sound and dynamics, remote

less features than comparable models

I went looking for a new receiver and the store had all three hooked up to the same speaker system. I would rate the Yamaha the lowest out of the three for sound. I tested all three using cd's and music DVD's so don't know about performance on movies. The Yamaha sounded too bright and colored the music. The Denon sounded too neutral where the music came out kind of flat and lifeless. The Marantz, which I would rate first sound-wise, had the most dynamic sound. The music that came out was extremely life-like and reveiled more details than the other two. Also the sound stage it presented was much deeper and layered where I could separate the distance between the main vocalist and and the back-up singers. The Marantz was also better at locating instruments and vocalists between speakers giving a more real sound stage. However, I do like the Yamaha for its 7.1 channels and the Denon for the two set of surround speakers and the 5 speaker stereo mode. So if you are more of a music person and not so much a tech guy than the Marantz would be your chioce. The Marantz also had a better remote than the other two.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSP-A1, Denon 5700

Build quality, sonic performance, beautiful cosmetics, extremely low distortion at all levels.

On screen menu activation causes momentary "flash" when making adjustments.

My SR-18 is set up in a 300 sq ft room. The room is fully tiled with sheet rock walls, a large area rug, 3 seater fabric couch and easy chair. This is a very "live" room.

DVD source is Pioneer 606 connected to the digital input of the SR-18. Speaker system consists of Dynaudio Gemini across the front w/Sunfire sub and small bi-polars in the rear. Front channel speakers are configured equal distance from L & R walls, the rear of the cabinets are about 20" away from the back wall.

The SR-18 user manual is nearly useless, I found it much more effective to to simply play with the UI until I gained a sense of the designers logic for the lay out. The universal remote is very cool, but it does take time to get to know. Use the Macros! They are awesome time savers for repeatative configurations.

Despite their relatively low efficiency, the SR-18 can drive the Dynaudios effortlessly. Acoustic levels can approach the absurd with no hint of distortion. Even though the room is small and live, the quality of sound is exceptionaly smooth on movie sound tracks. Voice, string instruments and subtle sound effects are clean and clear at all pressure levels.

My reference system is a 15 year old APT Holman pre-amp with Crown DC300. Using the Pioneer as the signal source, on the Dynaudios this system is a tad bit smoother overall, but I have yet to hear any system, at any price that sounds as good in stereo as it does in multi-channel (or visa-versa).

Of course, every listener has their personal preferances, but the reviewers in this string that refer to the SR-18 as "a piece of crap" or slam this unit because of price are clearly biased (or are not qualified to make such one sided statements). Forget price, open your ears, listen through a high quality speaker system and you will find that the SR-18 is one of the best "all in one" alternatives on the market.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, blah, blah, blah. NOTHING comes close to the fit finish and feel of the SR-18!

I've had the SR-18 now for 4 months and I can tell you this is the cleanest sounding receiver on the market today. I have them pushing KEF TDM-THX Surround System and the soundstage is incredible. The KEF's are not the best speakers for music but the SR-18 makes them shine. Not many bells and whistles but I will take this recever over many components costing twice as much.

Unbelievable audio, did I mention unbelievable audio

Doesn't switch to analog audio input if a digital signal isn't present

Well I finally did it, got my hands on the reciever I have wanted for 2 years now. A friend at work bought the SR-9200 and offered me the SR-18 at a price I couldn't turn down.

Positives:

Set up:
What could be easier then an On Screen Display. It had my reciever set up in less then 15 minutes.

Look and Feel:
While this is more subjective then anything else, I prefer simple and refined to overblown and gaudy. With the flip down cover up the front panel is as clean as a whistle, it looks more like a peice of furniture then a stereo component.

