- Amazing sound in Home Theater - Good sound for music, better if using Dolby Prologic II - Looks and overall construction quality - Preamp out for all 5 channels - No drop outs playing Jurassic Park III in Dolby Digital (Reliability)

- Compared with my old HK AVR20II receiver in pure 2 channel stereo still needs work to do. - Dim display - Remote is not illuminated. - No phono input and Multichannel input.

After tons of research I chose the Marantz because its value and sound quality. I finally demoed the SR4200 and the SR7200 side by side and I was impressed of the overall sound of both. However in HT (which was the main use I was about to give to it) the SR4200 sounded as good as its bigger brother for half the price! The first thing that caught my attention after unpacking the new toy was the relatively small size (depth) of this unit, the HK is about 2 inches more, so if you´re looking for a compact yet beautiful receiver to fit tight spaces this is the one for you!. The setup was easy and everything was up and running in less than an hour. With this receiver you have Pre-amp outs for all channels (very rare at this price point) which gives you the advantage of adding more power to your system, but believe me the onboard 70W x 5 will fill with rich sound all the average listening rooms and it will beat many cheap 100Wx5 receivers of comercial brands. The back panel allows you to connect almost everything and it is capable to allow more external components than other receivers at this price point. However it doesn´t have a Phono input (You vinyl fans have to look elsewhere) and SACD or DVD-audio (multichannel input) is not available. On the other hand, it has 4 digital inputs (two optical and two coaxial) and 2 digital outputs. I´ve seen many receivers well above this price that offered only one or none digital outputs. The remote control is quite large but it is comfortable and all the receiver functions can be accessed easily. It can be programmed to control other devices, however only the basic keys will work with them so beware of buying a separate full universal remote or you will need to look for every own component remote everytime you need to do something else than play/pause. Despite it doesn´t have on-screen display the navigation through the menus is far easy, the complaint here is the dim display and that the remote doesn´t illuminate itself. (Which should be a must for a HT-receiver remote of a decent brand like Marantz). In the sound area this receiver will give you hours of entertainment, its performance in home theater is simply amazing the crystal-clear sound and wide power simply exceeded all my expectations. Try this unit as your HT control center and you will not be dissapointed at all.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon AVR20II, Yamaha RXV-496, Onkyo TX-DS 797, Marantz SR7200.

great sounding, great deal, great styling, pre-outs, sturdy contruction

marantz doesnt import the gold colour to north america anymore (not a big deal though, black still looks good), remote is a little large

wow, what a great receiver. i was looking for an entry level receiver for my bedroom, nothing too extravagent, but i did not want to sacrifice sound quality either. At its price point, this marantz has very little competition in terms of musical quality, it gives the music and much fuller warmer sound than other receivers. i also auditioned onkyo, denon, pioneer, and harman/kardon receivers in the same price and although the denon, onkyo, and h/k are grat receivers, the marantz simply sounded better musically. for home theater, the marantz also shines and is equal or better than all the other receivers, which are purpose built for HT. Pre-outs for all channels for a receiver in this price range are also a rareity, and a welcome addition if any further upgrades are planned, even if just for the front speakers. Unlike some company's dsp modes, the marantz ones are actually useful and sound good, and i use them while playing games on my playstation2. the remote is also good, enabling you to perform almost any operation for all your componenets, however it is quite large, and may take a while to get used to. (the only thing i cant do with it is dim my dvd changer). Setup was very easy (im quite experienced in settup up HT so that probably helped), and even for a HT novice, the manual helps alot. Just a warning, this receiver, like any quality piece of electronics, requires AT LEAST 20 hours of break in time before it really hits its musical stride. when i first got in home i was frnakly unimpressed with the sound comapred to what i had heard in the demo room, it sounded no where near as defined and warm. however, after a couple days of leaving the receiver running continuously, it sounded MUCH better, and now exceeds my expectations. On a final note, i personally really like the styling and find it looks great on my HT rack. i will post another review in a few months time to make any further comments ion things i notice in that time period.

