Awesome build quality, smooth warm sound, great for home theater

could be more powerful, no component video switching

I had my heart set on a Denon 3300 until I demo'd the 8000. For me, it was a no brainer. Although Denon had more bells and whistles and a more powerful sound, the 8000 had a much smoother and warmer sound. With the exception of the speaker mounts on the rear of the unit, the 8000 has a build quality second to none. Super quiet, no hiss at all. You hear every detail in home theater tracks. I will give it 5 stars for home theater and 4 for audio.

Marantz 8000
Front: B&W CDM 1SE
Center: B&W CDM HTM
Rear: Dynaudio Audience 50
Sub: Velodyne HGS 10
DVD: Sony S500 ( to be replaced with a pioneer DV05 )

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300

Remote Control, Looks, 5-ch Stereo, Very Clean Sound

Not much....No A/B Speaker Switching, No Component Switching.

After months of reading reviews in this wonderful website and auditioning the above mentioned receivers, the Marantz SR-8000 is the king of them all in this price range anyway. I've had the reciever for a couple months now and feel it's one of the best on the market and one of the best buys I've made in a long time. It replaced my 9 year old Yamaha 670 that was long over due. In fact, I was set to replace my old receiver with a Yamaha 995, but found that it produced a very bright sound, despite the somewhat warm Clements speakers.

Still a big 2-channel fan, buying the Marantz with 5-channel capabilities was just to have some fun at a future date. Well, the time may be now for me, as the Marantz really delivers in the 5-channel mode. The center speaker really blends well with the Marantz pulling the power. I'm running Cardas interconnects and Proflex speaker cables to 5 new Clements speakers (GREAT REVIEW on these to follow later). This receiver has great imaging and soundstage and its quiet!!! I'm sorry, but still not quite sure what the HDAM accomplishes, but it has something to do with the bottom and read panels that are completely coated in cooper. As someone has already mentioned, it's quite impressive. Plenty of inputs....6 digital inputs, 2 digital outputs. Multi-room function also a plus, though I do not intend to use at this time. You can turn the volume on this baby way up and I've yet to hear any hissing. Anyone with a budget up to $1,500 should consider this receiver before spending more and possibly getting less.

Retails in the $1,200 range on the west coast, but I was lucky to cut a deal at $937....It's worth every cent I paid and then some. I would have bought the very similar SR-7000 which I believe to be almost identical without HDAM and a little less power and without the cool remote for somewhere in the $800 range, but when he brought the SR-8000 down in price (because he was out of the SR-7000 and I was going elsewhere), that ended my search for a Dolby Digital/DTS receiver.

My system consists of the following:

Marantz SR-8000
Sony 650D DVD Player
Sony 32" TV
Clements 206di towers
Clements 2106bps bipolar surrounds
Clements 266c Center
Klipsch 10" sub
JVC S-VHS VCR

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 995, Denon 3300, Pioneer 26TX

Solid build, quality of the controls, balanced sound, silent amplifier.

The owner's manual, lack of meaningful tone adjustments.

Excellent, precise sound. Not as natural as an HK perhaps, the bass reproduction is accurate but not interesting. I would descibe the Marantz as the BMW of cars. It doesn't have all the newest things (say night vision?), but what it does have will work the way it is supposed to, and better than anyone else.
No problems with the product as yet. Just wish I was able to adjust the tone a bit more. My room and speakers are not perfect, thus some more level of customization would be nice.
The processor works as advertised and is truly remarkable when using a DTS DVD. The remote is cool, but unwieldy for every day use. I'd rather have a smaller and less detailed one.
All in all the quiet amp is great and it's the best value for the price that I could find, or else I wouldn't have bought it.
I gave it a four for value because it is a bit pricey, and a 5 overall because it does sound great.

Similar Products Used:

None at this level, shopped around a lot when I purchased it.

high current, great sound on both music & HT, 6 digital inputs, universal learning remote, 3 yr. warranty

bass management

does provide the tube, seperates like sound especially evident on detailed music sources.
but follows most of the other makers w/ the sub-cut off for bass mgmt. not adjustable & set at an outlandishly high 100hz. i called marantz tech support on this & they seem to be in denial as most receiver makers are on this issue.
btw, marantz's website is pathetic as is their manual. the only way I got their phone number was to go to their previous owner- superscope.

i know it's only my fault for not doing my homework & assuming marantz was more on the ball for bass mgmt.
i have klipsch klf-30 fronts & a Vel HGS-18 sub hooked by way of the 8000's sub out. anyone w/ large fronts a good ole big powered sub i'm sure has run into the same problem of muddy bass when listening to analog music sources.
so I have to go w/ marantz's & the obvious fix of setting all the speaks to small. pretty painful when u have large front speaks w/ a range down to 36hz.
because of this oversight on their bass mgmt. & also the marantz tech was short w/ me, I don't think it deserves a full 5 star rating.