Controls:
I love the input selector knob, the gyro tuner, and the volume adjustment. Being able to turn the unit on by spinning the input selector is too cool for words. I don't listen to the radio much, but I found the gyro tuner to be infinately easier to use then a dial or up and down push button controls. The volume knob allows you to adjust the volume from -75 dB to some number higher then +5, I didn't feel like pushing the volume. Finally I can set the volume to the exact level that I want, this is really important since I am an apartment dweller and I have to be careful of music volumes at night. The buttons underneath the flip down cover offer a wealth of adjustments and they feel like they won't fall apart after years of use. Also using the headphones automatically switches the loudspeakers off. This might not be a big deal, but I had to turn my speakers off when I wanted to use headphones and crank the audio.

audio quality:
In the past week I have rediscovered my CD collection. The audio just seems to have more life and energy to it, I swear I was at the point of tears listening to Aja the other night. I brushed the audio accolades this reciever has garnered as perhaps a little overblown, but I can tell you the audio quality of the SR-18 has to be listened to in order to be properly appreiciated. Before I bought the reciever I was at the point of buying new speakers, but one night with this bad boy told me the issues were with my old reciever, not my Polks. I suppose this really needs a good 1000 words to describe, but I will spare everyone the pain of reading my ramblings:)

Build Quality:

It feels like a tank, I wish I knew more about the power supply section, but I suspect that Marantz went to a lot of trouble to isolate the incoming AC line. Which isn't necessary since everyone out there uses a line conditioner or some other sort of AC isolator/filter, right.....

Negatives:
Audio input doesn't switch from digital to analog when a digital audio signal isn't present:

I have my digital cable tv tuner's audio outputs, both digital and analog, going into both the digital and analog inputs on the SR-18, the digital output is coaxial instead of fiber optic. Now the SR-18 defaults to the digital input and if a digital audio signal isn't present it doesn't automatically switch to analog, it displays a no Data error and no sound. I have to hit the A/D button to switch from digital to analog audio. Now this is a minor annoyance, but my cable service has analog audio for any channel under 100. I suppose I would prefer a user setting on what the reciever defaults to, since over half the channels are in a non-digital audio format. In my case I would default to analog audio and then switch to digital for the channels where I would rather hear digital audio. In my case the only channels I watch that are in digital audio are MTV2 and the movie channels, the rest of my viewing pleasure is in analog audio. To Marantz's credit this shortcoming is clearly outlined in the users manual. Since they specifically mentioned it in the manual I suspect a future model, or a current one, has this feature already.

Remote:
I was going back and forth on if I consider this a negative or not, but in the long run a less technically savy user might be put off by the remote. While the instructions in the manual are passable I would like to see further examples on Marantz's web site. Every other manufacturer uses the web as a valuable information tool, why can't Marantz? Also people with small hands will find using the remote a little awkward, some intelligent reprogramming might be required to put all your commonly used commands in one common location. If all else fails there are a lot of capable universal remotes for under $1000, if you can't live with this remote. While I don't love it, I like it enough not to spend any money on another remote.

Surround Modes:

Who really cares about Hall and Matrix. These are just gimmicks in my opinion. I suppose I would have liked to adjust the time delays myself, but it is my experience that these surround modes are nice at first, but you never seem to use them after the first month of owning the device and the novelty of surround modes wears off. Not really a negative, but just an observation.

Ratings
Since I never used or bought anything in the price range I had a hard time adequately judging the value rating. For me getting it used is worth anything at twice the price, that is why I gave it 5 stars. I don't know if I can adequately judge the value rating of these higher end devices, since I will probably only ever buy one in my life.

If I could give it 6 stars for overall rating I would.

For the record I was upgrading from my SR-73 to the SR-18 and my speakers are a set of Polk LS-50's.

Similar Products Used:

nothing in the price range

Music quality, rock solid construction, nice look

Manual may need some rework.

Build quality:
I am truely impressed by the quality of the product, it is made in Japan and everything inside the box is neat and inspires a lot of confidence. It is heavy but this is a quality (not a weakness as some people say).
The front panel is imposing by its simplicity. When the lower cover is closed, you can only see a few buttons, not like some other brands who want to impress by the complexity of their front panel. This receiver radiates so much beauty and so much confidence to deliver. It becomes easily the center of attention of your audio equipments.

