Performance, Ease Of Use.

Only has 2 electric outlets in the back. I expected a much better manual.

I replaced an old Dolby Pro Logic Pioneer VSX 4900. I didn't know just how outdated this system was until I got the SR-19 home! The new system sounds fantastic.

With my old Pioneer I had to constantly adjust volume levels within any given movie. Action scenes were too loud but I couldn't hear soft dialog so I kept adjusting volume up and down and up and down. The SR-19 completely solved this problem.

All movie and stereo sounds are rich and detailed. The soundstage is wide and deep. Music in normal stereo sounds better than ever. As other have said, I've been dusting off old CD's and listening to them all over again. The difference is unbelievable. At first I thought I had the center channel on when it was not. I have heard no hiss.

The controls are easy to use and the sources are clearly shown on the large display. So, it's easy to see and select the source I am looking for even with my 40 year old eyes. There is no need to go find the reading glasses to select the correct source.

The set up took quite a while due to the poorly written manual. It would be nice if the manual more thoroughly detailed the proper set up procedure. I'm really not all that confident I have it set up completely correct.

I've seen other Marantz models written up as having great receivers. I believe this applies to the SR-19 as well. I can now pull in the radio stations that the old Pioneer just couldn't get. This was a big factor in my decision. The Pioneer and Denon just didn't even come close to the FM stereo reception of the Marantz.

I think the remote is fine although I wouldn't rate is as highly as some others have. It is easy to program and all of the buttons I need are there. I haven't developed macro's yet but they don't look too difficult to program.

Overall I think it's a great receiver that produces outstanding sound for both stereo and movies. I think the price for this receiver makes it an exceptional value when the cost of the competition is considered.

FYI - I paid $1200 in May, 2000.

Similar Products Used:

Listened to Denon, Pioneer Elite, and Marantz.

ECHO PROBLEM SOLVED! USE "SOURCE DIRECT" MODE AND NO ECHO, ECHO, ECHO

USE "SOURCE DIRECT" MODE TO AVOID ECHO WHEN RUNNING TV PROGRAMS THROUGH RECEIVER!

Excellent sound and ergonomics. Remote

I recently had the pleasure of being able to test all four receivers at once in my home. The Yamaha sound a little thin in the mid range and harsh in the highs but good bass. The Pioneer had great clarity in the mids and highs but seemed to lack a strong bottom end. They Denon sounded very neutral and warm but in comparison to the Marantz it sounded flat. They all had great features but the Marantz SR-19 by far in my opinion had the greatest sound. In the end it was down to the Denon and Marantz and in side by side comparisons with all types of music the Marantz definitely presented a better sound stage and more presence in the room. Also the bass of the Marantz kicked the Denon's butt. Denon may give you 5 channel stereo but the overall difference in the sound quality of the Marantz, especially in direct mode I think is far more of an asset. Don't let the Denon marketing machine make your decision for you. Listen to the Marantz and close you eyes, I think you hear the difference.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 2095, Pioneer vsx27tx, Denon 3300

Good, clean sound, great surround, easy to use

None found

I've had this receiver for a year now, and am still very impressed with its overall ability and usability. I did discover something recently that I dodn't know about this receiver...and it makes life a little easier. I thought you always needed the remote to turn the unit on when in standby mode. All you have to do is turn the input selector one click, either direction, and the unit comes online. You still need the remote to shut the unit off, though. All in all a great buy.

Looks great. Performance, in/outs, power rating, remote.

None yet, except for those caps on the speakers binding posts.

I've only had this receiver for less then a week, so I can't give a full review, yet. However, for the time I played with it, it rocks. So far it's performance is great, and I've yet to calibrate it. The remote is incredible, operates my whole setup.

A more extensive review will soon follow.

Similar Products Used:

Yam 992, onkyo777/676, Denon3300

Feature packed - and good ergonomics; the layout made a lot of sense. Fantastic remote. The best binding posts I've seen on an all-in-one box. Good connectivity: two opt ins, two coax ins and outs for each.

