Denon or Marantz?

[WWBLEVINS]

I'm getting close to making a decision on a new A/V receiver. I have a Denon 2803 now, and want to upgrade everything. The wife says to do whatever I want! I keep looking at a 3806 which can still be found new for about $800. I recently saw the new Marantz 7001THX, which I can get for a little more. Denon with all its faults is still the "safest" brand out there. They absolutely dominate the message boards, are generally well respected, and have the best resale value of all the recievers. An aquaintance who is in the Home Theater construction business likes the Marantz stuff, and claims to have ZERO call-backs. I really like the 7001, but am hesitant because Marantz seemed to come and go over the years. I know they are making a comeback since their merge w/ Denon, and they had good reviews at the Las Vegas show. The last point I'm having trouble with is the MADE IN CHINA tag on the rear. It seems worrying about that is a lost cause, as Velodyne, SVS, Denon, Harman-Kardon and many others have thrown in the towel, and set up shop in China. The Denon "38's" and up are still made in Japan using "paid labor".
I'm leaning toward the Marantz, and any opinions will be appreciated.

 

[j_garcia]

A particular brand dominating message boards has NOTHING to do with their quality or "safety"; that is simply called popularity and one is not always an indication of the other.

Check the back of a Denon...there is a very good chance their lower models are also made in China AFAIK. My Marantz was manufactured in Japan, according to the box.

Either way, both companies are owned by D&M Holdings, so your money goes to the same place no matter.

The short story is, I like Denon for a lot of things, but I prefer the sound of Marantz. I've owned 4 receivers, 2 amps and 2 integrated amps from them and I have been very happy with all of them.

 

[Tyreman]

Well Marantz in itself is not the Marantz of yesteryear in say the late 60's or 70's
Saul Marantz ole days.
It is just held by a holding company nowadays.
Which will have other interests as well.
As already mentioned Denon and Marantz one big happy family now anyway.
As for the forums and certain brands seeen quite a bit it doesn't always mean everything.
Look around at some diffferent models just to be sure and see what strikes your fancy and get it.
Lots of value today thats for sure in the home theatre receiver department.

 

[zumbo]

You could always go for Yamaha. My rx-v was made in Japan. Love it.

 

[dpnaugle]

For what it is worth Denon models 2807 and up are made in Japan. Models 2307ci below are made in China. I have always had Denon and been happy. I dont think you can't go wrong with Denon but you may want to wait a few months for the new models with HDMI 1.3. if that matters to you. Yamaha and Marantz are Mfg that I would also happily own.

DN

 

[angstadt530]

...you may want to wait a few months for the new models with HDMI 1.3. if that matters to you..

I'm looking at getting a new Denon as well, but I'm still confused on what HDMI 1.3 switching would give me over 1.1 and 1.2 that supports 1080p besides more bandwidth. Can someone give a good answer in Layman's Terms? ...I guess my question is basically, if I were to buy a receiver that supports 1080p HDMI, but only 1.1, would I feel like it's outdated in only a couple years?

Anyway, as said, both companies make good receivers. The main difference that I see is that the Denons can be found on online authorized retailer's sites for a lot less than MSRP, while Marantz products can usually only be found at or near MSRP and at a lot fewer places. Therefore, if price is an issue, Denon would give you more "bang for your buck".

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Try accessories4less for better pricing on the Marantz AVR's. I prefer the look of the Marantz.

HMDI 1.3 will process the new Dolby Ture HD and DTS HD surround sound that will be encoded on HD DVD and Blu ray discs. HDMI 1.1 and 1.2 will not. If you don't plan on buying a HD DVD or Blu ray player, don't worry about it. If this is going to be your 5-10 year AVR, I'd wait a few months.

 

[dpnaugle]

This thread may help you decide if you need HDMI 1.3

I felt better about buying my 2807 in December after reading this, but I think I would prefered to have waited anyway.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=789994

 

[dentman67]

If you placed all those receivers in the same room and did a blind listening test you would not be able to tell them apart , I'm including your 2803 in that mix . All the receivers that where mentioned are very well made and have some nice test bench numbers to back that up.

Almost 3 years ago I made the jump from my 2801 to the just released 3805 and was 100% sure I heard a nice gain in sound quality . Then I was chalenged on that by a member of one of the forums . I took on his challenge and had my wife help me do a a blind test of the the two receivers . Guess what , He was dead right , I could hear no real diffrence in sound .

Unless it's new features you need use that money towards a speaker/sub upgrade , or adding a seperate amp to your 2803.

 

[markab1]

Marantz won me

I just purchased the next step up Marantz, SR8001, I was also looking at Denon. What won me over was side by side, the Marantz AV receivers just plain sounded better. Something you will find is that the Denon have many more bells and whistles, but what was spent in those bells and whistles in Denon the engineers at Marantz put into the audio quality of the Marantz. The 7001 and 8001 boast 4 HDMI inputs Ver 1.2 and the 8001 has 2 outputs. If you have a couple of extra bucks and are willing to shop around, the 8001 won me hands down over the 7001 because of the copper clad case, toroid-based power supply, and Current feedback amplification. Another deciding factor was the Marantz's user freindly remote and easy setup, macros were simple to set and there is no longer a need for any advanced remote other than the one supplied with the 8001. After seeing the Denon remote and hearing horror stories of 2 and 3 day setups, it was just another point in Marantz's favor. The 7001 is superb, but the 8001 takes it over the top, I thank the salesman on the other side of the country who sold me this fine peice of electronics daily everytime I turn it on and shake the walls with the best listening experience I have ever had in my own house.

