[Urgent (kind of)] Yamaha RX-V581, or Marantz NR-1605 / 1606?

[TheSeeker]

Hello all,

coming from here - http://www.hifivision.com/home-theater/64943-pls-suggest-bit-old-model-htib-newbie.html

finally I seem to have homed in on a couple of models. decided to create this separate thread to attract more suggestions specific to this query.

first things first. I need the AVR for movies + music (a 60:40 usage ratio roughly). I don't have speakers for it, other than a pair of FS which I use only for music, and plan to continue doing so. so will have to buy separate satellites & sub. that'll come at a later stage. first focusing only on AVR. room-size would be around 10-12ft long & ~8ft wide. its basically our hall, doubling up as HT-space. so...

1. on one hand I have the option of a Yamaha RX-V581, about 2 months old, being offered for 34k.....reviews look very good, plus, its future-ready WRT dolby atmos & dts:x....downside/catch is, the seller (an individual) is insisting that if I demo it I have to buy it. am a newbie and haven't properly auditioned AVRs before. the RD store near my home was useless in this regard. plan to go to a couple of AV stores near my home today (including 'soundtech'). hopefully they have this particular model for demo.

2. the other option is a Marantz NR-1605....some members have suggested me to go for this over the 581....however, to me, its reviews didn't seem very confidence-inducing....and its not future-ready as well....though presently I don't have atmos speakers, but I hope to buy some up-firing speakers sometime in the future......this piece am getting is 3 months old, for 43k.....the seller, suggested me to take the demo of the Yamaha one first, and then Marantz, and that then I'd 'forget' Yamaha altogether! am not sure here.

dear members, pls suggest which one would be better....or atleast, pls suggest a few stores where I could audition both.....things would have been easier had the Yamaha seller agreed to give a demo without imposing the condition of ought-to-buy with it......but now I will have to go hunting for demo at some store, provided its available anywhere......

here're a couple of reviews I had went through

on v581 - Yamaha RX-V581 review | What Hi-Fi? (big bass and details look enticing!)

Yamaha RX-V581 REVIEW - Feature Rich and Good Sounding


on nr1605 - Marantz NR 1605 REVIEW | Short Stature-Big Sound

https://www.cnet.com/uk/products/marantz-nr1605/review/


TIA!

P.S. - the third one, nr-1606, although having already overshot my budget once, is one I can still consider. am told that 1605 & 1606 are virtually identical except for the atmos & the tad high power of the latter.

requesting attention of @murlidher saar too

 

[elangoas]

downside/catch is, the seller (an individual) is insisting that if I demo it I have to buy it. am a newbie and haven't properly auditioned AVRs before.

I have been almost in this situation too... The seller make us feel so much uncomfortable...Insist that you will buy it only if you like it.. You are not doing him any favour.

P.S. - the third one, nr-1606, although having already overshot my budget once, is one I can still consider. am told that 1605 & 1606 are virtually identical except for the atmos & the tad high power of the latter.

If 43K for the NR 1605 is expensive, why are you even considering the NR 1606 when you can get the DTS X & Atmos capability in Yamah Rxv 581?

I think you are better off with Yamaha RX V 581. Re-use the saved money for speakers...

 

[efernand1]

Hi

Here is Murlidher's feedback on NR series of Marantz

http://www.hifivision.com/amplifiers/65065-denon-1200w-vs-marantz-nr1606-2.html

I noticed that you have created a separate thread for more guidance and advise.....

Would suggest you visit Soundtech and check the different AVR brands there...you will get a idea of what appeals to you in SQ and overall performance....then you can decide....

In terms of both sellers (Yamaha / Marantz) , you need to understand where have they purchased, why are they selling etc.....

make an informed decision....you are the end user

 

[regeHA]

Yamaha for sure, handles the latest codecs, it is also at home for both movies and music.

That said, I'd be wary of a seller with such conditions. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

 

[sunilkm]

+1 to RX-v581. Have decent power, all the features, mid end AVR in RX-v lineup.
The price offered is too good for a 2 month old AVR.

 

[guddu478]

+1 to Yamaha RX-v581 for this price.

 

[filmguy]

@OP

in the prices you quoted 581 is a good price but the 1605 price is too high. you can get it brand new for 39k from the authorized dealer in mumbai

 

[TheSeeker]

thanks everyone!

the 581 eas bought for 42.5k two months back. hence the price of 34k.



had an audition of the 581 at 'the shop', & of nr1606 at 'viola' (1605 wasnt available). had went with a friend. both of us agreed that the 581 sounded better and packed more punch, even though sounded bright & with not very forthcoming mids, as the reviews also tell (was paired with paradigm FS in 5.1 set-up....bright+bright combo).....movie played was jungle book bagheera vs sher khan fight sequence.



on 1606 we tested mad max, couled with klipsch FS & then taga FS. this sounded warm, again, as probably marantz is known..tested atmos too. i really liked it but friend didnt.



mrp of 581 was quoted as 55k

mrp of 1606 was quoted as 57k.



however, there was a catch, that the demo-room of 'the shop' was well set-up, acoustically conditioned & all, whereas of 'viola', it was small & unlike the former. so cant say that we had a fair judgement.



i plan to head to cinebels tomorrow morning in hope to get to compare both yamaha & marantz in one place.



soundtech told that they stock AVRs & now provide only 'customised solutions & ideas' & accessories.

