My final decision..Denon 1713 and Wharfedale DX1

There is something called as 'marketing'. :p

Whenever something new is to be pushed into the markets, even though it is of lower specs, it is the 'marketing tools' which prevent it from being introduced at a level lower to the earlier model. In fact, you would always observe that a newer product 'always' is made to command a higher price, even though produced at a lower price.

This way, the marketing ploy serves two purposes. 1) Keeps intact a buyer's ego and 2) Keeps the manufacturer's profit margin intact, maybe increase it by a notch higher. The more the margins made, the better the 'marketing' is supposed to be. ;)
 
Was going through the speaker specs of Moviestar 70+ and DX 1. Noticed that the Moviestar 70+ woofer is 4" as compared to 'most' other satellites, which incidentally range between 3 and 3.5". Going by this, the overall sound generated from a 4" 'should' be superior to the other smaller drivers. Even the 70+ housing is a lot thicker and said to be more resonance-free than the rest. Yes, as far as aesthetics go, 'some' might have some resevations on the 70+ due to its steel grey finish and industrial but, solid looks.

Have heard the 70+ at my friend's place, coupled to a Denon 1610 (I guess). Very good for both movies (5.1) and excellent for music (2.1). Have not heard the DX 1, so, cannot comment.

Even I was of the opinion that the dx-1 would be slightly inferior to the moviestar 70+ after reading it's specs and listening to it in person (i had not listened to dx-1 till then). But after hearing the calibrated dx-1, both me and my wife agreed that it sounded more superior than moviestar 70, both in music and movies. The sound produced by dx-1 is much more clearer than moviestar, and that is quite an achievement as moviestar itself is an awesome speaker set and is much more detailed and clear than a lot of other speakers in the same range.

One thing I realised after listening to dx-1 is that one should not go by specs alone....there is a lot more important stuff that goes into making a speaker sound good.

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Hey I am also in the same boat. So have done a lot of reading. From what I gather, marantz is definitely better sounding but the denon is simpler to set up, the maranrz is better for music while denon is good for movies. My decision is more or less towards the denon marantz combo, as I want a fairly simple setup, and even the dual zone of marantz is a mess as it allows only analogue for zone 2.


I think sound is the most important thing but.. One dealer told me that Denon has recently compromised on sound quality. Another dealer told me not to go for Marantz as Marantz designs its own circuitry and it is very difficult to get the after sales service.

BTW could you please educate what kind of mess is Zone 2?

Regards,
Vinay
 
Even I auditioned Moviestar 70 at bass and treble before ordering DX-1 (they did not have DX-1 for demo. Lol...I think they must be surprised how suddenly so many people are interested in the DX-1. Couple of months back when I went to them for DX-1, they hadnt even heard of the system :lol:) from them. From what I have experienced....DX-1 is noticeably better and clearer than moviestar 70+, which is awesome as Moviestar 70+ really sounds great as well.

Music wise, I think DX-1 sounds way better than Moviestar 70+ as well!!!

If you are more inclined towards music, then you may go for Marantz. But really, the ease of 'setup, calibration and use' of Denon 1713 should not be ignored.

Thanks Angy. this is very comforting. I am more inclined towards music + plus i liked the appearance of receiver. But is it true that after sales service of Marantz is poor?
 
I think sound is the most important thing but.. One dealer told me that Denon has recently compromised on sound quality. Another dealer told me not to go for Marantz as Marantz designs its own circuitry and it is very difficult to get the after sales service.

BTW could you please educate what kind of mess is Zone 2?

Regards,
Vinay

Zone 2 or a dual zone is where in marantz you can play music from a different source in a another room. But the devil im the detail for this is that you can play in the second zone only through an analogue source thus cannot play from hdmi or AirPlay.
 
@ angynagpal - did you attempt to 'calibrate' the Moviestar 70 at the place you heard it? No, I would guess! Well, nobody does because all the buttons and commands need to be played around first, one has to get conversant with it just to make the settings to the desirable limits, isn't it? Maybe, the owner had set it to the level of 'his' hearing comfort and not somebody else's.