Setup:
I saw people complaining about the on screen setup display, were they expecting to see a Windows or a Macintosh interface? This setup interface is primitive but does its duty. I liked the ability to configure which analog ports or digital ports are assigned to each function, it gives you a good view of the switching matrix inside the beast and is very intuitive. I configured all my equipments in just 15 mn.

Music:
This receiver rocks! The impression of quality and power that radiates from it is not deceptive. I am rediscovering every single of my CDs, the sound is absolutely unbelievable and very detailed for any kind of music. I mostly use the direct mode , which only activates the 2 front speakers, I find the bass very clear and precise and the overall sound produced is perfectly balanced.
At times I use the Stereo mode when I want to get some more bass from my sub (yes - contrary to what some people say, you can have your sub working in Stereo mode).
The power reserve is unbelievable, I never could crank the volume up more than -18dB (it can go up to 0dB) because - although you could not hear any distortion at all - it is just way too loud (I use it in a 15'x15' room). I would say that in most situations one would never have to go higher than -25dB, this is important because you know there is a lot of power reserve.

Movies - surround:
I occasionally use the SR-18 to watch movies. It is performing extremely well, the power reserve is endless (which I find very important when using surround mode) and the quality of the sound is - well as good as or even better than the best movie theatres you can find in US.
Do not get fooled by receivers who propose scores of different surround modes, they are useless. Do not get lost and lose focus on these gadgets, keep your focus on the sound. The SR-18 offers just the right combination: Dolby Digital or DTS plus THX. Who cares about the rest?

Remote:
The remote is lacking some balance (a bit heavy in the front) but I found it easy to use and to program. I programmed in my 5 other remotes relatively quickly and effortless then finally got rid of all of them (what a relief!).

SR-18 vs SR-18EX
I did hesitate a bit between this model (SR-18) and the newer SR-18EX but after seeing the price difference and considering I will most likely never use Surround EX, I decided to go for the SR-18 model. Most people do not really need to have the last model (well you'll need to have 6 speakers to use the Surround EX)
I bought my SR-18 at a bargain price(cheaper than a new SR19-EX) as an inventory clearance (dealers are now getting rid of this model to sell the EX), so my advice: rush to buy this model while you can find it, you will not regret it! You do not need the EX!

Conclusion:
I give 5 stars without hesitation. I don't think it is worth wasting your time looking for more expensive receivers or for separates, this one is the one you'll ever need. Period.

Similar Products Used:

Many mid-range Yamaha, Pioneer, Marantz receivers

Incredible sound, indistinguishable from the sound quality from a system with separates

50 pounds heavy; only a flat surface or a stereo cabinet will support this puppy. A shelf is out of the question unless its made of oak or some other hardwood

INTRODUCTION

Let this be known, for now and forever: a receiver can sound as good as, or better than, separates.

After years of building my hi-fi/home theater system, it is at LAST complete with my recent purchase of the SR-18. In my wildest dreams I could not have imagined I'd ever own a system that sounded this good. I have achieved absolute NIRVANA in audio reproduction; the sound quality I hear from my system is limited only by the quality at which the source material was recorded. For those of you new to the hi-fi world, this isn't an easy thing to achieve in a hi-fi/home theater system, and it isn't cheap. But the SR-18 makes it a LOT cheaper than it would otherwise be, because the only other way to achieve this kind of sound quality is to a) buy a more expensive receiver or b) buy separate components (A/V Preamp, amplifier(s), DAC [digital-to-audio converter], and tuner). Many people don't know this, though; they think that the ONLY way to achieve nirvana in sound quality is through separates. They think, as I once did, that using a receiver to do the work of separates is somehow a compromise, a shortcut, whatever. My main purpose in writing this review is to debunk that idea, to pass on to others what I myself now know about home high-fidelity sound systems: a receiver can sound as good as, or better than, separates.

