Marantz Owner Thread...

[sriram_shol]

Just wondering that if every channel needs external amplification why go for 7013 and not for 6013 or 5013 ?

I was particular for few features in Marantz AVR line up. 6013 for sure is a fantastic AVR but I wanted to have Auro3D and 2 line display. In practical, port hole display won't give you enough information. Also when paying so much, except for the audio quality, I didn't want to compromise on the features.

In any AVR, the RMS watts mentioned is for 2 channels. When it is distributed to 9 channels, it would come down drastically and AVR requires lot of potential to drive them all at once. It would eventually heat up the AVR amplification section.

I wanted to offload the amplification from AVR and by pass it to PA using pre-out. Also I previously had an AVR that didn't have pre-out. With pre-out available, the power amplifier feeds constant power and I could hear small nuances even at lower volume. Any time hearing through a power amplifier sounds better than from the AVR.

I went one step ahead and added power amplifiers; still the AVR can drive all the speakers but I benefit better power and reduced heat. Yet AVR would cater its purpose for those who don't want to go for a power amplifier.

 

[sriram_shol]

You're absolutely correct. It makes more sense to buy the lower powered ones and save that money to add external amps.

BUT that is only if you have planned in advance to add external amplification.
Mostly people expect the AVRs to drive all channels.

I planned to add a power amplifier in advance because for the two primary reasons,

1) Amplification and constant power fed by power amplifier
2) A separate would off load the power from the AVR amplification section which drastically reduces heat

I had power amplifiers in hand before the AVR; tried how it sounds with AVR directly driving the speakers and through the power amplifier. There is difference with power amplifier and sounds more agile and attacking in all the frequency ranges.

 

[ONEMANARMY]

I planned to add a power amplifier in advance because for the two primary reasons,

1) Amplification and constant power fed by power amplifier
2) A separate would off load the power from the AVR amplification section which drastically reduces heat

I had power amplifiers in hand before the AVR and tried how it sounds with AVR directly driving the speakers and through the power amplifier. There is difference with power amplifier and sounds more agile and attacking.

We have similar amplification. The Rotel is fantastic value for money.
I have another power amp which I have on sale (Densen B320) but I might add it to drive the surrounds, in case it doesn't sell.
Will let the AVR do just the processing. That way I could later sell the 6013 and upgrade to just a preamp/processor.

 

[sriram_shol]

We have similar amplification. The Rotel is fantastic value for money.
I have another power amp which I have on sale (Densen B320) but I might add it to drive the surrounds, in case it doesn't sell.
Will let the AVR to do just the processing. That way I could later sell the 6013 and upgrade to just a preamp/processor.

You could rather keep your Densen and power it for your surrounds. Any time an AVR's price would go down as new models come up but the power amplifiers always carry value and does what it is supposed to do for years together.

 

[ONEMANARMY]

You could rather keep your Densen and power it for your surrounds. Any time an AVR's price would go down as new models come up but the power amplifiers always carry value and does what it is supposed to do for years together.

To be honest I thought it would be overkill to power all speakers with external amplification while using an AVR.
The least the 6013 could do is power two speakers @100wpc.
But you're right, I should hold onto the power amp. Never know when you might need more power.

 

[Amarendra]

I was particular for few features in Marantz AVR line up. 6013 for sure is a fantastic AVR but I wanted to have Auro3D and 2 line display. In practical, port hole display won't give you enough information. Also when paying so much, except for the audio quality, I didn't want to compromise on the features.

In any AVR, the RMS watts mentioned is for 2 channels. When it is distributed to 9 channels, it would come down drastically and AVR requires lot of potential to drive them all at once. It would eventually heat up the AVR amplification section.

I wanted to offload the amplification from AVR and by pass it to PA using pre-out. Also I previously had an AVR that didn't have pre-out. With pre-out available, the power amplifier feeds constant power and I could hear small nuances even at lower volume. Any time hearing through a power amplifier sounds better than from the AVR.

I went one step ahead and added power amplifiers; still the AVR can drive all the speakers but I benefit better power and reduced heat. Yet AVR would cater its purpose for those who don't want to go for a power amplifier.

