Marantz SR4002 vs Yamaha RX-V463 vs Pioneer VSX-918V-K

[amradel]

I am searching for a new A/V receiver to replace my old pioneer 509, I found these 3 matching my budget and needs but I am confused what which to buy?

Marantz SR4002
Yamaha RX-V463
Pioneer VSX-918V-K

What do you recommend? do anyone have practical experience with them to tell me what are their cons and pros?

 

[Midcow2]

I am searching for a new A/V receiver to replace my old pioneer 509, I found these 3 matching my budget and needs but I am confused what which to buy?

Marantz SR4002
Yamaha RX-V463
Pioneer VSX-918V-K

What do you recommend? do anyone have practical experience with them to tell me what are their cons and pros?

I have a newer Marantz and the build quality is excellent as well as the ease of operation and features. Marantz is a little weak on upconverting if that is a requirement for you; the max upconvert is 480p. Yamaha and Pioneer are good brands also.


Good luck !

MidCow2

 

[amradel]

Any overheating problems with Marantz

Did you face any overheating problem? what is the clearance around it? is their any other device placed on top of it (DVD or PS3 for example)?

 

[Midcow2]

Marantz is COOL!

Did you face any overheating problem? what is the clearance around it? is their any other device placed on top of it (DVD or PS3 for example)?

I have the Marantz in a cabinet that is closed. The back is completely open however. I have maybe 2 inches clearance on the top, no other components stacked on top and maybe 1-2 inches clearance on each side. No auxillary cooling other than ambient air flow and NO Heating problems. It is barely warm to the touch.

Here is a picture:

Good luck!

MidCow2

 

[rnatalli]

I'd think the Marantz 4002 would sell for about $75-$100 more than the 463 or 918. In that price range, you get into the Yamaha 663 and Onkyo 606. But, if you can get the Marantz for around $250 which is what the 918 and 463 sell for, I'd go for it.

 

[amradel]

Marantz SR4002 330US$
Yamaha RX-V463 300US$
Pioneer VSX-918V-K 255US$

What do you think?

 

[rnatalli]

I would stretch for the Yamaha 663 or Onkyo 606 which can usually be had for around $350 shipped.

 

[amradel]

Yamaha rx-v663

The Yamaha rx-v663 is sold for 500US$ on Amazon it much over my budget, do you have any concerns over the marantz 4002?

 

[Yammy Fan]

I own the Yamaha 461, a 463 without HDMI inputs, and really dislike it. Its sound quality is only mediocre. It has a shallow dynamic range, and its power output is weak. It is rated at 100 watts continuous, but it sounds more like 75W. I have owned it for a year, and I am shopping to replace it already! Look elsewhere.

 

[Pyrrho]

The Yamaha rx-v663 is sold for 500US$ on Amazon it much over my budget, do you have any concerns over the marantz 4002?

They are not the only place to buy it online; here is Yamaha's list of authorized online dealers, as well as the place to go to find local authorized dealers:

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/customer/dealer.aspx?CTID=5010030

I have no idea which would give you the lowest price, or whether or not there are significant differences in price from them.

With the particular models you mention in your opening post, at the prices you mention later on, I would probably go with the Pioneer. But before doing that, I would check out all of the Yamaha authorized online dealers, as well as any local authorized dealers there might be, to see if I could get a deal on the Yamaha RX-V663.

The reason being, the models you mention do not support the new audio formats on Blu-Ray, so there is a good chance you will want to replace it in the not too distant future. Whereas the RX-V663 is about as "future proof" as anything at the moment. You might also look to see if you can get Pioneer's lowest unit that has the new audio formats; I believe it is the VSX-1018AH-K. Or, you could wait for the new models coming out soon, when there will probably be these new formats on lower models. See, for example:

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10137163-100.html

Of course, it is not available yet, and I don't know if it will have all of the features you need, but it might be worth waiting until April.

 

[amradel]

any concerns on the Marantz 4002

I checked for Yamaha 663 the lowest price I found was 499$ which is far from my budget, Marantz 4002 has better features over the pioneer 918 and the yamaha 463, but I did not buy marantz before and I don't know anyone who did, thats why I am a little hesitated to buy it.

do you have any concerns on the Marantz 4002?

 

[Midcow2]

I checked for Yamaha 663 the lowest price I found was 499$ which is far from my budget, Marantz 4002 has better features over the pioneer 918 and the yamaha 463, but I did not buy marantz before and I don't know anyone who did, thats why I am a little hesitated to buy it.

do you have any concerns on the Marantz 4002?

Only concern on Marantz is video up conversion; it only up converts to 480p. If that is not a requirement, then Marantz has good bulid quality and nice operation features. The first amp I bought was a Marantz 1060 (in early 70s); I still have it in operation, in my office set-up. I have bought many receivers since: Yamaha, Pioneer, etc. But last February I went back to Marantz and have been very happy.

Good Luck!

MidCow2

P.S.- For what is worth when I bought my Marantz, I didn't realize their were authorized and unauthorized Internet dealers. I bought brand-new, but it turns out it was from an unauthorized dealer. I contacted Marnatz directly and they said that my serial number was valid, they registered my AVR, and stated they would provide FULL factory warranty

 

[Pyrrho]

I checked for Yamaha 663 the lowest price I found was 499$ which is far from my budget, Marantz 4002 has better features over the pioneer 918 and the yamaha 463, but I did not buy marantz before and I don't know anyone who did, thats why I am a little hesitated to buy it.

do you have any concerns on the Marantz 4002?

My only concern is that the receivers you mention do not have the new audio formats that are on Blu-Ray, so you may end up replacing it long before it fails. Marantz, however, is a good brand, but not as good of a value as Pioneer or Yamaha. In other words, it costs more for a comparable unit from Marantz than from Pioneer or Yamaha. But, Marantz makes fine receivers.

 

[amradel]

BlueRay decoding

I understand that BlueRay does the decoding and send the sound via the HDMI as uncompressed PCM, an I right?

 

[Pyrrho]

I understand that BlueRay does the decoding and send the sound via the HDMI as uncompressed PCM, an I right?

Some Blu-Ray players can do that, and some receivers that cannot decode the raw signal can receive multi-channel PCM via HDMI. So, if you are careful about which units you buy, you can do it as you say. However, with it becoming increasingly common for the decoders to be built into receivers, it is likely that most players of the future will not have decoders built in. Right now, the less expensive Blu-Ray players do not tend to be able to decode the new formats, but the more expensive ones typically can. But it isn't something you can safely assume to be there, even if the price is high; the $1000 Denon DVD-2500BTCI Blu-Ray player doesn't decode any of the new formats.

So, if I were buying a new receiver, I would absolutely not buy one without the new decoders. It is, of course, your decision what you will buy, not mine.