Awesome Sound! Awesome Sound! Awesome Sound! Awesome Sound!

Annoying to hook up speakers to binding posts -

This receiver is DA BOMB! THe sound is great! The old sony and pioneer that I have dont even come close to the sound quality of the sr-4000. I highly recommend if u want to spend around $400. Havent hooked it up in surround yet, but 2 channel sounds great!

My current setup:

Infinity IL-10 bookshelf speakers - Awesome!

Onkyo Integra CDC-3.1 6 disc cd changer - Not bad - doesnt have coax output.

Decent interconnects - the rca cables that come with most cd players really suck - spend $20 to get something decent
you'll hear the difference

Similar Products Used:

sony receiver str-d611(10 yrs old) - it sucks!
pioneer vsx-4600 - (10 yrs old also) - also sucks!

Quality, quality, quality. Beutiful sounding in ac3, and in stereo.

No DTS, but 5.1 inputs, no cinema EQ, but has night mode and loudness mode.

Excellent reciever friends. Power and quality of sound is incredible. Swithing to ac3 was easy and very quick. Stereo sound is great also, very clear and impressive. I got it for 431.00 if some one finds a better price e-mail me.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo tsdx-474, sherwood 7090

sound quality,power,electronics/menu/memory
system. sleek-different cosmetic
design.digital inputs. front a/v panel.
smart soundfield settings as well as dolby
sourround.

menu a Little confusing at first. manual
could be more informative.no a/b switching
or banana plug speaker terminals.

Awesome reciever! don't let the power
rating fool you. in 8ohm it is rated @
70x3-front channels,40x2 rear-in surround,
& 70x2 in stereo.In 6ohm it is rated @
100x3-front & 50x2 rear. which works out
nice for me because I have 6 ohm rear
speakers. helps balance it out a little
more. so technically I should be running
70x2 front, (no center speaker yet), & 50x2
rear.You Don't need equal power to the
rears with this reciever, overall rear
soundfill is nice. even though I run in
pro-logic for now.plus the bose don't sound
as good or blend as well in the rear with
my front Paradigm Titans.

I can tell quite a considerable difference
in the sr-4000 compared to my old yamaha
rxv-392 (pro logic cinema dsp) rated @ 50x3
& 20x2rear(especially). although the yamaha
had more soundfields, a/b speaker switching
& banana speaker plugs, and did sound good
& clean. It is still no match for Marantz.

Power & Sound Quality! stereo sounds great
as well as dolby sounding exellent
soundstage & Imaging is very deep,nice &
smooth, flat & natural, alot more natural
than yamahas "natural sounding recievers".
midrange is very nice,highs are quite good
too & never harsh. bass is tightly
controlled & deep(only the slightly flat)
not really noticeable. actually to me
sounds good but can be boosted w/ loundness
button or smart sound settings.overall
sound nice warm midrange, silky, crisp
highs & good bass.

The back of the sr-4000 is pretty nice &
neat, not confusing. 3 digital inputs, two
coax & 1 optical. In addition it has
6-channel direct inputs. The Main speaker
terminals are kinda a pain to get the wire
aligned in when working in an entertainment
center, but no biggie. There's also pre amp
outs for subwoofer w/crossover i think, &
center channel.
One of the things I like the most about it
is the the "brain" It's all digitally
controlled. It is all & all pretty user
friendly & "intelligent". Instead of analog
bass & treble knobs you have a button for
each push(which actually look like flat
knobs anyway & still looks traditionally
nice)then the display screen tells you to
turn the volume knob to adjust. can name
radio stations via the menu & store them in
the memory. the tuner is also quite good,
although the wire antenna that comes w/ it
sucks, i recommend a powered antenna.
You also have 3-d surround & hall surround
modes as well as dolby digital/pro-logic.In
addition to that, there is also smart sound
fields you can use in any surround mode as
well as stereo. they adjust the bass &
treble for each mode & acctually sounds
pretty good & suitable there is movie,
speech,music,multimedia & personal(which is
back to default-flat bass & treble).

