Denon 2312 vs. Marantz SR 6006

[btl05]

With an $800 & under price range, here's what I'm looking at:

Marantz SR6006 ($800) 110 W
Denon AVR 2312 ($600) 105 W

Knowing that wattage ratings can be suspect, I'm wondering if more knowledgeable Audioholics can give me a sense if there is any true, clean power difference between these 2. Any other comments regarding these 2 would be appreciated as well.

Based on past experience I'm shying away from HK, Pioneer and Onkyo.

Speakers/TV: Polk VM30 fronts, with relatively inexpensive and soon to be upgraded Paradigm center, JBL sub and Infinity surrounds. Panasonic 50" 1080I plasma.

There are so many features available that I am getting lost. I probably won't have a lot of time to fiddle with all the capabilities of the modern receivers so I'm not too concerned with maxing out on features. Just interested in as much good, clean power I can get for the money, and most definitely durability.

Thanks for your time, consideration and any input.

 

[markw]

With an $800 & under price range, here's what I'm looking at:

Marantz SR6006 ($800) 110 W
Denon AVR 2312 ($600) 105 W

Knowing that wattage ratings can be suspect, I'm wondering if more knowledgeable Audioholics can give me a sense if there is any true, clean power difference between these 2.

No, there is not. In the grand scheme of things you won't hear a difference between these two amps.

Both are good receivers. Get the one that has the features you need or want.

 

[templemaners]

The 6006 has preouts while the 2312 does not. Any power deficiency the Marantz has (which I don't think it does) is then easily fixed by external amplification.

Also, I thought the Denon version of the Marantz 6006 was the 3312CI.

I'd rather have the Marantz.

 

[fuzz092888]

They're both made by the same company, so they use many similar parts. Some guys say that Marantz is just a rebadge of the Denon models, but personally I don't think so. While many of the parts are extremely similar, to identical I can't see enough similarity looking inside to justify saying the Marant's are simply a rebadge.

Anyways, As long as you're going to be hooking up the receiver to a TV via HDMI I would go with the Marantz. I had a 5006 and thought it was an awesome receiver. Both are going to give you similar features and connectivity, but my own personal experiences with similar Denon and Marantz models had and has me leaning towards Marantz. I just think they deliver better sound, but that's only my subjective opinion.

The best thing you can do is go and try to audition and play with both models to see which you prefer. The feature set is going to be similar, but connectivity is going to be where they really differ.

The Marantz delivers 9.2 with a full range of pre-outs, plus 7.1 channel analog in.

The Denon only has 7.2 out, with only a zone 2 pre-out and no multi-channel in.

The amplifier section is similar and at a difference of only 5 watts they'll be much more similar than different. Again, try to go play with both models and see which you prefer best.

 

[j_garcia]

Marantz and Denon are not the same company. They are both owned by a holding company that is funded by the two of them. The two companies are completely separate and as far as I know, they operate completely independent of each other. If you look at the lines and the pricing, Denon has lower cost models while Marantz no longer does.

 

[fuzz092888]

Marantz and Denon are not the same company. They are both owned by a holding company that is funded by the two of them. The two companies are completely separate and as far as I know, they operate completely independent of each other. If you look at the lines and the pricing, Denon has lower cost models while Marantz no longer does.

Sorry I misspoke, they're owned by the same company which is why they parts share and why their specs are so similar.

 

[PENG]

The Marantz weighs 1.6 lbs more and a touch more powerful but nothing I see that will make it a better sounding one. The big advantage it has is the 7.1 preouts. If you have no plan to use it as a prepro then I would say get the Denon and save yourself $200, otherwise go with the Marantz.

Marantz seems to be taking care of the mid range models (I mean AVRs) only and Denon still covers from entry level all the way to really high end models.

 

[btl05]

The Yamaha RX-V671 at just over $400 is tempting also.

I guess the pre-out is the big question. It would be a nice option to have but I'm not sure I'll ever get around to taking advantage of it.

Thanks everyone, SO much for your input. Very helpful for a hopelessly behind the times movie & music lover like me.

 

[PENG]

The Yamaha RX-V671 at just over $400 is tempting also.

I guess the pre-out is the big question. It would be a nice option to have but I'm not sure I'll ever get around to taking advantage of it.

Thanks everyone, SO much for your input. Very helpful for a hopelessly behind the times movie & music lover like me.

If the 671 is tempting, try finding a 667 for may be even less and it has pre outs. It has most of the popular features but is not a network AVR.

 

[btl05]

Thanks again!

I went with the Denon, hoping the extra $180 jump from the Yamaha is worthwhile. The Marantz was tempting but realistically I may never use the pre-out and for some reason $800 was scary whereas $600 wasn't.

Thanks again all, for the info & guidance.

 

[PENG]

I went with the Denon, hoping the extra $180 jump from the Yamaha is worthwhile. The Marantz was tempting but realistically I may never use the pre-out and for some reason $800 was scary whereas $600 wasn't.

Thanks again all, for the info & guidance.

I am quite impressed with the 1912. The 2312 has more features and a little more power so I am sure you will like it. It also has a larger display window. Port hole looks nice but too small to see what's on it from >10 ft.

 

[fuzz092888]

Everybody always hates on the porthole

I guess Marantz was marketing towards my generation or maybe just me since I never look at the AVR unless I absolutely have to. I do everything with the on screen menus/push the info button on the remote. Quick readouts, visible from all distances/angles (as long as the tv is in view which is a lot more places than the tiny screen is visible from). I just think Marantz was counting on more people making use of a well made GUI, than constantly trying to read tiny indicators on a 1" by 6" screen.

But to each his own

 

[PENG]

Everybody always hates on the porthole

I guess Marantz was marketing towards my generation or maybe just me since I never look at the AVR unless I absolutely have to. I do everything with the on screen menus/push the info button on the remote. Quick readouts, visible from all distances/angles (as long as the tv is in view which is a lot more places than the tiny screen is visible from). I just think Marantz was counting on more people making use of a well made GUI, than constantly trying to read tiny indicators on a 1" by 6" screen.

But to each his own

I like the port hole on my AV7005 but it has only 6 HDMI so I have to plug some stuff directly to the TV and am forced to read the port hole or the display window when using those input sources

 

[bluephi1914]

The Marantz weighs 1.6 lbs more and a touch more powerful but nothing I see that will make it a better sounding one. The big advantage it has is the 7.1 preouts. If you have no plan to use it as a prepro then I would say get the Denon and save yourself $200, otherwise go with the Marantz.

Marantz seems to be taking care of the mid range models (I mean AVRs) only and Denon still covers from entry level all the way to really high end models.

What are pre-outs typically used for? I have had them and seen them on some of my receivers but never use them.

 

[j_garcia]

What are pre-outs typically used for? I have had them and seen them on some of my receivers but never use them.

They are for connecting an external amp, which is what was meant by power won't be an issue. The 6006 also has full preamp outputs; all of the SR models do. The NR models I believe only have pre outs for the main R&L speakers.

 

[fuzz092888]

The SR5006 does not have a full set of pre-outs, unfortunately I made that assumption too only to have it come back and bite me. Weird thing is that the 5005 had them.