AV receiver advice

[bwspot]

I am planing to upgrade from Marantz Sr5003 to either Nr1604 or Sr5008.
I do like the slim factor of Nr1604, but before i pull the trigger i would like to ask few questions.

According to Marantz web main advantages or additions of Sr5008 over 1604 are:

- Current Feedback Topology Preamplifier Stage
- Audyssey MultEQ XT over Audyssey MultEQ
- Number of audio inputs
- Pre-amp out for all channels
- and more power

my speakers are: Axiom M60
Millennia M60 v3 Floorstanding Speakers | Axiom Audio

Currently I do not have a 7 or 5 speakers setup and not planning for it due to lack of space and I do really like stereo sound.
I can only drive my M60 with one cable pair. (no extra cables to bi-wire)

Reason for the receiver is the ARC and network support. I do have library on synology storage and I like to play music when tv is off so DNLA over tv or bluray (yes tv can be off but interface was slow) did not work for me. Also, i do have some mac devices so airplay is another nice feature. I tried airport express but it is another unnecessary device so why not have the support included for it just in case Apple starts supporting hi def audio. I do prefer simple setup with no unnecessary components.
I though about switching to pure HIFI amplifier like Yamaha R‑N500, but switching the sources for video devices would still be a pain due to lack of ARC and HDMI and probably would drive my wife crazy as it does now.
According to Marantz rep the sr5008 has better DAC then sr5003.
Sr5008 dac is:
http://www.ti.com.cn/cn/lit/ds/symlink/pcm1690.pdf

Not sure what is the dac for Nr1604?

Would Sr5008 make any noticeable difference over nr1604 while listening to good quality audio Cds or Flac files?

Would 50W be enough to drive M60 without loosing any quality?
Is Marantz a good choice or there are better receivers in similar price range?


Would like to hear your opinions.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The Denon X2000 is on sale right now for $399 from Amazon. It has Audyssey XT.

Amazon.com: Denon AVR-X2000 7.1 Channel Integrated Network AV Receiver with AirPlay (Discontinued by Manufacturer): Electronics

 

[agarwalro]

The biggest advantage of the 5008 is the pre-outs. This pretty much makes it future proof in case you get more difficult speakers and decide to use an external amp.
Audyssey XT is definitely preferable over regular MultiEQ, but, folks have had mixed results with auto room correction. So, this is a preference thing, some folks love it, others prefer to not use it. These two features alone make the upcharge justified.

The Denon X2000 linked by ADTG is a good alternative with all the features and more than sufficient power to drive the M60's.

If you don't mid refurb, Accessories4Less.com has good prices on receivers. The SR5008 is $549 shipped and X2000 is $329 shipped.

 

[bwspot]

The biggest advantage of the 5008 is the pre-outs. This pretty much makes it future proof in case you get more difficult speakers and decide to use an external amp.
Audyssey XT is definitely preferable over regular MultiEQ, but, folks have had mixed results with auto room correction. So, this is a preference thing, some folks love it, others prefer to not use it. Thaese two features alone mke the upcharge justified.

The Denon X2000 linked by ADTG is a good alternative with all the features and more than sufficient power to drive the M60's.

If you don't mid refurb, Accessories4Less.com has good prices on receivers. The SR5008 is $549 shipped and X2000 is $329 shipped.

i was already planning to go with refurbished model, but was not sure if Marantz 5008 is a good choice.
So technically if i dont care about the pre-outs or audyssey i would be fine with nr1604 or this is a bad choice?
Is not denon worse then marantz?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Is not denon worse then marantz?

Denon and Marantz are basically the same company D+M Group.

http://www.dmglobal.com/Pages/Home.aspx

 

[agarwalro]

I would go in this order of preference,

X2000 refurb
X2000 new
SR5008 refurb
SR5008 new


NR 1604 nope.

 

[bwspot]

why x2000 over sr5008?

 

[bwspot]

Denon and Marantz are basically the same company D+M Group.

DM Group + Performance is everything

according to
Marantz SR5008, SR6008, and SR7008 Receivers Preview | Audioholics

marantz supposed to be built better?

 

[PENG]

Is not denon worse then marantz?

I have owned both, still do. I understand there are people spreading such talks but imo there is no truth to such talks. Obviously there are Denon models that beat Marantz models in specs and there are also Marantz models that beat the Denon in specs. Now that they have been one company for some time now any differences down the load will expectedly be mostly in the feature sets, functionality, aesthetics and price range. In terms of design and build quality, one would think that synergy should have run its course by now.

 

[agarwalro]

why x2000 over sr5008?

Same features, negligible difference in power, and the X2000 is cheaper.

