Denon 2312 vs. Marantz SR 6006

[btl05]

With an $800 & under price range, here's what I'm looking at:

Marantz SR6006 ($800) 110 W
Denon AVR 2312 ($600) 105 W

Knowing that wattage ratings can be suspect, I'm wondering if more knowledgeable Audioholics can give me a sense if there is any true, clean power difference between these 2. Any other comments regarding these 2 would be appreciated as well.

Based on past experience I'm shying away from HK, Pioneer and Onkyo.

Speakers/TV: Polk VM30 fronts, with relatively inexpensive and soon to be upgraded Paradigm center, JBL sub and Infinity surrounds. Panasonic 50" 1080I plasma.

There are so many features available that I am getting lost. I probably won't have a lot of time to fiddle with all the capabilities of the modern receivers so I'm not too concerned with maxing out on features. Just interested in as much good, clean power I can get for the money, and most definitely durability.

Thanks for your time, consideration and any input.

[markw]

With an $800 & under price range, here's what I'm looking at:

Marantz SR6006 ($800) 110 W
Denon AVR 2312 ($600) 105 W

Knowing that wattage ratings can be suspect, I'm wondering if more knowledgeable Audioholics can give me a sense if there is any true, clean power difference between these 2.

No, there is not. In the grand scheme of things you won't hear a difference between these two amps.

Both are good receivers. Get the one that has the features you need or want.

[templemaners]

The 6006 has preouts while the 2312 does not. Any power deficiency the Marantz has (which I don't think it does) is then easily fixed by external amplification.

Also, I thought the Denon version of the Marantz 6006 was the 3312CI.

I'd rather have the Marantz.

[fuzz092888]

They're both made by the same company, so they use many similar parts. Some guys say that Marantz is just a rebadge of the Denon models, but personally I don't think so. While many of the parts are extremely similar, to identical I can't see enough similarity looking inside to justify saying the Marant's are simply a rebadge.

Anyways, As long as you're going to be hooking up the receiver to a TV via HDMI I would go with the Marantz. I had a 5006 and thought it was an awesome receiver. Both are going to give you similar features and connectivity, but my own personal experiences with similar Denon and Marantz models had and has me leaning towards Marantz. I just think they deliver better sound, but that's only my subjective opinion.

The best thing you can do is go and try to audition and play with both models to see which you prefer. The feature set is going to be similar, but connectivity is going to be where they really differ.

The Marantz delivers 9.2 with a full range of pre-outs, plus 7.1 channel analog in.

The Denon only has 7.2 out, with only a zone 2 pre-out and no multi-channel in.

The amplifier section is similar and at a difference of only 5 watts they'll be much more similar than different. Again, try to go play with both models and see which you prefer best.

[j_garcia]

Marantz and Denon are not the same company. They are both owned by a holding company that is funded by the two of them. The two companies are completely separate and as far as I know, they operate completely independent of each other. If you look at the lines and the pricing, Denon has lower cost models while Marantz no longer does.

[fuzz092888]

Marantz and Denon are not the same company. They are both owned by a holding company that is funded by the two of them. The two companies are completely separate and as far as I know, they operate completely independent of each other. If you look at the lines and the pricing, Denon has lower cost models while Marantz no longer does.

Sorry I misspoke, they're owned by the same company which is why they parts share and why their specs are so similar.

[PENG]

The Marantz weighs 1.6 lbs more and a touch more powerful but nothing I see that will make it a better sounding one. The big advantage it has is the 7.1 preouts. If you have no plan to use it as a prepro then I would say get the Denon and save yourself $200, otherwise go with the Marantz.

Marantz seems to be taking care of the mid range models (I mean AVRs) only and Denon still covers from entry level all the way to really high end models.

[btl05]

The Yamaha RX-V671 at just over $400 is tempting also.

I guess the pre-out is the big question. It would be a nice option to have but I'm not sure I'll ever get around to taking advantage of it.

Thanks everyone, SO much for your input. Very helpful for a hopelessly behind the times movie & music lover like me.

[PENG]

The Yamaha RX-V671 at just over $400 is tempting also.

I guess the pre-out is the big question. It would be a nice option to have but I'm not sure I'll ever get around to taking advantage of it.

Thanks everyone, SO much for your input. Very helpful for a hopelessly behind the times movie & music lover like me.

If the 671 is tempting, try finding a 667 for may be even less and it has pre outs. It has most of the popular features but is not a network AVR.

[btl05]

I went with the Denon, hoping the extra $180 jump from the Yamaha is worthwhile. The Marantz was tempting but realistically I may never use the pre-out and for some reason $800 was scary whereas $600 wasn't.

Thanks again all, for the info & guidance.