A quick note before I start on the body: I'm told that the SR-18 has been replaced by the new SR-18EX. It's the EX that costs $2700 or more; since the SR-18 is last year's model, you should be able to score one for $2000 to $2200, not the $2700 listed in this model's stats at the top of the page.

Another aside: the SR-18EX does Dolby EX and surround stereo, and has few minor features that the SR-18 doesn't have. If you can afford the $2700 to $3000 for the EX, go for it. You CAN get an EX for $2000 via Internet direct-mail from any one of various direct-ship warehouses--if you're sure that nothing will happen to the unit between the warehouse and YOUR house! Marantz receivers have a 3-year warranty, but do you really want to have to ship a 50-pound unit back and forth to someone you don't know from Jack every time a problem develops? Think 'er over....

BODY

This receiver is BIG IRON, folks, make no mistake. It has analog audio, composite video, and S-video inputs for a DVD, TV, laserdisc and DVD players, a satellite receiver, a VCR, and a video camera. (The satellite receiver's input can double as a VCR2 input if you have a 2nd VCR.) It has additional analog inputs for a CD, a tape monitor, and a CD-R unit. The DVD and satellite have additional inputs for component video (R-G-B), and the laserdisc has an additional RF digital input. It has two optical digital inputs and two coax digital inputs, each assignable to any source, as well as "Direct In" analog inputs for the center, subwoofer, and surround channels (for use with an outboard surround processor). It has optical and digital outputs for recording digital audio to a CD burner or a Minidisc/DAT recorder. And of course, the tuner gets inputs for both an FM and an AM loop antenna.

And for the ultimate in flexibility, it has pre-ins AND pre-outs, RCA plugs for connecting a separate preamp (to the pre-ins) or connecting an external amplifier (to the pre-outs), in case you feel the need for more amplification than the SR-18's discreet 140W internal amps (one for each of the five channels) provide. Its monitor-out can do composite video, S-video, or component video, and it even has multi-room analog audio and composite video outputs. Icing on the cake: two switched 120-watt electrical outlets, in case you've maxed your wall plugs and/or power strip plugs like me.

Surround modes include Dolby 5.1, Dolby THX, DTS, Hall, Matrix, and Movie. The three non-surround modes are 2-channel (stereo), Mono, and Source Direct. That last is just what it sounds like; it takes the signal coming from the source component and passes it directly to the amplification section, with no processing on the part of the unit whatsoever. One of the reviews of the SR-18 below claims that it's adding brightness to his system; even should that happen to be true (and it DEFINITELY hasn't had that effect on MY system), he can use the Source Direct feature to eliminate the effect.

The front panel of the unit itself is quite handsome, and all but seven of the front-panel controls are hidden behind a door, which gives it a real clean, no-nonsense look. There are two big rotary dials on either side, one for volume and one for source selection, and one big thumb-dial in the middle for tuning radio stations. Along with the Power button, there are also buttons for turning the unit's LED display on or off, actuating or defeating the multi-room capability, switching between radio station presets, and enabling the Auto Tuning function for the tuner. Behind the front-panel door are two rows of circular buttons for surround mode selection, tone control, tape copying, and some general tuner controls. The headphone jack and auxiliary A/V input are in there too, so make sure you place the unit in such a way that you can open that door.

The LED display is a pleasant-looking aqua color, giving you no more and no less information than what you need about whatever function you're using. It has LED indicators for the surround mode, the encoded signal on DVDs (Dolby, PCM, or DTS), tuner status (Tuned, Stereo, Memory, and Auto-tuning), as well as for Multi-room, Sleep mode, Test tone, Copy (if you're copying music between sources), Night mode (for defeating the low-bass response at night lest you wake up the kiddos!), Attenuation (for analog sources whose signal level is above line level) and Display Off (so that if the LED display is off, you know it's because you TURNED it off, not because of any malfunction). Whew! Did get it all in? The display overall is about as functional as it can be, but as with most receivers, the on-screen display (OSD) is much easier to use for setting up and adjusting the unit.

