Anybody know about Onkyo or Marantz?

[Gordon]

Does anybody know if these brands are any good or how they compare to Denon or Yamaha or...
I'm looking at models around 600 euros. ex Onkyo 674 or Marantz 5600 (5001).
Does anybody also know how long AV receivers are supposed to last? 5 years? maybe 10? or 20 like they used to make them?

cheers

 

[shokhead]

All the models you listed are fine. How long they last might depend on you. Well vented and not playing at max volume driving your speakers all set to large with big woofers all the time might make it last a little longer. My guess is 10 years easy. Now if i listen to mine an hour aday and you listen 10 hours aday,well you get it.

 

[j_garcia]

The Marantz will give up a few features to the Onkyo, but in terms of sound, I'd go Marantz.

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver life span

Most receivers will be technically obsolete long before they stop functioning. In the last couple decades, for example, receivers have progressed from stereo to pro-logic, 5.1 , 7.1 and new models include HDMI and video scalling.
If you want an HT investment that will last 10-20 years, then put your money into speakers and an outboard amplifier.

 

[Resident Loser]

Just something...

...to consider...

I purchased an Onkyo MC35TECH mini-system and a Marantz dual-well cassette deck on the same day coupla' years ago...If I were to hook up a powered sub to the Onkyo I think it would give a number of costlier systems a run for their money, I can't speak more highly of the build quality and feel of it...OTOH, the Marantz failed after about 10-15 hours of use and while I did get a brand new replacement with nearly no questions asked, it has begun to exhibit some gremlins with less than 60 or so hours on it...i.e. it eats tapes...I'm not a happy camper. I realize it's not quite comparable to a AV unit but it's just FYI...

If I had it to do over (and based on my opinion of their gear) I'd go for Onkyo's deck (my second choice)...The only reason I didn't is that the Marantz had a pitch control...

jimHJJ(...although when it's time for a new deck I will go TASCAM...My TEAC RTR is still runnin' after 20+ years...)

 

[Gordon]

thought as much

The Marantz will give up a few features to the Onkyo, but in terms of sound, I'd go Marantz.

I had the same idea but the onkyo actually has HDMI upscaling! Isn't that worth it or would the marantz really sound better for music?
I'm also wondering if the HDMI is so important because the older models are all selling a lot cheaper, I am planning on buying a PS3 next year and maybe a HD recorder but is the HDMI going to make a big difference?

 

[MDS]

What you have to keep in mind about the various receiver brands is that all the top-tier kind of manufacturers produce models that are very comparable to one another and it ends up being personal preference and/or experience as to which one you choose. For example, I buy Onkyo because Onkyo was the first receiver brand I ever owned and I have never ever had any problems with any of them - so I keep buying them. Others do the same, whether their preference is Yamaha, Denon, or Pioneer.

You can see the slightly different feature sets at a given price point by comparing models; look at the review for the Yamaha RXV-659 that was recently very favorably reviewed on this site by Gene. It's about $500.

Onkyo's comparable model would be the 604 or 674 for about the same price. The difference - the Yamaha has pre-outs so you can add external amplification if you want but if I remember correctly from the review it does not have HDMI inputs. The Onkyo in contrast does not have pre-outs but does have HDMI inputs (and the 674 also will convert all other video formats to HDMI). See slight tradeoffs between brands at roughly the same price point.

Subjective evaluations about 'sound quality' of one brand vs another or that one brand is better at music than movies, etc are not very useful for comparison as your experience may differ when you get it home and hook it up in your own room. IMO, Onkyo does a great job of making things easy to understand and use and I have fortunately never had any issues with any model I've owned so my vote naturally is for Onkyo instead of Marantz. But you can't really go wrong with either if the one you pick has all the features you want at a reasonable price.

 

[nbourbaki]

I own a number of 1970 era Marantz receivers that I really love. When it came time to buy a Home Theater receiver I really wanted to give Marantz my money, but I liked the features and sound of the Denon AVR-4802 over a comparable Marantz. My Denon AVR-4802 is now going on 5 years old and although I'm only using it as a processor now, it still sounds great.

 

[InTheIndustry]

...to consider...

I purchased an Onkyo MC35TECH mini-system and a Marantz dual-well cassette deck on the same day coupla' years ago...If I were to hook up a powered sub to the Onkyo I think it would give a number of costlier systems a run for their money, I can't speak more highly of the build quality and feel of it...OTOH, the Marantz failed after about 10-15 hours of use and while I did get a brand new replacement with nearly no questions asked, it has begun to exhibit some gremlins with less than 60 or so hours on it...i.e. it eats tapes...I'm not a happy camper. I realize it's not quite comparable to a AV unit but it's just FYI...

If I had it to do over (and based on my opinion of their gear) I'd go for Onkyo's deck (my second choice)...The only reason I didn't is that the Marantz had a pitch control...

jimHJJ(...although when it's time for a new deck I will go TASCAM...My TEAC RTR is still runnin' after 20+ years...)

I have tried to hype up that MC35TECH to a few posters on here looking for smaller systems. It's awsome. As was the MC25TECH model before it. Preach on and spread the word about that little system. It's excellent!

Also, the poster that basically said that most receivers are the same... I'd have to agree. The Japanese brands are all very simmilar at most price points. After so many years in the business my advice is to stay away from Yamaha (personal preference), but knock yourself out with Onkyo, Marantz, Denon, HK, etc.

Also, the Onkyo's for $1K and under don't upscale, they merely pass the video signals through. An easier, cooler, and more practical way to solve your input switching problem is to get a remote with easy to use macros, like a Harmony remote. You can save a little $ on your receiver (as long as you don't need the power of the $800 - $1K models), run video directly to the source and not through a receiver (which is almost always better), and have a really cool gadget to make everything work a lot easier. Just my $0.02.

 

[Gordon]

HDMI upconversion

Whan I looked at the Onkyo 674 it says "HDMI and Component-Video Upconversion (Passes progressive Signals)", is this the same what you call upscaling? Because I can buy this receiver for about 700 euros.

 

[InTheIndustry]

Passing the signal through is just that. The receiver takes the native resolution from the cable/source (example - 480i from a camcorder through s-video) and passes it through the HDMI or component out. It's still 480i resolution even though it passes through a different cable that is associated with higher end video signals. The picture is not enhanced by doing this.

Upscaling would occur, using the same example as above, if the 480i s-video signal were changed internaly by a receiver or other device to be 480p, 1080i, etc. before being passed through the HDMI or component cables. Harman Kardon (off the top of my head) have, I think, two models at the top of their price point scale that upconvert using a process from Faroudja which is considered to be one of the finer companies in video processing tech.

It can be a double edged sword because while upscaling done well can really enhance the picture you see on your display upscaling done poorly can show negative results. There are several variables in doing this that will yield different degrees of difference. I don't know if video processing capabilities in a receiver should be used as a make or break for any model. While it's nice to be able to switch between inputs on the receiver and utilize one output to the source, it can sometimes get messy if the source is getting tinkered with negatively along the way.