I too returned a broken Rotel RSX-965 and traded up to this unit. The difference was immediately obvious: deeper, richer, "juicier" sound with more "oomph" behind it. My speakers sounded like they were finally being used to their full potential. The remote itself is wonderful, and the whole thing looks cool to boot. My only complaint is that the binding posts don't seem to let you plug banana plugs straight into the ends -- you have to slide them through the hole in the post sideways (unless you are supposed to somehow pry off the end of the post caps to reveal a plug hole -- I didn't have the heart to experiment, lest I damage this wonderful machine. Has anyone out there tried this?) An easy five-speaker rating, especially if you can bargain your dealer down from list price.

I found this review regarding the Maranzt SR-18. I agree with most of it so rather than writing my own review, here you go.
http://audioholics.com/Product_rev2.htm

Plenty of power reserves to drive any kind of speakers.

NONE!

It is absolute nonsense to give this receiver anything less than 5 stars. It is one of the the best available.

The people who give it one or two stars are probably those who can't afford to buy it.

Hook this receiver up to any decent speakers and you'll soon realize how wonderful it is.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-5700, Yamaha DSP-A1, B&K AVR-202 and Pioneer Elite VSX-27TX

DTS/DD/THX ULTRA
140 monster watts RMS per channel
Component-video switching
Assignable digital inputs (4)
Tremendous "build" second to none
Typical high-level Marantz quality and performance
Etc. Etc. Etc.

This is what happens when an good-intentioned discussion group (forum) goes bad. Look below: 4 of the past 6 reviews had 1-star ratings, while the other two had 5's. Something smells fishy.

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

The SR-18 is probably one of the finest receivers out on the market today. It is THX-Ultra certified (for among other performance standards, Re-EQ, which diminishes soundtrack brightness; so tell me this, how can this beautiful receiver ever sound too bright??), has a wealth of inputs (S-video, digital inputs 2C and 2T, and COMPONENT-VIDEO switching!), and is rated 140W per channel RMS. The power transformer is gigantic and the individual components inside the beast (capacitors, heat sinks, discrete outputs) are HIGH QUALITY stuff. Marantz is without any doubt at the top of the receiver hierarchy. Sure the Yamaha and Denon flagships are comparable ... that's the point. All three receivers are excellent for HT and audiophile use! I picked Marantz because of the three year warranty, the future-readiness, and, most importantly, the pure sound.

All major publications and reviews (though the only true publication I enjoy for its brute honesty is "Absolute Sound") have given the SR-18 straight A's across the board.

This is a huge investment but, as weird as this may sound, a great deal. The SR-18 will be my "baby" for years to come!

Similar Products Used:

Denon HRV-5700, Yamaha DSP-1A (ahem, not THX-certified), Onkyo Integra, Pioneer Elite, B&K

Looked at the following receivers (all very comparable in terms of features and price range):

Marantz sr18
Yamaha dsp-1a
denon 5700
pioneer elite vxs-29

All these receivers feature a multitude of strengths. I liked the "authentic" DSP modes Yamaha offers, the movie/music surround options (two more rear) Denon has, and the Marantz Sr-18 is remarkable in its build, clean sound, and component video switching. Basically for the money, I want the most benefits (including future compatability). I haven't really looked at the pioneer model but probably won't consider it with the three I've already tested.

I haven't purchased a receiver yet, but I'm leaning toward the sr-18. the three-year warranty is commendable, as is its THX-ULTRA processing/performance certification. The Denon has all the bells and whistles but just didn't sound as clean and pure in terms of reproducing music (same as the Yamaha). Of course, acoustic appreciation is fairly subjective (for example, I'm not a huge proponent of "blow-me-away" decibel levels for music; still have a Jolida 502 tube amp for another "music" room) - I appreciate and expect tremendous performance for a wide range of music. Also, this receiver would be dedicated for home theater usage as well - with the DD, DTS, THX, etc., the sr-18 has it all. Though volume has never been too much of a concern, I want the receiver to best simulate the in-home cinema experience.

THe retailers of the respective models all offered trial test-at-home periods, so I hooked them all up to my Acoustic Research set-up (have the AR1's in front).

Without any doubt, the Marantz sounded the best (excellent bass, ample midrange, and sweet high's). I used line-outs directly to the subwoofer amplifier in the AR1. THe marantz simply performed better across the board; a great choice.

the heavy vibrations produced by the unit was good for my feet

completely flawless

this thing was rockin'... dr. scholl, eat your heart out... there's a new foot doctor in town... this baby's reved up... you put your foot on top of that mug, there ain't no stoppin' that incredible power. it even connects to speakers and a subwoofer... where incredible power is delivered.
after removing your foot from the reciever, it makes a beautiful, heavenly screech that will drive bugs and dogs away, plus, it's just soothing.
also notable is the ability to do this dts and stuff like that...
my conclusion is that i could go down to walmart and get a much cheaper foot massager anyday, so i don't even know why this is on the market, except that it had dry heating ablities... oh well, you get what you pay for

Similar Products Used:

cambridge

This is in response to Rob, the supposed audiophile, who is so superior that he sneers at anyone who happens to have a different opinion than he does. Rob, get a clue - you do not know everything and we do not place any value in your opinion. The condescending tone of your remarks is offensive and childish. You may feel that the Denon product is better or sounds better to you, but you are not the absolute authority to be foisted on anyone else (sorry if the words are too big for you) who is willing to listen. If you have facts and reasonable opinions based on experience, people may take them into account as they make their own decisions about what does or does not sound good. Your style of review does no one any service whatsoever. You are wasting our time posting it. I am wasting my time responding to you, but felt it needed to be said. You might try to read the review guidelines....

For those who read this, I have a SR7000 and had very good experience with it to date.

everyhting about this receiver is excellent... (except the price)

burns a hole in your pocket (JUST A FEW MORE PAYMENTS TO GO)

If you happen to have a huge chunk of change lying around somewhere (check your sofa cushions), this is the receiver to buy. It blows all other receivers away. Audio and video play are maximized when using this unit. Although it is a bit on the expensive side, you get a lot back of what you pay for when friends come over to the house and you see their jaws drop in disbelief. You'd have the satisfaction of knowing their system is crap, and yours is by far the cream of the crop. Eventhough it is a bit expensive, I'll give the unit a 5 star value rating anyway, because you get what you pay for in this unit (that's what value means...getting what you pay for).

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon

looks, build, sound rivalling seperates, remote

manual is written very badly

This reciever is hands down, the most amazing reciever you can get right now. I have demoed the best of them and this one comes out on top, way ahead. The Denon 5700 did not sound nearly as good, the elite, no way..and the Yamaha..way to bright. Marantz now has a faithful customer. I never knew the qaulity of Marantz. Now I do. I will be keeping this reciever for a LONG time. The sound from this is better than some sperates I auditioned. I also demoed it against the SUnfire cinema/theater grand combo. While the cinema grand combo sounded maybe 5% better, it was $4800, compared to $2300 I paid for this. Highly recommended if you want the best. Im running Paradigm Studio Reference 100's and 40's and this thing drives them EASILY.

Dont wait..get this reciever now!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite 29, Yamaha 1105, denon 5700

JUST PICKED ONE UP AND IT SOUNDS GREAT! THE ONLY DRAWBACK IS THAT THE ON SCREEN MENU WILL NOT WORK IN COMPONENT VIDEO MODE!