231 replies to this topic

[malewis]

cooksta, on Feb 12 2008, 04:04 PM, said:

very interesting reading DG, about to cross the upgrade bridge myself in the next few months.
I will be deciding between the Marantz or 1 of the new NADs..decisions, decisions...

Quick question - does it have a phono input?

Cheers

Martin

[g12345567]

malewis, on Feb 12 2008, 08:45 PM, said:

Quick question - does it have a phono input?

No Marantz haven't had a phono input on any of there AV Amplifiers for a very long time.
You will find that hardly any AV Amplifiers these days are equiped with a Phono input.

http://www.avland.co...7002/sr7002.htm


If you want to add a phono stage to the Marantz the you can use a phono preamp like the NAD PP2

http://www.lenwallis...ils.php?pid=925

Edited by g12345567, 12 February 2008 - 08:35 PM.

[malewis]

g12345567, on Feb 12 2008, 09:31 PM, said:

No Marantz haven't had a phono input on any of there AV Amplifiers for a very long time.
You will find that hardly any AV Amplifiers these days are equiped with a Phono input.

http://www.avland.co...7002/sr7002.htm
If you want to add a phono stage to the Marantz the you can use a phono preamp like the NAD PP2

http://www.lenwallis...ils.php?pid=925

Thanks Gnumbers

Makes the Yamahas look even better as I'm fairly sure that they do

Cheers

Martin

[:)]

malewis, on Feb 13 2008, 07:29 PM, said:

Thanks Gnumbers

Makes the Yamahas look even better as I'm fairly sure that they do

Cheers

Martin

martin, the denons historically also have had a phono input.

http://www.avland.co...08/avr-3808.htm

though to be honest I'd suggest grabbing a affordable nad, CA, Mf jobbie off ebay that would probably do a better job over any phono stage built in an avr

http://cgi.ebay.com....1QQcmdZViewItem

typically can come up cheaper too at around $150 or so.

[Chui]

Been away and a bit behind the times, but thank you for the review DG. Nice one

I liked it so much, I'll likely jump aboard the GB.  

Will be using the Elektra like you are/will be. Am interested to know your impressions after switching to the power amp.


Cheers,

Chui

[50MXE20]

Had a PM, who I shall leave anonymous, suggesting that after a Denon, I might find the Marantz a lot less dynamic.

Comments?

[Dissociative]

alebonau, on Feb 12 2008, 12:40 PM, said:

good to hear your enjoying it DG.

interesting your comments re sacd multichannel vs cd. I found something similar when got my denon sacd that prefered the multichannel sacd from it vs 2ch, but all that changed when I got my sony and hooked it up my 2ch gear finding better, detail, drive, dynamics sound stage etc. On the whole I prefer mostly the 2ch mixes of most discs, finding the surround mixes a little artificial..eg the ones that put you in the middle of the band vs the ones that you in front of it wiht the 2ch mix. that said do agree there are some discs eg BIA where prefer the multichannel mix and perhaps theres discs out there made to be listened in multichannel. Anyways look forward to how you find things with the elektra upgrade, which should take things further multichannel wise youd think and when you get the 2ch pre which will hopefulyl advance things again with 2ch. Very much agree with you in regards which ever sounds better - nothing savage about that ! hehe

good luck with the performance upgrades.... there is no end  !  so enjoy the journey as they say

cheers, thanks Al. i wonder if i will also change my position on the subject (again) when i add in a dedicated 2ch pre? time will tell. too bad there arent more SACD's with good multi-channel tracks, as sadly many are very poor.

[Dissociative]

Felix., on Feb 12 2008, 03:44 PM, said:

I picked up my 7002 last week but only got around to starting to set it up last night. I have over 10 different components to connect to it. It definitely seems to be a slightly better match for my Monitor Audio speakers than my Yammy 2600. I watched a Blu-ray copy of Assassination of Jesse James and the soundtrack (piano and strings) sounded exquisite. And I think that was just a regular DD track too.