This is exactly what happens during most auditions. Buyers jump to conclusions on the 'first' impressions itself. In most cases, if the price is not an issue the seller has to be lucky if his 'sound' liking is a near match to the buyer for a on-the-spot sale.

Unamplified Zone 2 - It usually would accept only analogue signals, as it is expected the buyer to add an integrated amplifier or a pre-power to the zone 2 output to power speakers at a different location (in most cases). The AVR with zone 2 function has the ability to play 'one thing' in the main room, say, a movie through a blu-ray (where the AVR is installed) and FM radio through the same AVR and an added amplifier on the zone 2 in another room. Zone 2 inputs 'generally' are not provided with a DAC.
 
Denon 1713 is a pocket friendly price as compared to Marantz. Also Marantz is expensive to repair just incase. As per the dealers other than Bass'n'Treble, 5007 is an overkill for these satellite speakers. (Even when they have both).

Even i think that SR5007 is little heavier for DX1 and thats why I wanted to test these speakers with slimlines (Hifimart has a last year model NR1402 at very reasonable price) but I don't know where to audition in Delhi/NCR.

The problem here is.. it is almost impossible to audition different options. Every dealer is singing his own story.

R
Vinay
 
As you can see from my sig, I run DX-1 (as of now in 3.1 mode) and they are worth the money. In the similar size and money, I think they are really good. I have not heard moviestar version but for me realative smaller size is imp and DX-1 is the right size in my living room.
SQ wise they are really good especially the sub and the combination. Since they are relatively lower sensitive my Marantz receiver is pushed to upto -20 volume settings at times but that is really not a problem as it gets pretty loud afterwards!
 
@ angynagpal - did you attempt to 'calibrate' the Moviestar 70 at the place you heard it? No, I would guess! Well, nobody does because all the buttons and commands need to be played around first, one has to get conversant with it just to make the settings to the desirable limits, isn't it? Maybe, the owner had set it to the level of 'his' hearing comfort and not somebody else's.

This is exactly what happens during most auditions. Buyers jump to conclusions on the 'first' impressions itself. In most cases, if the price is not an issue the seller has to be lucky if his 'sound' liking is a near match to the buyer for a on-the-spot sale.

Hey Ghatgepatil,
No, obviously I did not. But the owner of Bass n Treble did calibrate the system exactly (or even better) like how I would have at my place, i.e. with the audyssey tool. He had asked me to inform him about my arrival atleast an hour before I reached his showroom, just so that he can calibrate the system. Infact, I should state that I heard the calibrated moviestar 70+ in a 'acoustically treated room' as compared to the DX-1 that I hear at my home which is almost the opposite :p.

Do bear in mind, that the moviestar 70+ was AWESOME!!! Infact only after auditioning it did I order the DX-1 (showroom did not have dx-1 for demo), thinking that even if the DX-1 sounds 85% of what I heard from the moviestar 70+, it would be worth the buy. This is how much I liked the moviestar 70.

I was actually jumping for joy when the DX-1 sounded even better than the moviestar 70. It has exceeded all my expectations.
 
You shouldnt have simply read forums and made a purchase. The 473 is a better avr.

Hai guys,

I was thinking for a long time whether to go for Yamaha RX-V473 or Denon 1713.

After going through the various forums, y'day I got my denon 1713 from FairDeal, Crawford Market, Mumbai. The set up was very simple, I could connect my LAN and could play from my iPad using Apple airPlay.

Now i have to add speakers. I am interested in Polk Audio Bookshelves. For the moment, I am planning to buy a pair of Tsi 100 or Tsi 200. Then later on add surround, center and woofer.

Please suggest me which one to go for of the above or is there any other option?

