Bitten by the upgrade bug .... help

[Kairos]

I currently own a SONY STRDN1060 paired with Polk TSX550 as fronts & Pioneers(AJ series) for center and surrounds. Was always fascinated by Marantz and the way folks describe its musicality and so on....and landed on SR8012. This one looks a beast and promises great sound for movies and music by whatever I could make out of the specs. I don't understand much about the Toroidal transformer and what it can do for music quality but am inclined to take a shot at it... you know the feeling!
I'm mostly into movies but do like to listen to a variety of music. Will there be a dramatic change in the sound quality ? I except to be completely blown away after having to spend that enormous sum of money. Appreciate your guidance.

 

[dr_rocket]

It is a great receiver by specs and reviews. But you need to audition it yourself and decide before taking the splurge. No one else can guarantee that you will be blown away, even though you probably will. But receiver performance will be limited by speakers too. To realise full potential of that receiver you may need to upgrade the speakers as well.

 

[heliumflight]

For HT do your self a favour and get AVR. No need to burn money

 

[drkrack]

Polk and Marantz Gel pretty well otherwise, but nobody can be sure about your expectations. are you planning for 11/13 channel setup? if not you can buy SR6012 and save a lot of money for future upgrades.
Your Sony is a decent AVR , the DAC on Marantz being better you should be getting a decent upgrade in terms of SQ but not an overwhelming one. Many other factors like Speakers, Room acoustics, Source files and Cables will have an impact on SQ, apart from Amplification.

 

[mshifi]

If you have a dedicated HT room and would like to upgrade your speakers and add a subwoofer too in due course, you could look at it. Else you could go with 5012/6012. You need to also upgrade your speakers to get the full potential of the avr. It is better to audition all models and decide.

 

[Kairos]

For HT do your self a favour and get AVR. No need to burn money

Pardon my ignorance but isn't the SONY or the Marantz an AVR ? Not sure I get your point . Thanks

 

[Kairos]

It is a great receiver by specs and reviews. But you need to audition it yourself and decide before taking the splurge. No one else can guarantee that you will be blown away, even though you probably will. But receiver performance will be limited by speakers too. To realise full potential of that receiver you may need to upgrade the speakers as well.

Thank you but the problem is I need to audition with the speaker that I have and that I don't think is going to be possible. For speaker upgrade, I was thinking of Polk RTiA9 but honestly I don't understand what's the difference between that & TSX550 which I currently own except that RTIA9 costs a little over 1lac.

 

[Kairos]

Polk and Marantz Gel pretty well otherwise, but nobody can be sure about your expectations. are you planning for 11/13 channel setup? if not you can buy SR6012 and save a lot of money for future upgrades.
Your Sony is a decent AVR , the DAC on Marantz being better you should be getting a decent upgrade in terms of SQ but not an overwhelming one. Many other factors like Speakers, Room acoustics, Source files and Cables will have an impact on SQ, apart from Amplification.

Honestly , I may do a 5.1.2 and the reason I want to go for 8012 is for its power which I believe will be the key in delivering great sound. On rest of the stuff you mentioned , the media room is pretty alright (18 x 12 ) , cables are 16awg as for acoustics I trust Audysssey can help. Thanks

 

[Kairos]

If you have a dedicated HT room and would like to upgrade your speakers and add a subwoofer too in due course, you could look at it. Else you could go with 5012/6012. You need to also upgrade your speakers to get the full potential of the avr. It is better to audition all models and decide.

I already have a sub and am planning to upgrade the front speakers to RTiA9 (Yes , am a polk fan) . The real reason for going after 8012 is the power (within my budget .. well stretched one though) . Do you have any suggestions for speakers ? Thanks

 

[Murlidher]

You may need to change your centre speaker. It's the only speaker that was criticized on AJ series...

 

[elangoas]

Was always fascinated by Marantz and the way folks describe its musicality and so on....and landed on SR8012. This one looks a beast and promises great sound for movies and music by whatever I could make out of the specs. I don't understand much about the Toroidal transformer and what it can do for music quality but am inclined to take a shot at it... you know the feeling!
I'm mostly into movies but do like to listen to a variety of music. Will there be a dramatic change in the sound quality ? I except to be completely blown away after having to spend that enormous sum of money.

Don't get carried away by specs, power figures, reviews & word of mouth performance on Marantz 8012..Sure it is good AVR, like other top of the line products..

I currently own a SONY STRDN1060 paired with Polk TSX550 as fronts & Pioneers(AJ series) for center and surrounds.

I already have a sub

You already have a good 5.1 speaker set-up.. My suggestion would be to consider Denon x 3300 / x 3400 inplace of Marantz SR 8012..

Remember, Marantz SR 8012 is a 7.2.4 capable powerhouse.. Denon x 3300 / x 3400 is a 5.2.2 capable system which has Audyssey XT32, which is aval in 6/7/8xxx series & Denon x 4/6/7xxx series.. It also has independent dual subwoofer EQ built in (Sub EQ HT)..

Honestly , I may do a 5.1.2

If you are not looking to go beyond 5.1.2, then pick Denon x 3300 and add 2nd subwoofer which will be great for both movies / music..

the media room is pretty alright (18 x 12 )

You have good room size.. If you place the ceiling speakers correctly, then you must have a great Atmos experience..

 

[MaSh]

Your AVR has Zone 2 Pre-Outs. Can they be used as Pre Outs for current zone? If yes, you could add a Power Amp if More power is all that you are looking for. If not, 8012 should not disappoint. I doubt you will get an audition at a dealer for an FM's place. So, Internet reviews is all you got.