What I don't understand is that if a cheap computer motherboard can give 5.1 channel preout why not every AVR ?

 

[raghupb]

What I don't understand is that if a cheap computer motherboard can give 5.1 channel preout why not every AVR ?

Real estate. There is too much going on at the back panel. And outboard amps have a footprint too.
And AVR manufacturers pride themselves in providing adequate amplification.
Their goal is to sell you a complete product that works right out the box.

How many customers buying entry/mid level HT look for outboard amplification?
1-3% is my guess. Some give you 2.1 preout which is more than enough to meet market demand.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[sriram_shol]

What I don't understand is that if a cheap computer motherboard can give 5.1 channel preout why not every AVR ?

Its purely the manufacturers design and marketing the AVR to target different segments of customers.

 

[sriram_shol]

To be honest I thought it would be overkill to power all speakers with external amplification while using an AVR.
The least the 6013 could do is power two speakers @100wpc.
But you're right, I should hold onto the power amp. Never know when you might need more power.

It will certainly not be a overkill as long as your calibration is done properly. Again with a 11 channel processor, a 9 / 11 channel PA is a must to drive the setup. It is absolute necessary than a over kill!

As I said earlier, PA is not meant to play loud or equalize the output. It will ensure the power required for a speaker gets from it rather than over kill the output. That's why most of the PAs don't have a volume knob, except the few. Also manufacturers give 11 channel pre-out for reason, considering connecting all the channels for external amplification.

When PA becomes second priority, AVR powers the channel. For better movie experience, PA would take care of powering the speakers better than AVR. If you are driving all your speakers with PA, you would rather get better output and all the frequencies would open up.

Indeed its worth the investment.

 

[rpmahale]

Presently in my opinion instead of going for premium AVR above 150k, it's better to go for mid price AVR with 9/11 channels pre-out with five channel power amplifier for main five channel . AVR will power rest of the channels. This will certainly sounds better in Stereo as well as HT mode. Most of the added features in premium AVR are either add on or have minimal utilization factor. Considering the more channels in AVR, we are ignoring more important power amplication part. In past, I have auditioned Anthem MRX 520 5.1 AVR and sounds better than more expensive Marantz and Denon AVR.

 

[Love4sound]

I have auditioned Anthem MRX 520 5.1 AVR and sounds better than more expensive Marantz and Denon AVR.

Well price wise a 5.1 Anthem avr costs the same or more amount then a 7ch Marantz and Denon avr.

 

[raghupb]

Well price wise a 5.1 Anthem avr costs the same or more amount then a 7ch Marantz and Denon avr.

Comparing AVRs price wise just on number of channels is an unfair one.
Anthem's power delivery is better than Marantz/Denon/Yamaha/Pioneer.
Also their room correction is seriously good.

Not taking away anything from D&M product range on a Marantz thread
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Love4sound]

Comparing AVRs price wise just on number of channels is an unfair one.
Anthem's power delivery is better than Marantz/Denon/Yamaha/Pioneer.
Also their room correction is seriously good.

Not taking away anything from D&M product range on a Marantz thread
Cheers,
Raghu

For their price they should be is my point

 

[Nitin K]

Comparing AVRs price wise just on number of channels is an unfair one.
Anthem's power delivery is better than Marantz/Denon/Yamaha/Pioneer.
Also their room correction is seriously good.

Not taking away anything from D&M product range on a Marantz thread
Cheers,
Raghu

Anthems are a good & Arc is supposed to be better than Audyssey but are relatively expensive as compared to competition with similar features. A person on a budget would like to take all factors into consideration regarding number of channels one would require, the sound quality , features & most importantly budget. There is a flavour for everyone whether it is Anthem with Arc or Nad with Dirac Live( Better than Arc & Audyssey) or Arcam, Denon/Marantz , Yamaha , Onkyo or Pioneer.
One can climb further up the ladder with Rotel, Krell etc which would offer even better power delivery if budget permits. All of us have different preferences & would like to buy the best value for money product.

This article throws some light regarding power ratings among different receivers.