Thamizh
 
As you can see from my sig, I run DX-1 (as of now in 3.1 mode) and they are worth the money. In the similar size and money, I think they are really good. I have not heard moviestar version but for me realative smaller size is imp and DX-1 is the right size in my living room.
SQ wise they are really good especially the sub and the combination. Since they are relatively lower sensitive my Marantz receiver is pushed to upto -20 volume settings at times but that is really not a problem as it gets pretty loud afterwards!

You indeed have a great set-up :licklips:. It looks stunningly beautiful. The work is done with very fine details. Many congratulations..

Did you by any chance had the opportunity to try these with marantz slimline receivers? Additionally what does -20 volume mean (sorry for my ignorance). Is it more than half or 75%.. ?

R, Vinay
 
Dear friends,
I am new to this forum and only by reading this thread made up my mind to buy a home theater system.
My questions are:
1. Will DX1 be sufficient for my living room sized 25 X 30 feets an 10 feet high?
2. Could i pair it with denon 2113 instead of 1713 so that can be upgraded in future?

Thanks in advance.

-Kanti
 
Will DX1 be sufficient for my living room sized 25 X 30 feets an 10 feet high?
Don't know what you mean by "sufficient", but their little 3-inch drivers won't move much air (i.e., you'll hear them but won't feel any impact).
Could i pair it with denon 2113 instead of 1713 so that can be upgraded in future?
Either one will work fine, the main difference being 7.1 vs 5.1 (the difference in amplifier power is negligible - about half a decibel). Keep in mind that the DX-1 speakers are very inefficient, so they won't come close to playing back at reference level with either one of those receivers.
 
Finally installed the speakers on Denon 1713. The set did not contain the Screws to tighten the Sats to the wall brackets. It is very difficult to procure M6 x 15 screws in local shops because they don't understand the the thread M6. So I called a Tech person. He said that No. 10 Bolts/screws are M6 and are easily available in Scooter repair shops. So my problem was solved.

Satellites are exceptional. But Sub seems to lack a punch. My volume on Sub is at 50%. Can the previous users suggest some tweaks so that I can make it better. But overall I am happy with the setup. Very happy with Sats and Centre. Guess the tweaks on Sub will make it exceptional.

What is the Phase switch on the sub 0 & 180 Degrees for? My Sub is on the front side.
 
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Finally installed the speakers on Denon 1713. The set did not contain the Screws to tighten the Sats to the wall brackets. It is very difficult to procure M6 x 15 screws in local shops because they don't understand the the thread M6. So I called a Tech person. He said that No. 10 Bolts/screws are M6 and are easily available in Scooter repair shops. So my problem was solved.

Satellites are exceptional. But Sub seems to lack a punch. My volume on Sub is at 50%. Can the previous users suggest some tweaks so that I can make it better. But overall I am happy with the setup. Very happy with Sats and Centre. Guess the tweaks on Sub will make it exceptional.

What is the Phase switch on the sub 0 & 180 Degrees for? My Sub is on the front side.

Have you run audyssey yet? If yes, what are the distances and levels calculated by it?

Dont worry too much about the phase switch yet. That is to change the polarity of the sub.

Did you try the sub placement using the crawl method (search it on the internet)?

Give the sub some time. Even I felt it lacked punch, but someone suggested on this thread to run it for some time, after which it starts to perform better. It seemed to become better the more it was used in my case, though maybe it was just my ears getting used to it.

Remember though, very heavy boomy bass is not the ideal bass, though at the end of the day it depends on your liking and tastes. I would suggest you run audyssey using all 8 positions as described by audyssey in their diagram. This will set up your system to perform at the reference levels. Listen to your setup for atleast 2-3 weeks, before trying any changes. If you still feel it lacks bass, then increase the subwoofer level from 'the audio settings on the 1713'. Dont increase the volume using the knob on the sub. This will ensure that if you wanna come back to the reference levels, you can do so using the avr itself without the need of calibrating your system all over again.
 
Sub seems to lack a punch.
Move it as close to your listening position as possible. If your sofa is away from the back wall, place the subwoofer directly behind your seating. Nearfield placement will let you hear more of the sub and less of your room, for tight punchy bass.
 
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