Is it worth getting my Marantz pre-amp fix or buying a new one

[ldollio1]

I Had a power surge on my 7702mkii and it went out on me and was thinking about getting it repaired but is this the best case scenario or just getting a new preamp all together. Has anyone had any experience getting Marantz products repaired

 

[Verdinut]

I Had a power surge on my 7702mkii and it went out on me and was thinking about getting it repaired but is this the best case scenario or just getting a new preamp all together. Has anyone had any experience getting Marantz products repaired

If you can find an authorized Marantz service shop which is not too far from your location, you could ask them to verify it for a modest estimation fee, and they should be able to tell you whether it is worthwhile to have it fixed.
I would not put as much as $400 to get it repaired but put that money on a flagship AVR from Denon, Marantz or Yamaha and use it as a pre-pro. You would save money and wouldn't be able to tell the difference in sound quality unless you have golden ears.
However, I strongly suspect that the damage to your pre-pro will force you to look for a replacement. That's my opinion.

 

[ldollio1]

If you can find an authorized Marantz service shop which is not too far from your location, you could ask them to verify it for a modest estimation fee, and they should be able to tell you whether it is worthwhile to have it fixed.
I would not put as much as $400 to get it repaired but put that money on a flagship AVR from Denon, Marantz or Yamaha and use it as a pre-pro. You would save money and wouldn't be able to tell the difference in sound quality unless you have golden ears.
However, I strongly suspect that the damage to your pre-pro will force you to look for a replacement. That's my opinion.

Was thinking about just getting a flagship avr and use as pre-pro, but thought sound quality would be different, any one using a flagship AVR as a pro

 

[Verdinut]

Was thinking about just getting a flagship avr and use as pre-pro, but thought sound quality would be different, any one using a flagship AVR as a pro

I am even using mid-price Marantz SR5010 as a pre-pro with pro QSC Cinema Amplifiers, and I can assure you there's no difference if the preout voltage of an AVR is adequate to drive the power amps connected to it. Preout voltages from flagship AVRs from D & M and Yamaha are sufficient to drive most popular brand power amps.
You won't hear any difference from the SQ of a more expensive pre-pro.

@PENG can confirm and several other old timers on this site can attest to that. If you are looking for any improvement in sound quality, you should look for more accurate speakers.

 

[TLS Guy]

That is a pretty new and expensive unit. I would get it looked at. With luck the damage may have stopped at the power supply.

I think now that these high end receivers have so many amps in them, I think they are not a good bet anymore. Pre pros and separates make much more sense and there is not much difference in price any more.

I have never been in favor of any type of receiver personally.

The bigger point is that you need to think about protection. This will happen again if you do not correct this oversight.

Surge protectors bars are virtually useless.

I advise whole house surge protection. This should be coupled with a smart uninterruptible power supply. This will power down equipment safely with power loss and go to battery instantly in event of unstable AC house supply conditions. There is nothing full proof, but this will prevent most problems.

This actually makes another case for continuing with separates, as power amps do not require this degree of protection like other units. So that means you can use a lower powered and much less costly UPS.

 

[Verdinut]

Here is an interesting thread relating to Separates vs AVR:

The SEPARATES vs. AVR Thread

The topic of using “Separates” vs. AVR is extremely popular. It seems like we see a new thread on this topic almost every week. Many people have asked, “Should I buy an AVR or a Pre-pro?” Many of us have used a variety of components through the years including Integrated Amplifiers...

forums.audioholics.com

 

[Truthslayer]

I'm with TLS GUY on this one,
That's a pretty well featured pre. I would definitely have it looked at and repaired if possible. Odds are it wont be anything major ( possibly just the power supply) and would only be a couple hundred bucks or less.

