Advice Needed: Repair Marantz Pre/Pro?

dpowell · July 15

My Marantz AV7704 needs a new HDMI main board. Repair cost is $1100. I am into it $110 for shipping and diagnostic.

Do I repair it even though market value is less than repair cost? 90 day warranty.

Or

Buy a new Marantz AV8805a on clearance for $2,750. What do I gain for the extra $2k after tax? 5 year warranty.

Or

Look for a used Arcam AV41 for around $2,700. Not sure if I want to mess with DIRAC but maybe it is worth the time investment to learn?. No warranty.

Has anyone heard both Marantz and Aecam or other high end pre pros and have opinions to share on the theater sound differences?

Are there other options I should consider? I have 14 channels of external amplification so I only want to go with a pre/pro. ATMOS and dual sub management is a must have.

I do not care one bit about 2 channel on the pre/pro. That is what I have the McIntosh for.

My setup is in my signature.

Conradicles · July 15

I personally would repair the Marantz, especially if you really like it. (Unless you just want the warranty)

Conradicles · July 15

Would love to hear that system by the way!

dpowell · July 15

Conradicles wrote: »

I personally would repair the Marantz, especially if you really like it. (Unless you just want the warranty)

I have no complaints about the Marantz. It has served me well and Audyssey makes setup easy. I am sure higher end pieces could improve the surround experience more but at what cost?

dpowell · July 15

Conradicles wrote: »

Would love to hear that system by the way!

Come on over!😃

F1nut · July 15

Arcam has a history of problems with their gear.

pitdogg2 · July 15

F1nut wrote: »

Arcam has a history of problems with their gear.

When it works it works good, when it works...

nooshinjohn · July 15

I can’t argue that given what I went through to get a good one. That said, its performance in my system has been stellar. Also keep in mind that the Arcam is the same as top range JBL and one other I cannot name off the top of my head.

The issues have been resolved with a new software rollout and the 8k update to the HDMI section.

dpowell · July 15

It's interesting reading reviews on the various options that are available today. It seems that most of what I see about Dirac is that users love it or hate it and a lot depends on how the manufacturer implemented setup. Things have sure changed since I last bought an AVR. @nooshinjohn you might be thinking of the Anthem AVM90 as the other pre/pro in that range. All of them silly expensive new. I'm intrigued by what Dirac might offer in terms of improvements but not sure I'm willing to dedicate enough time to manually dial in a system that I'd rather just have working after hitting the Audyssey easy button.

nooshinjohn · July 16

Anthem… that was it.

sgmsmg · July 16

I don’t know if it will help but I have some experience with some of the options you have listed.

-Marantz 8805 was the best as far as user friendliness and features but sound quality was not comparable to the JBL and Anthem.
Since I had the Marantz there have been advances in the tweaks available to Audyssey, given another chance it may have sounded better. If it matters to you this did not measure very well on ASR but many don’t put too much into measurements.

-JBL SDP-55/58 (Similar to Arcam 40/41) was my first DIRAC processor. It sounded really good and I really had no complaints except I wanted something with built in processing for 4 subwoofers. DIRAC is a learning process and can be tedious but the results were worth it. One gripe was the 1st one I received was DOA due to a loose P.C.B. JBL sent a replacement right away and that worked the entire time I owned it. If I recall correctly the RCA connections measured better than the XLR on ASR. Early on there was a few updates JBL did to some of the boards so if you go this route try and find a newer one.

-Anthem AVM 90, current processor and by far the best sounding. Many people complain about the quirks these can have but much of that is dependent on user experience and implementation. I have a simple setup as fas as inputs and what I use it for so it works for me. I don’t have a spouse or family I share this with so I am perfectly fine with the nuances evolved to use this. As you mentioned price wise this is up there but there is the AVM 70 which would be more in your range. Keep in mind that Arc Genesis is the room correction software these use and it too has a learning curve but there is a person on AVS forums that will look at your measurements and offer suggestions on how to tweak it.

I know you mentioned you have 14 channels of amplification but how many channels does the processor need. Also are you using balanced or unbalanced connections. The reason I ask is some of the new Marantz and Denon receivers have pre-amp mode and they measure really well and get good reviews. You may be able to get a refurbished one in your price range. Plus one of these would give you the flexibility to have Audyssey or DIRAC if you wanted to give it a try.

Based on what you have posted, it sounds like sticking with Marantz is probably best. Where are you getting the 8805 with a 5 year warranty? Is it new or refurbished? Not sure how great support will be for this 5 years from now. It’s too bad the Marantz AV-10 and AV-20 are so expensive because they would be perfect.

Hopefully this is at least some added information you can use to help you decide. I am willing to offer any more help/insight that I can. Sorry if the wording/formatting isn’t the greatest. I was using a tablet without a real keyboard.

Good Luck!

dpowell · July 16

Thanks for the info! I have a 7.2.4 setup and am using xlr to all external amps. Of the 14 channels I have 3 spare at the moment. I am not planning a 3rd set of height speakers but you never know.....😁.

Best Buy has the 8805a clearanced at 50% off NIB. It states 5 year warranty on the product specs.

dpowell · July 16

sgmsmg wrote: »

If it matters to you this did not measure very well on ASR but many don’t put too much into measurements.

Lol I dont give any credence to anything ASR puts out.

sgmsmg · July 16

It sounds like the 8805A is the way to go then. It may be a misprint on Best Buy's site because it looks like Marantz lists a 3 year warranty. This shouldn't matter but just wanted to make sure you had the correct information. It is still a great deal especially for a NIB unit. Plus it will be an easy transition going from your 7704. If you haven't used it before it might be worth it to get the Audyssey MultEQ editor application. If I recall it was $20 and it gives you graphs and some tweak ability for your room correction. Just remember if you decide to use it you have to run your measurement through the app. and not the normal way.

Good luck!

nooshinjohn · July 16

...0

dpowell · August 4

I decided to repair the 7704. George Meyer AV did a great job and the theater is back up and running.

sgmsmg · August 4

Happy to hear the repair went well. Enjoy!

dpowell · August 4

I decided that I would not get an extra $1500 worth of performamce out of the 8805a and I did not need 8k or the extra 2 channels. I also did not want to deal with potential HDMI 2.1 handshake/incompatibility issues. The other options (Anthem, Arcam, etc) were simply way out of my price range and also seem to have their own sets of issues. It is crazy to me how expensive separates have become!

Emlyn · August 5

Part of the reason the top end Marantz processors are more expensive is they run production in the factory in Japan. The AV7706 for example is made in Vietnam. The build quality differences between it and an AV20 are noticeable but not double the price noticeable for most people.

VR3 · August 6

.

Advice Needed: Repair Marantz Pre/Pro?

Comments