S&V tests the Marantz SR7200 (1 Viewer)

[MikeKaz]

i have had nothing but a positive experience with my sr-7200. the source direct mode is incredible and has much more bass and texture than my sr-7000 did. this contrasts with it's regular stereo mode which is prett craptastic being to warm and not as open or detailed, but thats why source direct is there- i just listen to stuff in that if i want to. i question both the test results of sound and vision and the relevence of the power ratings they specify. i have no problem playing music extremely loud in all modes, and in two channel it can definately play better and louder than my 7000. the biggest indicator to me however was listening to the jurassic park DTS disc. i played the t-rex escaping from the pen scene and was absolutely amazed at the levels it was playing at with no problems. i had it at +8 (something i cant normally do at home) and my jbl-s38's were going nuts, but there was absolutely no clipping, distortion or compression from any speakers. i was actually worried, i was telling myself damn this is loud i wonder if im hurting anything besides my ears but lo and behold the sound was absolutely flawless, no distortion, even during passages with extremely high levels of base. i could not imagine playing any movie louder than it was. my hearing is still suffering from that day a couple of weeks ago. the funny thing is, whenever john q. regular asks if he should buy such and such a component or use whatever kind of setting for a certain reason, dozens of people will JUMP on him and give him the ubiquitous "yeah well uh you should just go for whatever sounds best to YOU, dont worry about all that technical junk". and yet after countless positive reviews of this receivers from completely satisfied owners, and people who have auditioned it in stores, people are screaming bloody murder because of one review in a magazine which gives a techincal specification. Now this receiver has fucking leprosy and anyone who buys it will be ruined for life. why not listen to the advice given by so many of yourselves and simply listen to the receiver and see if you enjoy it instead of following some number given in a magazine (which could be wrong or which could have come from a dud unit), and having that number in the back of your mind making you come up with reasons why this receiver is so sub par. i would give my goddamn left arm if there ever would have been as many complaints right now about the sound quality and performance of this speaker if this report came out later. its the old "well hmm someone says it should be bad, so yeah.. yeah you know i did notice before that it wasnt that good i just didnt say anything about it" syndrome. i didnt quite see anyone who had the balls to badmouth this receiver so much before this article came out, so it makes me wonder where the origins of the suddenly appearing "sound quality issues" are really rooted, regardless of its technical specifications. i have a korean unit by the way.

 

[Charles J P]

MikeKaz, I just want to make sure that you've read all the posts here. I am not trying to say anything except that there are a LOT of posts in this thread. I am expecially curious about your findings regarding some of the comments I made earlier. Try listening to a disk that is an older recording. I used a best of Beach Boys, and a Best of Simon and Garfunkle. When I play the cd in stereo mode, there is a hissing coming out of the surrounds. This doesnt sound right to you does it? What does your receiver do under similar situations?
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[Sean Lee]

Charles,
I've read many of the posts here and am concered about my 7200. But I've tried playing many CD's in stereo/source direct and don't hear anything out of the surrounds. I even tried simon and garfunkel on your suggestion and though the l and r hiss a lot (due to the recording) nothing comes from the surrounds. I am however concered that when I turn up the receiver I do notice hiss beginning at around -20 db, the level around which I listen at. And by -10 db the hiss is augmented by a annoying high screech (a little more subtle than I describe it, but there nonetheless). This does annoy me, but it is, nonetheless inaudible when playing a movie soundtrack. Also bear in mind, I've taken a B&K receiver home before and noticed it hissed audibly when turned up (though I can't remember how high). So my only question is, what level of "hiss" is acceptable for a receiver in this price range. Perhaps we can get some of the members here to test out their non-Marantz receivers and let us know, (making sure that they are playing silence not just with no input) Thanks!
Sean

 

[MikeKaz]

I wasnt able read all of the posts, i tried to read enough to get an sense of this post. honestly, no there is no sound coming from my surrounds during source direct or even regular stereo mode. the rears are completly electrically dead. if im im 5 channel stereo mode for example and set surrounds to none, a relay clicks and switches it off. also, no i cant notice any hissing or noise turning it up to -20. im thinking it might be your source material.
plus i only paid $680 for this receiver so i think its an otustanding value. the only negatives i can think about are that the suround select knob should require more force to rotate- but who cares. oh yeah plus it doesnt make coffee. whats up with that.