How to Compare A/V Receiver Power Specs

Like many consumer electronics purchases, an A/V receiver is a significant investment. Not only will you probably be spending at least $600 on one, but it will have a large effect on how the audio coming from your speakers sounds. In short, anything you run through your A/V receiver will only...

www.aperionaudio.com

 

[superczar]

well hub is $100 around and remotes like 950 are around $250, I think you mean to say the whole hub and remote package.
like Logitech harmony Elite which costs around $325. or shall I say its other way around, hub is a cheaper part of package so hub come with the remote. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-universal-remotes.
Also there is only 1 hub that comes with 5-6 different remotes.

Where are you looking at these prices?
I got 2 sets of these that I picked for a fairly low price - It was a long time ago but the price paid was certainly less than 100 USD each.

They came with a hub and a physical remote - The remotes have the usual activity launch buttons as well as the usual control buttons (volume, channel, play controls, numbers, color coded buttons for specific functions etc)

The only thing I miss vs the 650 is the ability to control unmapped device specific buttons directly from the physical remote (e.g. turn subwoofer volume up or down by going into devices>subwoofer>volume)
However given the rare usage and the fact that exceptions such as the example above can be managed via the app makes it a moot point.

Add voice controls via alexa or google hub and the hub setup makes my older 650 seem absolutely archaic!

Anthems are a good & Arc is supposed to be better than Audyssey but are relatively expensive as compared to competition with similar features. A person on a budget would like to take all factors into consideration regarding number of channels one would require, the sound quality , features & most importantly budget. There is a flavour for everyone whether it is Anthem with Arc or Nad with Dirac Live( Better than Arc & Audyssey) or Arcam, Denon/Marantz , Yamaha , Onkyo or Pioneer.
One can climb further up the ladder with Rotel, Krell etc which would offer even better power delivery if budget permits. All of us have different preferences & would like to buy the best value for money product.

This article throws some light regarding power ratings among different receivers.

How to Compare A/V Receiver Power Specs

Like many consumer electronics purchases, an A/V receiver is a significant investment. Not only will you probably be spending at least $600 on one, but it will have a large effect on how the audio coming from your speakers sounds. In short, anything you run through your A/V receiver will only...

www.aperionaudio.com

I use both Anthem and ARC and I disagree that ARC is objectively better than Audyssey
They are both good although slightly different in both the approach and end result

One point worth noting is that ARC vs Audyssey = ARC vs MULTEQ 32 and not ARC vs MULTEQ (which certainly is nowhere close to either ARC or 32 and possibly the reason why ARC is considered to be supposedly better than Audyssey)

Thanks dear... Bluetooth is the primary need though.

There are plenty of streaming options available that you can add to your ageing receiver
However if BT is the primary need then you can accomplish what you want for the price of a good lunch - just pick any god BT receiver - although one that supports APT-X would ensure good SQ

If you want more advanced streaming support, try getting a hold of any play-fi enabled receiver

 

[MaSh]

I picked up a Logitech Harmony 650 remote some time last year from Amamzon.com. It cost me $30 in a Sale.

MaSh

 

[rpmahale]

AVR provide you signal decoding and processing techonology with calibration tool but fail to deliver sufficient quality power across the channels . Power amplifier help to muscles the signal with equal quality power across all channels. @sriram_shol has decided to take advantage of both in their regards.

 

[sriram_shol]

AVR provide you signal decoding and processing techonology with calibration tool but fail to deliver sufficient quality power across the channels . Power amplifier help to muscles the signal with equal quality power across all channels. @sriram_shol has decided to take advantage of both in their regards.

Exactly.

With a power amplifier, the AVR strain is reduced drastically. The common cause for most of the AVR failure would be due to heat in the long run. It will ensure to go to protection mode but such a thing happening regularly will affect the AVR life.

 

[efernand1]

Update of new launched Marantz AVRs posted by FM

Marantz Announces New NR1510 and NR1710 Slimline AV Receivers

Here is latest Marantz Slimline AV Receiver announcement.

www.hifivision.com

 

[noblejose]

Any AVR service people in Bangalore?
I have SR5009 and after shifting home, it's making some noice.. a lite knock on top of it makes it perfect.. looks like some loose connection inside..