First of all, I am glad to report that my Marantz 7706 AVP has operated faultlessly for over a month. This was a replacement for my five year old 7705 which failed dramatically and could not be repaired due to lack of parts, so went for recycling.
However, I have to wonder if that 7705 was a Monday morning machine. I say this as the SNR spec, of the 7705 and 7706 are identical. However, you could always hear background from the 7705 in a quiet room. It did not interfere even with the quietest passages and I assumed that was just the way they were. However the 7706 makes no background that can be heard at any listening position.
All this has made me concerned about the future of Sound United under Masimo, who had no business buying Sound United in the first place. It has been an abject disaster for them. They have Sound United up for sale, with no serious takers so far. This has to be a concern for all of us with Denon/Marantz units in particular, and other brands they own. Speakers hardly ever fail, but receivers and AVPs can and do.
There are now reasonably reliable reports that Sound United is hemorrhaging significant cash, and that Masimo are considering just shutting down Sound United.
This is a problem as many of us own core devices from Denon/Marantz in particular, including myself. Denon/Marantz have the largest range of AVPs, and AVRs currently. They probably are also the most versatile. Both Denon and Marantz gear are recommended frequently on this forum. So if Masimo do shutter Sound United, which they almost certainly will if a credible buyer does not present themselves soon, will present a significant problem to the AV community at large. They likely would try and get what they could from sale of branding rights, but that does us no good, in fact the reverse.
The only vital piece of equipment I own is the Marantz 7706. The other units are a couple of 7701 AVPs in the family room and Great room. I have a very old Marantz CD player and an old Marantz DVD/SACD player.
The bottom line of all this is what we recommend to members looking to purchase an AVR or AVP. Other options really come down to Yamaha, Onkyo and may be Sony. Other sources are either in the exotic range and or of questionable reliability.
My view is that Sound United own so many brands, and Denon and Marantz in particular, that this presents us all with a significant dilemma should Masimo shutter Sound United.
I should explain that declaring Sound United a Discontinued Operation is an accounting maneuver at this time for tax purposes while a buyer is found. However, during the first quarter of this year, which is the end of this month, a buyer must be found, or a plan submitted for the continued operation of Sound United under Masimo. The third option is to shutter it. All this is now up to the tax accountants it seems at the moment. It’s always unsettling when trusted hardware brands face uncertain futures especially when you’ve built your setup around them. I’ve had to rethink parts of my own infrastructure recently, particularly around payment processing for my clients. That’s when I switched to a
Corefy’s white label payment gateway. What I liked most was how easy it was to tailor everything under my own branding without having to build the tech from scratch. In industries where reliability is everything, having control and flexibility like this makes a huge difference.