 

[PENG]

according to
Marantz SR5008, SR6008, and SR7008 Receivers Preview | Audioholics

marantz supposed to be built better?

They talked about better build quality and different house sound. For build quality, you need to compare the two in the same price points. For example, X4000 vs the SR6008 or 4520 to the 7008, just roughly but not necessary exactly. If you compare the X4000 to the SR7008 that is slightly unfair because the 7008 is Marantz "flag ship" model so it really should be compared to the 4520.

I won't buy anything that has any intentional house sound. For food yes I have my preference but for preamp and amps I prefer them to be transparent. Fortunately as far as I know most reputable manufacturer do at least claim they design for transperency/accuracy/neutrality otherwise I would have to do a lot of home trial to find out which "house" sound I prefer.

Again, if you choose to believe in that school of thought you won't be the only one, but in that case you would have to listen to them carefully to find out which kind of sound you like better.

 

[PENG]

Same features, negligible difference in power, and the X2000 is cheaper.

But as you mentioned before, the SR5008 has preouts. Denon no longer offers preouts in models below the X4000.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

But as you mentioned before, the SR5008 has preouts. Denon no longer offers preouts in models below the X4000.

That's an excellent point. The 5008 is the same price as the X3000, but the 5008 has 7.1 pre-outs and the X3000 does not. You would have to spend $400 more to get the X4000 for 7.1 pre-outs.

However, the $1300 X4000 has Audyssey XT32, dual Sub EQ and only the $2K Marantz 7008 has XT32, dual sub EQ.

So the X4000 is really the best deal for some people.

 

[bwspot]

Same features, negligible difference in power, and the X2000 is cheaper.

Seems like if you listen to 2 channels only and want to have to have support for ARC and AIRplay and DNLA X2000 seems to be good choice and extra saving can be invested in nice headsets.
I always though that Marantz was just better and sound was better, but seems like i might be wrong.
So there are no elements in higher models that would have either a better DAC or less noisy hardware?

 

[agarwalro]

So there are no elements in higher models that would have either a better DAC or less noisy hardware?

Yes, there are better DACs and better designs, but if one's speakers and room are not up to the same caliber, the infinitesimal gain in sound processing quality is a drop in the ocean of inaccuracy.

 

[bwspot]

They talked about better build quality and different house sound. For build quality, you need to compare the two in the same price points. For example, X4000 vs the SR6008 or 4520 to the 7008, just roughly but not necessary exactly. If you compare the X4000 to the SR7008 that is slightly unfair because the 7008 is Marantz "flag ship" model so it really should be compared to the 4520.

I won't buy anything that has any intentional house sound. For food yes I have my preference but for preamp and amps I prefer them to be transparent. Fortunately as far as I know most reputable manufacturer do at least claim they design for transperency/accuracy/neutrality otherwise I would have to do a lot of home trial to find out which "house" sound I prefer.

Again, if you choose to believe in that school of thought you won't be the only one, but in that case you would have to listen to them carefully to find out which kind of sound you like better.

I always had my marantz5003 on Pure Direct as with all the fancy features i was able to hear huge quality degradation.
Ideally i would get simplest amp and nice dac that supports dnla and airplay, but hdmi arc just makes life easier and simplifies connections and use for my family members.

Recently I attended AXIOMA show and I must say that I only liked few systems that for me sounded better then my speakers in my simple stereo setup. Funny, that I was comparing all those animals worth on $ XX XXX dollars against my $2000 system. (AV and speakers) I do know that my hearing might be limited but at my middle age i can still hear pretty wide range.

I do like my speakers, so i just need some av receiver that will drive them nicely. I don't like to return stuff, so i want to make some wise choice and enjoy the music.

 

[bwspot]

I would go in this order of preference,

X2000 refurb
X2000 new
SR5008 refurb
SR5008 new


NR 1604 nope.

so if I add x3000 as an option would you pick it over Sr5008?

 

[agarwalro]

As PENG reminded us, the 5008 has pre-outs. That alone may be a deal breaker if you foresee a need for them. If not, I'd still take the X2000. As mentioned by ADTG, the X4000 has Audyssey XT32 and SubEQ HT. So, X2000 or something with that version of Audyssey.

 

[bwspot]

How does the new S series denon compare to X series?
For example upcoming AVR-S900W.

 

[bwspot]

As PENG reminded us, the 5008 has pre-outs. That alone may be a deal breaker if you foresee a need for them. If not, I'd still take the X2000. As mentioned by ADTG, the X4000 has Audyssey XT32 and SubEQ HT. So, X2000 or something with that version of Audyssey.

Does Audyssey help with Stereo sound. When i tried Audyssey MultEQ with sr5003 i felt like the quality was much worse.