Yamaha CX-A5200 vs. Marantz AV7705 comparision.

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ppiamp

Enthusiast
Hello everyone,
My first post at Audioholics but I have been at this hobby for 41 years :)
I was shopping for a new processor to replace my trusty Integra 80.3 and could not find any reviews of these two processors.
So I thought I share my first impressions after living with them for two weeks. My budget allowed up to 3000 dollars retail. A quick shout out to safeandsoundhq for making it happen.
This is my subjective opinion notes with the processors in my current system: I hope this helps some of you:

Equipment: Currently running a 5.3 system.

TV: LG 86UK6570aua
Processor: Yamaha cx-a5200
Amplifiers: 4 Crown XLS 2500
Speakers: Klipsch LaScala IIs, center: RC-64II, Rear S. RB-81
Subwoofers: Two PSA V1811, Earthquake MK-V15
Game: Xbox 1s
CD-DVD bluray: Denon 2500BTCI
Media: Apple TV 4k


Yamaha CX-a5200:

Build quality is fantastic. 33 lbs for a preamp...it is a Beast. Better circuit layout and a torrid transformer is a nice touch.
Bluetooth transmission with headphones and rear surround speakers.
Cleaner and quieter sound...with more dynamics than the 7705.
Envelopment with movies and music was deeper. The steering in this processor is just excellent.
It just sounded better with both two channel and movies.
The new AI surround feature works excellent with movies.
I preferred the AI on with movies, off with music.
Slightly sharper picture quality than the 7705...but very close.
I really liked Yamaha's new remote. Touch feel indentations makes it so I do not even need to look at the remote. Weight in the hand is better.
YPAO provided consistent and repeatable measurements in my room above 31hz. Howerver, it did poorly on the subwoofers. But you can manually dial in it in with your PEQ down to 15Hz, With the Yamaha you need to settle in for a day or two of tweaking. You can get much better sound in the end IMO. But you do work for it. I did go in manually with the Yamaha PEQ and matched the Audysses sub calibration in the end. I used a test disc and found out I had a big peak at 50hz...YPAO did minor correction but missed it IMO
The Yamaha has virtual presence speakers you can turn on and off...Front and Back. In my setup I cannot cut out the ceiling for speakers. That leaves me with bounce house speaker option for atmos speakers or use the virtual speakers. Currently I like what I hear using the virtual but I need more time with them.

Marantz AV7705

Please note as a disclaimer I did not use the new Audyssey app as I had a finite time limit I was up against.
Audyssey is easier to setup. You can be up and running in 10 minutes with this processor. Initially Audyssey did a better at sub eq than the YPAO RSC. Audyssey seemed to be having a tough time with my front LaScalas. It was good but not great. However, XT32 did nail the sub calibration perfectly..
If your are going to run the acoustic software correction once and never look at settings again. Hit the easy button and get the 7705.
This 7705 is noise sensitive. Keep your wifi router away from this. It does not like RF at all and I was using full XLR wiring throughout.
I could never get it to quiet down fully. Please do keep in mind I am running highly efficient Klipsch LaScala IIs at 105db/1m.
The Yamaha was dead quiet from the moment I plug it in.
The Marantz has the both IMAX and Auro3D certification. While Yamaha does has their equivalent called HD3 which sounded great....This may be important to you.
The Marantz locked on to HDMI signals about 2 seconds quicker than the Yamaha. I think Yam has improved it over its predecessor, the cx-a5100, but the Marantz still is faster.
Neither one had any video drop out or issues in my system.
The 7705 is 500 dollars cheaper, or less on the street price. However, it could make the difference to you. For me the Yamaha was worth the extra money.

Conclusion:

Overall the Yamaha CX-a5200 was the clear winner. At least in my system. Particularly with sound. But I also liked the Yamaha video processing slightly better.... I could of lived with the AV7705 and been happy IF I never heard the CX-a5200. But once I heard the 5200 I could not go back to the 7705. Logically, I think the AV8805 would be an interesting comparison also as it represents each companies flagship processor. But with AV8805 listing at 4500 retail, price becomes a factor quickly.
While I have demo'd the Marantz av8802a awhile back. I think the cx-a5200 build quality is equivalent. As long as you do not mind the Yamaha method of doing things, the cx-a5200 is one of the best processors out there for the money.




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Bookmark

Bookmark

Full Audioholic
Thank you for the information and good luck going forward. :)

By any chance you can post some pictures of the new Setup windows which we believe now includes EQ graphics over the speaker layout, and the individual channel edits?:p
 
Bookmark

Bookmark

Full Audioholic
Yes thank you.:) I believe it also shows the full EQ pic in the individual channel settings, this would nice too if possible.:)

I pester only because a few here have the 5100, myself included, and wished they had done this earlier. :eek: You never know they might update us or the App. :rolleyes: You are, I think, the first here with the 5200.:) So others may have some more requests.:eek:
 
P

ppiamp

Enthusiast
Keep the questions coming in....That is why i posted in here and AVS. I simply could not find a single review. I bought a new 4K TV so I needed a new Processor ASAP as my 80.3 is not 4k ready.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
When I was looking to replace my dead 8 YR old Denon AVP-A1HDCI, it was between the Marantz AV8802a, 8805, and Yamaha 5100. The AV7705 was never in the picture.

Price was NOT an issue for me.

I was surprised how much I loved the Yamaha Pre-pro.

The reported “better repair-record and HDMI-compatibility over the other brands” (by M Code) made it sweeter.