HISS - there is too much interference for a combo costing this much. I think the 8000 is quieter (perhaps the sheilding actually helps it). Muddy in stereo mode. Very liberal published power output.

I WANTED TO LOVE IT. In fact, I expected to. The SR-19 is lovely. Really, very pretty to have on the shelf. It felt well made when adjusting the knobs, buttons, or using some of the best receiver binding posts out there. Alas, this is a unit that has, in my experience, gone for gadgits that consumers demand (THX whatnot, etc.) at the expense of producing a unit that produces good two channel stereo. I hooked the unit up to two Paradigm Reference Studio 40s with Audioquest's new SLATE series cable in a bi-wire configuration. Into this I went with a digital coax connection from an H/K FL8550 HDCD; power was cleaned up by a Panamax 1000+. The sound was less than astounding - in fact, I thought it was the worst reciever produced stereo music that I'd heard to date. I reworked everything, trying to make it sound better. It refused. Also a problem with this unit was unacceptable treble hiss. My friend has a $300.00 Rotel integrated amp that can manage to be dead quiet (I mean nothing coming out of the speakers with the volume cranked) so it was quite a disappointment to hear this high-hiss from a $1600.00 unit. I checked speaker connections, there was on ground loop hum, moved speaker cords farther from any power cords, still the hiss. I note the H/K 500 as I tried it out for a week when I was feeling frugal. It's of interest hear as it contrasts so much with the SR-19. Now, the H/K did not have the build quality of the SR-19 - plastic face, the usual binding posts, and an annoying clicking in the volume knob. But it did (and this is what shocked me) sound much, much better in two channel stereo. The soundstage was open - very beautiful sound. And, when you weren't adjusting the volume knob - it was very, very quiet. The H/K high current amp was well isolated from the signal processing. Because of its faults the 500 just wasn't a good fit, and I snapped out my frugal state-of-mind. It provide a valuable comparison for the SR-19, however.
I've since returned the SR-19 and, recalling the amazing spaciousness of the 500, I'm tempted to give the H/K 7000, with that beautiful amp, a shot. (The Denon is fine, but my goodness that's a harsh, weak amp for all the praise it gets). I think the SR8000 is a better sounding Marantz in terms of quality and lower interference. Perhaps the SR-18 does not have the flaws noted above with the hiss due to better isolation. The muddy soundstage was just too much of a draw back for one who puts stereo music much higher on the list of priorities than HT. For the money, there are better sounding units out there.

Equip. Used in Home Test:
Paradigm Reference Studio 40s (front)
Paradigm PW2200 Subwoofer
H/K FL 8550 HDCD player (to dig. in)
Tributaries dig. coax interconnect
Audioquest SLATE speaker cable (bi-wired)
Panamax Max 1000+ power conditioner

Similar Products Used:

H/K 500; 7000. Denon 3300.

Clearity, Great HT reciever, Nice and power look, Nice remote but a bit complicated

It took a month to finally get my reciever! On top of that, the remote was broken! Great price at abcstereo.com but there customer service suxs! Nothing against the reciever though, thank god!

Compared to my old HK 45, the Marantz SR-19 beats it out in every way. So far I have had no problems with it. The only gripe I guess is the programming the remote. (Which by the was broken when I recieved the reciever)Other than that, the reciever is the best I've heard thus far. For deal I got it at abcstereo, it was well worth it. I'm sure when I recieve my remote (could take a year) from abcstereo, it would further enhance my enjoyment.

