Denon AVR-3311ci plus Marantz MM7025, good idea?

[gwarren]

It has been recommended to me to add a Marantz power amp MM7025 2-channel,(or go all out with a MM7055 5-channel) to boost my 2 front main speakers and enhance the sound quality. My question is, will it significantly improve the sound quality or will the mismatch in brands (will connect it to a Denon receiver) degrade the sound some way? If it will cause tonal problems, is there a way to tune it to minimize the mismatch? Will I have to bit the bullet and switch out my Denon receiver?
Thank you in advance audiophiles!

Disclaimer:
I admit I am a complete novice and started building my system rather blindly. So, there is a mixture of components (speakers mainly) etc that probably are not ideal. Recently, I have begun to rely on the electronics store and its installer to tweak the system with the idea of not switching out components I've invested in already.

I have:
Denon AV-3311ci receiver
Monitor Audio RX6 for front left and right speakers
Klipsch SC1 center speaker
Klipsch Sub 10 subwoofer
Promonitor 800 back satellite speakers
Sony BDP-S370 blu-ray
Pioneer Plasma HD-TV 50"
HD cable

 

[timoteo]

Welcome to the forum. The Marantz amps you are considering will not make much of an improvement over the robust amps in your Denon. That is a very nice receiver so you have a nice base to build off.

No you will not get some sort of tonal mismatch by combining the Denon&Marantz. However i would highly recommend you look into Emotiva amplifiers. Many here love them including myself. For the price you truly cannot beat their performance.

The XPA-5 is 200w x 5ch of true power. The XPA-2 is 300w x 2ch. Both are are well under a grand. They are also a 10+ when it comes to customer service & their warranties are transferable from owner to owner. If you go onto Audiogon.com right now i believe there are a few good deals on the XPA line. Some people are selling theirs for decent prices.

I hope this helps you out in your search for better sound!!

 

[timoteo]

Oh & by looking at what you currently own i would recommend holding off on the amp for now & put your $ into a better subwoofer. You will be amazed at what true bass will do for the overall sound of your system. Your Klipsch seems to me to be the weak link in your setup.

Look into HSU, Rythmik, SVS, Earthquake & Outlaw. Go for at least a 12". Dual subs if you can afford it. Then go with an Emotiva later. Just my honest opinion!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The Denon 3311 is 125WPC.

The Marantz 7025 is 140WPC.

The only thing the Marantz will do for you is waste your money.

If your Denon 3311 goes into protection mode, like DenPureSound experienced with his 3311, you need to get a real amp like the Emotiva XPA2, XPA5, or something like the ATI AT2002:
http://classicaudioparts.com/store/ATI-AT2002-Two-Channel-x-200-Watt-Amplifier-B-Stock-120V.html

Or if you just have upgraditis and would like spend some money, I recommend something like this 300WPC ATI AT3002 amp:
http://classicaudioparts.com/store/ATI-AT3002-Two-Channel-x-300-Watt-Amplifier-B-Stock-120V.html

The Emotiva XPA amps are fine also.

Parasound, Anthem, Rotel, and Sunfire amps are great also.

 

[GranteedEV]

Welcome to the forum. The Marantz amps you are considering will not make much of an improvement over the robust amps in your Denon.

I'm not so sure.

The Denon, while rated at 125W, is a 7channel receiver that weighs 27lb. I definitely question its current reserves. The Marantz is a 2 channel amp that alone weighs 24lbs. I suspect it's more capable especially into low impedances.

With that said I do think the 7025 is on the overpriced side. I second the Emotiva XPA recommendation.

 

[gwarren]

Thank you for the great information, one and all. The installer has a broken in Marantz MM7025 power amp (you actually have to break them in??? It's just electronics no moving parts, right??) he will set it up and let me check it out over the upcoming weekend to see if it really makes a difference. He said the Denon will hand off the work it does on the front speakers to the Marantz 2 channel amp giving the Denon less work for the other channels thereby improving the sound quality. Sounds reasonable?
I will post my experience after the test. I hoping my ears will get real happy.

Also, I will find out more about what a new sub might do for me and see if I can find out more about the Emotiva amps.

Thanks again!

 

[GranteedEV]

The installer has a broken in Marantz MM7025 power amp (you actually have to break them in??? It's just electronics no moving parts, right??)

Your installer is full of it. Next he'll be telling you denons are "cold and sterile" and marantz' are "warmer and organic". Just B.S people hear from other people who hear it from other people... audiophiles

He said the Denon will hand off the work it does on the front speakers to the Marantz 2 channel amp giving the Denon less work for the other channels thereby improving the sound quality. Sounds reasonable?

It won't necessarily improve "the sound quality" - you decide that for yourself. There's so many factors at play - half the time people think the sound quality is improved only because they were told it would improve - placebo effect. I'm not saying there aren't differences between amps, but the differences are subtle at best and often can't be found during properly level matched double blind tests - and often the differences we do hear are a function of the speaker's demand on the amplifier. Go ahead and listen to the Marantz, but don't let the installer put any ideas in your head - decide for yourself.