Marantz SR8001, Marantz DV7600, Samsung 5030 50" Plasma, Boston Acoustics Lynnfeild VR965's, NHT Classic 3's, NHT Classic 3c, and soon to be added 2 homebuilt 1000 watt 15" Madison subs

 

[WWBLEVINS]

I just purchased the next step up Marantz, SR8001, I was also looking at Denon. What won me over was side by side, the Marantz AV receivers just plain sounded better. Something you will find is that the Denon have many more bells and whistles, but what was spent in those bells and whistles in Denon the engineers at Marantz put into the audio quality of the Marantz. The 7001 is superb, but the 8001 takes it over the top, I thank the salesman on the other side of the country who sold me this fine peice of electronics daily everytime I turn it on and shake the walls with the best listening experience I have ever had in my own house.

Marantz SR8001, Marantz DV7600, Samsung 5030 50" Plasma, Boston Acoustics Lynnfeild VR965's, NHT Classic 3's, NHT Classic 3c, and soon to be added 2 homebuilt 1000 watt 15" Madison subs

I'll place my order in a few days, and I am considering the SR8001, although it's beyond my "mental comfort zone" in price! I've always bought "decent" $400 receivers, and now to spring for 3-times that is scaring me! I'm going w/ Polk Rti8's, Csi5's, Fxi3's, and a SVS 12-NSD sub, 61" Samsung DLP, etc. Meanwhile, like many on this board, I have other money-hungry projects going on, have to balance what I want vs. what I need!

 

[geekysteve]

I've had Denon stuff forever - since 1988, when I bought my first CD player, a Denon DCD1500 Mark II. It's still working today... I've had tons of Denon receivers and never had a single issue with any of them, no matter where they were made. One of my good friends has a Denon receiver from around 2000 that has been nearly run into the ground (it's powered 8-10 speakers at parties, overheated and shut down, never had any sort of "care," etc) and it's still going strong. He uses it every day.

I'll be a Denon fan forever... but Marantz is good stuff, too. How's that for a decisive answer? Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either. Pick the one that looks, sounds, and works best given your budget -- if you like the remote control, the menus, etc., that's the one you should pick-up.

 

[mdrew]

I just purchased the next step up Marantz, SR8001, I was also looking at Denon. What won me over was side by side, the Marantz AV receivers just plain sounded better. Something you will find is that the Denon have many more bells and whistles, but what was spent in those bells and whistles in Denon the engineers at Marantz put into the audio quality of the Marantz. The 7001 and 8001 boast 4 HDMI inputs Ver 1.2 and the 8001 has 2 outputs. If you have a couple of extra bucks and are willing to shop around, the 8001 won me hands down over the 7001 because of the copper clad case, toroid-based power supply, and Current feedback amplification. Another deciding factor was the Marantz's user freindly remote and easy setup, macros were simple to set and there is no longer a need for any advanced remote other than the one supplied with the 8001. After seeing the Denon remote and hearing horror stories of 2 and 3 day setups, it was just another point in Marantz's favor. The 7001 is superb, but the 8001 takes it over the top, I thank the salesman on the other side of the country who sold me this fine peice of electronics daily everytime I turn it on and shake the walls with the best listening experience I have ever had in my own house.

Marantz SR8001, Marantz DV7600, Samsung 5030 50" Plasma, Boston Acoustics Lynnfeild VR965's, NHT Classic 3's, NHT Classic 3c, and soon to be added 2 homebuilt 1000 watt 15" Madison subs

I just bought the 8001 too. I love it. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the comparably priced Denon has (4306), but I couldn't care less about I Pod and PC interface. If that's important to anyone, Marantz isn't what you want.

The only shortcoming I found, is it does not have FULL audio support for 7.1 uncompressed PCM audio streams. I've reported this to tech support and they have sent my info to Japan for a resolution (so I was told).

In the meantime, matrixed 7.1 surround sound with LPCM works great. And realistically, there isn't but about 4 or 5 7.1 LPCM sources available and only one of them is true 7.1 and it's jsut a PS3 game. The others are BR movies with 6.1.

 

[SRHookEm]

I must be looking in the wrong places---I can't find the 3806 for $800.

PM me!

 

[SRHookEm]

Are you talking about refurbished for $800?

 

[j_garcia]

The only shortcoming I found, is it does not have FULL audio support for 7.1 uncompressed PCM audio streams. I've reported this to tech support and they have sent my info to Japan for a resolution (so I was told).

In the meantime, matrixed 7.1 surround sound with LPCM works great. And realistically, there isn't but about 4 or 5 7.1 LPCM sources available and only one of them is true 7.1 and it's jsut a PS3 game. The others are BR movies with 6.1.

And that is why I am waiting until the end of this year to see what they come out with. I already have a number of BDs with uncompressed tracks that I want to hear but figured I'd need a receiver with HDMI 1.3 for that.

 

[Dutchman01]

The PC interface did not look important for me.

Now a few months later owner of the AVR-4306 i can say WOW.

Nice thing that PC interface.

Now i can config my AVR from a pc an more nice make a backup of all the settings.

When someone in my house adjust the settings without permission i can place the backup back in 60 seconds or less.

when ik buy a new receiver in the future i do want that fature again.

 

[PENG]

I have done A/B comparisons with not just me but others listening carefully as well. I would guess that unless you have exceptional ability in discerning minute differences and can remember them, you will have hard time telling one receiver (I mean mid level models such as the Yamaha RX-V2X00, NADTXXX, HKAVR6XX, Denon AVR3X0X, etc.) from another. Loudspeakers used in such comparisons were popular brands within a price range of $2K to $3K per pair. And yes, even when A/B compared with entry level separates, those receivers sound pretty much the same under conditions when you don't need the extra power that separates offer. So my suggestion is, buy the power you need (the more the better if your budget allows), and go for the features and look that you like/need. Opinions from others regarding which models sound better may not be reliable unless you know the basis of such opinions.