Receiver replacement

[gs274]

So, I've got a Marantz SR-7001 that went in for service. Almost 2 weeks later, they tell me I'm looking at around 2 months before I get it back due to backlog and the high probability of them having to ship the unit to the supercenter in NJ.

With the center of my home theater gone, I'm without my main entertainment center. I'm considering just buying a replacement and selling the Marantz once it's back from service.

Does any have an opinion on how the Pioneer Elite SC-05 compares against the SR-7001? The main thing I'm looking at is 1) no more marantz based on the service, which also knocks out Denon since they are the same company. 2) MUST have at least 4 HDMI in 3) must be multiroom capable. Pricepoint i'm looking at is around $1500 and I can currently purchase the SC-05 for $1600.

 

[Chopin_Guy]

Well you have lots of options in that price bracket, but you are also talking about paying full retail when you can get even higher models at that same price point. The Pioneer Elites are very nice AVRs, but I would hope you can get the SC-05 for less than $1,600...I would think you should be able to get the SC-07 for that price.

You already ruled out Denon which would have been my other suggestion as you can get the 3808ci and even possibly the 4308ci in that budget. Which really only leaves Onkyo, in which case you should be examining the TX-SR875/876 and TX-SR905/906. These are their top two models, offer alot of bang for the buck and you should be able to get either of them within your stated budget...

 

[audion3wb]

Onkyo

Not to bash or anything, as I am an onkyo owner but they run pretty damn hot and I have heard that their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

That being said my Onkyo serves me well and I have had no probs with it.

 

[bandphan]

To the OP fwiw i wouldnt rule out denon because they own marantz, they own several brands including McIntosh and your not seeing alot of re-badging at all.

 

[allargon]

If customer service is your issue and you don't like Marantz/Denon, that also rules out Onkyo/Integra and Harman Kardon.

That leaves you with Yamaha and Pioneer. Since you're not playing in the sub-$1k market, you can also bounce around with Rotel, Sherwood Newcastle and Cambridge Audio. There's also Sony. People say the ES stuff is way better than their regular mass market STR lines. The regular STR lines (e.g., 520, 620, 720, 820, 920) aren't known for their reliability, either.