You can assign sources to others to,
example- I have my cd/laser disc source
Also assigned to my dvd input(since theres
no actual laserdisc input, & my vcr source
Also assigned to my tv source. I have a
non-stereo tv, it only has a coax cable
input, so I have all my Stereo
sound,laserdisc/cd player, vcr,ect.
configured differently.All my sound is
running through the vcr for a/v, except for
the one audio out on the disc player which
runs direct to the cd input-in the
reciever.
since my only cd/laserdisc player is a
combo (Marantz lv-500) I have 1 Set of nice
noise free rca cables(audio out on player)
plugged into the cd input(reciever) & the
other into the vcr w/ s-video & rca cables.
To make a long story short,If I'm watching
tv in stereo I can have it on vcr or switch
to tv(it will say tv).
Or watching laserdiscs on vcr, or
tv or dvd or on tv since the
tv is assigned via. AHH! Not a
big deal but anyhow I like it.

Although the menu is kinda confusing @
first( manual isn't much help), it's not a
prob. once you get the hang of it. you set
the effects,volume balance,speaker
setup,speaker sizes,speaker distance(from
sitting pos.), tuner install(preset
memory,manual& auto) & station naming via
the menu. also speaker sizes set to small
switches a crossover to 50hz & up. another
NICE feature.Switching the subwoofer off
auto defaults the front speakers back to
large(full range) which is kinda cool.
you can also switch between large & small
for rear & center speakers too. Great
crossover points I think because I have
smaller speakers. Paradigm Titans in the
front, A Yamaha sw-45 sub;70 watts(nice
match for reciever) & bose model 100's for
rear.
If you don't have a center channel like me
you just switch it off in the speaker setup
& it will put all the center information
the the front main speakers( basicly
"phantom" mode). If you try to adjust the
volume of a speaker w/ out it installed on
the setup it will say install center
speaker or subwoofer or whatever. On the
display is nice too to see what speakers
are on or what mode your in.
One of the Very Few things I Don't like
about the sr-4000 is a few thigs about the
remote. You have to switch it to tuner to
access the menu via- remote, if you don't
wanna switch it to tuner you have to get
up& switch manually(lazy I know). I also
didn't find out until I consulted the
manual you have to hold the source button
for about 2 seconds for it to switch. no
big deal now though. But the remote is
pretty good & Is universal programable for
all sources( if your components are
applicable)- Phono,CD,
cdr/tape,tv,vcr,sat,dvd. also a programable
cable box button. Rear & subwoofer volume
on remote too as well as a night button for
low dynamic nightime listening.
All & all I love The Marantz sr-4000. It
has plenty of power, sounds awesome for
music sources & dolby digital ROCKS.It
sounds like a good clean 100w per channel
all the time(or @ least has enough headroom
& dynamics). NO noticeable noise, very
clean. It is great buy & the best I've
heard for around $400, although I got mine
on sale for $299.! & It's The best Reciever
I've ever owned. Thanks for reading all if
you did.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha rxv-392

Wonderful Sound Stage, Pure and Refined Bass, Treble and Mids, Well Built, Great Value

Clip Plugs for Surrounds (Come on Marantz!!) Other than that, Nothing!!

With out a doubt, this is truely the best Reciever in its class!! I stumbled on some luck (so to speak) when I purchased an SR-3000, and had problems with it. After an ordeal, Marantz (Customer service was GREAT!!!) replaced my SR-3000 with an SR-4000. There is no doubt in my mind that after hearing this receiver, it is worth every penny it truely cost. I had been shopping Digital Receivers in this price range, and nothing compares. Although some of the other makes (i.e. HK, Onkyo, Yamaha) offer DTS in this catagory, the sound from the Marantz can not be beat. And with a 3 year waranty to boot, you can't go wrong!! I highly recomend this reciever to anyone!!
My Current Set Up:

Marantz SR-4000
Polk RT-400's (Main's, Wired With M1 MK II's Monster Cable, WOW!!!! $10 a Foot)
Celestion F Series Center Channel
Sony SS-U310 Rear's
Harman Kardon FL8370 HDCD Changer
Sony TC-WE435 Dual Cassette

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Denon

Great Sound, build quality, easy setup, remote

none

After listening to many other receivers in this price range I came to one conclusion, this receiver is a steal!! Marantz has again put out a high quality unit with great sound. This unit sounds as good or better as many higher priced models in both stereo and HT sound. Excellent value and far better sound than many other consumer receivers.

build quality, great sound, barely gets warm

the setup menu takes a little getting used to

I was debating between the Marantz and a comparable Onkyo and Harmon Kardon. The Sony AV receiver I had ran very hot and the surround channels quit. So I was really concerned about reliability. Even though the Onkyo was $100 cheaper for comparable specs I picked the Marantz (three year warranty). Also the reviews on this website favored the Marantz over Harmon Kardon. The more I use the receiver the more I am glad I picked it, absolutely no buyer's remorse. I think it sounds great, even though I am no audiophile.