My HT System is composed of:
2 Infinity Overture 3's <--Soundpros.com
1 CC-3 Infinity center speaker<--Soundpros.com
2 Infinity 1.5 speaker<--Soundpros.com
Panansonic 3 changer DVD Player<--Circuit City
Marantz SR-19<--abcstereo.com

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR-19

sound, remote, appearance, build quality

manual, componant has none

This receiver is one of the best values in the industry at it's $1700 list price. Actual street prices are much lower if you search.
I purchased the SR-19 a few months ago to replace the H/K AVR-55 in my home theater beause the H/K was lacking in certain features i wanted. I was extremely happy with the performance of the H/K overall but the SR-19 is in no uncertain terms better. Better at movies, better at music, better at everything.
When I read theodore's very negative review of the SR-19 I was baffled to say the least. So I decided to move it to my 2-channel system upstairs which consists of Hafler and Proceed componants and B&W loudspeakers. There was a difference in sound quality of course but it was far less than I had expected. The SR-19 did not embarrass itself at all. I actually began to question my wisdom in spending so much for separates. By the way, so did my wife.
As for Theodore, I wonder if you received a defective unit because your comments just didnt make any sense to me. Also, I have had the opportunity to use Paradigm Reference speakers in my home theater ( my dealer has a 100% trade-up policy )specifically the Studio 100's, 80's, and CC450 and I was unimpressed enough to choose similarly priced Klipsch speakers for my home theater.
The Marantz SR-19 is a top notch performer in all aspects and I reccomend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a receiver in the $1500 to $2500 price range. I assure you that you will not be dissappointed with its performance in any way. The sound is extremely clean and noise free, very powerfull and lacks the annoying hard edginess of other mass market receivers from Yamaha, Denon, etc.

Similar Products Used:

H/K AVR-55, Yamaha RX-V2095 and RX- V1050

I have (as you can see below) the SR19, and am VERY happy with the receiver. I started out with the Denon 3300, and although I thought a lot of the unit, I think it excels in video applications, but falls short of the Marantz in audio applications. This is my main music, and now video, maker in my living room. I replaced a Macintosh 2 channel amp/preamp, which I am now using in another room. As for speakers, I highly recommend B&W all round (I have P4s up front -- not sold in USA anymore -- center, and LM1s in the back. The sound is sweet, not edgy, the bass tight, and the imaging very very good. I have a Pioneer DV05 DVD player, and a Pioneer PD65 CD Player in the system. If I didn't have the PD65, I would have purchased the Pio DV09 DVD. I listened to a lot of CD players and DVD players, and YES, if you listen to, and then spend $5,000 plus for the "high end", nothing below will satisfy you. If you're a level below the high end with what you're able to justify spending (notice I didn't say able to afford), the Pio DV09 is the best for sound, build quality and usability. Many reviews have said it has reference quality audio and video output...and those beautiful wood panels. The DV05 is a superb video unit, almost as good as the DV09, but falls short in the audio...I can compare the DV09 to the PD65, and the difference is very distinct to me. Although very good, the DV05 has a hard edge. Also, you might read on this site that people are very happy with the unit, but for $1000, it is a little on the light side (6 lbs) and no wood panels. AND, no you don't need to buy all Marantz products especially since the Marantz 19 has a superb remote control, that, with a little work, will run anything in your system. Any of the other CD players I listened to were not as good as the Pio PD65. DVD players below $1000 start to segment themselves by features, in other words, you get good performance, and most, if not all, of the current features at a $1000 price point (unless you're a real fuss pot, and want microscopic control over your equipment.) One last thing I'll add is that no matter what you buy, DO NOT go cheap on cables...speaker, and audio and video connects. Spend the money here for best Monster, Tributaries, or whatever else is out there at the high end. This DOES make a difference.

I've heard so many great things about the Marantz SR-19, even better than top of the line products from Denon, Pioneer, Sony, etc. I am convinced to purchase this baby. I just would like to ask the forum where I can get the best deal for the SR-19 and if it also comes in champagne gold (like the SR-18). Also I am starting to setup my own system that I will use both for stereo listening and home theatre and I would like some recommendations from users of this receiver on what speakers, DVD player, CD transport, etc. that is best combined with it.

Is it advisable to just buy all Marantz products to ensure compatibility and consistent sound quality throughout your stereo/home theatre system? With regards to speakers I am leaning towards Martin Logans (Aerius i/Logos) or the B&Ws but I think I should use THX-certified speakers to complement the receiver.