Similar Products Used:

sony str-de935

Marantz quality,Incredable full clean power & sound

This is not an in depth review on this piece but I can say a few things. I visited my local shop yesterday looking for the Sr7000 but the few they had sold out in a week but felt my wallet tighten as the salesman said we have 8000's in stock still. I demoded this unit against the Dennon avr3300,Nak AV10,Yam995 and even a pioneer TX29.After an hour of playing dvd's(dts&dd)stereo cd's it was an easy choice of the Sr8000. Hands down a winner from what I heard Especially doing music. All units were played through Definitive BP10b's which I am going for in a few weeks, snell cc & b&w rears.I just got rid of my Yam 795a and replaced it with this beautiful Marantz, the system is in my 12'x15' bedroom which is limited for space as it is without floor standing speakers. Right now I have four paradigm mini monitors on the front & back walls. I thought these monitors were ok through the Yamaha but after hooking up the 8000 they sound so much nicer I cant even explain it. Tons of clean power with a very warm non-brash very full sound. I desperately need floor standers for the front due to all this available juice I now have. Needless to say the rc2000 is an awesome remote. I am looking forward to hearing reviews from audiophiles and the HT mags.

current system
SR8000 Marantz
Jvc701bk Dvd
Paradigm mini monitors (4)
Paradigm CC350
Definitive ProSub100tl

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 795a

Power, bass, remote, copper shielding, multiroom-multisource

only accepts banana plugs, no component switching

My HK crashed and burned, tried the Denon (which was dull), loved the Rotel, but it had serious RF problems. Went with the Marantz because of its copper shielding and otherwise similar features.

The most notable difference is bass reproduction. The Marantz has more weight and increased accuracy. The sound is decidedly different from the Rotel, which has its own (very nice) distinctive sound. The overall sound is tight.

The features are few, but of high quality. There are only basic music and movie modes (who likes Stadium sound anyway?). It has enough digital inputs (4). Does not do component video switching, though. It would have been nice if it could accept spades rather than just bananas.

The remote control of the Gods speaks for itself.

A steal.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR85, Rotel 965, Denon 2800

Build quality, HDAMs, features

didn't work(3 different times)

I know that most reviews of this receiver are quite positive. However, I feel people need to hear about some strange occurances that happened to me and make me wonder about quality control at Marantz.

Do you know that if you do work for a Marantz authorized dealer, that you can take advantage of some special pricing by buying directly from Marantz? These are factory reconditioned products, but come with a warranty, and for less than half retail price, I figured what a steal. I make custom speaker cables for home installation for a dealer near me, so I found out about this. The price I paid for the '8000 was $525, and boy was I pumped! Called in the credit card number and I was on my way.

Three days later, receiver #1 arrived at the house.Got it hooked up with minimum of problems, and everything sounded great from all sources. Only problem is that when switching from one source to another, there was a very loud *pop* from the right front channel. I tried everything ti isolate it, but it was definitely the reciver. Next day, I called Marantz tech support and was told this could definitely harm my speaker, and was told to send it back for an exchange(shipping cost-$42 I paid).

One week later, receiver #2 shoiwed up, and lo-and-behold, it is a new one, not remanufactured(figured I just got lucky). I got it hooked up even faster than first(familiar with back panel layout now) and turned it on. Sound was everything I hoped it would be. Only problem was with some video interference coming across TV when receiver was turned on(DVD, Sat sys,everything). Immediately called Marantz again, they had me try a few things, and still interference. They say to box it up and send in for exchange. I told them I would not pay shipping this time, so they say they will send a call tag and that it may take a few days. No problem- I have all the time in the world. Four weeks and several phone calls later, still no call tag. BUT----

Receiver #3 shows up on my doorstep(another remanufactured-o well). #2 is in the guest room and #3 gets installed and set up in record time(VERY familiar with layout by now). Once again, wonderful sound peals forth from my speakers. I throw in a DVD and sit down to watch-picture me drooling because one finally works. Thirty minutes later, there is a crackling static sound coming from the left surround- hmmm, very disconcerting. Go through the usual suspects to find possible cause. No such luck. After the third time powerind down receiver to check connections, I power it back up, and this time, no sound from ANY speaker(I checked, no blown fuse). My frustration has turned to disbelief and starting toward anger. Three bad recievers in a row.