I'm going to use the 7002's main remote as my universal so will post back if there are any issues there.

great to hear Felix - how is it going so far? did you manage to get all the inputs set-up?

cooksta, on Feb 12 2008, 04:04 PM, said:

very interesting reading DG, about to cross the upgrade bridge myself in the next few months.
I will be deciding between the Marantz or 1 of the new NADs..decisions, decisions...

no doubt also a top notch avr. was thinking a while about the nad pre-pro myself, but the lack of HD codecs put me off.

Chui, on Feb 14 2008, 01:40 PM, said:

Been away and a bit behind the times, but thank you for the review DG. Nice one

I liked it so much, I'll likely jump aboard the GB.  

Will be using the Elektra like you are/will be. Am interested to know your impressions after switching to the power amp.
Cheers,

Chui

will certainly post my thoughts chui, im due to receive the elektra any day now...

[Dissociative]

Lyle, on Feb 14 2008, 01:49 PM, said:

Had a PM, who I shall leave anonymous, suggesting that after a Denon, I might find the Marantz a lot less dynamic.

Comments?

cant really comment myself on that one unforunately, having not owned a denon. would be interested in others thoughts though.

[yorac]

D.G., on Feb 14 2008, 01:57 PM, said:

cant really comment myself on that one unforunately, having not owned a denon. would be interested in others thoughts though.

I've had both brands and certainly have never been unhappy with Denon I do however find them somewhat bright (a term often used for Yammy's) and lacking depth, this is not a problem I've ever experienced with a Marantz, IMO Marantz are a better all round performer, again this is dependant on what you pay, but I still believe Marantz adage of providing a listening experience is what makes their products so good.


Disclaimer: Currently running a Yammy 2700b


Disclaimer 2 : Via an Elektra next week

[Dissociative]

yorac, on Feb 14 2008, 02:12 PM, said:

I've had both brands and certainly have never been unhappy with Denon I do however find them somewhat bright (a term often used for Yammy's) and lacking depth, this is not a problem I've ever experienced with a Marantz, IMO Marantz are a better all round performer, again this is dependant on what you pay, but I still believe Marantz adage of providing a listening experience is what makes their products so good.
Disclaimer: Currently running a Yammy 2700b
Disclaimer 2 : Via an Elektra next week

thanks for your comments yorac, always great to hear real world experiences.  

bring on the elektra's  

[yorac]

D.G., on Feb 14 2008, 02:48 PM, said:

thanks for your comments yorac, always great to hear real world experiences.  

bring on the elektra's  

My pleasure mate, I guess there are others who have probably been on the higher plane, 4K plus receivers that may think/know differently, I recently had the opportunity to pick up the Marantz SR7500 as a secondary amp and did not hesitate after previously upgrading from the SR7400 (now happily with Yamapro), love the Marantz quality

[Psycho!]

Thanks DG for a great couple of write ups and everyone for a great thread in general.  My situation is so close to DG's its noot funny.  Like him I too have the Elektra on order and also would be using the 7002 as a pre/pro.  I agree with people who might go the 8002 if that is all they were using and had no designs on getting a 2ch pre in the future.  I like the way the Marantz doesnt fart around with any video fancy stuff requiring circuitry to create noise not welcome.  The recent aquisition of a DVDO VP50 will compliment the 7002 I have just ordered in the GB.

I have owned Maranzt gear in the past and have loved the quality of the product.  Reading about the SACD 2ch and multi experiences is interesting to me also.  I have also just acquired a Marantz SA-11s1 SACD player and am looking forward to its part in the system.  I also will have a multichannnel sacd [universal] player in the loop but actually prefer music from 2 channels myself.  As someone said in the thread the multichannel sacd can sound false/fabricated etc..  All in all its going to be great when we finally get into our new home and I finish buying all the other goodies for *Club Psycho!  

once again thanks DG for your realworld feedback..

[:)]

Lyle, on Feb 14 2008, 01:49 PM, said:

Had a PM, who I shall leave anonymous, suggesting that after a Denon, I might find the Marantz a lot less dynamic.

