Solid Built, great overall sound, awesome remote. Only the rc5000i tops this remote.

"PEAK" displays when playing CD player. Have to switch to ATT cutting the sound level to half.

I spend three weeks researching for the best receiver for $3000 price range. And my conclusion is B&K 307s. Due to the price and unreliablility of the receiver, I went with the second best in the Market, Marantz. I love the solid secure feeling of a great quality receiver. The sound is very warm and clear. The DTS and 5CH are its strengths.
I call my Home Theater System "The M&Ms"

Mirage speakers with marantz DVD and receiver. Great combination Warm, detailed, clear rich sound is the result.

Similar Products Used:

B&K comp 307

Power, DD, DTS, ES, THX, ease of use

none that I have noticed

This receiver has a lot of power! I have yet to push this thing. The power is very clean - speakers sound great. I'm not setup for 6.1 or 7.1 so this unit has more options than I need. The setup was easy. This unit is easier to use than my older, less high tech onkyo. I like the HDCD decoder (didn't know that some cd were encoded for this until I saw the label on a cd case). I did have trouble with trying to route my VCR video signal throught he receiver to the TV (gave up and went direct to TV). It was probably me not taking my time reading the manual. I'm very happy with this unit both musically and with home theater. If you can pick one up for under 2500.00 - do it you won't be sorry, especially if you only care for 5.1.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo

Sound quality, power, ease of use, great remote

Very bright when listening to certain music in two channel, poorly written manual.

I spent about 2 months researching and auditioning receivers/separates for my new home theater. I looked at various models from Denon, Harmon Kardon, Rotel, Yamaha, Integra, Adcom, and Marantz. I started off with a couple MA-500's and decided to pick up 3 more and a pre/pro and go the separates route. Finding cheap used MA-500's was easy, however getting a decent pre/pro proved to be a challenge. I wanted to stick with Marantz, however the Marantz flagship AV9000 seemed a little outdated. I was also told by a couple salesmen that the pre/pro section of the SR-18EX was just as good if not better than the AV9000.

I auditioned pre/pros from Adcom and Rotel and wasn't overly impressed. I liked a Rotel model and the Lexicon DC-1, however, the wife factor (you're spending too much)started to play a factor in my search. I decided to go with a receiver instead of separates.

I looked at the Denon 4802, Yahama RX-V1, and Integra 9.1. I wasn't overly impressed with the sound quality and I felt like I was paying for bells and whistles instead of good imaging and wide soundstage. I went with the SR-18EX. I was sold when the salesman sat me down to watch The Phantom Menace, particularly the Pog race chapter. With a center surround channel speaker (and amp) added to the SR-18EX, I was sold.

I boungt the SR-18EX on Ebay for $1688 shipped with 3-year factory warranty. This price was more than $500 off the price I could have paid at a local store. I had all of the components hooked up in ten minutes, read through the terrible manual to figure out how to get to the main menu, did some initial set up, and I was done. The manual confused me more than helped me while I was going through the main set up screens.

It didn't take too long to master the remote, although I couldn't find the Amp button for the longest time. The button could be near the rest of the "function" buttons and the mute button could be near the volume buttons. Other than those minor issues, I love the remote, I jus hope I don't have to change the batteries every month. When my wife saw the remote, she burst out laughing and asked it was also a cordless phone. At least she didn't throw a fit and question the price of the receiver!

The SR-18EX fits my every need for my new home theater. I have everything I need for home theater, especially since I have two MA-500 amps waiting to be used (now I need to buy a center surround speaker). I'm not completely sold on DPII, Neo, and other new surround functions. Hopefully HT won't end up like computers where they are out of date only a few months after purchase.

The SR-18EX also sounds great in 2-channel stereo for music. And the tuner is awesome. I don't listen to radio, but after finding and hearing so many great stations, I may listen to a little more radio. My only complaint, is that the SR-18EX does a great job of revealing poor/sloppy recordings. Newer artists/CDs have ear piercing bright highs, muffled mids, and muddy/boomy bass when they are played through the SR-18EX. However, the better recorded/mastered music sounds great.

