codwapeace
Active Member
I am not really answering your question directly since I have never used Denon, but I have used Marantz, Pioneer (ICEPower) and Yamaha.
Marantz: The only receivers that have consistently appealed to my taste. They sound incredible with music. I have used SR6005, SR6007 and then latest NR1609. SR 6005 had lot of problems with HDMI but they solved with SR6007.
Yamaha: Middle of the road. They are alright. I have used a very old model without HDMI and more recently RX-V781(with all bells and whistles such as atmos, HDR, vision). They don't sound very good with music. At least not as good as the Marantz that I used before and after the 781.
Pioneer: This was the most expensive receiver I owned and easily the worst. The ICEpower amps were really bad and they sounded very harsh. I quickly replaced it.
Now, comparing the latest UIs of Marantz and Yamaha, there is no comparison. Yamaha is ahead by miles. It looks so much better. Marantz UI has been put together by a high school student. It is the same from last 10 years. It is different when 1080p video is being displayed and when 4K video is being displayed. I also hate the porthole design of Marantz. There is no benefit of that circle. I like the NR1609 design more than SR design, but still it is no comparison to the front display of Yamaha which was also much better.
I also feel that Audyssey is also much better than Yamaha YPAO. It really makes a difference if you hear at low volumes.
May be it is my own imagination, but NR1609 audyssey sounds better than SR6007 audyssey although they are the same version (XT). May be they have improved it year over year.
Marantz: The only receivers that have consistently appealed to my taste. They sound incredible with music. I have used SR6005, SR6007 and then latest NR1609. SR 6005 had lot of problems with HDMI but they solved with SR6007.
Yamaha: Middle of the road. They are alright. I have used a very old model without HDMI and more recently RX-V781(with all bells and whistles such as atmos, HDR, vision). They don't sound very good with music. At least not as good as the Marantz that I used before and after the 781.
Pioneer: This was the most expensive receiver I owned and easily the worst. The ICEpower amps were really bad and they sounded very harsh. I quickly replaced it.
Now, comparing the latest UIs of Marantz and Yamaha, there is no comparison. Yamaha is ahead by miles. It looks so much better. Marantz UI has been put together by a high school student. It is the same from last 10 years. It is different when 1080p video is being displayed and when 4K video is being displayed. I also hate the porthole design of Marantz. There is no benefit of that circle. I like the NR1609 design more than SR design, but still it is no comparison to the front display of Yamaha which was also much better.
I also feel that Audyssey is also much better than Yamaha YPAO. It really makes a difference if you hear at low volumes.
May be it is my own imagination, but NR1609 audyssey sounds better than SR6007 audyssey although they are the same version (XT). May be they have improved it year over year.