Similar Products Used:

sony str-de330, pioneer vsx d-510, many receivers auditioned (denon, h/k, onkyo, pioneer, kenwood)

Solid build quality, great versitility

could use a little more power, but then again the 70W per channel is adequete, and easily and fully can power speakers that operate in a range of 25W to 175W

For the price paid this unit truly has no equal. I am using it in my home theatre system and the dts and dolby digital atomsphere that is created is wonderful. In normal audio use (cd player) the full warm sound is wonderful in the various dsp modes, my personal preference is the matrix setting. The versitility and functionality make it a true winner for its price.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon

Okay, here''s where it really scored: 1. Amazing sound - both music as well as movies 2. Build quality 3. Looks 4. Binding posts for all speaker outs 5. Amazing value for money

And here''s where it didn''t: 1. No 6 channel analog input 2. No speaker A/B switching 3. Menu navigation could be made a little more intutive 4. Remote ergonomics could be improved, also backlighting is a must! I ended up buying a touchscreen remote seperately... Overall though, I''d highly recommend this receiver!!

Was looking for a receiver for both music as well as movies. Didn''t want to spend too much (around $400) but didn''t want to compromise on sound quality either - don;t we all ;) Did tons of research and shortlisted 4 receivers - the Yamaha RXV520, Denon AVR1602, Harman Kardon AVR2000 and this one. Drew up a long list of some 40 odd parameters and evaluated all 4 (yeah, i tend to get obsessive about these things!) Here''s what I thought of them... The HK sounded too bassy, and I got scared reading about all the quality problems they''ve had... Denon sounded really good, no distortion at all but they too have had some problems (the Dolby Digital decoding chips in this model and a couple others don;t work with some movies like Jurassic Park 3) - Also, because of some complicated reasons, it cost almost $800 in India! The Yamaha sounded too bright for my taste and also had only one coax input... Also, I didn''t think I would ever really use all the DSPs The Marantz sounded the most balanced - particularly when listening to music... It''s build seemed really solid and the front was very simple and classy

Very clean processing, Loads of power, attractive design, easy to setup.

experienced popping noises from right rear speaker in the first two weeks of ownership, but have not had a problem for over 6 weeks now.

This is a pretty good piece of equipment. The amplifier stage took quite a while to break in. About three weeks before things, musically, started to sound better. In stereo mode, the soundstage is somewhat deep, there is really good separation of instruments, and the overall tone is quite balanced. I use this unit only for HT to drive the CC and rears. I have an outboard amp driving the mains. I am currently using the 4200 as a preamp in 2 channel mode. The processing and amplification is really clean. DD and DTS is truly remarkable. The clarity is stunning. I like the option of settings for every surround mode (DD, DTS, HALL, etc.). I don''''t use any DSP for watching DVD. Like the previous reviewer stated, it does play quite loud. There are 4 digital ins and 2 digital outs. Video switching is available and there are pres for all channels. There are a ton of inputs, most I don''''t use. I previously owned a Yamaha rxv496 for HT and a NAD c350 for music. The SR4200 is a definite improvement over both at their own game, IMO. However, compared to the MCA 20 by Anthem driving my mains, it has some work to do, but they are in different sports, never mind leagues. Marantz SR4200 fed from Panasonic rv30. CC is a Paradigm Reference Studio/CCv2, Mirage FRX-rear, Mirage SS1500 subwoofer. Mains are Studio/40v2 powered by Anthem. 5 stars all around as this product is well worth every dollar.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha rxv496, NAD c350

-Very solid build -Sound is very balanced and dynamic -Sounds louder than 70 watts -Audio inputsoutputs are extensive -Easy to operate (except Radio)

-Tuner and presets not intuitive to use -Tendency to pronounce the low end - bassy -Styling is blah -Display is dim

Basically I give this receiver high marks for value and ease of use. The amp is versatile and can be played quite loud. The receiver sounded better than my old Adcom separates and the NAD separates I bought. This receiver is ideal for the mid level quality enthusiast who wants value and good but not stellar sound (due to the stellar costs). Receiver does better with jazz, classical, and R&B - electronica sounds too mid range heavy. My system: - Marantz 4400 CD changer - Paradigm Monitor 7v2 - Audioquest Granite cables and sidewinder interconnects - AR TDS202 sound enhancer (people buy this! - your system will sound 50% better)

Similar Products Used:

Bought the NAD 350 and NAD tuner (forgot make) - returned because sound was shrill both from speakers and from headphones