Although the SR-18EX doesn't have all of the new DSP bells and whistles as do newer receivers, I think the SR-18EX will remain a classic piece for a long time to come. Sound quality alone will keep this unit in my house for many years. This receiver would be great for the person who wants a great sounding receiver and isn't sold on all of the new surround sound/DSP/HT features. Most of the new upper-end receivers have the computer hook-up to enable new DSP uploads. The SR-18EX is upgradeable, however external decoders/processors and amps will be needed. I don't know anyone with a receiver that has the ability to upload new DSP functions, but I wonder how well they work and are they really necessary. The SR-18EX is also a good looking piece of equipment and will stand out ever so slightly with it's rounded corners.

If someone is looking for a receiver in the $1500-2000 price range, they should give the SR-18EX some serious thought. Most HT stores are selling them for around $2000. They can also be found online for as low as $1600 which is a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR5000, SR-73, PM-7000, MA-500

Quick easy setup, great remote control (I like real buttons), better AMP and circuitry than the new Marantz, even 9200.

No DPL-II support, no RS232 or other means of upgrading (but it does have both full 6.1 input and main in). No adjustments for LFE crossover (its designed for use with THX certified speakers so you shouldn't need to adjust).

After running through all of the options in the on screen configuration in 10 minutes you'll be left wondering is that really it? Do I just turn it on now and enjoy? Pretty much. If you want audiophile quality sound without audiophile @%#@%@# setup then this may be your piece.

Contrary to available documentation the amp is stable down to 2 ohms (so said the Marantz product guy at the Cambridge manager product training). I'm not certain what the available power is at 4 ohms (140x8) but it has no problem driving my Carver Cinema 5.2s (50-250@4 recommended) at volume levels up to -3db (I haven't had the opportunity to crank it up past that yet) even during high crescendos in orchestra music (driving all 5 channels - Fantasia 2000 in DTS).

I debated going with separates and still think I should have just for upgradability. When buying equipment like this it might be great right now but 5 years from now how does it stand up? Other products like Lexicon or B&K are much more upgradable than this piece will ever be. If you end up really wanting DPL-II or the next digial format decoding you'll have to use a separate decoder and pass it in to either the main or 6.1 inputs.

If you want to go for 7.1 sound the unit supports it but you'll need a separate amp to drive the front channels leaving you with the possibilty of an imperfect front sound stage fron L-C-R. You'll probably have to get a 3 channel amp and also drive the center with it using the internal amplifier for only the 4 surround channels.

Despite the limitations I still purchased it because it was the right solution for my situation. My speakers were designed with THX in mind (though they aren't certified). The crossover on all my channels are 100hz. When you set the fronts to small the subwoofer (the .1 channel) will be used in 2 channel stereo for <100hz. For 2 channel stereo I wish it had both a L/R subwoofer outputs and then just combined them for 5.1 and sent the same signal to both channels since I have a pair of subs. If you have large fronts (that you want to send <100hz) to and still want to use a subwoofer this isn't the system for you. If you select large the .1 channel goes away.

The remote! Oh how I love the remote! I'm not really a fan of touchscreens for things like this (physical buttons are much more accurate). Within 10 minutes I had all of the basic functions for my VCR, DVD player, TV, PS-2 all mapped to the remote. After that its time to start setting up macros and relabling for the advanced commands. What a joy. I'm not really sure what the battery life will be like but they made recharable batteries for a reason.

For sound and decoding it did a better job than the B&K, Denon, and Yahama in reproducing track 3 - Beethoven's 5th - than the other 3. Ran them through on ML Aeons, M&K THX cubes and B, D, and Y all had problems with a basoon turning almost into a clicking sound like the the speakers popped. My primary use is movie viewing and PS2 but I don't think either of those are as good of a way to really hear the flaws in a system as a well done recording of an orchestra.