 

[guddu478]

Try to use similar components like speaker, cables, source, movie file/content etc. if you want to distinguish between two AVRs.
It does not make any sense to use different AVR's in different setup for comparison.
One good part about AVR is that you do not need to look for sound signature for movies as tweaks & collaboration will always play a big role in overall impact and experience. You will anyway have to adjust settings because you may not be having that much acoustic treatment at your home which you get in audition setups.

Best would be to audition AVRs with the speakers you want to buy, it really helps in getting hint of your liking and preference.
If your choice of speakers are not available for audition, then try to hold your houses before buying AVR. try to buy your speakers first and then take your front + center speakers to AVR dealer for audition. Mostly dealers do not mind it at all.

At the end, whatever you will choose and buy, you will enjoy it for sure

 

[efernand1]

Hi

I believe cinebels would have the required avrs hooked up to klipsch and Jamo speakers...which are good enough to get an overall view of the performance.....

 

[filmguy]

mrp of 581 was quoted as 55k

mrp of 1606 was quoted as 57k.

what was the final price you were quoted? suggest you speak to saeed at mz audio. they're selling 1606 for 47.5k iirc

 

[efernand1]

Hi

A couple of weeks back Hifi Mart was selling the 1606 for 49k odd....now there seems to be a price change to 57k. Seems to be some correction I guess.

Last week when I checked with MZ Audio, they quoted a price between 54k - 56k for the 1606 and well above 63k for the 1607

Mostly the prices seem to go up and down like stock market based on the dollar performance and import prices of stock.

 

[TheSeeker]

hello members!

so i went to a few places y'day. mostly a field-day of disappointment. nevertheless, writing down my experience below. some of you wont agree to it:

1. went to cinebels in the morning. they didnt have Marantz NR-1605, 1606, nothing. was told that they dont keep entry-level Marantz AVRs. the one available for demo was SR-7010, paired to Klipsch reference series FS & rear bipoles, as well as some Jamo speakers (forgot model).

the sound-sig felt the same to me as of the NR-1606 i had demoed at 'viola' on Friday, ie, warm, mellow, even though there was power and punch (SR-7010 is anyway rated at 140W IIRC). HOWEVER, i have realised this sound-sig is not very musically-amiable to my ears. this i discerned when i was given a demo of the denon x1300w next at cinebels itself. same music-track was played, this time on jamo s626 speakers, and that 'glimmer' in the sound seemed quite pleasant to me! compared to that, the sound of Marantz (movies + music) seemed 'bland' or lacking that 'liveliness' in it; i suppose its too soft for my liking. while denon's sound seemed midway between Yamaha & Marantz.

i then decided to give Marantz another try. headed for MZ audio from there.

2. here they had NR-1605....setting it up took some time. speakers were taga (harmony?) bookshelves, rear satellites, and boston acoustics ceiling speakers. had a demo clip of dolby atmos played...all sounded well, until the scene with the raindrops falling overhead came! here too, that little brightness needed in this sound was missing. to me, it sounded like raindrops falling with a 'thud' sound; so again, sounded 'bland' or 'lifeless' to me. same with music (some enrique song on the demo-disc).

at this point, i decided to re-audition the Yamaha AVR, preferably v581 again, because already had multiple demos of Marantz at various places & they sounding the same, i now know its sound-sig, but of Yamaha have had only 1 demo, so wanted to compare again. called vijay sales & a couple of places more i think, none had it...didnt feel like going to 'the shop' again......

 

[TheSeeker]

and that yamaha v581 seller on quikr with whom i was in contact, seems to be avoiding me. its more than a week, and all he has given me are some or the other reasons to defer a demo or the sale. he had said that he'll be going to Daman on Fri to attend some business-meet with the Tourism Ministry, & shall confirm time of demo for this Saturday late evening on Fri...no response since then. and now when i called him today he just disconnected the call without picking up. i suspect that he has either sold it off to someone at a higher price, or there's some other reason (even though i had offered to buy from him at his listed price).

now still thinking where to demo a yamaha AVR (not the HTiBs). without that i wont go ahead with buying....also, i suppose i'll re-include denon too in my list of options.

 

[filmguy]

Pro fx has Yamaha

 

[efernand1]

Hi

Since you have added Denon to your list, ProFx has both...you can audition both at the same place....please call them before you go so that they have the necessary models available for audition with the required speakers...

Product- PROFX

 

[TheSeeker]

will do. profx I suppose remains the store to visit. though am going out of the city for the next 12-14 days. will get back to demoing upon return.

P.S. - has 'alliance 4' shut shop? I had dialed whatever no.s of theirs I could find on the web, but all returned no response ('no. does not exist').

 

[efernand1]

Hi

Ok....audition and decide....

With the latest wave coming for 500s and 1000s, you could be sure of lot of changes in the market...especially the grey ones....so be cautious on what and whom you deal with....

 

[miltondcunha]

Hi, I have the Yamaha RX-V 781 paired with the TAGA TAV 606 SE. They sound pretty good. However they are still setup only with towers. Though I did audition them with a HIFI member in HT mode and found it fabulous. I would surely recommend the RX-V 581.

 

[efernand1]

@ theseeker,

Which AVR did you finally pick?