B&K AVR-507 7.1 Channels Receiver

After listening to the Denon 5803, it was nice but felt it was missing warmth for music, and was more of a HT unit. So I was ready to buy the B&K reference 50 and the 200.7, but after listening to the ARV507, why? It has the same front-end as the 50 and a very open, detailed 150W X 7 high current drive. Unless you really need the extra horsepower of the 200.7, this is a great way to save $1500. Great remote too.

The biggest surprise was listening to Peter Gabriel's "So". This is a 19 year old CD of mine that I setup in Stereo 7 mode. I was blown away by the 507's ability to take an ordinary PCM bitstream and transform it into a totally clean, focused surround environment. Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" is another masterpiece. You will find yourself dusting off your old collection and rediscovering it.

For under $3000, nothing really comes close to the AVR507.