My 2nd choice behind this was actually separates. I was looking for a Lexicon DC-1 with DD, and DTS upgrades or a Sony TA-E9000ES to pair with a Parasound HCA-1205A. It really is a shame Marantz lowered the standard on their new generation and discontinued the SR-14/18EX but I'm glad they did in one way, I got to pay clearance price.

Similar Products Used:

B&K 305, Denon 4802, Yahama RX-V1

The SR18EX has the ability to do "both" music and home theater with authority. Great Looks! Very versitile for any set up.

I haven't found any..I don't know if I got an updated manual, but I found it easy to read and set up. The remote is fantastic, so I have to disagree with the others who stated otherwise.

This receiver rocks the house! The 140 watt sound reproduction is articulate and clear. If there is no recorded sound to produce the amp is dead quiet, no matter what the volume setting. I know I made a good choice for an A/V receiver. ;O)
The Denon AV 5800 would have been my next choice but I felt it was to much money and it had to many features I knew I would never use. I have my system set up with the SR18RC and it works like a charm. The macros work flawlessly and the remote has learned all of the keys of five remotes. Movies are a blast to watch because of the realism, and CD's are great because of the separation and clearity. Both my wife and I are happy with this purchase. We don't go to the movies anymore...We stay at home and have a great time!
Marantz SR18EX
Front:Linn Ninkas
Center:Linn Centrik
Sub:Mirage BPS150i
Rear:Mirage BP290i
Monster interconnects
Tara Labs Biwire speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

I checked out everything over a period of months. Linn, Krell, ADA, Denon, Yamaha, etc. I wanted the biggest bang for the money.

Awesome sound, crystal clear separation. Sounds better than most separates.

Supplied Remote and Manual are horrible. You will need some time for full set up of your system. DSP is worthless to hear.

My other review was cleared from this listing but this thing sounds so good, I had to write another to tell you how good this receiver is. Extremely well built, but may be too heavy and big for most component racks. I have mine in a cabinet.
I use my receiver almost exclusively for home theater, and this receiver just doesnt quit! You will truly appreciate the sound separation, and dynamics of this receiver in the DTS mode. YOU WILL FEL LIKE YOU ARE A PART OF THE MOVIE. You'll want to buy all the movies you never liked and watch all of your favorite movies all over again to hear all of the tiny sounds you never heard before. Like U571 , you can hear all of the pipes clinking and water dripping. I felt like getting a towel to dry off after viewing that movie.
Drawbacks include loss of resolution in HDTV if you try to run your setup through there, so you'll have to do a direct connect but I didnt find this during DVD playback. Also, It took me about two days to set up the system right, although this is mainly due to the M&K's need to be calibrated absolutely perfectly. (Should have hired a pro)
Need a separate amp to run THX or EX for 7.1. You might also want to upgrade to the RC 5000i or Pronto remote since this remote is just butt ugly and large. If you want to keep the RC2000i, it should work just fine as other people have written previously.
My friend came over to listen to my system (he has a lexicon mc-1 and Carver Grand amp) and he was truly impressed with the sound of the Marantz Sr 18 ex during Gladiator and of course The Matrix playbacks. He swore that I had separates tucked away in my cabinets somewhere.
You wont be disappointed, and this thing rocks.
I cant describe 2 channel listening because I listen to enough music on my long commutes. All I can say is it sounds better than car audio but then again, so will almost anything.
Setup includes:
MK 150 speaker set up
Audioquest speaker cables
Old Toshiba DVD player (Need to upgrade to progressive scan!)
Mitsu WS55907 Rear projection TV
Monster interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Marantz Sr-14ex, Denon 4800, 5800. Separates

Unit has a noticable "bright" characteristic when reproducing music. The treble and bass controls only allow a 6 decible increase or decrease. I am running very high end McIntosh speakers with unit and the sound reproduction is very poor. Even with treble control at -6 brightness is still annoying.

