CONGRATS.
Would like to hear your comparison between Denon DRA800( I remember u had one) and Marantz PM7000N.
Good question.
I had bought my Denon DRA800H just over a year ago.
It was too early to upgrade, but the bug got me , hence the "expensive" term in the title.
My thoughts on comparing the two :
Feature Set :
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- Marantz is a stereo amp with network player features
- Denon is a stereo "receiver" hence has additional functionality of being able to process and switch video via HDMI
- The feature set as a stereo music player, if the video part is igonered, is completely identical
- Both work with teh HEOS app, and natively support Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, Tune-In Internet radio, Soundcloud, and USB playback
- Given that the Denon is almost half the price of the Marantz, but with additional HDMI circuitry, there must have been cost cutting somewhere.
Specifications :
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The Denon DRA800 is rated at :
100 W + 100 W (8 Ω/ohms)
120 W + 120 W (6 Ω/ohms)
The Marantz PM7000N is rated at :
60 W x 2 (8 Ω/ohms load)
80 W x 2 (4 Ω/ohms load)
So on paper the Denon is far more powerful.
But the actual experience is very different.
The Marantz seems to be far more powerful. Effortlessly powerful, with real muscle behind the bass.
At 40 (out of 100) volume on the Marantz, its really loud. At 50 , neighbours will be pounding at my door.
Sound Quality :
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This is a very subjective area. My thoughts......
- I found the Denon DRA800 to have the typical Denon sound - clean , clear, powerful. I have no complaints really.
- The Marantz- there is some special magic there.
The Marantz sound seems to be simultaneously sweeter, clearer, warmer, and punchier
- High end - sweeter
- Mids - clearer. Vocals are clear , transparent and forward, slightly warmer
- Bass - real muscle behind the bass
Overall, there is no comparison. The Marantz is just streets ahead.
Honestly, I was not expecting this.
I have always read (and believed) that 90% of what we hear is the speakers, and the amp should not make much difference (or would be very difficult to diffrentiate in an A/B comparison).
I can say for sure that is not the case here.
The Marantz simply makes my speakers sing.
Final thoughts :
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Denon :
- I think the Denon DRA800H still makes a good case for itself at its price point. I had bought it for 57K from ProFX.
- I think ideal application would be for a 2.0 or 2.1 setup where someone wants a combined music + TV audio system
- To be kept in mind that the Denon can only decode PCM stereo etc, and not Dolby DD, AC3 etc. (was personally a bit surprised by this)
- From past experience, I think the Denon can also better handle sustained heavy usage / loud volumes (say a party)
Marantz :
- For pure stereo listening, with high quality source files, as mentioned earlier, the Marantz just simply sounds way better
- However, to be kept in mind that price is double that of the Denon
I also wonder if amp+speaker pairing is part of the equation here.
The Marantz + Dali combo just seems to work really well here.
I almost bought the Q Acoustic 3050i's. I wonder if that would have paired better with the Denon.
Hope this is of help to someone.
