Yammy 2500, Denon 3805, Marantz 7500? Musical, neutral, even laid-back (1 Viewer)

[GregoriusM]

I'm having hiss problems with my Rotel 1056, of which I like the sound, although it could be a little "warmer", "neutral", "laid-back", although those are not all synonymous.

75/25 music/movies.

I think all of these are roughly the same price.

I have average sensitivity speakers, and when I go to 4 ohm next year, I will add amps.

So, which is detailed, yet not bright; laid-back but not muffled; neutral, which I suppose is the best?

I know any opinions are just that, but I would appreciate them anyway.

If anyone is familiar with the sound of the Rotel 1056, could you let me know what differences you might find in the above mentioned receivers?

Thanks!

Greg

 

[John S]

The Music lovers always seem to favor the Marantz, I still favor the Denon.

 

[John Garcia]

The lower Denons are decent, just not my first choice. IMO, you have to get up to the 3xxx at least before they sound good for music. I auditioned the 3802 and really wasn't impressed with the power or DACs. I never really liked Denon, but I heard my buddy's 4801 (? I don't remember the model#, but it was a 4xxx series) with KEF Q series speakers and a very nice $1K Toshiba player, and it sounded great.

As John notes, Marantz is my choice for music. The 7500 seems like a pretty solid choice, and fits your description pretty well. I run an 8300 and I am very happy with it. I chose it specifically because I also run about 70/30 music/HT.

 

[John S]

Agreed with the other John, you really have to experience Denon's 4000 and 5000 series stuff for truly cut above performance. I use a Denon 4802, it has made me a Denon head, but here I stand looking for a sweet deal on an H/K 7300 for new Pre/Pro and Video handling features.

 

[John Garcia]

H/K wasn't among your choices Greg, but I consider them quite musical as well. You will likely want to also give a listen to B&K and Arcam.

 

[Ricky c]

marantz or i know you didnt mention it but the rotel rsx1056 is a fine peice of gear.

 

[John Garcia]

The 1056 is what he's getting RID of.

 

[Juan Carlos]

I'd say the Marantz. I have a 6400 and had auditioned the Marantz SR7400 vs the Rotel RSX1067. The difference was a very slim difference. The Marantz is very quiet, runs cool, and I love the way it sounds with music. From someone that was looking at a Rotel at first, I would definitely recommend a Marantz.

 

[GregoriusM]

They've ordered my 3rd 1056 and if it has the same problem, Marantz is second on my list.

Thanks to everyone!

 

[skip marr]

You mention they ordered your third Rotel? That must tell you something - there is a problem somewhere - either with Rotel or with your desire for the sound quality. Do not settle for something you do not like.

As with some of the other comments, here is my take on the evaluation:

HK is very musical and a good piece of equipment. Build quality issues, heat build up, and switching noise appear to be recent complaints.

Marantz - very well balanced for music (especially) and HT. Heat build up and random shutting down appear to be recent complaints.

Rotel - no experience, though what I read, the new model are just not the pedgree of the line.

Pioneer Elite - evaluations are all over the board on sound quality and reliability - though many claim their roon EQ set up is the best. Lots of focus on the 54 unit.

Yamaha - good, basic performance for HT that you can find practically anywhere. Musically, average.

Arcam - great gear - some consider it the new Rotel - but pricy and very basic features.

NAD - same as Arcam, though historically had reliability issues.

Denon - from experience, I A:B'd HK and Denon and HK blew Denon away. Denon had a very thin sound stage and likely would suffice for HT, but not even in consideration for music. I was very surprised, as they always receive good reviews.

Integra - glorified Onkyo.

Onkyo - similar evaluation to Yamaha.

Again, this is just my view point. You should trust your ears, then consider the features you want. Good luck

 

[GregoriusM]

Thanks, Skip.

I like the sound of the Rotel pretty much, and the 75 watts per channel have been independently measured at the full 75 watts for all channels driven at 8 ohms at .05 THD.

It is only 5.1 channel, but with a 2-channel amp addition, it will become a 7.1 channel set-up.

Rotel is still quite good. Another dealer has compared the Rotel with the Arcam. He called it a "little on the lean side".

Marantz is more musical, he said, as you did.

But, speakers make a lot of the difference.

I like the no-nonsense setup of the Rotel, with emphasis on quality and not every feature in the book including the kitchen sink.

So, I'm hoping Rotel will come through. Apparently they've had some Quality Control problems, but have hired a new guy to oversee QC. He's been there a while, and I'm sure that the pipeline will fill with better overall quality Rotel stuff fairly soon.

But, just in case, I wanted to find out what people thought, and I'm going to audition the components just to get a feel for them in case the next Rotel is no good as well!

Thanks!

P.S. I've heard that the new Marantz stuff doesn't have the excessive heat problems that some of the xx400's did i.e the 5500, 7500, 8500, etc.

 

[John Garcia]

Heat issues seemed to be confined to early shipments of the x400 line, and the issue also appeared to be easily fixed. I haven't heard of any major issues with the x500 line so far. If it's any indication, there seem to be an unusual number of x400s on the used market.

 

[GregoriusM]

Well, my THIRD Rotel 1056 is going back, and luckily my dealer just started selling Marantz (they dropped Denon), so I'm going down to pick up and 8500 today.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Good luck with the new receiver Greg. I know too well how you feel about Rotel and their QC issues :frowning:

 

[GregoriusM]

Thanks, Andrew!

 

[Shiu]

I am surprised too!
I was pleased with the way the 3805 held its own every time I compared it with my separates.

Greg,

there are much better deals for the 3805 right now in Toronto. If you like Marantz, you will likely find better deals here too. Regarding the weight thing you asked about in your other thread, once you get pass the 32/33 lb mark, it may not matter as much. Case in point, the highly regarded (and expensive) Arcam AVR300 weighs about 32/33 lbs. On the other hand, as I mentioned before, some of those Sony ES weighs 46 lbs yet they don't give you much power.

 

[GregoriusM]

The 3805 sounded a bit muddy and veiled to me.

I got the 8500 tonight and tried it on the tube, about 5 CDs, a movie, Diana Krall - Live in Paris, and a few cuts from the Eagles Farewell I Tour in Melbourne.

Just what I was looking for!

The Rotel was a tiny bit thin. The 3805 I explained above. But this Marantz seems to be just right!

I'll let you know a bit down the road after it breaks in a bit.

So far I love it, EXCEPT there seems to be only one Dynamic
Range setting and it only works on Dolby Digital, not DTS, and it's called the NIGHT mode.

Also, no DIRECT, just PURE DIRECT, that sets all of your speakers to LARGE + SUB.

I also can't find how to get OSD on the screen. I can get the SETUP, but no OSD. Maybe I'll have to RTFM eh?!!!

Excellent Video Upconversion.

The remote is not too bad, but why put TWO light buttons at the bottom of the remote where you hardly ever put your fingers???

5 channels at a decently loud volume and you can hardly tell the receiver is on by the amount of heat it does (or, rather, doesn't) produce.

Dolby Headphone - nice enhancement.

The sound feels nice and natural or maybe a bit laid back, and the amps seem like they have gobs of power.

I'm a happy camper right now!

 

[John Garcia]

Congrats! I have an 8300 and I love it.