I have a Nad amplifier and some new speakers sitting in our media room closet and I need a pre/pro for it. I have been patiently waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the new and improved and less expensive processors from Emotiva and Outlaw to come out but I am getting tired of waiting. Now I am thinking that I will get either a Marantz 5003 or 6003 to use as a pre/pro for the time being. When I am ready to get a "real" processor I will then retire the Marantz to our family room to replace a three year old Pioneer receiver that I am using in there.
In looking at the 5003 and 6003 I couldn't tell much difference between the two. The 6003 has 10 more WPC and an extra HDMI output but that's really about all I can see aside from the styling differences. The extra HDMI would be nice if I was going to keep it in the media room since I plan on having a projector and a flat screen, however, I am certain I will have a dedicated pre/pro before I get a projector so the dual HDMI outs are really not a big deal. I guess the 6003 had a nicer OSD but I am not too concerned about that since I will not be using the OSD much after I set it up anyway. It looks like their video and audio performance and processing are virutally identical and they can both handle the same number of inputs. Am I missing anything here? Is there any real reason for my to pay an extra $150-200 for the 6003 other than to get a slightly more aesthetically pleasing user experience?
Thanks,
Matt