Comments?

not sure Id say that about the dynamics. but having demoed both, having owned marantz gear in the past and a denon avr now, and beign very familiar with the denon sound..I'd actually say I quite like the sound charecter of either brand.

need to keep in mind in all this the main thing that determines the charecter of a system is the speakers. anything else will influence but in a lot less fashion. if considering avrs, if using the amps on board more of the brand charecter will come through, in your case lyle using the elektra lot of it will determine the result you get.

that said there are subtle differences in charecter between the brands in my opinion. Marantz is a lot more closer to nad and the marantz sound to me is a touch of warmth  with yet still a fair bit of sparkle and a solid sound, on the down side that can show in some cases show as a bit of hardness ie hard hitting. the denon a sweet sound a bit more delicate and some would charecterise as brighter but certainly not in the way of the pio's for instance.

in the end its all a relative and comparitive thing. and what speakers you use will ultimately have a big effect on the result.

[Psycho!]

Lyle, on Feb 14 2008, 12:49 PM, said:

Had a PM, who I shall leave anonymous, suggesting that after a Denon, I might find the Marantz a lot less dynamic.

Comments?

Hmm that may be that particular persons perception, though I would doubt it.  As Al has pointed out up there ^^ they [Marantz & Denon] are pretty close with the exception of their minor individual sonic traits, not much in it in fact to my ears also.   I had a SR4300 hooked up to some JamoE580(?) and the Marantz could certainly get very 'dynamic' for me...just about blow your socks off when cranked!  

[Perth-Ed]

Hi D.G.,

I noticed someone asked about dimming the display on the 7002, and didn't see that anyone had really answered it (although probably sorted by now).  7002's remote is no doubt different but for comparison on the remote for my Marantz SR4200 (2002 entry level model) there's a button called Dimmer and pressing that cycles the display through three settings: bright, dull, and off.  

I'm using my SR4200 with a NAD power amp for the front stereo speakers, and using the SR4200's (rear) amps to drive the rear speakers.  No centre connected at present (too lazy).   I'm pretty happy with the SQ as is .... but as many have already said your detailed, and passionate, review has made me too want to upgrade to a 7002 !!!   ..... i've so many upgrades being contemplated my head is spinning  

Good to hear warranty is 3 yrs (I was sure it used to be 2 yrs back when I bought mine).

PS. black 'n' gold look gets my vote too.

Ed

[Chui]

Psycho!, on Feb 14 2008, 05:35 PM, said:

Thanks DG for a great couple of write ups and everyone for a great thread in general. My situation is so close to DG's its noot funny. Like him I too have the Elektra on order and also would be using the 7002 as a pre/pro. I agree with people who might go the 8002 if that is all they were using and had no designs on getting a 2ch pre in the future. I like the way the Marantz doesnt fart around with any video fancy stuff requiring circuitry to create noise not welcome. The recent aquisition of a DVDO VP50 will compliment the 7002 I have just ordered in the GB.

Actually Psycho, my set-up is/will be very similar to yours.

Looks like I will end up with the 7002 as pre/pro with the Elektra, and I already have the VP50 in place.

Then the search will continue for the 2ch pre.

All sound familiar??

[50MXE20]

Psycho!, on Feb 14 2008, 03:57 PM, said:

Hmm that may be that particular persons perception, though I would doubt it. As Al has pointed out up there ^^ they [Marantz & Denon] are pretty close with the exception of their minor individual sonic traits, not much in it in fact to my ears also. I had a SR4300 hooked up to some JamoE580(?) and the Marantz could certainly get very 'dynamic' for me...just about blow your socks off when cranked!

Something I've never fully understood is how much using an AVR as a pre-amp to the Elektra changes the sound.
I'm not talking about the improvement the amp makes to the AVR, what I'm wondering is how much a different AVR influences the Elektra.  Would two AVR's of quite different sound have an impact on the sound from the amp and how so?

[:)]

Lyle, on Feb 15 2008, 09:59 AM, said:

Something I've never fully understood is how much using an AVR as a pre-amp to the Elektra changes the sound.
I'm not talking about the improvement the amp makes to the AVR, what I'm wondering is how much a different AVR influences the Elektra.  Would two AVR's of quite different sound have an impact on the sound from the amp and how so?

something i'd encourage you to explore if wondering lyle. I did fair few comparisons at various retailer s using different avr/av pre-pros as front end. have posted before on it. the character differences less lot more subtle than if you were comparing using the onboard amps. the denon 3805 having a bit more bite than say the rotel pre-pros I demoed which were more rolled off in the top end and with a fuller bass.

