I am looking at a entry level Amp. My maximum budget is about $400.
I have narrowed the search down to the Yamaha RXV440 or the Marantz 4300. Does anyone own one of these units ? At the moment I am leaning towards the RXV440 due to my budget.
I would really some advise on which one of these units are recommended.
R_L
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The Marantz 4300 delivers the better sound quality (it has 6 separate amps). But lots of asking learned me that mechanical quality is not the strongest point of Marantz. Furthermore I think the Yamaha 540 is a better match whith the 4300. Personally I'm getting more and more enthausiastic about the Denon avr1803. Lots of connectivity, separate amps and good mechanical quality (I want to have it at home most of the time, not in the repare shop). I can buy it in Europe for €399,-
Gan
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well, comparing these two, Marantz having more connectivity, and regarding the sounds, i can't really differentiate much, yes Marantz is slightly better (bear in mind its just slightly), but weird thing is, i found the Yamaha offer more volume than the Marantz...
Sarandon
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I have the HTR-5540, and I love it!! they only thing i hate is that it does not have the Digital TopArt design. But I would suggest that you try other entry receivers like the Onkyo 600 or the 601 that is about $200. Or you can try the Pioneer Elite VSX-41TX or try the Denon AVR-1804. But if you really want Yamaha, I suggest you take a look at their RXV line. the model is called RX-V440 or the RX-V540 or the RX-V640
valeem
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Anonymous:
My advice to you is to go and audition them both and see which sounds best to you. I don't think theres really that much difference between the two as far as reliability and durability are concerned (the Marantz I'm reliably informed is again being manufactured in Japan and no undue comments have been made concerning this).
As far as which one has more features, well you really only need to know how to set up and run the system. You really don't need all the fancy DSP's etc... so just concetrate on the basic sound in both movie and music modes.
Personally I found the Marantz to have the better sound but thats just my personal taste.
valeem
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P.S. Actually, concerning the features list.
Try to work out which one has enough digital connections for your proposed system in full. Is two enough or will you require more? The Yamaha has two while the Marantz has four.
Tim
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I'm considering the exact same choice between receivers. Most of the opinions here seem to rate the Marantz more highly for it's musical performance, but I've also learnt (from these forums) that for this difference to be appreciated, I need to choose my speakers with care.
Therefore would anyone suggest suitable speakers to go with either of these systems. I am looking for a 5.1 set up with small satellites (got to keep the wife happy). Would the Mission M70 set work well?
Hawk
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The Mission 70s would work very well, as would the NHT SB1s, with the Marantz. If you go for the Yamaha, I would suggest the AR HC6 package.
valeem
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Tim:
I can personally recommend the Marantz/Mission setup you are considering. I am currently running a similar setup and think the combination is very well matched. The sound this combination has is well balanced and provides the full range of sonics. The M70 set is a great compromise between size and sound and also works equally well with both movies and music.
Tim
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Many thanks, Hawk and valeem. I've done a bit more reading round on these forums and have respect for your opinions. I've even seen Hawk graciously admit to being wrong about a detail on the Maranzt 4300's discrete amps. Advice like that is worth more than any amount of reviews.
I shall go and part with my hard-earned cash this weekend.
valeem
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Amendment to a previous posting concerning the SR4300. It is actually made in china but still the general opinion is that the SR4300's are an improvement over their previous model in terms of reliability.
This is for Tim: My advice to you is to try these speakers at www.morelhifi.com. I've heard those speakers, I mean the satellites, and they sound great. I don't have sattelites, I preffer the MDF wood speakers. But my receiver is Marantz 4300, it's great, because of it's sound and the choice of inputs. You can choose which input to use because there are so many.
Anonymous
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I have a yami rxv540 with paradigm speakers and a yami sub and i love it. the sound is gorgeous and there is plenty of it
Anonymous
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I am looking at the Marantz SR5300. I am running Paradigm 9SE MkII's for the front, Paradigm Mini Monitors for surround, Paradigm CC-370 center and JBL PSW-1000 for sub. The 9SE's are 4 ohm, while the rest are 8 ohm. Am I safe running the SR5300 with this set up. I've heard great things about the Marantz and hope I don't need to purchase new front speakers yet.
Hawk
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Anon:
I don't remember hearing your specific Paradigm speakers, but I assume they have a very similar sound to the many other Paradigms I have listened to which is a very smooth, accurate and laid back sound. If you have heard the Marantz 5300 with your speakers and like the sound, go for it. However, you must be careful of the 4 ohm front speakers. If you push them too hard, the receiver will shut down on you. The Marantz specifies that if you run more than two speakers, they are all supposed to be 8 ohm (6 ohm are permitted if running only two speakers). You will probably have to try it at home before you will know if there is a problem.
The 5300 is a very fine receiver (perhaps the best in its price class), but it has a "laid back", reserved sound, and thus I would not recommend the combination. Of course, you may like the sound and it is always your opinion that counts when it comes to spending your money! But generally speaking, I would look for something a little brighter and more forward for the Paradigms. I would check out the Outlaw 1050 or an NAD 752, either of which has no trouble with 4 ohm speakers. Sonically, they are a much better match for the Paradigms, IMHO.