 

[Verdinut]

Should it occur at the end that you have to replace your Marantz 7702 Mk II, I would suggest you try to find a store from which you could try a flagship AVR at home for a week or so, and see for yourself if its performance satisfies your hearing perception.
Bear in mind that AVRs contain similar quality components as those in pre-pros and sometimes more recently released parts than the more expensive processors. They are cheaper because of economy of scale with much greater production.
In any case, it would be good to have your feedback one way or another. I'm very curious about the outcome with your preamp-processor.

 

[TLS Guy]

Should it occur at the end that you have to replace your Marantz 7702 Mk II, I would suggest you try to find a store from which you could try a flagship AVR at home for a week or so, and see for yourself if its performance satisfies your hearing perception.
In any case, it would be good to have your feedback one way or another. I'm very curious about the outcome with your preamp-processor.

It is not only about SQ, more importantly proper and sensible design and therefore reliability.

This is the inside of an 11.2 channel Marantz SR 8012 AVR.

Note the puny amp boards crowded onto two heat sinks, 6 on one side and five on the other. No room for decent output transistors all crowded round the power transformer.

Now lets take the Marantz 7705 pre/pro.

This is much more open with no major sources of heat, that runs cool with a maximum power consumption of only 60 watts.
That is a much better prospect.

This allows for the use of decent amps with one heat sink per amp and large triple output stage with six output transistors per channel. Now you are talking decent amps.

Lastly I don't think it acceptable in this day and age have 11 power amps on doing nothing. With separates you can switch in only the amps being used. If it is two channel listening then just the front left and right amps. Others can be switched in as required.

 

[Verdinut]

It is not only about SQ, more importantly proper and sensible design and therefore reliability.

This is the inside of an 11.2 channel Marantz SR 8012 AVR.

Note the puny amp boards crowded onto two heat sinks, 6 on one side and five on the other. No room for decent output transistors all crowded round the power transformer.

Now lets take the Marantz 7705 pre/pro.

This is much more open with no major sources of heat, that runs cool with a maximum power consumption of only 60 watts.
That is a much better prospect.

This allows for the use of decent amps with one heat sink per amp and large triple output stage with six output transistors per channel. Now you are talking decent amps.

Lastly I don't think it acceptable in this day and age have 11 power amps on doing nothing. With separates you can switch in only the amps being used. If it is two channel listening then just the front left and right amps. Others can be switched in as required.

I agree with you with regard to the cramping of 11 power amps in about the same chassis size as that used with only 5 power amps.

At least on one of the Denon AVRs, you can turn off power to inboard amps which help keeping the heat in the chassis at a lower level. Also, most of the AVR owners use fans to cool AVRs to help prolonging their usable life.
Also, if an AVR costs 25% of that of a pre-pro, even if it lasts let's say only 4 years, it doesn't cost much to replace it with a new one and you still have saved money.. In any case, over a period of four years, there will most likely be new features added which might make it tempting to opt for a replacement.
We definitely have to consider all the factors involved.
As you know, a lot of audiophiles have a limited budget, and the AVR used as a pre-pro becomes an interesting alternative for someone who needs external amplification for whatever reason.

 

[TLS Guy]

I agree with you with regard to the cramping of 11 power amps in about the same chassis size as that used with only 5 power amps.

At least on one of the Denon AVRs, you can turn off power to inboard amps which help keeping the heat in the chassis at a lower level. Also, most of the AVR owners use fans to cool AVRs to help prolonging their usable life.
Also, if an AVR costs 25% of that of a pre-pro, even if it lasts let's say only 4 years, it doesn't cost much to replace it with a new one and you still have saved money.. In any case, over a period of four years, there will most likely be new features added which might make it tempting to opt for a replacement.
We definitely have to consider all the factors involved.
As you know, a lot of audiophiles have a limited budget, and the AVR used as a pre-pro becomes an interesting alternative for someone who needs external amplification for whatever reason.

I agree with you about budget. This whole area is getting out of hand. Setting up an 11.2 listening room, (7.2.4) is quite an undertaking and a huge task to do properly. Right off the bat most rooms are totally unsuitable for it, with few house having any suitable room without extensive remodel.

