Need Advice on A/V Receiver selection: Marantz vs Denon

[lreinstein]

I am new to the forum and hope this is the best place to post my question.

I am setting up a new Home Theater with the help of a local A/V shop. I will have a wall mounted 50 inch Plasma screen, and have some pretty good sounding speakers: 3 in-wall B&W CWM LCR7's with 3 B&W CWM 650's in the rear. The pro is also recommending the Velodyne SPL-1000R subwoofer.

An important fact is that this will NOT be a music listening system since we listen to music on a different 2-channel system in the Living Room.

The Audio Pro strongly advise using the Marantz SR7002 A/V Receiver as the Hub of the system. I have an HD TIVO and a DVD player (we mostly watch DVD's) as the input Sources. I want to have a single HDMI carry all the info to the Plasma.

I am trying to decide between Marantz and one of the comparable Denon's. The Marantz is supposed to have better sound...but is this very important for watching DVD movies and HD Videos? (not using it for music). The Marantz has plenty of power, a good warranty.

Or, should I lean toward the Denon, which seems to be much more feature rich?

And which features are even important? I dont understand most of them. Is upconversion important since i eventually will be getting a Blu-Ray or Combo player. Won't a good DVD player provide the needed upconversion? How about these features found in the Denon's:.......

Expanded HDMI v1.3a ports with Deep Color, xvYCC and SACD support
Audyssey MultEQ XT & MultEQ Pro calibration installer ready

Are these important? is the XT so much better that i should be swayed?

I could use help and advice. As I said, the Pro that I am working with carries both systems, but is personally oriented toward sound quality and is not really into features. However, it is important to me that this is somewhat future proof so I can eventually use it for Blu Ray etc.

THank you for taking the time to help and advise.

Larry

 

[brulaha]

I may be flamed for this, but I really doubt there are a lot of differences between Denon and Marantz. They are owned by the same company, D & M holdings, and I would imagine this leads to shared resources. I think that Marantz is a brand that is more exclusive than Denon, but doesn't necessarily offer better performance. Denon by far is a bigger line for them, so I doubt it would make good business sense for them to hold back on those products. This is especially true given Denon products can get very expensive and esoteric for their top models. As for which you should choose, that's up to you. You would not need up conversion in a receiver if other devices you own or will buy can do it better. I've been very impressed with Audyssey XT, but there are mixed reviews on it's performance. In regard to expanded HDMI v1.3a ports with Deep Color, xvYCC and SACD support, I think this is the biggest feature you should look for on a receiver IF you are going to be using it as a video switch. You mentioned being future proofed. There is really no such thing in the world of receivers. They change almost every year. However, I would imagine all displays are going to be gravitating towards deep color, and I would want my receiver to be compatible.

 

[Seth=L]

Marantz and Denon have completely different designs, but that said, they shouldn't sound much different if at all. Pick the receiver with the features you need, Denon has Marantz beat in that arena.

 

[Addy]

is denon and marantz not partners or something...i think they are and i think they share technologies. although I'm a denon fan marantz is awsome too. which ever one you choose you'll be happy with your decision i guarantee it

 

[lreinstein]

Is the sound from one of the Denon's going to be as good as the Marantz?

My dealer suggests that Marantz sound better but are also more robust and better built than the Denon's. Do you think this is true.

Also, is the Audyssey MultEQ XT on the Denon a deal maker, rather than the non-XT version on the Marantz? How important is such a feature? My room size is about 15 x 20 with sloped ceiling (it is in a loft in an A-frame town home) and somewhat open to the rest of the Living Space.

If I do purchase Denon, which of the models (there are so many) would be the most appropriate?

Finally, do you think the B&W CWM LRC7's are overkill?

thanks

Larry

 

[Seth=L]

They don't share their technologies, they are completely different animals. I haven't seen the new Marantz in person, but what dissapoints me about them is they all made in China. The Denon are mostly Japanese made. As far as one sounding better than the other, it's not going to be a night and day difference, even if such a difference is present.

As I mentioned before, get the one with the features you want, and also the Denon has many more features.

Those speakers should be fine.

 

[rnatalli]

A $500 Denon and $500 Marantz receiver will sound the same really. It's the speakers that will have the greatest impact on the sound. Go with the receiver that gives you the features you want and the best price.

 

[basil]

I've been using the marantz for the past 5 years with B&W CDM 7 NT's and it sounds great.