Reviews Written by Brian

Best Receiver for the Price

Pros: THX Optimizer & Auto Config, 7.1 Support

Cons: Bad Remote, Only 2 Component Video Inputs

I purchased this receiver through a Yahoo! merchant three weeks ago and am absolutely in love with it. If you're thinking about getting a 7.1 receiver, I would recommend either getting this one or going all the way to a $3,000+ receiver like the Integra series. For +/- $600, you're not going to find anything close to this good.

To get them out of the way, here are the two bad points. First, there are only 2 component video inputs. That means if you have HDTV and DVD your game platform is left behind. The internal video up-conversion makes up for some of this, but I would like 3 or 4 component video inputs. For a unit with 7 digitial audio inputs (which is a huge plus to me), I would expect better video switching. Second, the remote is horrible - easily one of the worst I've run across. But if you're buying this receiver, chances are you're going to add a universal remote anyway, so what's the big deal? Definately not a deal-breaker to me.

I have the 1400 hooked to a 7.1 speaker configuration from Axiom Audio - 2 M22ti's for the front, VP100 Center, EP175 sub and 4 QS4 Surrounds. The sound is amazing in my 20X15 room - not a single hint of hiss or pop. Dialog is crystal clear and my wife is already onto me for making the walls shake from the bass response. I spent about a week tweaking the sound back and forth and finally gave in and ran the auto setup. It's too simple - plug in the mini microphone and select autosetup off the screen. I never like those kind of things - they never get the sound just right. Well, this one did. It analyzes the entire configuration - speaker size, placement, room acoustics, etc. to determine the ideal settings, then makes them automatically. I ran two DVDs before and after and the difference was remarkable - the system had been configured to near THX standards.

Beyond movies, audio is amazing. The Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" DTS is awe-inspiring on any good system but the Neo:6 converter in the 1400 takes it to a whole new level. Wow. I haven't even played with the FM/AM tuner at all - does anyone still play that through their receiver? :)

In short, you just can't find a receiver anywhere close to this quality with these features for this price. ...