a better bet than comparable Yamaha's or Onkyo's. Deals are rare, and the 1610 is a fine piece of equipment. A good post, OP.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

what does "fair-traded" mean?

 

[imported_smartadze]

Implies that dealers are restrained by the manufacturer from selling at anything less than MSRP.

 

[Thump553]

Originally posted by: Cr0nJ0b
what does "fair-traded" mean?

"Fair Trade" is quite a misnomer. The manufacturer basically won't allow its retailers to sell for less than MSRP. Violate the rules and you get thrown out as an authorized retailer, meaning that the consumer gets NO warranty from the manufacturer. How they can act this way in light of antitrust laws I'll leave to someone else to explain/justify.

 

[Sunrise089]

Originally posted by: Thump553

Originally posted by: Cr0nJ0b
what does "fair-traded" mean?

"Fair Trade" is quite a misnomer. The manufacturer basically won't allow its retailers to sell for less than MSRP. Violate the rules and you get thrown out as an authorized retailer, meaning that the consumer gets NO warranty from the manufacturer. How they can act this way in light of antitrust laws I'll leave to someone else to explain/justify.

They don't have any monopoly power. They're selling high-end gear with strict pricing controls. Other brands can sell low-end or high-end gear without such pricing controls. You're free as a consumer to choose the one that works best for you.