The OSD is easy to use, easy enough that for the most part you won't need the less-than-friendly user guide (which, by the way, is available online at www.marantz.com in case you lose the original). From a well-laid-out main menu, you get screens for Surround Mode, Rec Copy (for copying information from any source to any other source), Multi-Room Select (for sending any audio or video source to the multi-room output), Station Name Input (for naming radio station presets, e.g. KUVO instead of 89.3FM), System Setup (where you set the assignments for the four digital inputs, as well as rudimentary OSD appearance preferences), and Speaker Setup (where you input the size of each speaker [small or large], the distance from each speaker to the listening area, and the levels for each channel).

The Speaker Setup screen is also where you access the test tone generators, and I think it only fair to warn you--they're LOUD!! The standard white-noise tone generator for each of the channels is just loud enough to be obnoxious, and it's tough to use to boot. (Which is a drag, because this is the only place I've found to permanently set the individual channel levels.) But the Bass Peak Level generator is downright SCARY. It's purpose is basically to test the amount of bass that can be sent to your main speakers before they distort (at which point the bass needs to be sent to the LFE subwoofer channel instead). It's only valid for digital input with a discreet LFE channel (like Dolby Digital and DTS), and I for one have NO intention of doing it. I'm perfectly capable of adjusting the LFE level manually, thank you! Maybe I'm being overprotective of my speakers, but I don't wish to distort the woofers just so that the SR-18 can "memorize the Bass Peak Limit Level", as the user guide puts it. At the VERY least, I'd make sure your speakers are rated for 140-watt power handling (mine are only 120) before doing this.

And then there's the SR-18's remote control.

Ah, the remote. I could write a review on this alone, one that's TWICE as long as this review. Long story short: if you buy the SR-18, you can basically kiss all your other remotes goodbye. It can learn every single function of any other remote control on the planet, and it presents those functions in a well-laid-out, easy-to-use manner. Not to mention the solid feel of the remote's buttons and the brilliant illumination of said buttons at night. Afraid to let go of that VCR or TV remote because it's so easy to use? Trust me, this one's easier. And it learns ALL of a given remote's functions, not just the basic transport controls (play, stop, pause, track-forward and back, scan-forward and back, etc.). It can learn the standard cursor buttons for on-screen displays (i.e. Up, Down, Left, Right, and Enter), numeric keypad buttons 0-9, channel and volume up and down--and it even has a Guide button you can hit for satellite and digital-cable systems to display the programming guide!

And for those special functions that every remote has, the SR-18's remote has you covered. You get four banks of eight buttons each, for a total of 32 discreet functions that the SR-18's remote can learn. An LCD display shows you the function names, which you can change to your liking. But I found that most of the function names for each or my remotes was built-in, so that all I had to do was have the SR-18's remote learn each function. For example, the DVD function labels for Title, Subtitle, Angle, Track-repeat, and other standard functions shared by most DVD players were ALREAY THERE, so I didn't have to change a thing; I just had the SR-18's remote learn each function and I was done. WAY too cool.

Oh, and let's not forget the macros. A macro is a set of remote-control functions that are executed at the same time, so that you can make multiple setting adjustments and function changes with the press of a single button. The SR-18's remote gives you for of them, each of which can memorize up to 20 functions. For example, I have one that a) sets the source to DVD and b) sets the surround mode to THX. The downside: the macros are only as good as the functionality of the component, which limits their usability. For example, my TV remote doesn't have discreet buttons for each of its three inputs; it just has one button that increments the video input each time you press it. So I can't program a macro to set the TV to input 2 every time I want to use the DVD; I can only program the macro to actuate the "Input increment" button X number of times, and of course X is variable depending on which input the TV is set to at the time. Still, the fact that the macros are there at all is just icing on the cake.