I purchased the SR18EX thinking that with a receiver I could save space while obtaining the quality of separates I had previously been accustomed to owning. Big mistake, I am very unhappy with my purchase and regret I didn't stay with separates.

Lot's of power and a decent remote!

The PEAK light comes on everytime I play a CD with bass. The only form of correction is to activate the ATT button. By activating the ATT button there was a tremendous drop in volume. To make up for the loss in volume requires one to crank up the volume.

Overall, I consider the Marantz SR-18EX an excellent piece of audio/video equipment. The problem I have with this A/V Receiver is that when I decide I want to listen to a cd that has bass in it the PEAK light comes on. At present the only way to correct this problem is to engage the ATT button, which causes a tremendous loss of volume. The volume has to be cranked-up to make-up for the loss in volume caused by the ATT button being activated.

Similar Products Used:

B&K 202
B&K 307
B&K Ref 30

Sound quality is absolutely unbelievable!! Depth, detail, warmth, presence - it has it all!

Remote is hopelessly complicated (I'll probably never use it). Set up is a pain. Owner's manual is almost user-hostile - poorly written, and not particularly helpful (set-up could be *much* easier with a better manual).

My multi-month search for an A/V receiver to drive a set of Vienna Acoustics speakers (Bach's + Haydn's + Theatro in a sourround set-up, plus Mozart's in a second room) is over. After trying all of the above receivers, the Marantz SR-18EX is the clear winner.

Forewarning: I'm not an expert, and this is my first A/V system in almost 20 years. I've been painfully picking my way through all the equipment that is out there (things have changed a lot since the early 1980's!), and spending a lot of time listening to various pieces in my home. One of my initial hang-ups was a desire for A/B speaker switching, to run two sets of speakers off of one receiver. My usage is 90%+ music, 10% home theater.

The Yamaha RX-V3000 almost did the trick for me. The sound was great, very detailed and sweet, and the unit had plenty of power to drive the 6 ohm loads of the VA's. But, an obsessive drive for just a little more depth drove me to try the SR-18EX, and go with a Niles switchbox and abandon the need for built-in A/B switching. In the interests of simplicity (and cost), I also did not want to start down the road of seperates, and wanted to stay with one integrated A/V receiver.

The SR-18EX is in a class by itself. To my ears, and in my humble opinion, it just blows everything else I tried away. The sound has tremendous presence, depth, warmth but also with great detail and clarity. None of the slight brightness of the highly detailed Yamaha, none of the slight muddiness of the warm Pioneer. Suprisingly, the SR-18EX also sounded significantly better than the SR-19 - I was expecting them to be closer. The SR-19 was OK, but to my ears, a bit disappointing, and inferior to the Yamaha RX-V3000, having less depth, and both less warmth and detail.

The SR-18EX seems to be a perfect match for the VA speakers - the reproduction of vocals (especially female voices) is just astonishing. I could not believe that a receiver could make so much difference (20 years ago, it was all about speakers), but my home trials with all of the pieces have taught me otherwise. The SR-18EX seems to be a perfect tonal matched with the VA's. It's more expensive than the other units, but it's clearly apparent in sound quality, and worth it. It's almost like listening to many of my CD's for the first time - so much more detail and depth compared with what other units were able to produce.

Build quality and appearance are also very impressive. Solid, substantial, very "professional" looking. The weight spec is about 53 lbs., but lifting it, my gut felt like it was more.

Dislikes are few, and have to do with less-than-user friendly set-up. The owner's manual isn't the most clearly written. It took me several rounds of going through the many on-screen menus to finally get everything configured properly. The remote is also (to me) impossibly complicated. It seems to have a great many capabilities, but I doubt I will ever use it. Plastic plugs on the terminals were also a little tough to remove to allow banana plugs. The SR-18EX is also noticeably bigger than the other units I tried, and barely fits into the cabinet I'm using.

