Any Marantz fans out there?

[DT1009]

I'm just starting to build my system and doing it by getting the mains first and an A/V reciever starting in the $ 500 - $ 750 range. I started by looking at Yamaha HTR-5990 and but now am leaning toward the Marantz 5001, and maybe just going all the way up to the 7001. Does anyone have any thoughts on this line, it was one of the best when I was kid. I've pretty much settled on the Paradigm Monitor 9 as my main speakers for now.

 

[j_garcia]

Fan right here. A few others on here as well. I say go for it, 7001. If you can wait til later in the year, they will be releasing models with HDMI 1.3. The current ones are 1.1 and will support uncompressed PCM from BluRay and HD-DVD players, but 1.3 will support additional features as well. That is what I am waiting for.

How big is your room? I think the 9s are close to the limit of what I would say the 7001 can drive adequately in a larger room. I've heard the 9s with a 7400 in a medium size room and it did OK, but that was only in stereo.

Honestly, there are better speakers than the Monitor Series for the money too. Having previously owned Minis, Monitor 5s, CC370, I can say that too.

 

[DT1009]

Marantz fan

Thanks for the input! Problem is I have the itch and now want to pull the trigger very soon, I'm getting "paralysis by analysis" if you know what I mean. Is there going to be a big difference in 1.3 from 1.1?
I'd like to hear some of the Axioms but without a showroom it's kind of tough without the AVR 1st.

 

[captain_tinker]

DT,
Dude, Big Marantz fan here too. I have the SR5600, I am not sure if the 5001 you mentioned is the update to mine or not, but it's really a very nice unit for the price. You could sure do a LOT worse. As for the Paradigm monitors, great speaker. I have had the Titans, and they were great speakers. I've heard the monitors, and they do sound good, the Studio's do sound a bit better, but I think you would be happy with the 9's. There are of course better ones out there. I am driving a pair of Martin Logan Mosaic's, a Martin Logan Fresco center channel, and my two Paradigm Titan's as surrounds, and it sounds incredible! I've never had a problem driving it all despite the heavy load by the ML's. Wrote to Marantz once and they guaranteed me that it would work without problems, and so far it has. Great piece of equipment!

You did not mention if you would be using the HDMI feature or not, so I do not know if that will even make any difference for you. Unless you plan on dealing with HD stuff I don't think it's going to be a big deal. You can still use Component video for HD, maybe not 1080P, but big deal. Get a good set of analog audio cables if you do plan to listen to SACD or DVD-A, but if not, don't worry about it either. Use a good coaxial or optical digital interconnect to hear your DVD's or CD's. You will be very happy with the results either way.

Good luck, however you decide!

-capT

 

[j_garcia]

I figured I would throw out the HDMI stuff since it seems to be a concern of a lot of people, myself included at the moment.... but I also have the "itch", I just don't want to buy another receiver next year, even if it is a new Marantz It depends on the player's capabilities as to whether 1.1 vs 1.3 is a big upgrade AFAIK. If you get a player that has built in decoding and pass the signal via analog then the HDMI thing is less of a concern as well.

Yes, the 5001 is the replacement for the 5600. I know these receiver can handle plenty of load though, I ran a SR5000 with 4 Ohm speakers for about a year and it was fine, and also ran a test on a 4200 with some 4 Ohm speakers for 10hrs straight and it did fine as well. I'm currently running my 4 Ohm speakers off my 8300 also, but at the levels I'm looking for I could hear where it was struggling, so I added the monoblocks. The 9s are a bit of a different story though, as they draw a fair amount of current. With a good sub, I think the 9s and 11s are a bit of overkill, though they are both good speakers.

 

[DT1009]

Marantz fan

Thanks for the input! Problem is I have the itch and now want to pull the trigger very soon, I'm getting "paralysis by analysis" if you know what I mean. Is there going to be a big difference in 1.3 from 1.1?
I'd like to hear some of the Axioms but without a showroom it's kind of tough without the AVR 1st. Our living room is 17 by 15 by 8.5 height.

 

[DT1009]

Sorry for repeating myself!

I do like the idea of the HDMI feature for the TV and CD/DVD connections. I'm just not sure if it is really necessary.

 

[mango]

I do like the idea of the HDMI feature for the TV and CD/DVD connections. I'm just not sure if it is really necessary.

