The Official Marantz Receivers Thread

[Big Daddy]

Please discuss your Marantz receiver in this thread. You can include pictures, reviews, or any other comments regarding your receiver.

Manufacturer’s Website:
http://us.marantz.com/Products/172.asp

[SeanMF]

Marantz Sr5003 here....no problems/issues in couple months I've had it. Easy setup and works/looks great!!!

[mvs9963]

sr4003 for about 10 months now. no problems and absolutely love the sound for 2ch and HT

[ZIPPO]

SR6003 since February 2009. No problems. Easy on the ears & eyes
" What do you want in a surround sound receiver? Power? Connectivity? Sophistication? Easy operation? Superb cosmetic design? "

[^Lestat^]

SR4003 here got it last weekend and I have been impressed so far. Will be posting reviews when i get to play with it more.

[-DLS-]

Just recently replaced my Yamaha HTR6190 with an SR8002 and I'm lovin it!!
Very happy with it's 2ch. & Multich. music sound quality as well as HT performance. I have it paired up with an XPA-3 for my front 3 speakers and have the internal amps driving my surrounds.

Not really a complaint but it does get pretty warm after awhile compared to my Yamaha which stayed cool after hours of use. It actually looks nice and matches well with my other gear. A pretty solid unit!



SR8002 guts

[KASR]

Features:

• 7 ch Discrete Analog Amplifier (50 watts x 7) in Slim Design Chassis
• HDMI 1.3 x4 Inputs / x1 Output
• Decoding of Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD Master Audio
• Video Converter for All Analog Sources to HDMI
• Independent Audio Board for Improved Sound
• Simple Set-up with MRAC Auto Calibration
• Component Video x3 Inputs / x1 Output
• Analog Audio Inputs x5, Digital Audio Inputs x3
• Marantz Remote D-Bus In/Out Jacks
• Detachable Power Cord
• On Screen Display for Setup through HDMI out
• Glow Key, Precode Remote Control

I just bought this alittle over a month ago and I am still learning the intricacy of getting it "just right" - I'll be able to give a better review once I've had time to real dig into it's nuances.

However, at first glance: I do like the look and full of the receiver - I was surprised by how short this receiver truly was. The Harman Kardon AVR154 that I previously owned was easily double the height.

The OSD is easy to configure - I did have to allow for alittle acclimation as it was slightly different than the H/K OSD - with that said, the Marantz OSD seemed dumbed down and remedial...perhaps it simply doesn't need as much configuring head-room...I'm not sure yet. I'll continue to tinker. With that said, it's easily configured on the surface - the crossover can be adjusted in increments of 5 and you have the ability to turn off the back surrounds and run 5.1 only or have all 7 channels powered.

The audio codecs shine here - full suite of Dolby and DTS, including the TrueHD and Master Audio lossless codecs. I have set up my two other surrounds for full 7.1 and perhaps that is why Dolby Digital ES sounded much more dramatic than when I switch to TrueHD (Bourne Ultimatum) ... again, some tinkering is in store. (EDIT: I ran the auto EQ that comes with the receiver and it straightened out all the sound problems - Lossless audio sounds great now! I usually don't use the Auto EQ for any receiver and choose to hand-tune, but for some reason while searching for a fix, I decided to run it on a whim...man, I'm glad I did!)

Let's talk about what I don't like: no pre-amp outs mean no headroom for expansion in the amplification area (which I may not need since the room I currently have setup doesn't need that much power pumped through the soundstage....unless I'm trying to peel paint off the walls!)
Secondly, no 5.1 analog inputs...however, since I am going full HDMI, this isn't really a huge issue.
Third: no zone two or zone three. Again, since I'm planning on doing 7.1, this isn't a show stopper - however, I was kinda looking forward to setting up a second area, perhaps the back patio, with some speakers.

I believe this receiver will pull bedroom duty - I will most likely get the Marantz SR5004 or 6004 and couple it with an Adcom GFA-7607 for the home theater room.

Buying the Marantz over the H/K AVR1600 or even the more feature-rich AVR254 was truly a leap of faith. I've heard of the brand name, I like what I've heard about them, yet there were some sacrifices when I picked it out. If worse comes to worse, I still have a highly desirable brand name that will serve me well in the 2nd-hand sell-off area. Let's hope it shines, so I don't have re-wire!

UPDATE: With four weeks in the books, the Marantz is really growing on me - I am surprised on the warmth of the sound - I've heard people comment on this before with Marantz and H/K's - but the Marantz has a different flavor to the sound altogether, which I prefer over the H/K (which had a more tinny sound...more mechanical/digital - still great though!) I've run games through the receiver on optical and the sound was astounding - the one gripe here, is that you can not preset volume for each input signal - so if your DVD's need to be bumped up to 40 for a good sound field and output strength, switching to the game audio will blow your eardrums up at that level. The H/K had this ability, whereas the Maratnz does not...it'll take some getting used to.

The remote is easy-peasy, although I'm still figuring out how to cycle through the surround sound presets with some easy - the receiver display is alittle wonky in that concern that you have to be right up on it to see what codec is being read and most of the time "AUTO" is what will show up for movies and very small logos for Dolby/DTS signals....that's great and all, but the techno-dork in me likes to see the signal logo all big and glaring! I mean, who doesn't?