 

[Charles J P]

also, no i cant notice any hissing or noise turning it up to -20. im thinking it might be your source material.

Have you tried any louder?
Many replies here indicate that people seem to think that if there is no noise up to their average listening level, then that is OK. To me this is BS especially since myself and the store manager did some side by side tests of the 6200 with the Yamaha RX-V100 and we agreed that the Marantz is noisier. Also, I am watching Gladiator right now, which can be played between -25 and -20, but The Phantom Menace must be turned up to -15 to -10, and some older stereo movies are between -10 and 0. I dont think its acceptable for the unit to make noise out of the surrounds when I am playing back a digital stereo source in stereo mode!
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[MikeKaz]

im using a digital connection. mine happens to not make that particular noise from the surrounds, what the hell do you want from me. your particular unit is a piece of crap, what can i say. the first units also had problems with s-video that were corrected. and yes there is hiss when i turn it up to +13 and wear my speaker like a headphone. who cares.

 

[ChrisAG]

Heh, I don't know wether to laugh or not, but Mike, chill man!
We're just trying to compare info here.
That said, I'm through testing my 6200 out for now... call it fatigue, but I'm just going to use it and enjoy it for the time being.
Though it does not hiss as badly as some others described, I am probably going to exchange it for a newer production unit in Dec. or Jan. because I'm not 100% satisfied with the S-video "repair" - it is much better than before, but while watching Terminator yesterday I noticed the vertical hold go all screwy when the scene had bright gunshot flashes (no, it does not happen when the DVD is connected directly to the TV).
BTW, this is off topic, but I got so sick of the awful 6200 remote I purchased the RC1200 remote at Bay Bloor radio for $200 CND today - it is definitely worth it. If you buy the SR-7200 You get a RC1200 "derivative" (minus the lighted LCD panel), but in Canada the 7200 costs over $400 more than the 6200.

 

[Chris PC]

Anyways.....
I know the remote ain't so great, but really, the only thing I find lacking is illumination. I really would like that remote that is a step up from the RC-1200. There's not alot of buttons on the 1200 remote, so I'm not too keen on it. The more expensive ones look like you can practically emulate your entire remote with it. I have a 5 disc CD player and a separate 5 disc DVD player and so for each of the CD and DVD players, I need 5 separate keys for each disc, in addition to the 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 keys for the tracks. So far I have been using the cursor keys, including the center enter button, which allows for control of the 5 discs, but then I can't use the osd of the dvd player with the 6200 remote and I must grab the dvd player remote.
[Edited last by Chris PC on October 20, 2001 at 09:02 PM]
[Edited last by Chris PC on October 21, 2001 at 09:31 AM]

 

[Charles J P]

MikeKaz
Sorry, man, I was asking you for more information, not accusing you of hiding something or not testing right.
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[ChrisAG]

I thought the reduced button set would be a problem also, but after living with the RC1200 for only a few hours I see this is not the case. It's not perfect, but nevertheless quite ingeniously designed. Check out the following link for user reviews:
http://www.remotecentral.com/ureview/26.htm

 

[Chris PC]

Yeah, I agree the remote is a little bit annoying that way. I m pretty good at remembering where the keys are, but yeah, in the dark, its useless. like I said, if it were backlit, then it'd be perfect, but then, how could they sell us all on a better remote?
I guess I'll check out the Rc1200, but for instance, how would you program 5 buttons for each disc in a 5 disc player?

 

[ChrisAG]

I'm still learning the RC1200, but there is a 10-function jog wheel for each source, containing pre-programmed commands that can be re-programmed by the user. For example, two of the ten CD functions are Disc+ and Disc- that I would guess could be used for carousell CD players (I have a single disc player).

