marantz a/v receivers

OK I have been hearing this 'better in movies' concept from many people now. I would love to know what is being construed as 'better'. What are the parameters on which, say a Denon or a Yamaha amp, outperforms the Marantz.

And when you compare entry level models we probably should compare the Denon 1908 and the Yamaha RXV463 with the Marantz SR4001/2 and the Denon 1708 and Yamaha RXV363 with the Marantz SR3001/2.

When I talk about Marantz being a whole different level in music, I refer to the palpable warmth in the music, a richness, the fullness of soundstage and the lack of any jangling or harshness regardless of the treble content in the program. Now, this to some extent also depends on the speakers we match the receiver with.

Now - how exactly is one amplifier deemed to be better for movies than another amp? Is it a test of loudness/volume per se? Or is the parameter something else? Could you maybe cite a particular scene from a movie which was not rendered satisfactorily by one amp where it was addressed by another amp - even on the same speaker combination?

I am very curious about this and would like to know more.

Fair points, Unleash_me.

Unleash_me,
I stand by that statement, 'imposing' or not :-)
I base it on my experience with people around me who buy equipment for music vrs those that want to hear 'The Matrix- HD' in all it's floor-shaking glory. And the latter always seem to prefer loud, hard-hitting amps, even if musicality is lost somewhere.
Actually, your suggestion about avr preouts and dedicated stereo amp is exactly what I was thinking of going in for, once I finalise on the system components. There are issues (level-matching, sub out) with that approach as well, which I'll probably ask in detail in a separate thread. Hopefully you and others in this forum can shed some light.

Sumit,
I have a decent budget avr (denon 1507) but that is not comparable to the previous marantz I had. You're right about the KI stamp...but I am sure there are other talented engineers at Marantz today to carry fwd his legacy. The Marantz sound is still as distinct as it was before. Finally, as you say, it's an individual choice. But then, so is every choice we make in music... and life ;-)

Vortex,
You put it very succintly. I am equally curious to know how movie scenes are rated from a sound point of view.

Hi,

A little late in this discussion. But here is my take.

I somewhat agree with music is the acid test to check the main speakers. But what most of us do is check music in two channel and forget the check the other channels that are required for movies.

I feel that one of the important factor for a good movie experience is the clarity of the center channel. Some of the AVRs use different components for two channel reproduction and multi-channel reproduction. Therein may lie the first difference. The characteristics of a good center channel speaker are slightly different from that of a good front speakers. If you are using a center speaker which cannot do justice to dialog, your movie experience takes a dip. This may turn out to be a crucial factor.

As far as the booms and bangs are considered the AVR has lesser impact as most rely on a powered subwoofer. It is the quality of the sub that defines this factor.

So if you are keen on your movie experience, do take care to check the capabilities of the center channel of your system (receiver and speaker included).

This is my take on this matter. Feel free to disagree.

BTW, I feel that my CA 540R V3 is good for both

Regards,
Prasad Redkar.

I agree one hundred percent with Prasad here. If you want earth shaking qualities then get a powerful sub. If you want crystal clear dialog then get a good center channel. Although this is oversimplifying it a bit, it is generally right on principles.

Are there specific scenes where a sub / receiver / spkr will be tested to its max ? eg a thunder scene . This imo will be generic or am i wrong here ? Has this been covered in some other thread ?

The sub/receiver/spkr combo will then be the one where this "generic" scene sounds the best.

Yes, I would like to see some examples here. Of what appears to be missing in Marantz which is available in spades in brands such as Yamaha or Onkyo or Denon.

Vortex/Ajinkya> Guys, I am trying to arrange a Denon receiver of similar wattage as my marantz. I shall use same setup for both. I shall try to give conclusive evidence as soon as I get my hands on a Denon. Further, I own a SPL meter. It shall tell me exact sound measurement in db.

Hi PNREDKAR!!
I would like to know more about your CA 540.
What kind of equipment have you connected to it? What is the size of your room?
I have not met many people who own a CA receiver. I am quite eager to know about its capabilities for movies/music.

That would be great, Sumit. I would love to know about this for sure. Even more than the numbers in your SPL meter, I would also be interested in hearing your take on the performance.

For, sometimes, effects could be louder on one combination but then clarity is more important than loudness and that is something a meter cannot check.