You'll still be able to hook everything up with a HDMI cable, and it will still pass a 1080P signal, you just won't benefit from the latest features of HDMI 1.3. To see what those are go to http://www.hdmi.org/resourcecenter/hdmi_1_3_faq.asp.
j_garcia, I also decided to wait for 1.3. I've been comparing the Denon 4306 and Marantz SR8001, and finally decided on the Marantz. I know they're owned by the same company or whatever, but there are a few little differences. I also don't want to replace my amp anytime soon. In fact I want this amp to last me years and years. (After all, I've had my present Denon amp for many, many years.) So now what I'm wondering is will I have to go through this comparison again after 1.3 comes out? When I called Marantz, a guy told me it was going to be a whole new model.

 

[Maceo23]

I have a Marantz sr7500 that I purchased factory reconditioned. I absolutely love it. It doesn't have hdmi switching, but personally, it just seems like right now is not the time to be hinging a receiver purchase on something that is going to be upgraded in a few months. Also, when 1.3 finally does come out, its gonna take a little while to really function bug free. I have an external switch and everything works and sounds great.

 

[captain_tinker]

I have a Marantz sr7500 that I purchased factory reconditioned. I absolutely love it. It doesn't have hdmi switching, but personally, it just seems like right now is not the time to be hinging a receiver purchase on something that is going to be upgraded in a few months. Also, when 1.3 finally does come out, its gonna take a little while to really function bug free. I have an external switch and everything works and sounds great.

DT,
You know what? This guy has the right idea, get an external switch. That will eliminate the worry about the HDMI, and you can wait on it for now, and scratch the "itch" and get yourself an awesome receiver!

-capT

 

[DT1009]

Great help

Thanks for all of the great input guys! I guess having the HDMI connections is not be all end all feature. From what I understand, there is not even a real need to run the video through the reciever anyway, correct? The other feature I was wondering about is having the XM capability but can't you connect to all decent recievers with a docking station? Is the audio signal from XM any good anyway?

More analysis has brought the Outlaw 1070 A/V to my attention as an alternative, but that is probably another thread!

 

[mango]

DT,
You know what? This guy has the right idea, get an external switch. That will eliminate the worry about the HDMI, and you can wait on it for now, and scratch the "itch" and get yourself an awesome receiver!

-capT

The unit he's thinking of buying has 2 HDMI inputs and one output. They're just version 1.1 instead of 1.3, but it doesn't matter for connectivity, as all versions, including the new 1.3, are backwards compatible.

 

[stjr]

A NEW fan to Marantz....

Hi Everyone! I'm a newbie to Audiholics; its an awesome site! I just recently purchased the Marantz SR8001. It's an upgrade from the Pioneer VSX-37TX (which recently died).

I chose the Marantz because we (my wife and I) are going to invest in HD next year (ie 2008), and my goal was to truly have a "single cable" solution to carry video to the new HD TV. And after doing quite a bit of research, the SR8001 fiils the bill. It upconverts every video signal you throw at it and will pass it through a single HDMI cable to the TV....sweet!

I've been living with the receiver for about a month now, and I'm still learning new things about it; it's that featured-packed. And set up using Audyssey was a snap! Plug in the included microphone, follow the on-screen prompts, walk the microphone around the room and after about 30 minutes your done; the system is tuned to the room! In fact, we were watching the Sopranos via cable, and the 5.1 audio kicked in and BOOM, my wife said, "Wow, the sound really surrounds me!" She never said that about the Pioneer box (it had a manual audio set-up with speker distances that was good to 1/2 foot increments). Oh, the SR8001 does 10th-of-a-foot speaker distance increments.

I will post more as I discover new functionality; but so far...this thing rocks the house!

And Marantz Customer Support is premier. I say that because I live in Arizona, and Marantz isn't carried by many (ie. no) retailers here. And when I tried to order it on-line, everyone was out of stock. So I posted a frustated email to Marantz Customer Support; and was promptly contacted by the VP of Marketing!! He offered to help any way he could to get me a receiver; and he did and it's in my family room! THAT'S Customer Service.

Sorry I rambled here...I just needed to share my excitement and satisfaction. I envision a very long, happy relationship with Marantz!

Stever
Mesa, AZ

 

[j_garcia]

1.3 is out NOW and I doubt it will change right away. Yes there were a lot of revisions up to this point, but I think it will be fairly stable for a while after this. Yes they are all compatible, but not all features of 1.3 are available to older versions, which is why I am waiting. I have a PS3, so why get a receiver that doesn't have 1.3 also and then want to upgrade sooner rather than later?

Sherwood Newcastle announced new models that will have HDMI, so I wonder if that means Outlaw will soon have HDMI 1.3 receivers out too? That might sway me from Marantz...