Now I detect a huge trend to putting more power on surrounds and rear backs in the mixes. In addition the upmixers are able to get a very realistic 3D audio image. So now puny speakers anywhere will fall short. It remains to be seen whether I will get away with my ceiling speakers. I do think all ceiling speakers need to be enclosed and not have the rears radiate to the ceiling space. I do not feel that is acceptable. They need to be properly loaded and roll off 12 db/per octave around 120 Hz. Correct speaker positioning I think is very important.

 

[ldollio1]

I Had a power surge on my 7702mkii and it went out on me and was thinking about getting it repaired but is this the best case scenario or just getting a new preamp all together. Has anyone had any experience getting Marantz products repaired

My 7702mkii does come on, lights up, but no picture or no sound, i have done a reset on it, does not even play sound on the tuner. Had to replace my projector and blu ray player also. I have a rotel 1585 powering it, with b &w speakers CM 10's. I was hoping it would cost under 400 dollars,

 

[TLS Guy]

My 7702mkii does come on, lights up, but no picture or no sound, i have done a reset on it, does not even play sound on the tuner. Had to replace my projector and blu ray player also. I have a rotel 1585 powering it, with b &w speakers CM 10's. I was hoping it would cost under 400 dollars,

That was a really big hit. Sounds as if the power supply is OK, but the fragile processing components sound as if they are not. Without diagnostics being done it is hard to predict cost, but there is a good possibility the main processing board may have to be replaced. The other issue is: - what will be the long term reliability of a unit that has had a hit like this? You took down three units in one shot so obviously as far a modern electronics is concerned that was a "Death Ray hit!"

What does your insurance company say about this? Under most home owner policies you would have a claim.

If this can happen in your neck of the woods, your first priority should be protection of your equipment. Lightening can and often does strike in the same place twice.

But I think on the latter point you have lots of company and that most members on here do not take the measures to protect their equipment the way they should. Your horror story should be a warning to them. Listen up guys proper robust connection is part of the budget. Proper protection is NOT just a surge protector strip.

 

[AVUser001]

I Had a power surge on my 7702mkii and it went out on me and was thinking about getting it repaired but is this the best case scenario or just getting a new preamp all together. Has anyone had any experience getting Marantz products repaired

Yes, I had to get my Marantz AVR repaired twice (blown transistors) in a month! , although I had to pay only the first time.

You may want to get a quote from D&M repair facility (assuming this is out of warranty) and see if its worthwhile to do the repair or look at alternatives.

But seems you have more than one component failure (7702, Projector, Blu-ray) , all at the same or over span of time ? Maybe power issues like what @TLS Guy has indicated, if thats the case.

There's pros & cons between the AVR vs separates route, as has been elaborately discussed many times in this forum. If cost is not an issue, separates will win over , not necessarily from sq perspective, but from a reliability perspective given the compromise they make in the AVR design(crowded amps primarily)..,but for most cost will continue to be a factor and using AVR as pre/pro+PowerAmp is a viable alternative, esp if you're able to just use the Preamp section and/or disengage the amp section of AVR. That might allow for tech refreshing the cheaper AVRs more often and leverage new features coming up , every ~2 yrs..for eg upcoming HDMI 2.1, 8K support etc..,keeping your power amps.
Separates, by design should allow for a better fit-for-purpose engineering design and hq components that last longer(atleast theoretically), but what we may be seeing is AVRs , given the economies of scale, leveraging the similar hq components and offer them at a lower price point ,so sq may not be significantly any different...leaving only the crowded design in AVR as a drawback (assuming if it supplies enough power for your needs or complementing with power amp) vs separates. Maybe mitigated to extent with cooling fans ..

In short, both have a place..and I'd choose what works for me, considering all the factors called out in this thread(budget, refresh cycle, power requirements etc).

 

[PENG]

It depends on the cost for the repair. If too high, a good alternative is the $899 SR6013, or the more up to date AVR-X3600H. I made the same mistake twice on 2 AVCs (both Marantz), highly doubt I would do that again.