Having a separates amp to handle the mains while the denon's amps handle the surrounds, is however a good idea regardless as it gives more available headroom to the surround channels and center.

 

[DD66000]

As was stated, 125w compared to 140w = zero difference.
You would have to buy an amp with at least 250w to gain 3db volume. Of coarse, that would also give you much more head room for dynamic peaks.

Assuming the two rated power outputs of the Denon and Marantz are true, 15w increase is totally useless. As your Monitor Audio speakers are rated @ 90db, they are fairly efficient.

 

[gwarren]

Note: I'm reposting this, have no idea where the original wound up. Out there in blog land somewhere.
The Marantz demo worked out well. I had it for about a day. I settled on using Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 Telarc recording for comparison.
I was pleasantly surprised. It did a nice job of smoothing out the sound between my 2 Monitor Audio mains and the Klipsch center speaker. The center speaker was jumping out in front of the mains. Kinda in your face. When the Marantz we was put on, that problem disappeared. Also, the sound tonality became crisper and very tight. It stayed that way until I got up to very high volumes, then it started to mush together, but that was much louder than I would care to run it. I'm pleased with the results and the new out of the box amp has been installed.
On another note, I decided to take a very good listen to my Klipsch Sub 10 woofer. There was some thought about replacing it. I used the Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3. It has a section where you get very very low registers from a pipe organ. I really wanted my sub to handle this. I spent at least an hour dialing it in on that patch of music. It was a very hard to get it just right, just one click made a big difference. Eventually I got it. It felt like I was in my old church feeling the vibrations of the low notes from the organ. It was great! Then I ran Avatar to see how it handled the shock and awe of that movie. It was satisfying and didn't boom me out of my chair. So...I'm keeping the Klipsch sub.

 

[highfigh]

It has been recommended to me to add a Marantz power amp MM7025 2-channel,(or go all out with a MM7055 5-channel) to boost my 2 front main speakers and enhance the sound quality. My question is, will it significantly improve the sound quality or will the mismatch in brands (will connect it to a Denon receiver) degrade the sound some way? If it will cause tonal problems, is there a way to tune it to minimize the mismatch? Will I have to bit the bullet and switch out my Denon receiver?
Thank you in advance audiophiles!

Disclaimer:
I admit I am a complete novice and started building my system rather blindly. So, there is a mixture of components (speakers mainly) etc that probably are not ideal. Recently, I have begun to rely on the electronics store and its installer to tweak the system with the idea of not switching out components I've invested in already.

I have:
Denon AV-3311ci receiver
Monitor Audio RX6 for front left and right speakers
Klipsch SC1 center speaker
Klipsch Sub 10 subwoofer
Promonitor 800 back satellite speakers
Sony BDP-S370 blu-ray
Pioneer Plasma HD-TV 50"
HD cable

I would recommend matching your L/C/R speakers for timber, so they'll sound more alike and give a more realistic sound stage. Also, there's nothing wrong with the amplifiers in the Denon- each channel is separate and the use discreet amplifier components instead of a chip for the amplifiers. I would hold off and find out if the Denon is enough power after everything is set up properly, not just jumping on a separate amp just because someone recommended it. I would bet he's just trying to move a piece of dead inventory.

 

[GranteedEV]

^ +1

There is no reason that the described effect by OP should have occured. It sounds like there was a setup issue.

 

[timoteo]

My first thought when i read that post was that the salesman probably set it up so that you would hear a difference. That is easy to do & easy to fool someone if the listener doesnt check the settings. I have a friend with Klipsch & they dont benefit from an amp when they have a 98dB sensativity. The 3311 will do just great!!
Glad to hear your sub makes you happy that is all that counts & it means you save money too
Beware with those "Salesmen"

 

[coburnmotors]

sounds a lil iffy to me

 

[PENG]

Funny I tried several amp combinations with my AVR and now separates, my not too easy to drive 2.3i always sound good with or without the amps in my small (relatively speaking) room. My speakers all sound different though.

 

[MarkyMark]

I own the Marantz SR7009 receiver and recently purchased the Marantz MM7025. I was skeptical at first because the SR7009 is rated at 125 WPC and the MM7025 is only 15 WPC more at 140WPC. But I found a referbished unit at a significantly reduced price and took a chance. While the SR7009 is rated at 98db S/N Ratio, the MM7025 is rated at 105db S/N Ratio. That's significantly more pure signal power and I've noticed the difference. I use the MM7025 to run my front SVS Ultra bookshelf speakers in my HT setup. The sound isn't night and day better, but it is more detailed and full. The biggest difference is at high volumes. There's little to no "noise power" when I have the volume turned up and no music is playing. Overall the music seems more solid and in control compared to just running the SVS Ultra Bookshelves with the SR7009. Part of the reason I decided to purchase the MM7025 is because I wanted to keep all my components the same and I like the aesthetics of Marantz products. I also owned 80 lbs behemoth XPA-2 amplifier from Emotiva. I used it to power a set of Bowers and Wilkins DM630i tower speakers. The sound was amazing. Highly recommend Emotiva. Anyway, that is my experience so far with the MM7025. Hope this helps someone.