I know that listening to each is the only way to tell which is the best for me. But unfortunately, I cannot test drive the Monolith with the Marantz or Arcam pre/pros. Does anyone have any thoughts on these choices?
Thanks,
Lew
In reality it is extremely difficult to tell which is best for you just by listening even under the best practically possible way to compare one against the other. The reason is simple, how can you do a fair comparison at home, or even at a dealer's demo room, if, by "listening", you mean sound quality.
Others can chime in and share their opinions on why it is so difficult (or easy) to compare by listening, but to me, even if you can do a real apples to apples one, the outcome is still going to be unreliable as the difference in such a comparison would be so minute that you might end up flipping a coin. If sound quality is the main factor, I would just go with specs and bench test data. At least your choice would then be based on facts and data, instead of others subjective opinions. Once you pick your choice, you can then set it up in your own room and do your own tweaking to your liking, knowing that your pick is capable or reproducing the movies and music most accurately, relative to the other competing model.
So based on facts and data:
Marantz - If you need 13 channel processing capability, or may need it in the future then the AV8805 is your only choice. If 11 channel is good enough for you, then the AV7705 will perform just as good in terms of real world use. The 8805 has marketing hypes such as more copper shielding, toridal transformer and most notably, a better DAC, but based on past bench test data, there is no evidence to support the prediction that it could do better than the 7705.
Yamaha - I would think the CX-5100 is a better choice at the moment and I would rank it about the same as the Marantz AV7705, based on specs and available bench test data. It does have DACs that are more comparable to those in the much more expensive AV8805 and better than those in the AV7705. The preamp/vol control IC in the Marantz are likely better than those in the Yamaha's but that's just my educated guess based on circumstantial info, but no real evidence.
Arcam AVR850 - It is an AVR based on class G amplifiers. The DAC has decent specs, but really sucks relatively speaking, compared to Marantz and Yamaha's. The difference should not be audible unless you have the so called golden ears, but it really sucks to know such an expensive AVR is using DAC with specs virtually the same as those found in the older mid range AVRs.
Anthem MRX-1120 - Same DACs found in the AV7705, if used as prepro that's fine. If the internal amps are used, be aware that only 5 channels are rated 140 W/8 ohms, the remaining channels are only rated 60 W/8 ohms. AARC, to me is overrated, fueled by internet reviews/hearsay. It is PEQ based, inherently not as good as Dirac live or even Audyssey XT32 (now that the Audyssey Editor app is available). That's just my opinion so ommv..
So between those you listed, my pick would be the CX-5100 (if 11 channel processing is enough), or the AV7705. If you intend to use external amps, I don't see any point considering AVRs. If you do, I would just pick between the AVR-X4500H, the SR7013, or the RX-A3080. The 3080 would be my top choice but I am not 100% (may be 90%
) comfortable of it's pre out voltage level but no concerns at all if the intended power amp is rated below 300 W. The RX-A2080 would be a great choice too if you are sure 9 channel processing is enough.
