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Best A/V Receiver integrates w/C4?


Gene

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Looking for feedback on AV receivers that integrate with C4.  Currently have 3 Denons using rs232 that are 8 years old and time to replace.  Had one go back already over holidays (kids and wife not happY!).  What is everyone using now?  Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, etc...  We don't use any of the stuff like Alexa, multiple zones, etc. on the receiver that most come with but it seems your forced to get all these bells/whistles.  Any suggestions or what to stay away from?

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Frankly, most of the good receivers are fine with Control4.
Hard part is finding one.

Sony ES, Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, Anthem, ....

Sony ES has been very solid, great 4K video switching, no fluff, it's BYOB streaming with their Music Connect setup, listens for a Sonos Preamp to go active.
AnthemAV are great sounding units, also BYOB stream casting from a phone/tablet.

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I don't hear anyone on this forum mention Pioneer, but I have their Elite series AVRs integrated with Control4 and they work great.  Their apps aren't half bad either.

Denon, Yamaha, and Marantz get a lot of mentions here because SnapOne/SnapAV sells them to the channel.

Sound United owns Denon and Marantz among many other home/commercial audio brands.

VOXX owns Onkyo and Klipsch, and has some type of licensing agreement with Pioneer, and to some degree (I don't care to read their investor report) a relationship with Integra.

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Thanks for the quick feedback.  I was a little suprised that my Denon went out but given that family room tv is on nearly 24/7/365 guess it had to die sometime!  I'm glad alot of receivers now use IP vs rs232 which I'm currently using.

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10 hours ago, anon2828 said:

Denon, Yamaha, and Marantz get a lot of mentions here because SnapOne/SnapAV sells them to the channel.

These brands got a lot of love way before they were sold by Snap.  Denon is generally a reliable and proven brand.  Onkyo's numerous HDMI issues scared a lot of people and drove them to other brands.

.. and while Snap does sell Denon/Yam/Marantz, they have all been out of stock for basically a year now, so folks are sourcing them from other places.

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3 minutes ago, Control4Savant said:

 

In terms of AVR performance…

Sony is the best cheap option.

Denon and are your best inexpensive performance option. 

Yamaha and Pioneer is you’re mid level 

Arcam, JBL and Anthem are you performance grade

Mac, Trinnov etc… 

I would probably put Denon in same camp as Yamaha and Pioneer…

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22 hours ago, Gene said:

Looking for feedback on AV receivers that integrate with C4.  Currently have 3 Denons using rs232 that are 8 years old and time to replace. 

When my old Denon pre-amp crapped out, I looked at Denon again, but was very dissapointed. I ended up with a Marantz pre-Amp, and it integrates nicely.

Obviously there are other great brands, but since you mentioned Denon....

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We've been extremely happy with Yamaha's RXA series IP control, it's rock solid!  They do a fair amount of firmware updates on their units and it never breaks the API/protocol 😃

Your receiver selection may be limited to what's available/easy to get your hands on.  Some makes/models may be back ordered for months.  

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Almost all are going to have easy integration or support via serial or IP. I would recommend finding features you want first, particularly room correction (Anthem, Dirac, etc) and then go from there. Keep in mind that trying to pin down a HDMI 2.1 AVR/processor is a futile exercise and the entire HDMI standard is just getting more and more muddied.

If needing Anthem, I would highly recommend reaching out to @chopedogg88. He was able to get me an AVM70 this summer in about 3 weeks time. There are some that have ordered back in spring and just got their units post US Thanksgiving.

@alanchow & co. also wrote a great driver for the new Anthem's that have a couple specialized menus for audio modes.

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I hate AVRs because they become obsolete so quickly due to changes in video standards.  I have about six obsolete AVRs that only have component video, or only have early versions of HDMI.  It is painful to buy these as good ones are pretty expensive and become obsolete so quickly, unless you don't care about video capabilities, or newer audio stuff like more than 5 channels or ATMOS.

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44 minutes ago, zaphod said:

I hate AVRs because they become obsolete so quickly due to changes in video standards.  I have about six obsolete AVRs that only have component video, or only have early versions of HDMI.  It is painful to buy these as good ones are pretty expensive and become obsolete so quickly, unless you don't care about video capabilities, or newer audio stuff like more than 5 channels or ATMOS.

Agree,  I have an Anthem AVM50 preamp thats like new in my attic...  I have been toying with just using the HDMI switching in my Frame TV and running all audio through it.  

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On 1/1/2022 at 11:53 AM, zaphod said:

I hate AVRs because they become obsolete so quickly due to changes in video standards.  I have about six obsolete AVRs that only have component video, or only have early versions of HDMI.  It is painful to buy these as good ones are pretty expensive and become obsolete so quickly, unless you don't care about video capabilities, or newer audio stuff like more than 5 channels or ATMOS.

Would agree that it's tough because of the technology changes, but it's a lost battle; the methods of transport will continue to improve and change. Best to just accept it and either

a) be willing to upgrade every 5-7 years

b) be willing to deal with falling behind and having outdated tech

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On 1/1/2022 at 1:39 PM, ejn1 said:

Agree,  I have an Anthem AVM50 preamp thats like new in my attic...  I have been toying with just using the HDMI switching in my Frame TV and running all audio through it.  

A 4x2 or similar HDMI matrix switch might work out for you. ("Upgraded" an Anthem Receiver that way; HDMI 4K to TV, Audio HDMI to receiver)

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4 hours ago, tmj4 said:

Would agree that it's tough because of the technology changes, but it's a lost battle; the methods of transport will continue to improve and change. Best to just accept it and either

a) be willing to upgrade every 5-7 years

b) be willing to deal with falling behind and having outdated tech

This isn't just the case with AVRs, it is also the case with C4 gear in general, although the upgrade cycle may be more 7-10 years in terms of stuff like controllers and touch screens. 

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1 hour ago, zaphod said:

This isn't just the case with AVRs, it is also the case with C4 gear in general, although the upgrade cycle may be more 7-10 years in terms of stuff like controllers and touch screens. 

Yup...consumer technology in general is this way, especially w/high-end audio/video processing. "The only thing that is constant is change" and that rate of change (acceleration?!) is increasing as well. 

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I guess you are right, but audio has stayed pretty constant.  There are basically three audio interfaces, analog, coax and spdif.  The original Control4 8 zone matrix amp (C4-16AMP3-B) still works perfectly in the latest OS, and the only really drawback is that it doesn't have digital inputs, although its 4 zone sibling does.  But that not a real showstopper and you can pretty easily convert amongst these three interfaces without spending a fortune.

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10 hours ago, RAV said:

A 4x2 or similar HDMI matrix switch might work out for you. ("Upgraded" an Anthem Receiver that way; HDMI 4K to TV, Audio HDMI to receiver)

Thanks, but with the Frame TV, I have the Samsung connect box near my gear so in essence does what you are saying above unless I'm missing something.

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13 hours ago, ejn1 said:

Thanks, but with the Frame TV, I have the Samsung connect box near my gear so in essence does what you are saying above unless I'm missing something.

Audio format support, depending on how you can connect the one connect to the Anthem. If you're limited to optical, or can eARC.

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