Budget AV Receiver with Magnepan

All the more reason to try the Denon first. Who cares if it blows up? Better to use it as a guinea pig. See how hard you need to run it, whether it heats up, blows up, whatever, and then use the results to help choose how much power (and transformer power) you need if you decide to upgrade.

I found some technical analysis of the AVR-1700, which was a mid-end model actually from what I found online:

"In the lab, the AVR1700 delivered technical measurements typical of a low-to-mid-priced receiver.

The maximum power output at the onset of clipping was measured at 86.19W RMS into 81/2 with a THD of 3.07 per cent. Denon quotes an output of 70W with no more than 0.5 per cent THD.

Yet 0.5 per cent THD might be considered a tad high in today's age of ultra-low distortion amplification. Employing HCC's unique Fidelity Firewall (a measurement showing maximum output and low distortion) we can reveal the AVR-1700 delivers just 60.8W at 0.118 per cent THD.

We were more worried by the overall frequency response. In stereo mode a 30-point sweep from 25Hz to 20kHz at the Firewall Output revealed a 0.5dB peak around 150Hz and a droop of 0.3dB from 200Hz to 500Hz, bottoming out at 800Hz.

Employing a multitone (22 frequencies applied simultaneously) at the industry 1W/8ohm level, confirmed this mid-band muzziness with a measured variation of 0.8dB peak-to-peak which (if you have keen hearing) may just about be audible, especially on music recordings."

And here's an excerpt from the HCC review:

"I was actually rather impressed with how this Denon performed both with music and movie material. Musically, the AVR-1700 has an open, inviting character particularly suited to solo vocalists. I listened to, amongst others, Paula Cole's This Fire (Warner) and Rebecca Pigeon's The Raven (Chesky) and apart from a slight restriction in terms of image depth and width was surprised with the results.

The Denon isn't shamed by a high-quality pair of loudspeakers and is equally at home with a modest home theatre package, but a little extra spent on speakers isn't going to be wasted. I couldn't find much to complain about when it came to bass-heavy material either; unlike some previous Denons, the AVR-1700 can pump out a forceful bass line such as that during Yello's The Rhythm Divine.

The six DSP modes are moderate, the best being 5CH stereo, and should be used judiciously. Turning the rear and effect levels down from the defaults helps a great deal. Experiment for the best results."

Aren't some of these high end receivers (Rotel and B&K particularly) supposed to be more of a merged pre-amp amp combo and less your typically compromised receiver?

I want to go with the mini-Magnepans, so that's that. I *am* unfortunately severely budget limited, $500 or maaybe stretch to $800. So I'll always be compromised in some way.

As far as seperates here's a challenge- can anyone conceive of a pre-pro/amp seperate combo that could be in that budget used? Old B&K maybe? Requirements are 5 channel, at least Dolby Digital or DTS, and I would like at least component video switching if possible. Oh and it has to sound divine :)

I have an NAD T742 and I'm not sure the T754 you are looking into would hold up to the task.

I helped a friend setup an all MMGW and MMGC driven by a Marantz 8001. I was very impressed! The Audessy room correction made a huge difference and sounds as warm and transparent as the NAD but more dynamic. Plus, it has more bells and whistles than the NAD. I now use my NAD only as processor. I orginally had it driving the center and rears, but the NAD ran out of steam for the center even when not driving the rears. Got an Adcom 2545 for a cheap price and it did the job. My wife was happy with the sound and the price I paid.

I'm thinking of borrowing my friends Marantz to see how it holds up to my NAD/Adcom setup. If you're interested in the Marantz there is an authorized online dealer that sells the refurbs for a good price. That is where my friend bought it.

I've tried Denon, Yamaha and Marantz. I like the Marantz the best by far. Pick up a used one off Ebay any model SR-8000 or above is my recommendation.

At the amount you want to spend I'd stay with the Denon. Not my favorite receiver but good none-the-less. That 70w x 5 rating is probably at 8 ohms. The Maggies are quite resistive for a speaker...which is a good thing. At they're 4 or 5 ohm rating your Denon will easily average over 100w to 140w with no problem. I have a Marantz surround and use the internal amps for the back MG 10.1QR's and my center ch. Roger Ls3/5a's. [neither made anymore, unfortunately] and the Marantz does well, rated at about what the Denon is. Marantz has a slightly better power supply. Also, if you use a sub, you can set the speakers to 'small' in the processor program and that cuts out the bottom 80 or 100 hz to any pair are all pairs of speakers and sends that info to the sub.
If ya just gotta buy something new, price vs. power, I'd recommend either the NAD mentioned above or a Marantz. After that the Rotel and then the Yamaha. Many others to name.
p.s. I sold a set of Little MG.5's to a couple once [in the 80's, selling mid & hi-end ]. They really liked the clean sound but then they brought their Yamaha in to hear it hooked up before buying. Big disappointment! It just had no bottom, no meat, no life. So...they bought a Marantz & we were all happy again.
By the way. Sound may double every three db. but it takes 10db for the ear to perceive a doubling of sound. It's just the mother nature made us.