 

[MikeKaz]

The thing is I stayed off the HT forums for weeks because i knew i didnt need any advice or opinions on gear cuz i had a totally perfect receiver for my needs and was enjoying its sound and its surround modes and everything, and when i come back on i find out there's been this big scandal that has been going on unbeknownst to me and im just like where the heck is this coming from, this receiver's fine. apparently peope have had earlier units that werent as good as mine, and were talking about the problems like they applied to ALL of the units, and then sound and vision comes out and im like huh. i couldnt possibly care less about sound and visions review, i just know that i have a cool-ass stereo.
peace

 

[Chris PC]

Thats nice that you have a cool stereo. Most of us here are trying to diagnose OUR receivers and OUR problems and we are not generalizing. Would you like to be helpfull to other forum members who have Marantz SR 6200 and or 7200's and have problems? How about letting us know your receivers serial number?
Here's a usefull idea:
How about everybody list your model of SR x200 receiver and the serial number followed by the problems you have experienced OR most important, the lack of problems you have had with your particular receiver.
My SR 6200 receiver was made in Korea and the serial number was:
MZ000129000213
I had:
1) S-video Noise
2) Audio noise in stereo on all analog inputs. Less in surround, stereo "source direct" mode or with a stereo digital source.
3) Digital source drop-outs when playing CD's on my Panasonic CV51 5 disc DVD player using an optical cable.
4) Unsure of overall power and/or of the bass control. Bass tone control did not seem as affective at increasing bass as I would like, or as I am used to. When I listen to music at lower volumes, I like to increase the bass.
How about others chime in with serial #'s and problems or lack of problems. We could see a simple pattern and it may be useful. If you assume that one person with a defect free receiver with xxxx serial number means that all those after are fine, you are relying on chance. The more people who reply, the more useful our results.
thanks in advance
[Edited last by Chris PC on October 21, 2001 at 04:51 PM]

 

[Bruce Abar]

I just have to butt in here and tell you all how much I love my Marantz Sr14ex! Clean power, built like a tank!

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Bruce
http://bruceabar.tripod.com/theabarshometheater/

 

[Anjo]

I am planning to use the sr7200 as strictly preamp.
Does that make all the negative comments here like hissing/noise etc. void in my case?
Thanks.

 

[Charles J P]

Anjo, it depends on whether the problems we have been having are caused by the amps, or by the DACs, or DSP engines or what.
As for my info.
I have had three SR-6200 in my possesion all with basically the same problems.
1) Noise from surrounds while in stereo mode, worse with digital sources than in analog stereo, non existant in source direct mode.
2) Noise from mains while in stereo mode. Not as bad as surrounds. Worse with audio mastered at a lower level (tested with test disc that originated with clean recording as well as older material that may or may not be clean)
3) Noise from all speakers in surround modes such as DPLII music mode.
4) S-Video noise, on 1st and 3rd units for sure, not sure about 2nd unit.
1st unit Serial #MZ000129000820 Origin + unknown assumed Korea due to Serial # proximity to second unit.
2nd unit Serial #MZ000129000819 Origin = Korea
3rd unit Serial #MZ000129000302 Origin = Korea
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[Chris Ball]

I have the SR-6200 and i have no problems that i am aware of. I don't use s-video so i haven't tested that. As far as any other noise problems i have not heard anything like others describe.
My serial number is: MZ000129000667 Origin = Korea
Chris Ball

 

[David_D_C]

This is turning into a monster thread.
My SR-5200's:
The first unit, Korea - MZ000130000400, had s-video problems. I never tested anything else. The second unit Korea - MZ000130000469 has a very very slight s-video problem. I wouldn't have noticed it if I wouldn't have been looking very intently for defects. I'm not going to do anythng about it because it's so minor. I do not have any problems whatsoever with audio power, noise or otherwise.

 

[Dalton]

I have the sr7200 and It does seem a little too noisy. I have noticed the "hiss" at moderate to higher volumes. I have a parasound 5ch. amp coming in about a week. I will let you guys know if the amps in the 7200 are the source or the DACS. I do like the performance of the 7200 overall but i want to open up the soundstage a little with the parasound. Actually the new amp is a precursor to my eventual puchase of the outlaw 950
MY serial# MZ000129000410 Origin: Korea