AVR dilemma

akd

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Guwahati
Recently my 4 years old Denon 1312 has developed fault in the HDMI board (no HDMI output at all). My horrible experience with Denon support and the probable cost of repair quoted by Mumbai service center + two way shipping of the AVR turns out to be more than the resale value. Thus, I have decided to buy a new one

1. Room size: 30'x13'x13' (approx.)

2. Speaker I am going to use (already in place): WHF diamond 10.2 as fronts, Sonodyne sonus series center and surrounds, Polk Audio SUB.

3. I intend 5.1 for movies (70% use) and 2.1 for music (30% use), I simply don't ever want 7.1 or 7.2 because I will never use them.

4. Display is Optoma HD 20 (120" grandview screen) which is connected by a 35' monoprice HDMI 1.4 cable.

5. Source: BDP and Tata Sky+ HD for video and TT+phono and laptop+DAC for audio, I have a separate dedicated audio rig, hence lesser use for audio in this set-up.

6. I simply want HDMI switching, HD (DTS HDMA etc.) decoding and quality multi channel amplification, I do not need any fancy feature such as USB,network,Wi-Fi,MHL,streaming,spotify,HTC,android app control,airplay,bluetooth etc. which a simple laptop can do quite reliably.

7. Budget: I shall be glad if I pay for what I will use and not what is promoted by the manufacturer to get an edge in the competition. I can stretch myself to 60K-70K bracket but definitely lesser is better for me as I am not looking for feature packed stuff

8. Support: this one is of the most important factor for me since I have noticed almost all manufacturer becomes reluctant or less responsive when they have to support a sold product. I want professional support beyond the warranty period. I WANT CLEAR, HASSLE FREE AFTER SALES SERVICE, WANT TO AVOID SENDING A 10 KG. AVR TO A PLACE 3000 KM AWAY

So I want a AVR which runs cool, robust, stable HDMI switching (no picture drop etc.) and has a great after sales service.

I have shortlisted
1.Marantz NR 1504 - all fine but people say it lacks power. But my perception says in real world one hardly clocks 10W in HT, still not sure, I do not want to crank up the AVR. I must admit I have a soft corner for Marantz and I want to test one.

Marantz SR 5008 - this one will be right for me but I will have to pay for many thing which I will never use.

2.Yamaha V477/V577 - review is good, but do not know how they will perform. They claim they have a service center in Guwahati which I doubt.

3. Pioneer: I am not keen since they do not have any support (although they have falsely mentioned it in their website) anywhere nearby. I also doubt the authenticity of the info available in their website.

4.Denon - I have no complaints for their product, but they simply do not have any support in the entire eastern region, their facebook page is worst of all. I will never buy a Denon product because of this.

5. Onkyo - No idea about their pricing, very very limited option to buy and they do not have a proper website, I think ONKYO india site is not run by the company.

my questions are:
Is NR 1504 really lacks power for my room?
How is Marantz after sales service?
How is Yamaha 477/577 in performance?
How good is SR 5008/5009? they are quite costly

Please share your thoughts
 
Hi,
I am too noob to chime in here but I feel that Yamaha must have good after sales support as Yamaha has many Authorized Service Centers and exclusive Yamaha brand store in the name of "Yamaha Music square" in many cities.Just make sure that you buy them from their showroom only as online purchases do not carry warranty.
Regarding the performance of Yamaha 577, let the expert users share their views. Till then read this review at Audioholics
 
Marantz SR6009 will give good power to the speakers.Yamaha also matches well with wharfedale.You need powerful AVR for that room size.
 
None of the other brands except for yamaha have a good network in the entire country as far as after sales is concerned. Go straight for yamaha as after sales is more important than anything. But remember one thing be it denon, marantz, yamaha, etc. Most of them will not be co-operative once you are done with the warranty period. They will quote a very high price for repair and then you will be frustrated once again.
 
Marantz SR5008 is powerful and costly yet. According to the reviews I've read so far, It has a very good audio quality and I've narrowed down to buy one. I thought of buying 5008 and pairing with Wharfe Diamond 10.7's. Stocks are over and I gotta import from US or Malaysia. So, I'm in a fix between Diamond 10.7, PSB Imagine X2T and Paradigm Monitor 11 V7.

If you can afford SR series in Marantz go for it. If you don't play louder NR1504 is barely enough.

I presently have an Onkyo and I hardly faced any problems.
 
Marantz SR5008 is powerful and costly yet. According to the reviews I've read so far, It has a very good audio quality and I've narrowed down to buy one. I thought of buying 5008 and pairing with Wharfe Diamond 10.7's. Stocks are over and I gotta import from US or Malaysia. So, I'm in a fix between Diamond 10.7, PSB Imagine X2T and Paradigm Monitor 11 V7.

If you can afford SR series in Marantz go for it. If you don't play louder NR1504 is barely enough.

I presently have an Onkyo and I hardly faced any problems.

Onkyo Which model you have?
 
For the size of your room a avr with good punch is required or else the speakers will not open up. Why dont you try sr6009, it has the punch to drive your speakers, and it has very good sound for its price.
 
I am slowly getting the impression that NR 1504 lacks power for my room, NR 1504 owners can you please mention the room size you are using it in. SR 6009 is extremely costly, thinking of SR 5009. I am also considering Yamaha V477. Where can I get the pricing of entry level aventage series?
 
Agree with some posts on Yamaha service network.
There is nothing to blame 477 in that price segment.
Since yours is an upgrade and in large room I would suggest you to try step up from rx-v477 for more power ( 677/679, Entry aventage series )

Please also check the Marantz service availability in your area if planning for SR. I am not sure which website lists the service center as there is no specific Marantz India site. If someone can point it would be great help to all of us.
 
Agree with some posts on Yamaha service network.
There is nothing to blame 477 in that price segment.
Since yours is an upgrade and in large room I would suggest you to try step up from rx-v477 for more power ( 677/679, Entry aventage series )

Please also check the Marantz service availability in your area if planning for SR. I am not sure which website lists the service center as there is no specific Marantz India site. If someone can point it would be great help to all of us.


Hi,
Quality of sound will depend on the Room Size, Loud speaker placement. If your room size is less than 250 sq feet then Marantz NR series is VFM. Or else you may go with SR5008.

Regards,
Samrat
 
NR 1504 has 2.1 Preout.

Audition/buy the NR 1504 & see if it works for you, else get a 2-channel Amp later, like the Sonodyne SiA 320
 
NR 1504 has 2.1 Preout.

Audition/buy the NR 1504 & see if it works for you, else get a 2-channel Amp later, like the Sonodyne SiA 320

I am using the NR1403 as a pre/pro. It was underpowered for my floorstanders. I use a 2 channel amp for power.

By the way, isn't Marantz and Denon owned by the same company? I think their support centers would be the same.

Personally, I think that AVRs become obsolete too quickly to spend too much money on them. Better to get a pre/pro + power amp. That way, only the pre/pro needs to be swapped later. Just my two cents :)
 
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