I bet Yamaha took the excellent 5100 and improved on a few things.
 
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TheWarrior

TheWarrior

Audioholic Ninja
When I was looking to replace my dead 8 YR old Denon AVP-A1HDCI, it was between the Marantz AV8802a, 8805, and Yamaha 5100. The AV7705 was never in the picture.

Price was NOT an issue for me.

I was surprised how much I loved the Yamaha Pre-pro.

The reported “better repair-record and HDMI-compatibility over the other brands” (by M Code) made it so much sweeter.

I bet Yamaha took the excellent 5100 and improved on a few things.
Did you have an issue with the switching speed between HDMI inputs with your Yamaha? Could've sworn that was the model Gene cited as having unusually slow source switching.....
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
When I was looking to replace my dead 8 YR old Denon AVP-A1HDCI, it was between the Marantz AV8802a, 8805, and Yamaha 5100. The AV7705 was never in the picture.

Price was NOT an issue for me.

I was surprised how much I loved the Yamaha Pre-pro.

The reported “better repair-record and HDMI-compatibility over the other brands” (by M Code) made it so much sweeter.

I bet Yamaha took the excellent 5100 and improved on a few things.
I think the 5200 is far superior. The AV7705 is at least one notch below the CX-A5100/5200 based on specs anyway. In reality they are all really AVR based as they share many of the same components, minus the power amp section, add the extra I/Os (e.g. balanced I/Os),stretch out things a little with the extra room, add some shielding to improve XT, SN etc., and they boxed them up as prepro. I have never tried an Yamaha prepro, but for sound quality, there is no need because I highly doubt any of them could/should sound better than my reference separates anyway.:D All that aside, the only reason I may choose the Marantz AV8805 would be because of XT32 that I need, but I may opt for the CX-A5200 and find a way to add Dirac Live for REQ.
 
P

ppiamp

Enthusiast
No problems with the 5200 regarding HDMI switching. However it was 2 or 3 seconds slower than the 7705 when locking on to a signal.
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Your welcome. Sure no problem with the pictures. Let me know if these are the ones your looking for.
In this case, because of the Klipsch, I would be very interested to see the distance and level settings screens.
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Keep the questions coming in....That is why i posted in here and AVS. I simply could not find a single review. I bought a new 4K TV so I needed a new Processor ASAP as my 80.3 is not 4k ready.
Thanks for a very nicely written review on the two units. I do prefer objective reviews, i.e. bench tests, but like you said, nothing for those two yet. Regarding you comments on YPAO and XT32, did you go by measurements using REW, Omni mic etc., or just by critical listening?
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Did you have an issue with the switching speed between HDMI inputs with your Yamaha? Could've sworn that was the model Gene cited as having unusually slow source switching.....
I don't even notice that.

As long as the HDMI is compatible and works great, I am happy.

It's not a big deal for me if there is a 3-second delay. It's not like I'm switching sources between songs.

It's not often that I switch between sources anyway. Most of the time it just one source - HTPC.

Sometimes I switch to Direct TV, which works great.

Recently I've been using the Yamaha MusicCast, which I think works 100% better than AirPlay for streaming music.

So I use 3 sources - HTPC, MusicCast, and DirectTV. And there is probably a 3-second delay when switching, which doesn't bother me at all.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
No problems with the 5200 regarding HDMI switching. However it was 2 or 3 seconds slower than the 7705 when locking on to a signal.
I would rather have the HDMI-switching be done correctly and be 2 seconds slower, than be done quicker and be less compatible with certain components.

For example, I could not get the DirectTV receivers to be compatible with my other AVRs or Pre-pro.
 
P

ppiamp

Enthusiast
I did not have the time or the equipment to do bench testing. My opinions are from critical listing in my system. I look forward to the hardware tests.
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Thanks, so sitting at 4 meters and the levels are "0", that's nice. Looks like you have more than enough headroom with those Crown amps.
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
I think the 5200 is far superior. The AV7705 is at least one notch below the CX-A5100/5200 based on specs anyway. In reality they are all really AVR based as they share many of the same components, minus the power amp section, add the extra I/Os (e.g. balanced I/Os),stretch out things a little with the extra room, add some shielding to improve XT, SN etc., and they boxed them up as prepro. I have never tried an Yamaha prepro, but for sound quality, there is no need because I highly doubt any of them could/should sound better than my reference separates anyway.:D All that aside, the only reason I may choose the Marantz AV8805 would be because of XT32 that I need, but I may opt for the CX-A5200 and find a way to add Dirac Live for REQ.
Yeah, it all depends on our needs, which are all different and changes over time.

3 years ago, I didn't care about DirectTV. Then I got DirectTV and none of my Denon's were compatible.

1 year ago, I had higher regard for Denon/Marantz reliability, even though I've seen things and heard things that concerned me. But I always thought it "would never happen to me". :D

1 year ago I thought I needed Audyssey Dynamic EQ. But then I found out that I could get the same exact bass sound from the Yamaha.

Our needs and experiences change over time.

And companies change over time. Who is to say that in 10 years Denon/Marantz won't have the #1 repair record and HDMI-compatibility?

So it's good to have options. No such thing as brand loyalty here. As the saying goes, what have you done for me lately? :D
 
P

ppiamp

Enthusiast
Thanks, so sitting at 4 meters and the levels are "0", that's nice. Looks like you have more than enough headroom with those Crown amps.
My critical listening position is at 12 feet center My 1st YPAO position was dead center ear level. I then made a 2 foot H pattern around that.
 
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