P-E 43tx or Marantz 8200? (1 Viewer)

[Wayde_R]

I am currently struggling with the question, do I wait and save more money
to buy the Marantz 8200 which is just out of my budget. Or do I buy the
Pioneer Elite 43tx. Both are pretty close receivers and will meet my needs.

I use NHT ST-4 speakers for front and plan on picking up the sb3s for back
but for now I have some decent Missions that have served me well for years.
I use the matching NHT sc-1 for my centre channel.

I've listened to both at separate times (in different stores) I can't really tell any apparent difference in sounds, however you know how different showrooms are, they're not my living room. I don't know if I'd notice any difference between the two amps and I'd
rather just buy the Pioneer because it's cheaper and probably does all I need.

But then, that Marantz sr8200 is tugging at me, it's slightly heavier at five more lbs than the P-E, which appeals to the audiophile in me. Am I just being a slave to a brand? Or does spending the extra really
get me more?

Thanks for any opinions
Wayde

 

[Don Barduca]

If all things were equal and you couldn't hear a difference in sound then either bring them both home to audition in your space or decide on features.

 

[John Garcia]

Are you looking new or used/refurb? Marantz and Pioneer have both released models to replace those mentioned.

I would say a closer comparison would be the 45tx and the 8200. I have owned 2 Marantz receivers previously, and I now have the 8300 and I am very pleased with it's power and sound. I briefly listened to the 45tx and felt it sounded good, but the 49tx was just plain impressive (and expensive). Have you considered the 45tx or is that too much?

NHTs like plenty of power, so I'd have to say to go with as much power as you can reasonably afford. My personal inclination is to recommend the 8200.

You may also want to consider the NAD T762 in this price range. If you like weight, this thing weighs a LOT. www.yawaonline.com

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

The only Real World feature you get in the 45TX opposed to the 43TX is automaic MCACC. While it is convinient, if you have an SPL meter, the same calibrations can be done in about 15 minutes. There are some great 43TX deals to be found, especially for factory refurbished units. Ecost has it for $470 and if you have a HiFiBuys or Tweete around they have them new-in-box for $550 and less, if they still have them in stock.

 

[Don Barduca]

The upgraded remote is a "real world" option too. Not everyone has the money to buy a near $1000 receiver and then scrap the remote it includes to buy another backlighted remote for $100. Not to say that at those low prices the 43tx still isn't the better buy...which it definately is.

 

[Will^B]

45 also has USB if that matters to you at all

Im personally about to buy the 45, it has all the features i need, plenty of hookups and if all goes well will last me quite a few years as im not as much of a guru as the rest of the people here

Have you looked at both of there features closely? It might come down to one or two things that one has that you may want more.

 

[TommyL]

wayde...how much are your spending? (on the receiver) let us know...

 

[Wayde_R]

Thanks for all the opinions.

The 43tx (or 45tx, not much price difference) is winning because it's within my budget. Here in Ontario I can't seem to take advantage of the deals being offered by the US online options. Went through trying to buy an 8200 off ebay and it just won't work... paypal "unconfirmed" address is a problem so I can't have it sent to American friends.

The 43 TX is my "real world" price range (if you can call Ontario the real world). I can get one for about 1200$ CND. My budget is just under 2K cnd. I'm not too concerned with anything over 100W per channel because my intention is to use my 2ch NAD power amp for my front speakers. They've been powering nicely my NHT st-4's for some time now.

The local audio stores (Waterloo and London) won't sell me an 8200 (which I'd love, really) for any less than 2200$cnd. Unfortunately that's 200$ above what I can afford right now. I've decided not to wait and save more because this could go on forever when I see the 9200.

I think I'll be happy with the 43tx, I listened to one today and it sounded very nice. Their soundstage was using Klipsch speakers that are probably no more expensive than my NHT's so it's difficult to compare. I tried to keep "colouration" out of my critique. But I tried to focus sounds directions, power and management.

DTS demo of select scenes from Gladiator was awesome in every way. The Pink Floyd track sounded nice too, I think he was trying to demonstrate the details of the softer parts of dark side of the moon. But when it kicked in and got (over) loud, the music distorted a bit and I could hear the speakers bouncing adversely off the deeper drums. Not a big deal to me though, I won't hold it against the amp, music did have a warm clarity when it wasn't blasting overly loud.

I considered going with the Marantz 7300ose which fits my budget but the rumours of the low hiss on the 7300 series scared me away.

A local hi-fi shop has an Onkyo sr800 for a nice price (1200$CND) but this is slightly used, the customer brought it back. This alone scares me. But I am going to give the Onkyo sr800 a chance tomorrow. The only bad things I've heard about Onkyo's sr800 is questionable power supply problems. It's a 100W 7.1 amp.

Thanks for reading
Wayde

 

[TommyL]

Check www.ac4l.com 8200's for 999 bucks and very reputable!

 

[Wayde_R]

Hi. Accessories4less is who I tried to buy it from in the US. They required the address of the card from which it was bought be the same as the address to which it's being sent.

Anyway. I am looking at an Arcam avr200 next. It seems to fit with my music-centric home theater needs even if it's not a powerhouse. I think my power amp on the fronts should help this out if it seems lacking w/ only 70wpc.

Thanks again
Wayde