Now that it is set up, it is very straightforward and easy to use (actually easier than the runner-up Yamaha RX-V3000). Front panel controls are logical and intuitive. It is not burdened with countless "surround" modes to try and imitate different environments - it has all I need (including 5 channel stereo, which was important to me).

Overall, I'm completely satisfied. I can see myself happily living with this unit for a long time.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V3000; Denon AVR-3801; Denon AVR-4800; Pioneer Elite VSX-37TX; Marantz SR-19

Sound quality is absolutely unbelievable!! Depth, detail, warmth, presence - it has it all!

Remote is hopelessly complicated (I'll probably never use it). Set up is a pain. Owner's manual is almost user-hostile - poorly written, and not particularly helpful (set-up could be *much* easier with a better manual).

My multi-month search for an A/V receiver to drive a set of Vienna Acoustics speakers (Bach's + Haydn's + Theatro in a sourround set-up, plus Mozart's in a second room) is over. After trying all of the above receivers, the Marantz SR-18EX is the clear winner.

Forewarning: I'm not an expert, and this is my first A/V system in almost 20 years. I've been painfully picking my way through all the equipment that is out there (things have changed a lot since the early 1980's!), and spending a lot of time listening to various pieces in my home. One of my initial hang-ups was a desire for A/B speaker switching, to run two sets of speakers off of one receiver. The Yamaha RX-V3000 almost did the trick for me. The sound was great, very detailed and sweet, and the unit had plenty of power to drive the 6 ohm loads of the VA's. But, an obsessive drive for just a little more depth drove me to try the SR-18EX, and go with a Niles switchbox and abandon the need for built-in A/B switching. In the interests of simplicity (and cost), I also did not want to start down the road of seperates, and wanted to stay with one integrated A/V receiver.

The SR-18EX is in a class by itself. To my ears, and in my humble opinion, it just blows everything else I tried away. The sound has tremendous presence, depth, warmth but also with great detail and clarity. None of the slight brightness of the highly detailed Yamaha, none of the slight muddiness of the warm Pioneer. Suprisingly, the SR-18EX also sounded significantly better than the SR-19 - I was expecting them to be closer. The SR-19 was OK, but to my ears, a bit disappointing, and inferior to the Yamaha RX-V3000, having less depth, and both less warmth and detail.

The SR-18EX seems to be a perfect match for the VA speakers - the reproduction of vocals (especially female voices) is just astonishing. I could not believe that a receiver could make so much difference (20 years ago, it was all about speakers), but my home trials with all of the pieces have taught me otherwise. The SR-18EX seems to be a perfect tonal matched with the VA's. It's more expensive than the other units, but it's clearly apparent in sound quality, and worth it. It's almost like listening to many of my CD's for the first time - so much more detail and depth compared with what other units were able to produce.

Build quality and appearance are also very impressive. Solid, substantial, very "professional" looking. The weight spec is about 53 lbs., but lifting it, my gut felt like it was more.

Dislikes are few, and have to do with less-than-user friendly set-up. The owner's manual isn't the most clearly written. It took me several rounds of going through the many on-screen menus to finally get everything configured properly. The remote is also (to me) impossibly complicated. It seems to have a great many capabilities, but I doubt I will ever use it. Plastic plugs on the terminals were also a little tough to remove to allow banana plugs. The SR-18EX is also noticeably bigger than the other units I tried, and barely fits into the cabinet I'm using.

Now that it is set up, it is very straightforward and easy to use (actually easier than the runner-up Yamaha RX-V3000). Front panel controls are logical and intuitive. It is not burdened with countless "surround" modes to try and imitate different environments - it has all I need (including 5 channel stereo, which was important to me).

Overall, I'm completely satisfied. I can see myself happily living with this unit for a long time.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V3000; Denon AVR-3801; Denon AVR-4800; Pioneer Elite VSX-37TX; Marantz SR-19