Would I miss Yammy's DSP if I bought a Marantz 7500 or 8500?

[ChrisJam]

I have a thread going in this forum called "Yamaha vs. Marantz...some questions." Based on info there, I'm seriously considering the refurbished Marantz 7500. I might even step up to a refurbished 8500. (Multiple house renovations this year don't allow me to spend too much on a new AVR right now. I'd hoped to stay under $500, but I could go a little higher, after seeing a refurb 8500 for $699.) But neither one of these AVRs has DSPs, I just learned.

Here's where I'm coming from. I have a late-1990s Yamaha HTR-5280, which is equivalent to the RX-V800. Once I set up 5.1 speakers, I played with many of the movie settings, and finally found a DSP mode that I liked for almost all movies: 70 mm General. My AVR has ProLogic, but not ProLogic II, which I understand is many times better.

In my other recent thread, I asked about buying a Yammy 659 or a Marantz 7500. If I like my present Yammy's DSP for movies, would I be happy with a Marantz that doesn't do DSP, but has DD, PL II, DTS 96/24 ES, Neo:6 (though I'll use a 5.1 speaker system), and SRS Circle Surround II? Or am I missing something obvious?

I hadn't considered this question until I came across post #8 in this thread while researching the 8500 AVR:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11235&highlight=8500

Thanks,
Chris

 

[MDS]

Some people love to have two million DSP modes; I'm not one of them.

I don't think you'd be missing anything by giving up Yamaha's DSP. The straight DD/DTS decoders accurately decode the mix as intended and PLII does a fine job of extracting center and surround info from 2 channel tracks.

 

[mike c]

Some people love to have two million DSP modes; I'm not one of them.

I don't think you'd be missing anything by giving up Yamaha's DSP. The straight DD/DTS decoders accurately decode the mix as intended and PLII does a fine job of extracting center and surround info from 2 channel tracks.

I missed the DSP's when I switched from yammy to HK. but it was not because it sounded better, I just like pushing buttons and switching the DSP's. in the end, I forgot that there was such a thing as DSP's.

 

[rnatalli]

Everybody is different. I personally don't use any DSP modes.

 

[Bryce_H]

I went from a Yamaha DSP-A3090 (actually it is in my living room system) to a Denon 3805. Never used the DSPs on the Yamaha, so no issues for me.

 

[Seth=L]

I have a thread going in this forum called "Yamaha vs. Marantz...some questions." Based on info there, I'm seriously considering the refurbished Marantz 7500. I might even step up to a refurbished 8500. (Multiple house renovations this year don't allow me to spend too much on a new AVR right now. I'd hoped to stay under $500, but I could go a little higher, after seeing a refurb 8500 for $699.) But neither one of these AVRs has DSPs, I just learned.

Here's where I'm coming from. I have a late-1990s Yamaha HTR-5280, which is equivalent to the RX-V800. Once I set up 5.1 speakers, I played with many of the movie settings, and finally found a DSP mode that I liked for almost all movies: 70 mm General. My AVR has ProLogic, but not ProLogic II, which I understand is many times better.

In my other recent thread, I asked about buying a Yammy 659 or a Marantz 7500. If I like my present Yammy's DSP for movies, would I be happy with a Marantz that doesn't do DSP, but has DD, PL II, DTS 96/24 ES, Neo:6 (though I'll use a 5.1 speaker system), and SRS Circle Surround II? Or am I missing something obvious?

I hadn't considered this question until I came across post #8 in this thread while researching the 8500 AVR:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11235&highlight=8500

Thanks,
Chris

I like to use the original modes for multichannel playback, DSPs are not a factor for me when looking at receivers. They could do away from manufacturer specific DSPs and it would not affect me on bit.

 

[MDS]

Onkyo includes 5 'Onkyo Original DSP' modes and as I like to say...that is 5 too many.

For me at least, the thrill of messing with a million settings wears off very quickly. Yamaha may be renowned for their DSP modes but I could care less. Anyone that has ever done any amount of audio editing knows that it is a major pain to try, undo, redo, etc and compare the difference.

If you want to spend hour upon hour trying different attack, decay, and reverb times until you feel that it 'sounds good', then by all means have it. Me, I'll stick to the normal decoders with no changes.

 

[patnshan]

It's funny, I went yamaha from marantz (I still use both) and still do not use most of the DSP's on the yamaha. The only thing I really use is PLIIx overlay and 7 channel enhanced for MP3 play off my HTPC. I think the marantz' have modes that will suffice in these cases.

I do think the marantz sounds EXCELLENT. I like the yamaha too, but it's differenct. Also, the marantz weighs as much as a Yugo, the yamaha does not.

Pat

 

[darien87]

I don't use the DSP's on my Yamaha either.

 

[j_garcia]

No DSP here either.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I have never turned on one of the DSP modes before. I did walk in one time and my wife was jammin some Country Music through the "Game" setting. When I asked her why she said..."I dont know"...

 

[ChrisJam]

Thanks

Thanks, everyone. I won't worry about not having DSPs if I go with Marantz.

Chris

 

[GlocksRock]

I used to use the Yamaha DSP's all the time, but after a while the added reverb bothered me, so now I strictly stay with the standard Dolby Digital or DTS and add PLIIx for the stereo surround back.

 

[Tyreman]

Using the humble Yamaha RXV659 I leave it on PLIIx movie all the time.
the cable "box" here has the FM channels on it as well.
I have experimented with all the sound fields but seem to leave it here for ease of use(with other family members) as I can incorporate the back 2 surround channels with this setting.

 

[jcPanny]

DSP Modes

FYI,
Dolby Digital and DTS are DSP modes and every receiver includes them. I use these standard modes in favor of the Yamaha specific DSP modes on my receiver. Dolby PLII/PLIIx might also be nice for playing a stereo source in 5.1 or 7.1. One useful application of the Yamaha DSPs is for adding the presence speakers to the front soundstage. Most of their receivers can run 5.1 + presence, or 7.1.

 

[gmichael]

I don't use mine. They were fun at first but grew old.

 

[ChrisJam]

Thanks, again, everyone.

I'll order the new AVR is a couple weeks, so I can set it up on the a/v stand after we get our new floors installed. I'll have to rip up all our HT wiring then, anyway.

FYI, I'm pretty sure I'll go with the Yammy 659. The two Marantzes I was interested in, the 7500 & 8500, look like they don't supply a good signal to a sub in two-channel mode. I have bookshelves. With my 8- or 9-year old Yammy, if I want to switch from 5-channel stereo (good for parties) to 2.1, all I have to do is push one button. Voila, I have sound from my mains, with low tones going to my auto-on sub. The Yammy 659'll do this, too. But as far as I can see, neither of the Marantzes will. That's a deal killer for me.

I'll be happy with a 659 for 2-3 years. After that? Well, there'll be plenty of new and better things around, and I can keep the 659 for a secondary system.

And BTW, since I'll have PL II with the new AVR, I'll be happy with that, and won't be concerned with the Yammy's extra DSP modes.

I appreciate all the help.

Chris

 

[gmichael]

All the best 2U. I'm sure you'll love the new Yammie.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

My Yamaha has all the DSP modes. Personally, I don't hear any significant difference between them and plain PL or DTS. (Not saying no difference, just that its subtle and really only detectable by direct A/B comparison.) If I didn't have DSP, I am certain I wouldn't miss it.

 

[dm_4u]

I guess we all are different, because I don't understand how you could EVER go back to normal DD or DTS after listening to Yammy's "enhanced" mode DSP...it encompasses the entire room in soundfield.