I went to shop to make a choice what to buy: Yamaha rxv440, 540 or 640. After listening them in stereo mode (no big difference, perhaps no difference, sound very uninteresting) i listened Marantz sr4300. I was in shock - the difference was very big - marantz was better, his sound was like a magic. Total. I thought - it is imposiible, not so much difference. Next day i went to another one shop to compare it again. The result was the same. After few days i will buy new marantz sr5400 (no info on official marantz site - why?). It means, that the marantz is better - for me. Go and listen. ps. I also listened marantz sr5300 - on 4 ohm speakers (only 2 front speakers, 20 min, no very loud). The sound was fantastic.
Hawk
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And people tell me that there is no difference in the sound of receivers! Krzysztof, you have proven my point!
Anonymous
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If your main purpose is for movies only, go with the Yamaha...it beats all others on the decoding side. If you want music and movies, then go with the Marantz. But as usual, audition them both.
elitefan
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If these are your final choices go with the Marantz. It has a better power supply which is important in multichannel mode. Yamaha's have weaker power supplies and as far a decoding goes most any modern receivers have good quality dsp chips so that is not a real concern. Motorola, Crystal, Analog Devices make most of the chips used in receivers and all are excellent. Yamaha does their own thing in decoding and is very caught up in their multitude of rather gimmicky dsp modes. Who needs 48 dsp modes for music and movies? Give me a receiver with lots of power reserves any day. Marantz 300 and 400 series receivers meet that standard much more than Yamaha. Maybe now that Yamaha is jumping on the THX bandwagon they will beef up their power supplies which is a THX standard.
Grant Burns
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My wife has actually given me the go ahead on an amp / speaker / DVD package. Currently several good deals on offer (here in NZ). What are your thoughts?
NAD T742 receiver + NAD 521 DVD + DB6 5 speakers or - Yamaha RXV440 rec + Yam DVS550 DVD + Infinity 5 speaker pack; or
Denon AVR-1603 rec + Pioneer DV-355 DVD + Polk Audio R series 5 speakers + 100w active sub.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Sarandon Johnson
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Grant me personaly I will get the NAD T742. being the Yamaha fan that i am, i know a bad a$$ receiver when i see one and NAD is it!!!!! so go with your first choice!!!
Hawk
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Grant:
I have taken the time to listen to all of the above receivers head to head (as well as the DVD players), and I would recommend the NAD combo for several reasons:
First, the Yamaha and the Denon are both single amplifier receivers. That is, they use one amplifier to drive all six channels (their respective literature refers to a "discrete amplifier" [singular, not plural] which means the amplifier is on its own daughtercard and not on the receiver's motherboard). Conversely, the NAD has five discrete amplifiers which drive each channel separately.
Secondly, I know the Denon uses cheap IC outputs. The NAD uses a much superior set of bi-polar transitor outputs, which means smoother sound and lower distortion. The Yamaha also uses transistor outputs.
Third, the pre/pro section of the 742 uses very high quality Crystal brand Sigma-Delta DACs (192/24s) and a Crystal DSP, used by many high quality manufacturers of pre/pro separates. The digital processors used in the Denon are not even specified (probably because they change from week to week depending upon who gives Denon the best price). Yamaha uses a proprietary DSP. As for the DACs, both the Yamaha and the Denon use the older and lesser quality 96/24s instead of the 192/24s used by the NAD.
Finally, the NAD receiver uses a much higher quality power supply than either the Denon or the Yamaha. You will note the dyanmic power of the NAD is something like 90 wpc. Conversely, neither the Denon nor the Yamaha will make their specified power much less have any dynamic headroom when driving more than two channels. Both Denon and Yamaha use the disreputable practice of only rating 2 channels at a time when specifiying their receiver's power. In the real world, when a receiver at that price range like either the Denon or the Yammaha is driving five channels instead of two, the poor, over-taxed power supply is lucky to make half of the receiver's rated power into all channels (75 wpc becomes 37 wpc).
Likewise, on the DVD front, the NAD has been winning awards from a number of audio or video magazines around the world, but the Yamaha and the Pioneer units are simply more "me, too" products put out by the mass manufacturers.
Can't comment on the speakers.
Most importantly, have you heard these systems? If so, which one did you like best? After all this is your system. You should like the sound before you buy.
hi i got a bose 802 series 2 speakers.my college told mi that this was a outdoor set.i need an advice on how to set up this system to a home theatre.it consist of a pair of bose cube and rear speakers.power is of 200w and the same goes to the passive subwoofer.my centre is a infinity 150w.not sure what kind of receiver can push this hungry speakers.gone to few shop and they recommended denon or NAD.i kind of like the sound from NAD.pls advice mi on this.thanx.
Adding a little more for RXV 440 and Marantz 4300 Comparison.
Anonymouse, I think you cannot compare RXV 440 and Marantz 4300. They're not in the same class. You better think to look for Yamaha RXV 1300 for compare with M-4300. But better from M-4300 with same price, you better consider Denon 1830. M-4300 have better connectivity, better sound clarity, and purity and more sound formats. But of course, the sound reproducing also depends on how good e your speakers system are. You can hear no difference between two of them (even with RXV 440) if you have common speaker sets.
But if you do have sets of goods speakers (and sub) with all the ting, ring, and bang frequencies producing capability, then the reveicer factor talks.
But with your limited Budget, I thinks RXV-440 is good enough. Otherwise you can consider Kenwood VR-6060. This Kenwood receiver also a good contender in 400-500 bucks area.
Thanks. Pura Krisnamurti Home-Theaterpile Mags Indonesian Edition Editor