I purchased the Marantz 7500 a few months ago and have thoroughly enjoyed it! I had a question regarding its "Direct" mode. when listening to music it definitely sounds nice. but it also works w/ the TV. I can do it via my cable (digital/HD comcast) and DVD player w/ digital outputs. it sounds good, but definitely different than when i put it in "auto" mode or DD/DTS. Anybody have any experience w/ this or thoughts on which they like better or how the sound is being processed.
William the receiver's modes can behave differently based on the original recording of the sound, even if the source is a stright digital cable (non-HD). I don't exactly know how the DSP decides to disperse the sounds to the various channels, but I seem to do better with one setting for sports and another for some movies and yet another for straight dialogue shows (sitcom etc.) You will have to experiment to see what you like.