Yamaha CX-A5200 vs. Marantz AV7705 comparision.

[ppiamp]

Yeah, it all depends on our needs, which are all different and changes over time.

3 years ago, I didn't care about DirectTV. Then I got DirectTV and none of my Denon's were compatible.

1 year ago, I had higher regard for Denon/Marantz reliability, even though I've seen things and heard things that concerned me. But I always thought it "would never happen to me".

1 year ago I thought I needed Audyssey Dynamic EQ. But then I found out that I could get the same exact bass sound from the Yamaha.

Our needs and experiences change over time.

And companies change over time. Who is to say that in 10 years Denon/Marantz won't have the #1 repair record and HDMI-compatibility?

So it's good to have options. No such thing as brand loyalty here. As the saying goes, what have you done for me lately?

There is really no bad choices here. The 5200 was the my first prepro without Audyssey in 10 years. I was not too happy how the 7705 handled music or steering logic. The 5200 was very much more engaging on all levels. The Yammy is better built. IMO. YMMV

 

[snakeeyes]

I’m so curious about the crown amps. They are very light at 10 lbs. I’ve got the Yamaha 2060 AVR. Crown doesn’t make a 3 ch amp, do they?

 

[ppiamp]

I’m so curious about the crown amps. They are very light at 10 lbs. I’ve got the Yamaha 2060 AVR. Crown doesn’t make a 3 ch amp, do they?

The Crown XLS 2500 are one of the best buys in this business. I have A/B the crowns against mega expensive amps and there was no clear winner. Crown now has their XLS 2 series. They have 8 ch and 4ch too. Check the link for a review:

 

[snakeeyes]

Do you use the balanced or unbalanced inputs?

 

[ppiamp]

I use all XLR between the prepro and amplifier. HiSpeed HDMI on all low level signals

 

[ppiamp]

I need to elaborate a bit more on the Yamaha cx-5200 AI surround function and dialog lift.
Of my many processors that I have own over the years. Including my last one which was Integra 80.3 with XT32. It is the first time I was not hunting around for the remote to track the dialog up and down with the center gain or the master volume. The AI does works as advertised with the movies I watched.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I need to elaborate a bit more on the Yamaha cx-5200 AI surround function and dialog lift.
Of my many processors that I have own over the years. Including my last one which was Integra 80.3 with XT32. It is the first time I was not hunting around for the remote to track the dialog up and down with the center gain or the master volume. The AI does works as advertised with the movies I watched.

I've been really wondering about the AI. Good to know that it is effective.

I think the DIALOGUE enhancement (AI/dialogue lift) alone is worth it.

I might have to upgrade to the 5200 for just that.

Right now it's easy for me to adjust the dialogue with the phone/iPad remote app. But it would be great if I didn't have to do it at all. So great to know.

I wonder if these movie sound-engineer geniuses know that the Center Dialogue is salient? It's ridiculous how many blu-rays have such pathetic Center Dialogue clarity and presence.

 

[ppiamp]

I've been really wondering about the AI. Good to know that it is effective.

I think the DIALOGUE enhancement (AI/dialogue lift) alone is worth it.

I might have to upgrade to the 5200 for just that.

Right now it's easy for me to adjust the dialogue with the phone/iPad remote app. But it would be great if I didn't have to do it at all. So great to know.

I wonder if these movie sound-engineer geniuses know that the Center Dialogue is salient? It's ridiculous how many blu-rays have such pathetic Center Dialogue clarity and presence.

Yes indeed it is important. My wife is very sensitive to it. I heard this all the time from her "How is that we have a room full of speakers and I cannot hear what they are saying!"

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I use all XLR between the prepro and amplifier. HiSpeed HDMI on all low level signals

Same here. I only use XLR and High-speed HDMI.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

How is that we have a room full of speakers and I cannot hear what they are saying!

So true!

 

[TheWarrior]

I don't even notice that.

As long as the HDMI is compatible and works great, I am happy.

It's not a big deal for me if there is a 3-second delay. It's not like I'm switching sources between songs.

It's not often that I switch between sources anyway. Most of the time it just one source - HTPC.

Sometimes I switch to Direct TV, which works great.

Recently I've been using the Yamaha MusicCast, which I think works 100% better than AirPlay for streaming music.

