I don't own one but have always liked Marantz. They don't get much mention I suppose because big box stores don't have them and you can't usually buy discounted online...at least not from an authorized dealer. Marantz is usually considered to be a very musical receiver. Worth the effort to find a dealer and have a listen. Good Marantz thread here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=734000
I would be very interested to know how the 4001 works out. I am considering a 5001 with B&W 601 and 602 spkrs. Don't know if I should spend the extra money on Rotel 1057 which is what the B&Ws were hooked up to in the store. Marantz 5001 had paradyne spkrs so I'm not sure if the different receivers made that much of a difference in the sound.
I bought my dad a 4400 and my brother has a 4200 and both are very good receivers for the price. I'd expect the 4001 to be no different.
Then you don't know what you're missing I've owned 3 receivers, 2 integrated amps and 2 amps from them over the last few years and I intend to stick with them.
In my experience, Rotel receivers have generally had more robust amplifier sections than Marantz receivers (I've been a dealer for both). But we're talking about a receiver that costs more than twice as much as the Marantz.
Keep in mind though that if you plan on doing a 7.1 system, you'll need a second amplifier connected to the Rotel (it has a 7.1 processor, but only 5 amplifiers).
Ask your dealer if you can listen to the B&Ws with the Marantz also and judge for yourself.
I have one. Not been disappointed so far. It's my first HT amp so I've found the learning curve to be interesting.
One comment/question though. I have an Oppo DVD player hooked up to it with a DVI to HDMI conversion cable. On the Input Setup section it "looks" like you can assign any video sorurce with any audio source to be assigned to the various inputs.
For example... when you select DVD on the remote I want HDMI 1 input and Digital 3 input but I can't get it to automatically combine those two. Any ideas?