[50MXE20]

alebonau, on Feb 15 2008, 08:48 AM, said:

something i'd encourage you to explore if wondering lyle. I did fair few comparisons at various retailer s using different avr/av pre-pros as front end. have posted before on it. the character differences less lot more subtle than if you were comparing using the onboard amps. the denon 3805 having a bit more bite than say the rotel pre-pros I demoed which were more rolled off in the top end and with a fuller bass.

How many AVR's as pre-pros did you test with the Elektra and what were they?

[Mining Man]

Lyle, on Feb 15 2008, 01:37 PM, said:

How many AVR's as pre-pros did you test with the Elektra and what were they?

From an old thread:

alebonau, on Jun 27 2005, 07:42 PM, said:

Well my avr-pre pro search is over !
~
My summary conclusions were that I am very impressed !. This is an extraordinary avr on its own and a very good pre-pro with great features and excellent useability. This comment is based on my in store demos and auditions with the denon 3805, Nad 163 & Rotel 1068 & 1098 and my own HK AVR65 that I’ve owned for a few years now.
~

[50MXE20]

Mining Man, on Feb 15 2008, 10:06 AM, said:

From an old thread:

Thanks MM. Were there comments about the results in that thread?

He didn't test the 4308!!
Ooops 2005 would have been a bit early.

Would be interesting to do the testing again with the current suite of AVRs.

Edited by Lyle, 15 February 2008 - 11:15 AM.

[Mining Man]

Lyle, on Feb 15 2008, 02:13 PM, said:

Thanks MM. Were there comments about the results in that thread?

He didn't test the 4308!!
Ooops 2005 would have been a bit early.

Would be interesting to do the testing again with the current suite of AVRs.

I understood the 4308 to be a blind buy, on the basis of the 3805's performance with the Elektra in this earlier round of testing.

Of course, al has mentioned testing of higher end pre/pros in the past as well, so goodness knows what else that cat has been up to!!

[:)]

Lyle, on Feb 15 2008, 11:37 AM, said:

How many AVR's as pre-pros did you test with the Elektra and what were they?

yes as per MM posted with the elektra in particular.

I foudn the 3805, the hk avr 630 and either rotels to be good references to compare against as something stocked by most stores, and to me it really came down to the 3805 or the hk back then.

Mining Man, on Feb 15 2008, 12:19 PM, said:

I understood the 4308 to be a blind buy, on the basis of the 3805's performance with the Elektra in this earlier round of testing.

~

yes the 4308 very much bought on the basis of my postive demoing with the 3805 in the past showing what a good av pre-pro it made. and also the 3805 sound being something very familiar and comfortable with having heard many times at norpus' and spearmints in early days. and been pretty happy with the way the 4308 has turned out  

Mining Man, on Feb 15 2008, 12:19 PM, said:

~

Of course, al has mentioned testing of higher end pre/pros in the past as well, so goodness knows what else that cat has been up to!!

hehe testing of higher end pre-pros goes a long way back prior to 4 years ago, prior to when I joined the forum. you'll see some hints in one of my first posts on here...

http://www.dtvforum....&...ost&p=28661

when I was trying to investigate combining 2ch and ht systems and throwing up whether to get another 2ch pre with ht bypass or new avr or pre-pro ?.

travels since then certainly taken me to interesting places and quite elightening along the way. some other AVRs and av pre-pros reember demoing include arcam avr300 and fmj av pre-pro, marantz 5/6000ose? the primare avr spa20/ av pre-pro/2ch pre, cyrus 8v, lexicon mc-4/8, classe ssp30 (which my cousin has), myriad, parasound. Cant even reember all the model names now ! not all with the elektra as not something all stores stocked back then. the nad master series wasnt out when I was demoing wiht power amps either

certainly something if someone wants to repeast with current gear as it comes out, woudl heartedly recommend !  

[50MXE20]

Not sure where that leaves us wrt the Marantz 7002 as a pre-pro.