Kinda old school, but any Marantz AV9000 owners out there? (1 Viewer)

[Dean L]

Never saw a lot of reviews on this unit in any audio mags, or read much about it on ths forum or any others.
I have had this unit for 2+ years and I love it!
When I 1st hooked it up, every CD I played had new life breathed it them via the 9000's digital input in 2 channel "direct mode."
(I have NEVER owned a music only preamp or seperte D/A though)
Oh and of course DD, DPL, and DTS sound pretty dang good too!
It is kind of outdated now for HT, (No upgrade capability for DTS-EX, DPL2, etc) but I am still DAMN happy w/it!
Any other AV9000 owners (or previous owners) out there?

 

[Rachael B]

Dean, I love mine. I've had mine since August 1999. By spring of 2000 I had mine mated with a Smart Jr. EX processor. You could get that one or the Parasound EX add-on unit that uses the same Circle Surround technology. I love the remote, AC-3 RF decoder, the analog by-pass, and I'm going to hate the day I replace it. It won't be soon! Best wishes!

 

[Dean L]

And YES the built in RF-demod for LD's is another very underated feature on the AV-9000!
How much is the Parasound EX add on? (Not familiar w/any of the add on surround EX units)
Does it have a built in amp?
Would I need to add a seperate mono amp, since my Carver 705 is only a 5 channel amp?

 

[Rachael B]

Dean, I think the Parasound lists for $499 and does not include an amp. I think it does DTS ES too. It has a remote control too which mine lacks, which would be handy for initial set-up, little else. I paid $399 for my Smart Jr. Last time I looked the AVS Forum store had them on sale for $299.
I found a used Rotel RB 970BX amp for $230 at a local dealer. It bridges to 180 watts, which really puts a charge in my single rear centre speaker! Can you say, pod race...? Yes you'd need an amp but, say hey! Best wishes!

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Or, you can look through ebay (and other used eqp places) for an old Dolby Pro Logic processor. There are units out there from Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, Shure, among others. Should be able to get one for easily less than $100.

Also, any old DPL receiver will work too, and that would also include the amplification you'd need.

 

[Frank Cheh]

AV9000/MM9000, it still amazes me that their are not that many post about this great combo. I just spoke with Marantz and M&K about my 9000/S3B's speakers. All are last year's latest and greatest but I haven't heard anything better. 2CH RULES. DDII and DTS ES/7 ch are not worth the money, however DVD/SACD audio IS.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Frank I agree, but I disagree, but I agree!
I added a Shure Dolby Pro Logic decoder to my system to get the 6th rear center channel (Sony TA-E9000ES; I'm keeping my eye out for the rumored AV9200...). I'd never go back to "5.1" after having lived with 6.1 for 6 months now. That rear center speaker fills in a gap you don't even realize you have back there until it is gone.
But, you can still keep your AV 9000 too...

 

[Dean L]

AV9200, has anyone heard what the upgrades will be or a price?