 

[rushwj]

i own the marantz 7500 and am quite pleased w/ it. that being said, upgrade-itis has struck and i'm looking to move into separates soon. i'm waiting for the 1.3 so that the true-dolby surround and what-not can be transferred to the receiver/processor for processing on high def dvd players (undecided on blu-ray vs hd-dvd, but leaning towards blu-ray currently). i'm just focusing on speaker upgrades until well into the winter when i'm hoping there'll be some more options on receivers/processors along w/ more things worked out w/ the whole hi-def dvd thing going on (but maybe that's all just wishful thinking!).
anyway, short answer is, you should be very happy w/ the marantz - it'
s the most "musical" reciever i've ever owned and have enjoyed it greatly. if you look into the outlaw, let me know what you think.

 

[corysmith01]

j_garcia, you said earlier in the thread that you were using a Marantz and some 4 ohm speakers. Did you find this acceptable? Keeping in mind, I'm in a very, vey small apt, I'm looking to get another receiver. I'm not looking to upgrade. No upgradeitis here...just preference. I sold my SR8400 due to financial reasons, then, down the road replaced it with a Denon 3805. Very capable receiver. Chock full of stuff. Only thing is, I just liked my Marantz better for whatever reason. The Denon certainly isn't lacking...I just miss the Marantz. Oh, and I have Onix Ref 1's now, which are 4 ohm. So, I'm considering selling my 3805 and buying a 7500/8400/8500. Probably a 7500. With such a small room, this should be fine, even with 4 ohm speakers, no? Just curious of your thoughts.

 

[captain_tinker]

Cory,
I would recommend contacting Marantz directly with a question like that. I know the back of my 5600 says minimum 6 ohm, but I am using three 5 ohm speakers, and two 8 ohm speakers off of it, and they said it would work great. But the type of speakers I am using are different than what you would have, so I would recommend contacting them directly with this question first before actually trying it.

-capT

 

[j_garcia]

All of their gear says 6 Ohm min on the back. In stereo and at average listening levels, I can run my speakers all day long without issue. Unfortunately, I don't always listen at "average" levels and I could hear a little strain, so I added the monos. So right now, my receiver is powering only the center and surrounds and it handles them just fine, getting barely warm after hours of use.

I've run LSi7s off a SR4400 for 8 hours straight and it didn't get that warm either, so I'd say unless you run a full set of 4 Ohm speakers, it won't be an issue.

 

[mdrew]

I’ve had the SR/8001 for about three months now. While I don’t think it’s all that and a bag of chips, I do think it’s the best receiver on the market right now at its price point. I have no complaints in regards to sound quality. As for as receivers go, I think it sound very good and Audysey helps out considerably in my room. I’ve listened to a few SACD’s and was very pleased. The Crystal DAC’s seam to do well.

I’m driving a 7.1 Axiom system with M80 mains and a set of M22’s wired in parallel for the center channel (making the mains and center channels 4 Ohm). My surrounds and backs are all 6 Ohm. I can pin the volume in 7.1 surround mode and let it rip without the receiver going into over current protection, or detect any sort of clipping. DB’s 12’ away from the mains bounces around 105. Not too bad for a receiver.

It switches all my HDMI connected equipment without any problems whatsoever. The video conversion feature works well.

I have a couple complaints, but they’re pretty minor and Marantz tech has told me a firmware fix in the works that will address them.

- It will not process “discrete” 6 or 7 channel Uncompressed PCM from Blu Ray disks. It will post process to get the surround backs to fire, but the only discrete 6/7 channel format it will process is DD or DTS bitstream audio feeds. I’ve been in communications with a SR/7001 owner who just received his receiver last week, and his will process these L-PCM 6/7 channel streams, so that is promising news that Marantz has fixed this problem.
- It will not switch HDMI outputs without going into the set up menu. A discrete IR command would be ideal, but again, only a promise that a firmware update will include this.


As far as waiting for HDMI 1.3 or not, you really don’t need to wait to take advantage of lossless sound from HD and BR DVD’s. I do see advantages with 1.3 over 1.1, like auto lip sync and true color, but it’s doubtful that either of those perks will be available any time soon. Some folks are also under the impression that you need HDMI 1.2 for multi channel SACD, but you don’t. You only need it for pure DSD audio streams, and currently, there are no SACD players that will send this over HDMI. They all convert DSD to PCM, which 1.1 supports. But the Marantz is HDMI 1.2a, so your covered there too.

 

[HDaddict!]

As to multi-channel PCM 7.1 over HDMI to the Marantz's there have been quite a few reports that they have a problem with this. There are a few Blu-ray discs like this (6.1 to 7.1 or 6.1 with duplicated rears).

I would definitely wait a few months and have a larger array of choices. HDMI 1.3 is only one of the features that are being added to high-mid to high end receivers (and soon pre-amps).