IMPRESSIONS

As with my old receiver, the JVC RX-8000V, it would be easier to just list my gripes and get it over with; whether or not you'd share these complaints is anyone's guess. My main beef with the unit is the almost COMPLETE absence of music surround modes. All the surround modes are designed for use with home theater; you could use Hall and Matrix with classical music, I suppose, but these and all other surround modes contain center-channel information, so your sound field would be hosed. Most audiophiles don't like to listen to music in anything other than simple 2-channel stereo, it's true, but I'm not always in "audiophile mode". Sometimes I like to listen to lite jazz and standard jazz from the mains AND the surrounds; why don't I have a "Jazz Club" surround mode? Same with dance music; even my old JVC had "Dance Club" mode, but not with the SR-18. Geesh, even 4-channel stereo would have been nice, again not for serious listening, just for casual listening while I'm eating dinner, riding the exercise bike, whatever. The number of surround modes is simply a function of the DAC, and the SR-18's DAC is flawless in every other way, so the absence of music surround modes is puzzling to say the least.

Yes, the unit is heavy, but quality amplification is usually on the heavier side no matter WHAT receiver or amplifier you're dealing with. The remote control is heavy, too, and the weight distribution is almost all to the top of the remote. That IS kind of a drag, because it's a rather BIG remote as well, and not a very good fit for most people's hands. I've dropped it a couple of times, a scary proposition for a remote this heavy. While we're on the subject of the remote, it has a button on the side to turn on the illumination, which is nice in that you don't have to hit an actual function button just to let there be light--but the illumination only stays on for like 2 seconds, and sometimes I have to hit that illumination button several times to find the button I'm looking for.

All this aside, the SR-18 has introduced a new level of listening into my life, a higher plane of high fidelity that I didn’t even know existed. Paired with my KEF Q65 speakers, it reproduces each song and each movie EXACTLY the way they were meant to be heard. If you're listening to a song or watching a movie whose recording engineers were on crack--well, you'll know it. You'll HEAR it. No flaw can escape the SR-18's watch; it's the supreme test of your ears. (Before serious music listening, I always make sure to get at least some of the wax out of my ears. Laugh all you want, but I swear I DO hear the difference! It's THAT GOOD a listening experience!)

The SR-18's sound shaping is superb as well. My old JVC had a loudness control and a 5-band equalizer, but I could never use either, because they always seemed to do too much, or not do what they were supposed to. I like my music a little bright, so I spent hours playing with the EQ and the loudness to get the sound I wanted, and I never did really get it dialed in. With the SR-18, I pumped the treble up two notches and I was done. I know that any sound shaping distorts the sound and changes its very nature, but the overall sound from the SR-18 is so good that frankly it's hard for me to care. If I want true sound I just use Source Direct anyway.

The ease of setup and adjustment is not to be understated either. With separates, you never quite know how your system is going to behave, and setup can be a nightmare. For example, when I first went to Gold Sound I was thinking of buying Adcom separates. I know that Adcom is a good brand, yet the sound techs at Gold Sound were saying that they've found their Adcom separates to be at times confusing to set up and use. This genuinely surprised me, and it's part of what started me down the path of Marantz. I should also mention that I've found Marantz to be a top-notch company; they were such a symbol of American "high-end" (read: high-priced) stuff for so long that after a while I sort of wrote them off, but in fact they are a highly advanced, progressive company that builds quality goods. (The SR-18 has a 3-year Marantz warranty; did I mention that?) The SR-14EX is their top of the line; I haven't dared to even THINK about how good a unit that must be!! Point is, the folks at Gold Sound would have gotten a lot more of my money had I gone with an Adcom A/V preamp, monoblocks and 3-channel surround amplifier, but they were responsible enough to offer the Marantz SR-18 solution as well. And I'm so glad they did!!

Remember, too, that $2000 is less than what you'd pay for a lot of A/V preamps out there, but those preamps don't offer you any MORE flexibility than you'd get with the SR-18. In other words, you can pay LESS for this full-blown receiver than you pay for many A/V preamps, and STILL be able to go to separate amplifiers and/or DACs at some point in the future if you so choose! The irony of this can't be understated, paying less money for more functionality and for the same amount of flexibility. You HAVE to love it.