Another option could be that you go in for a slightly lower variant AVR that fits your requirement and with the Saved money, upgrade the Fronts to RTi or even the LSi series along with a matching Center. That should in my opinion bring about a nice change.

MaSh

 

[reachkalyan.kr]

I currently own a SONY STRDN1060 paired with Polk TSX550 as fronts & Pioneers(AJ series) for center and surrounds. Was always fascinated by Marantz and the way folks describe its musicality and so on....and landed on SR8012. This one looks a beast and promises great sound for movies and music by whatever I could make out of the specs. I don't understand much about the Toroidal transformer and what it can do for music quality but am inclined to take a shot at it... you know the feeling!
I'm mostly into movies but do like to listen to a variety of music. Will there be a dramatic change in the sound quality ? I except to be completely blown away after having to spend that enormous sum of money. Appreciate your guidance.

8012 is in my Radar too.
But your case you have lot of things which you have to consider before taking plunge on SR8012 which is real beast on papers and $$$ and why not power/sound quality.
First you look for better Centre speakers and Sub ( btw whats your sub )
Speakers can talk to you about the value of AVR which you are planning why not about the and existing AVR too
If you are planning for more than 9-11 channel config with 8012 keep some budget also for speakers and decide.
Audition it cos you are planning for big jump.
atb

 

[drkrack]

I owned Polk TSX 440, RTI A5 earlier, TSX 550 (I did audition) is a decent tower speaker. You would gain marginally by upgrading to RTI A5. RTI A9 will definitely be an upgrade over TSX550, if driven by a suitable amp. As far as the Polk forums are concerned, it is advisable to drive RTI A9 with a dedicated Power amp instead of AVR (Again subjective opinions).

SR 8012 is 175W at 2Ch driven, which is quite powerful for any setup. If you are NOT Planning for higher channel setup which SR8012 is capable of, going with a Lower models as suggested by @elangoas & adding a dedicated two channel Power amp to drive RTIA9 , when you buy them would be advisable. unfortunately Your Sony AVR doesn't have dedicated front Channel Pre-outs , you can try configuring Zone 2 Pre-Outs for Front Channels and add a Power Amp which is most cost effective solution at the moment.

 

[TheProfessor]

BIC America Acoustech PL980 also you can consider. Please find below spec.

• Design:
  3-way, six driver tower speaker.
• Frequency Response: 22Hz-23kHz
• Sensitivity: 98dB
• Drivers: Two high power 8" active woofers, two 8" passive woofers, one enclosed 5" midrange, and one 6 1/2" mid/high frequency aluminum dome horn with neodymium magnet.
• Magnetic Shielding: YES
• Gold-Plated Terminals:YES
• Recommended Power: 10-300 watts per channel RMS, 750 watts peak power
• Impedance: Nominal 8 ohms
• Dimensions: 47"H x 12 1/2"W x 11 5/8"D, Carton Dimensions: 17W x 15D x 51H
• Weight: 60 lbs (27kg.)
• Warranty: Extended 8 Year Limited - Parts (excludes sustained cosmetic damages)

Very good recommendation! I once had the privilege of experiencing the bass of bic America pL200 sub at full power. It was magnificent, felt like a mini thunderstorm!

 

[Kairos]

First you look for better Centre speakers and Sub ( btw whats your sub )

Pioneer AJ series SW-8MK2 ..Center Speaker (SP-C22) ... not that great honestly !

 

[Kairos]

I owned Polk TSX 440, RTI A5 earlier, TSX 550 (I did audition) is a decent tower speaker. You would gain marginally by upgrading to RTI A5. RTI A9 will definitely be an upgrade over TSX550, if driven by a suitable amp. As far as the Polk forums are concerned, it is advisable to drive RTI A9 with a dedicated Power amp instead of AVR (Again subjective opinions).

SR 8012 is 175W at 2Ch driven, which is quite powerful for any setup. If you are NOT Planning for higher channel setup which SR8012 is capable of, going with a Lower models as suggested by @elangoas & adding a dedicated two channel Power amp to drive RTIA9 , when you buy them would be advisable. unfortunately Your Sony AVR doesn't have dedicated front Channel Pre-outs , you can try configuring Zone 2 Pre-Outs for Front Channels and add a Power Amp which is most cost effective solution at the moment.

Appreciate your suggestion but I don't have an amp to tryout the zone 2 preouts. which amp would you recommend please ?

I'm inclined to go with 7012 which is around 36k cheaper but my heart says , to heck with it and go for the kill

A friend of mine in the US ( Rochester ) was able to audition the 8012 with RTi A9s(he already owns) in his home environment and he absolutely loved it . Some store there lets you audition high end machines in your native environment which gives us a chance to experience what we're going to get, before making the purchase.

 

[kaptan]

Appreciate your suggestion but I don't have an amp to tryout the zone 2 preouts. which amp would you recommend please ?

I'm inclined to go with 7012 which is around 36k cheaper but my heart says , to heck with it and go for the kill

A friend of mine in the US ( Rochester ) was able to audition the 8012 with RTi A9s(he already owns) in his home environment and he absolutely loved it . Some store there lets you audition high end machines in your native environment which gives us a chance to experience what we're going to get, before making the purchase.

Better to go with 8012 instead of 7012. Or else uou can go with 7011 which should be cheaper as its last years model.

 

[Kairos]

Better to go with 8012 instead of 7012. Or else uou can go with 7011 which should be cheaper as its last years model.

I like the idea of 7011 which gives me room to upgrade my center speaker and sub.