Using AVRs as AVCs does look silly, even a little crazy but imo a better way in practical term.

 

[sterling shoote]

My 7702mkii does come on, lights up, but no picture or no sound, i have done a reset on it, does not even play sound on the tuner. Had to replace my projector and blu ray player also. I have a rotel 1585 powering it, with b &w speakers CM 10's. I was hoping it would cost under 400 dollars,

Perhaps your home owners insurance will cover your loss, or maybe the company that built your surge protectors will cover the loss. You could even press the gas and electric company to make things right.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

In my experience, unless it's something simple like replacing a HDMI board, any local shop will send it to PANURGY in NJ.

And I don't trust Panurgy. They have not been able to fix any Denon I've sent them. They will probably want you to replace the A/V board for $1K or something else for more. And it will probably still be BROKEN after they supposedly "FIX" your AVP.

If the AVP is destroyed by an electrical surge, probably multiple circuits are destroyed.

So the only reason I would send it to a repair shop is if I can file some kind of insurance/warranty claim.

 

[TLS Guy]

In my experience, unless it's something simple like replacing a HDMI board, any local shop will send it to PANURGY in NJ.

And I don't trust Panurgy. They have not been able to fix any Denon I've sent them. They will probably want you to replace the A/V board for $1K or something else for more. And it will probably still be BROKEN after they supposedly "FIX" your AVP.

If the AVP is destroyed by an electrical surge, probably multiple circuits are destroyed.

So the only reason I would send it to a repair shop is if I can file some kind of insurance/warranty claim.

Well I think because three units failed at the same time, this is not a warranty claim.

I think your points are well taken, that there probably are more circuits destroyed or stressed form the event and about to fail, that repair is not really a sensible option. I have no experience with Panurgy, but your experience is not encouraging.

I think the real take home of all this from every member looking at this sad story is for all to ask themselves everyday, if their equipment is properly protected as well as it should be. I have a feeling the honest answer in most cases is not nearly close to what is required.

This hobby is expensive and properly engineered protection drops out from the budget. However with increasingly complex gear and worsening climate causing more violent and frequent storms, then proper protections has to be a foundation part of the budget.

All my three systems are protected to the maximum that is feasible. No protection is fool proof, but that is not an excuse not to include it. I think proper protection would avoid 90% or more of these sort of events. With proper protection you should be OK unless you get a direct hit at your local transformer or downstream of it.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Well I think because three units failed at the same time, this is not a warranty claim.

I think your points are well taken, that there probably are more circuits destroyed or stressed form the event and about to fail, that repair is not really a sensible option. I have no experience with Panurgy, but your experience is not encouraging.

I think the real take home of all this from every member looking at this sad story is for all to ask themselves everyday, if their equipment is properly protected as well as it should be. I have a feeling the honest answer in most cases is not nearly close to what is required.

This hobby is expensive and properly engineered protection drops out from the budget. However with increasingly complex gear and worsening climate causing more violent and frequent storms, then proper protections has to be a foundation part of the budget.

All my three systems are protected to the maximum that is feasible. No protection is fool proof, but that is not an excuse not to include it. I think proper protection would avoid 90% or more of these sort of events. With proper protection you should be OK unless you get a direct hit at your local transformer or downstream of it.

If you are not building a new house, how much would it cost to install (retrofit) a whole-house surge protection?

Yeah, I think most people don't have Whole-House Surge Protection or even know about it.

When I built my new house, I had to emphasize several times to my builder and electrician that I absolutely require whole-house surge protection. Otherwise, they would not have done it.

Like you said, most of these AVPs and AVRs are so complex these days. Any significant component failure will usually require purchasing a new AVP or AVR.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

This AVP is only 4 years old, right? Sold in 2016?

Too bad you didn't use a Chase Amazon Visa CC, which extends any warranty by 1 additional year, so it would have been a 4YR warranty.

Then you could have filed a claim with Chase.