CONCLUSION

What I wanted out of the SR-18 was basically a perfect amplifier and audio switcher for the reproduction of music, nothing more. I wanted a means of music amplification that achieved a sound so good that with any song I listen to, I can not only pick out the individual instruments and vocals, but I can also pinpoint exactly where each instrument and vocal appears on the soundstage (left, center, right, or anywhere in between). But what I GOT was so much more! SOOOOO much more!

Look at it this way: suppose you wanted a lawn mower that could cut every single blade of grass in your lawn to the exact same height, down to the micron. Nothing less than this will do; you aren't willing to accept ANY compromises, and you've been saving for this lawn mower long enough that you're willing to pay some extra money to get this level of performance. Now let's say you find such a lawn mower. It does indeed cut every blade of your grass to the exact same height--but it can also roto-till your garden, edge your lawn, vacuum your sidewalk, and power-wash your driveway! This may sound like a silly example, but the SR-18 is EXACTLY that kind of a receiver. It can reproduce music perfectly, or at least as perfectly as the human ear can hear--but it can also provide amplification and digital-to-audio conversion for a home theater, digital switching between the various components of your system (audio AND video), and remote control of your system that's so complete and so effective that it can replace ALL your other remote controls!

If you'd have told me that such a receiver existed 2 months ago, I'd have shown you the nearest open door. But owning is believing, folks; you really can have it all, without compromise and without taking out a 2nd mortgage on the crib! If you've already purchased separates, then I pity you. I pity you because even if you managed to get a good deal on the componentry, you've introduced connection points in your system (the connection from the preamp to the amps, the amps to the speakers, etc.) that degrade your sound--and you didn't have to. Period. If you're still trying to decide between separates and a receiver, give the SR-18 or its successor, the SR-18EX, a listen. You'll be glad you did!

Similar Products Used:

JVC RX-8000V

2-Channel stereo!! Big, heavy and beautiful to look at. Awesome remote!

?????

Well, this is an upgrade from the Marantz SR-19. Right away, I noticed instruments in the backgroung on 2-channel that I never heard before. The extra 20 watts and larger transformer really make an improvement when compared to the SR-19.

If you want seperates quality on an A/V receiver, just buy Marantz. The sound in 2-Channel is unbelievable. Incredibly detailed and yet soft sounding, especially compared to my old Yamaha.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV-596, Marantz SR-19

I've had this unit for two days, and it is exceptional. The sound is the best I've heard. Period. The remote is excellent(RC-18SR,identical to RC2000MKII) and the receiver was a breeze to set up. I returned two ROTEL RSX-965's(poor quality control) before deciding to pre-order this unit. The ROTEL sounds very good, but it doesn't even compare with this unit. It's extremely easy to use, all the connections you could ever want,tons of power,and it runs cool(no fan,unlike DENON 5700). If you're in the market for a set-up in this price range, you should definitely check one out.

I got a chance to hear marantz new SR 18 receiver and i have to say that i'm dissapointed, the problem that i have with it is that the DD processor does not sound good, i compared it to my DP870 DD processor which marantz also makes, and the DP870 is way more dynamic than the SR 18. I'm not saying that i would not get this unit but i would use my DP870 with. This monster of a receiver has alot going for it, but it will have to prove that it can over power my MA500 (made by marantz) mono blocks connected to my SR870 receiver also from marantz, as you can see i like marantz components. I use three MA500s to run three of my paradigm reference speakers, CC450 for center duty studio 20s for surrounds and studio 100s for left and Right powered by a Hafler P4000. I'm going spend some more time with the SR18 and if it can do better than my MA500s i may get it and keep my hafler and DP870 DD receiver. For now i have to give the SR18 3 rating, i hope after listening to it more i can give it a 5. I will follow up.

Forgive me to differ with some of the opinions below but the SR-18 is awesome. I had the chance to test it out with a set of B&W 603's and a little tiny Mirage sub, and it rocked. I tested it out with the DTS demo disc #3, and was floored. For HT I can't see a better piece.
With speakers more suited to it's capability I believe it would sound superb.