Question for the experts (1 Viewer)

[Gary Dehardt]

My friends and I are buying a HT setup for a buddy of ours who is getting married.
We've decided on:
Paradigm Titan - mains
Paradigm Atoms - rears
Paradugm cc170 - center
PDR 8 - sub
For the receiver, we're deciding b/t a Marantz 4200 and TEAC 9260. This system will be used 70/30 (HT/music) and my friend likes to play stuff LOUD. Any thoughts on which receiver will power the speakers better? The salesman told me the TEAC (http://www.teac.de/hifi/teac17.html) is 100 wpc, but I know those figures can be inflated.

 

[Gary Dehardt]

Here are some specs on the TEAC:

100W per channel (100 x 5)

Built-in Dolby Digital & dts decoders

S-Video Switching — 2 inputs / 1 outputs

Ultra Wide Bandwidth

24-bit / 96 kHz D/A Converters

Quartz PLL Tuner with 30 presets (AM/FM)

Sound Modes: dts, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby 3 Stereo, Hall, Theater, Stadium, Disco, Stereo

Night Mode - Dynamic Range Compression

Sleep Timer (10 - 90 min.)

Front Panel Headphone Output

Digital inputs: 2 Optical, 1Coaxial

Digital outputs: 1 Optical

Subwoofer pre-amp output

Video: 4 inputs, 2 outputs

Audio: 2 inputs, 1 outputs

Binding Post Speaker Terminals

2 AC Switched Outlets

TEAC "UR" Unified Remote Control

 

[Gary Dehardt]

A couple other things I forgot to mention (sorry, I'm disorganized):

I listened to the TEAC with the Paradigms and it sounded good (the Phantom Menace). Surprinsgly so. I mean, about as good as my 602's and Sony 7ES setup. Unfortunately, the dealer that carries Paradigm does not carry Marantz. Two channel music didn't sound nearly as good, though.

If we went with the TEAC over the Marantz, we'd be able to afford the PDR-10 sub rather than the PDR-8.

Thanks.

 

[Aslam Imran]

Paradigm is on the bright side and Marantz is on the warm side so I would think it would be a good match. As far as the quality of both receivers goes Marantz by far makes better receivers than Teac. I would go with the Marantz in a heartbeat. But thats just me. Any others wanna chime in on this one.

 

[ThomasL]

Gary, any particular reason you're limiting yourself to those two? What else does the Paradigm shop carry?
Many people here seem to like the Marantz for two channel music and I suspect Marantz has a better reputation than TEAC as well among forum members. Just my guess I've personally not listened to either receiver. I would recommend if you can swing it getting the 5200 over the 4200 if this is going to be a long term purchase. The reason is the 5200 does support the rear/back center channel and will decode DD-EX and DTS-ES Matrix in case he wants to add this later on. Just another thing to consider.
Also, other receivers in this price range would be the Pioneer VSX-D811S, the Yamaha 5560, the Denon 1802 (it doesn't do the 6th channel stuff) and the Onkyo SR600.
good luck,
--tom

 

[Arthur S]

I believe Pioneer makes receivers for TEAC. TEAC is not exactly a poplular brand around here.

Marantz, on the other hand, has a good reputation for sound quality, but often comes up very short in muti-channel power output. The 7200 was a dismal performer in this regard with output of about 38 watts per channel.

For resale purposes, Marantz should be much easier to sell if you upgrade.

 

[ThomasL]

Also, Sound and Vision had a good Dec 2001 comparison between the Denon 2802, the Pioneer 850S and the Sony 1070 models. The Denon was the preferred one which was not surpising but Pioneer got good marks as well especially in the "in the lab" segment. What will dictate what type of power you'll need is how loud things are played at, in what mode and what type of speakers are being driven. For example, if your friend will listen to his music in 2 channel stereo and play it loud then almost all of these receivers that have been mentioned I suspect will do pretty good in the power dept when just driving the front two channels.

cheers,

--tom

 

[John Garcia]

I am using Titans as my rears, but I used them as mains for a while with a 6200 (now Mini Monitors). If you want LOUD, and I would have to agree with the other poster who said the 5200 would be a better choice. It's only a few watts more, but

FYI: I got my Titans at the same price as Atoms, so I would really recommend trying to get two pairs of Titans.

 

[Gary Dehardt]

The store with the Paradigms only has one receiver that would fit in our budget and that's the TEAC. I know that the TEAC doesn't have anything near the reputation as Marantz but it didn't sound bad at all. That said, with all the fanfare surrounding Marantz I have a hunch the 4200 would sound a bit better - especially on 2 channel music. And, the Marantz has DPLII, which the TEAC does not have.
I would also be interested in the Denon 1802 or Onkyo 600, but we're on a strict budget ($1250, including tax). If it was me, yeah, I'd reach for the stars I can find some buys on those products on the 'net, but these sites aren't authorized dealers and I don't want to get my friend something w/o a good warranty. So, within out budget, I've narrowed it down to the TEAC, or the 4200 or Denon 1602 - but the dealer, who I trust, said the 4200 would handle the Paradigms much better.
2 Titans ($219)
2 Atoms ($189)
cc 170 center ($199)
PDR-8 ($299)
Minus 15%, plus 5% sales tax = $808.50
Leaves just a little over $400 for the receiver

 

[ThomasL]

Gary, given the strict budget of $400, I'd say you may want to look at the Pioneer VSX-D811S which should be right around that price at Best Buy. I picked one up for $400 a few weeks ago to try it out since I could not find a Onkyo SR600 anywhere. It's not bad but then again, I'm not a critical music listener. I may pick up the Onkyo to compare and then return the one I like least. The Onkyo is also right at your budget point since many places had it for $450 and looking at other threads here, people have been able to get it from CC for $400. Depending on sales, Best Buy may also have the Yamaha HTR-5560 in the $400-450 range.

Given you want an authorized dealer, the Denon is not going to give you the bang for the buck as they say. Local retailers where I am seem to only charge the MSRP on Denons.

good luck,

--tom

 

[Mike Veroukis]

Another option to consider is perhaps to not get rear speakers and instead get a better receiver. Since the receiver is the heart of your audio domain it pays to get the best receiver you can. Rear speakers could be added later by your friend, or he could use whatever speakers he's using now.

Also, I'd work on the discount since speakers have a huge markup. I'd try for atleast %20 although you may be able to get 25%. Good luck!

- Mike