I ran CD's through it, but what was even more impressive was when I ran NIN: Beside You In Time in DTS -WOW!

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase - but as my home theater continues to grow, I will inevitably outgrow this receiver...but not in heart - as it has won me over.

[ZIPPO]

I've heard that Harmon Kardon receivers sound Marantz like. With the prices of the HK x600 series falling fast, I'm tempted to give one a try.

[KASR]

Originally Posted by ZIPPO

I've heard that Harmon Kardon receivers sound Marantz like. With the prices of the HK x600 series falling fast, I'm tempted to give one a try.

I would caution against the 1600/2600/3600 - been hearing about alot of audio dropout issues with them - hopefully a firmware update will fix that, but who knows.

[lucv13]

Love my Marantz

[Intamin]

SR-5002 here. I've enjoyed it for the year+ I've had it.

[davidxiphoid]

Hey everyone.

*EDIT* I messed with the 'surround' button on the remote and when it hit "DDD PL2x ms" it started working. I had it set on auto.. shouldn't that work just as well??

So here is my dilemma. Just purchased a Marantz SR5003 and loving it so far. UNTIL tonight.

Was watching a Blu ray, the remote dropped, as I picked it up I accidentally hit A button. I can't tell you for the life of me which one it was, but the screen went black and I started hearing ONLY the sub woofer..

Whatever the problem I fixed it with the Blu ray player but now I cannot get the rear surrounds to work with my Dish Network DVR which is hooked up with an optical audio cord. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong.

Here is what my receiver is showing in all its lit boxes

SP:AB A-SURR Digital Dolby digital

TV MAIN VOL: DG1 -25db

and in the speaker box I see ALL 5 speakers lit.

BUT the sound is only coming from the front 3 and the sub. Any ideas? I'm sure it's as simple as just hitting the right button or changing a setting but which one?

[bkbluray]

...Because I am upgrading to a Marantz SR 5003 from an Onkyo 605. The main reason is that the Onkyo just doesn't offer the same warm sound quality of the Marantz.

My parents have a Marantz for their home theater, and I've always felt that my Onkyo has come up short in terms of sound quality and punch.

Also thrilled to have 3 HDMI inputs. It will rock to have my DVD player, PS3, and Sat box all hooked up with HDMI!

And having the pre-amp outs won't hurt, either!

[bkbluray]

Originally Posted by davidxiphoid

Hey everyone.

*EDIT* I messed with the 'surround' button on the remote and when it hit "DDD PL2x ms" it started working. I had it set on auto.. shouldn't that work just as well??

So here is my dilemma. Just purchased a Marantz SR5003 and loving it so far. UNTIL tonight.

Was watching a Blu ray, the remote dropped, as I picked it up I accidentally hit A button. I can't tell you for the life of me which one it was, but the screen went black and I started hearing ONLY the sub woofer..

Whatever the problem I fixed it with the Blu ray player but now I cannot get the rear surrounds to work with my Dish Network DVR which is hooked up with an optical audio cord. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong.

Here is what my receiver is showing in all its lit boxes

SP:AB A-SURR Digital Dolby digital

TV MAIN VOL: DG1 -25db

and in the speaker box I see ALL 5 speakers lit.

BUT the sound is only coming from the front 3 and the sub. Any ideas? I'm sure it's as simple as just hitting the right button or changing a setting but which one?

That sucks when that happens, doesn't it? Too many buttons on the remote to know which one you hit. Glad you got it fixed.

[Pondosinatra]

Well I love my AV9000 old as it is.

Would like to hear from people who have the models that do video source upconverting - specifically anyone that's upgraded the signal from a laserdisc player.

[^Lestat^]

Glad to see more owners post here and have this thread moving.

[davidxiphoid]

Hopefully simple answer. What's the BEST way to hook up my back surround 5.1 speaker set to the 7.1 setup? Threw in the Metallica blyu yesterday and Cranked it! sounded so good...

[lucv13]

Assuming you have 7.1 speakers set up then just set your reciever to Dolby Pro Logic IIx and you will have 7.1 sound from 5.1 or 2.0 - the quality of course will depend on the source material

[davidxiphoid]

Originally Posted by lucv13

Assuming you have 7.1 speakers set up then just set your reciever to Dolby Pro Logic IIx and you will have 7.1 sound from 5.1 or 2.0 - the quality of course will depend on the source material

not sure if I was descriptive enough. I have 5 speakers (not including subwoofer) I have the two fronts and a center and 2 rear surrounds.


My concern is that depending on which inputs I have the two surround speakers plugged into, That I'm missing the back surround sound with my Dish sateliite and Blu rays that only have a 5.1 dts or dolby audio track as opposed to a 7.1 unless I matrix them with a different setting.

My speaker inputs have 2 surround setting. One is just labeled 'surround' while the other is labeled 'surround back speaker C / Zone speaker A.

Should I have the back speakers plugged into the 'Surround' inputs or the 'Surround back speaker C / Zone A' inputs?

[lucv13]

Oh I see - for a 5.1 set up just use the Surround outputs