Denon/Marantz/Onkyo?

JCA

Hi there:

I am planning to buy a receiver for both my HT setup (5.1) and bedroom 2.1 music.

I have had a Yamaha and a Denon in the past. But I am considering to get a Marantz, since I think it would be more of a refined sound for both purposes.

I would like to know how you guys would describe the characteristics of the sound of each of these brands.
and what are the stregths or weaknesses perceived to each one. I know that the appreciation of sound is subjective, but I would like to have an overall idea of the perceived qualities of each brand, to try to make a more educated decision.

Any other non consumer brand recommendation is welcome.

Thanks for the help!,

JC

pearsall001

What leads you to believe that a Marantz will have a more refined sound? What's your budget? The new Yamaha AVENTAGE line is another whole animal.

JCA

Hi

Well, I base this on the fact the Marantz is the more upscale brand from D&M holings, and somme comments I have read from Marant´s users.
My impression is that Onkyo wants to do a lot of things at a value price.
I think Yamaha is best for music, from my past experience.
My budget is around one one thousand, maybe 1200 tops.
I do not care as much for network features or too many features I will not use such as 7.2, HD radio, THX certifications, or faux sound modes (concet hall, jazz club etc.)
My main concern is the quality of the sound, to be equally good for music and HT.

Thanks

cnh

Welcome to Club Polk!

I agree with Phil. The new Yamaha Aventage series (which is higher than entry level Yammies) has really stepped up Yamaha's game and is a very nice machine. You might want to give it a listen.

It goes without saying that Marantz makes for a nice balance between music and HT as well.

cnh

GFOviedo

How about Integra and NAD. I went from egg frying Onkyo to a PIoneer. SC-1522-K, which I bought on sale at Costco for $600. It runs really cool, and so far I've been satisfied with it. The only thing it doesn't offer is sub. EQ.

sponger

Not to rank any one over the other, but the new Denon line includes a non-flagship model that has Audyssey XT32, which I guess is even better than XT. It also has the Audeyssey sub EQ HT, which allows for individual calibration for dual subwoofer set-ups. But that isn't to say the Aventages with their YPAO calibration don't have something comparable in a similar price range. I don't really know if they do or do not.

mantis

At the 1000.00 to 1200.00 level receivers , the best bang for the buck is going to be the Pioneer Elite SC-71 or if you can save a few more pennies the SC-72. I have not found a better sounding receiver at this level. Price , performance and features are 2nd to none IMO.
The Yamaha is a fine receiver with a good quality sound but quirky menu system and setup. I'm not a fan of this but as good as it sounds , I could get around all that and suffer a bit on setup.
Marantz is a Denon sound with maybe a hint of better dynamics , but without doing a side by side I'd say they sound much like the Denon's do. Good features , not bad setup , not bad price to performance , ok at best IMO.
Denon I basically have the same Opinion as Marantz , I'd probably take the Marantz over a equal Denon as I have had to many bad experiences with Denon. Not to say they don't make a more reliable product today , they might ,I'm just not willing to find out. Over all Sound quality of a Denon receiver at this level you will get good power and clarity. They never had a problem sounding good , just always lacked in dynamic range. Features are awesome on Denon's they truly know what to add and not to make the user experience excellent. This is an area they never lacked in. Superior if you ask me.
Onkyo is pretty rock solid. They have a very nice balance of performance to feature to price ratio. You really can't go wrong here. They have excellent dynamic range at all price points much like the Pioneer's do but don't sound as good , not as warm or as real sounding IMO. But some do prefer the sound of a Onkyo / Integra product over a Pioneer product and you could be the same depending on how you like to listen to your sounds. I tend to like my sound as natural as possible. I like it to sound real not expressed.

greatauror28

I have Onkyo 515 and though many users are being plagued with issues (i.e not turning ON after standby, etc.) mine was perfect.

It powers my RTi A7 as fronts, a measly CS10 as center and a pair of A1s as surrounds.

For me, its enough for my apartment and cranking it up a bit get me notices from the Landlady already.

Polkie2009

Don't forget, Onkyo's make great space heaters , of course this sucks during the heat of Summer.

PolkieMan

I have a 808 and it barely gets warm.

Polkie2009 wrote: »

Don't forget, Onkyo's make great space heaters , of course this sucks during the heat of Summer.

heartystatue

Polkie2009 wrote: »

Don't forget, Onkyo's make great space heaters , of course this sucks during the heat of Summer.

I have an 809 that ran the 4 ohm 5 channel LSI system and it got warm, but not hot by any means.

Mikey081057

I have had many yamaha receiver's, avr's, and amplifiers. probably about 10 of them.

Yammy makes a great product no doubt. Never had 1 problem with any of them.

I currently have a Marantz AV7701 pre processor, and it by far surpasses any of the yamaha stuff i ever owned. Marantz build quality is 1/2 step above yamaha's and that says alot.

I also own a Marantz CD player, and it is magnificent. Great quality stuff... I realize you can spend a lot more but in my humble opinion, I would choose a Marantz avr of similar price to a Yamaha even if the Marantz Specs were "inferior" . I have no experience with Pioneer, I had an onkyo receiver back in the day, and it is probably still working today. A friend I work with has a top of the line Integra that has been returned twice for shutting down for extended periods of time for repair. The poor guy also has a range rover, and he shows up a few times a month in a Nissan Sentra loaner car which is another story.

Get what sounds good to you, just get something with pre outs so you can add an amp later!!! If you can swing or are thinking that someday in the future you want separates, then maybe you should wait till you can afford the separates.

JCA

Thanks for all the help.
I think that I will narrow down my search to Marantz and Yamaha.
For the time being I will stick to receivers, maybe with time I will get separates. In the long run my dream would be to get
gear from Emotiva, Cambridge Audio or NAD, but at the moment the budget is tight.
How would you guys would compare the sound of Marantz and Yamaha.

The Marantz SR 6008 and the Yamaha RX-A1020 look as two good options.

oleon621

My vote is For the Yamaha RX-A2xxx and above if possible but in all honesty, you can't go wrong with any of the ones mentioned above for the 1K budget that you have. They all make great products.