Similar Products Used:

Sony

This machine is very simple

no speaker AB

This stereo sounds really, really good. I had purchased a Sony STR-DE845 and that sounded good. After reading numerous reviews about how bad Sony receivers are built I decided to get a Marantz. Jesus, am I glad I took the Sony back. Who needs a bunch of extra DPS music environments that sound like crap? Go with the Marantz for solid 2 channel sound and you won't be disappointed. Otherwise, roll the dice and buy a Sony...

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Sony

Excellent sound, compact controls, good

only one optical input, no a/b switch

This is my first decent receiver, so I'm not an expert audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but I know good sound when I hear it. I looked around at a bunch of different brands within the $400 price range, including Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, and Harmon Kardon (most of which are over $600). Sony doesn't even come close to the sound quality of this machine, although it has a lot of bells and whistles, most of which I could do without anyway. The Yamaha, specifically the 5150 was originally my first choice, but after listening to the Marantz at the store I was hooked on it. Now I understand why this brand is considered one of the best. I was very close to getting a Harmon Kardon, but the price range for some of the models I looked at were a bit steep for me. Also, I've been reading a lot of postings on this board about how H/K receeivers overheat and break a lot, so I went with the Marantz. I know there are better models, but you really got to fork out the dough for them, and in my opinion this machine outperforms some of the higher priced Sonys and Yamahas. I was amazed at the incredible sound from this thing. I can hear sounds on my old cds I never even knew were there ( I had an old low end stereo).

The button interface is very sleek, compact and easy to use once you get the hang of it. They have a menu driven control that allows you to control a lot of different things like output control, naming frequency presets, speaker size and distances from each other, etc. This unit does not have an a/b switch like a lot of other models, but that doesn't matter to me. The graphics on the display panel are nice, showing you which speakers are on. My only complaint is I wish it had more than one optical input, since optical connections are better than copper wire ones

This receiver is awesome. I was surprised at the incredible sound quality of this thing. I used some old ADC speakers for surround sound and watched The Matrix with them. Now I can't wait to get some decent surround sound speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Aiwa

Sound
Simple design and "fat-free"
Good HT proformance

This receiver has everything that matters: binding posts for front speakers and center speaker, 6-ch input, DD, Digital in/out.

Good stereo sound,very good and clean bass.
excellent image and dynamic range.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer 498, vintage Marantz receiver, Pioneer D3s, Technics AX6, Keenwood 206

Musical, Power,Aesthetics

No s-video switching, No DTS, only 3 sets of binding posts and two spring, only takes raw wire and bannana not spades, uneven power in hall mode.

Over I would say I am happy with this product. I think for the money it is def. one of the top mass-market receivers. I spent a lot of time debating whether to get a stereo system or a home theater system. That is why this unit jumped out at me. It has very good 2 channel musical quality. It has plenty of power in stereo mode. It has binding posts for the 3 front channels. I would have to agree with what has been said before - This is a very musical receiver. It has superb sound clarity and range. It handles digital inputs very well. It has a ton of feedback when I turn the rear channels up very loud. Usually for home theater you don't need to do this though.

I got this unit for 400 shipped(and a free monster surge protector) from hifi.com. However, they have the specs incorect on their web page. They said(and may continue to) that this unit has on screen display and a learning remote, of which it has neither. I asked them to send me a learning remote but of course they refused. I am sure if I really wanted to I could challenge this with my credit card company and send it back within 3 months of purchase. Besides that I was quite happy with hifi.com.

Overall quality - 4
overall value - 5

If you are looking for something in the ~400-500 dollar range give it a look. Beyond that - others(Onkyo,HK,Yamaha,Denon) may be a better choice.

System
Marantz SR-4000
B&W 602 mains (XLO bi-wire cable)
Pioneer 525 DVD(<-impressive for the money also)
B&W CC6 Center channel(Kimber Kable 4PR(Awesome cable))
Sony rear speakers(YUCK!)

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 474, several Harmon Kardon, higher end 2 channel seperate systems(NAD,Audio Research,rotel,creek,etc)