Choosing between Marantz receivers (1 Viewer)

[BrianTwig]

Hi guys. Here is my dilema. Having trouble picking which receiver to go with. My system will be used for 95% music. I will have NHT IW3s for all my speakers (fronts, center, and surrounds). I know, I know, I shouldn't go with in-walls if possible, but other issues and WAF require the use of affordable inwalls unfortunately. Though I have listened to them and put them through a pretty punishing test at the local audio shop and they performed very well. I was quite pleased. So, I will have NHT IW3s for my speakers and I will have either an SVS 25-31 PC+ or the PB12-NSD/2 for my sub. Hopefully the latter. Again, WAF and fitting in with the family room furniture and set up will determine the final selection.

So onto the receivers. Never in a million years will I use it in 7.1. It just isn't going to happen. 5.1 will be it. Almost exclusively music use with a little movie use.

So I have narrowed it down to the SR 5600, SR 6400, and the SR 7200. The 7500 is pricey and out of budget, and honestly, I don't need or even know what all the gizmos and extras are no it (and the others for that matter).

I want/need to be able to run speakers in another room off of it. And also my outside speakers. But hooking up the main listening room and one more room (just in stereo mode, no surrounds or sub for the extra room) is what is needed. Worst case scenario I can just get a speaker selector to run the other room and outside speakers. Need to hook up a VCR and a DVD player to it, so if the component video switching on the 6400 and 7200 is what allows to switch between the two, that would be preferable. Plus the 6400 and 7200 have a bit more power than the 5600.

So what it boils down to, is bang for the buck and what I am going to use it for, should I go with the SR 5600, 6400, or 7200? And if possible, why? Also, do these have the ability to use a Coax to hook up the sub? Thanks! All advise and guidance is appreciated.

 

[Phil A]

I have a couple of friend who work in a high end audio shop and have secondary type HT systems and both have told me they like the 5600. They have also indicated that the 5600 makes a good pre-amp with an external amp (e.g. buy a use one). So, if your mind is set on a Marantz, you could consider (assuming you have the room for the equipment) an external amp with the 5600. I believe the Marantz 4600 actually has speaker switching in it (not to mention cheaper), although it does not have the same video capabilities. The all should have a sub output to hook up your sub. I believe if you go to the marantz.com website and select AV receivers you can do a feature comparison to help narrow down what you deem acceptable to your situation.

 

[BrianTwig]

Thanks Phil. The only one listed on the Marantz site is the 5600. But ac4l has all three listed and available. I checked out the feature sets, but being a technology and A/V equipment idiot, I don't know what a majority of the stuff listed is!

 

[BrianTwig]

Oh, and would a factory certified (reconditioned) receiver from Accessories4less be an OK way to go? I am not one of those picky people who needs new, best available, etc... I just don't want to get something that is likely to give me problems.

Thanks!

 

[ChrisAG]

I wouldn't go with the 7200. While it sounds great, there were a lot of defective 7200, 6200 and 5200 units out there (speaking from experience with the 6200). Also, starting with the x300 series the newer units have a few more desirable convenience features and more powerful amplifiers (check out a review on the 7300 I wrote on epinions for more info on that).

The 5600 looks like a great unit, and you can reassign the unused back surround channels to power a second independent audio zone (so you don't have to buy a separate amp), leaving you with 5.1 in the main room. I would also consider a refurbished 7400 from AC4L - it has a superior remote and may offer the best sound quality on your list.

In order, I would recommend:

7400
5600
6400
7200

 

[Phil A]

They have more than that - not sure where you looked but I was able to pull up a comparison:

http://us.marantz.com/Products/429.a...,SR5600,SR7500

 

[BrianTwig]

Phil,

I meant out of the models being considered. Thanks though.

 

[John Garcia]

I've used AC4L and they have been good to me so far. A buddy of mine has a 5600 and he likes it a lot. I'd go with the highest model you can afford, though I agree with Chris that I'd probably skip the x200s at this point as they are a bit long in the tooth and have some known minor issues. What's your price point?

 

[BrianTwig]

John,

I don't really have a solid price point. $550 or under has been my target but I am comfortable a little above if I can justify it to myself.

Now if I was a big movie watcher and needed all the gizmos and options for video it might be a different story. But its going to be used almost exclusively for music.

 

[John Garcia]

Well, I don't use any of the video capabilities on my 8300 either, but I went with what gave me the music performance I was after. If you are after solid music, I still say go with the best you can afford. I've installed the 5500 and the 5600 and while they are both good, I'd say for most music listening they wouldn't have enough power for me. I'd probably look at the 7400 if it were me, and I'd try to squeeze in one of the New in box ones if possible.

Multichannel music or stereo? If you are going to be more or less 2ch, I'd go with an integrated amp like the new PM7001.

 

[Jeff D.]

From a pure sound quality perspective, the 7200 and 6400 are the superior units, by far. I work for a Marantz dealer and have sold many units from all these series. Disclaimer: I have no vested interest in swaying you any way, since we don't sell online.

Anyway, there is no denying the reports of issues with the x200 series of Marantz receivers, but in all honesty we never saw such problems with the units we sold. They worked, and have worked, reliably. The only issue we had was a bad S-Video out board, and that was quickly remedied with a cap replacement.

Nevertheless, if you feel wary, avoid the 7200. At that point, the 6400 is the obvious choice, again from a sound quality perspective.

If features are important, then the 5600 is the right choice. The reassignment of rear speakers to a second zone is cool, but ask yourself - you really need it? Figure out what features you _need_, then pay as much as you can for sound quality.


Regards.

 

[BlakeN]

If you could go 100% two channel and didn't mind waiting a month and a half to get your reciever and could swing $600 plus shipping. This is what I would be looking at.



http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2150.html


On a side note I bought a refurb sr7500 from acl4less and love it. It came in prestine condition with all parts. Not what you are looking for but I just wanted to say my buying experience from them was great.