So I use 3 sources - HTPC, MusicCast, and DirectTV. And there is probably a 3-second delay when switching, which doesn't bother me at all.

..... which really isn't that different from my RX-A3060, so yeah, I really don't mind it. I guess I just hoped for better with a dedicated process/preamp!

I use Oppo 203/205 for music streaming - I have not even tried the MusicCast or AirPlay as I have enjoyed the Oppo app well enough to not need a different solution.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

..... which really isn't that different from my RX-A3060, so yeah, I really don't mind it. I guess I just hoped for better with a dedicated process/preamp!

I use Oppo 203/205 for music streaming - I have not even tried the MusicCast or AirPlay as I have enjoyed the Oppo app well enough to not need a different solution.

I think most of these "Pre-pros" from Yamaha, Marantz, Anthem, NAD, etc. are just AVRs without the amp section.

They may change a few parts. The Denon AVP-A1HDCI changed A LOT of parts to make it fully balanced. But they started out as AVRs. They are just AVR-derived pre-pros.

With MusicCast, you just use ONE Phone MusicCast app to turn on/off the AVR and play music.

Since I have a bunch of songs on my SD card in my phone, I just stream directly from my phone to the AVR.

No need to turn on and off another device (Oppo) or use a second remote app to turn off the AVR.

Just use one app (MusicCast on phone) to control one device (AVR) for music. Simple. Flawless. Minimal devices.

Do you have songs loaded on the Oppo? Why use a second device to stream music?

 

[TheWarrior]

Do you have songs loaded on the Oppo? Why use a second device to stream music?

Because the 205 offers that true night/day difference with the dedicated DAC!

LOL I bought them because I do not care for the video or sound quality of Netflix/AppleTV etc. in comparison to Blu Ray, and if these are the best of a dying format, they're worth it! So the streaming they offer is just an additional feature for when I just want to hear 'a' song rather than the disc.

 

[TheWarrior]

Do you have songs loaded on the Oppo? Why use a second device to stream music?

Missed this...

The phone App operates as a remote control, as well as can stream any music on your phone, using wifi.

Since the living room is just down the hall from the office, I can just listen to that system any time I want more than my stock iMac speakers, but not need to be in the living room to control it!

 

[snakeeyes]

Because the 205 offers that true night/day difference with the dedicated DAC!

LOL I bought them because I do not care for the video or sound quality of Netflix/AppleTV etc. in comparison to Blu Ray, and if these are the best of a dying format, they're worth it! So the streaming they offer is just an additional feature for when I just want to hear 'a' song rather than the disc.

Do you have the 4K Apple TV? It has a very nice picture. The last update gives you DD+ metadata for Atmos on select titles. Most Netflix title are just 5.1 though. Some are 2.0 but DSU does well on my Yamaha 2060.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Does the Oppo player allow Dolby Atmos streaming?

 

[ppiamp]

Yes, I am running the Apple TV 4k to the Yamaha cx-a5200 via HDMI. Then using the 5200 processing on setting 4 into the 86LG that is Dolby Vision ready. The picture looks stunning.

 

[TheWarrior]

Do you have the 4K Apple TV? It has a very nice picture. The last update gives you DD+ metadata for Atmos on select titles. Most Netflix title are just 5.1 though. Some are 2.0 but DSU does well on my Yamaha 2060.

Not yet - I got into projection 2 years ago and now cannot turn back! JVC finally unveiled their full 4K projectors so the only thing I am waiting on is the time to dedicate to building/concealing a dedicated ceiling mounted enclosure and cabling for one.

Does the Oppo player allow Dolby Atmos streaming?

The player can decode Atmos from a UHD disc, so I would assume you could connect an HTPC and utilize the Oppo's video processor and surround sound DAC. But did you really achieve an identical/ full size and bandwidth copy of a UHD disc?

 

[snakeeyes]

Does the Oppo player allow Dolby Atmos streaming?

Think in another thread they said streaming services stopped on oppo after the shutdown of sales of those players.

 

[snakeeyes]

Not yet - I got into projection 2 years ago and now cannot turn back! JVC finally unveiled their full 4K projectors so the only thing I am waiting on is the time to dedicate to building/concealing a dedicated ceiling mounted enclosure and cabling for one.

A 4K projector would be sweet!