I called Marantz and this time I tell them to send a SECOND call tag for #3. AND REFUND MY MONEY! Put #3 in the guest room and wait. Four weeks later, they finally send my call tags, and I am glad to be rid of the 35# paper weights.

Again, I have great respect for Marantz products, love the designs,functions, ergonomics,remotes, etc. But now I have to wonder about the quality control. I have an older CD53 that has been flawless for about seven years, but now I have been scared away from purchasing Marantz products-always just a seed of doubt in the back of my mind.

So now,I'm back with my Yamaha RXV592(no problems ever) and am still in search of another receiver that has the same bang for the buck-thinking of Denon 3802 or Rotel RSX 972. Take this with a grain of salt if you want, but it is all the truth. Just something to think about--features are great, but reliability is everything to me.
Value-4 stars if it works when you get one
Overall-1 star because they didn't work for me
Again-grain of salt...

build quality, brand name, connectivity, and THE REMOTE!

loudness

Well, this is my first ever review on any product on this web site. Anyway, I made a big leap in my audio systems, and now I match this receiver to a pair of B&W 602 S2 speakers and Sony DVP-C660 5-disc changer. Together, they sound beautiful to me. (I won't go into analyzing sound because I believe at above a certain quality level, it is just a matter of taste or preference. Therefore, I wouldn't comment anything like "warm" or "musical.").

I did spend quite a lot of days and weeks to find an appropriate receiver for my listening habit (music:movie=8:2; (classical+jazz): others=8:2; no heavy metal; low-to-medium levels of loudness). I narrowed down to Denon AVR3801 and Marantz SR8000. Deciding factors were reliability (some overheating problem with Denon AVR3300 while the newer model 3801 was not extensively reviewed), customer service, front panel input, and remote control to name a few.

Then, I searched for a dealer who offers the best price. Sound Distributors (http://www.sounddistributors.com; Las Vegas, NV) had the lowest price online ($950+S&H) and seemed to have a good reputation. I live in Boston, and somebody from this web site tipped me about State Street Discount in Portsmouth, NH (1 hour from Boston), who is an authorized Marantz dealer. So I called them up and their price was $995, but matched the price I found. (They have a web site for online sale, but I'm not sure if they sell Marantz online since I didn't see them online.) To end my endless (?) search for a better receiver for my budget, I drove up and picked it up.

SR7000 and SR8000 have a very similar spec, but main differences are the quality of parts used, gold-plated in/out ports, copper plate on the bottom and the back panels to make better sound (?), 5W/ch, and THE REMOTE. The price difference is I think about $250-300 between these models, but I think THE REMOTE alone worth the difference. THE REMOTE has total of 352 assignable buttons and 4 macros and replaced 7 other remotes I have. Now I'm contemplating to add IR receiving device for all of our home electronics and lights in order to control everything in my home from the couch.

I like the design of front panel: soft and warm display, well-laid-out buttons and dials, one-touch input selection, on-off display, and front input (for notebook and camcorder). Front input is pretty common these days, but Denon models don't have it.

One thing that could steer away from this (I think Marantz in general) is that SR8000 sound a bit smaller compared to others. When I listened at -10 dB, Denon models sound much louder than Marantz models. But if you're like me, it wouldn't bother.

Overall, this is a fine receiver that could be recommended for many people.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR3300, Rotel, Yamaha,... (Don't own them; just auditioned them).

Smooth and substantial sound, 5 channel stereo

Over-sensitive "peak" indicator, Unreliable remote

Over-sensitive "peak" indicator results in distortion when unit receives analog signal. I have had to reduce the voltage output from my Ah! Tjoeb (over-rated) Cd player to below 2 volts. Very frustrating. Also, after 2 months of use the remote inexplicably stopped functioning and the backlight will not turn off unless I remove the batteries.

Outside of these serious failures, the sound this unit delivers is indeed very satisfying. I particularly like the 5 channel stereo mode. It allows me to utilize all my speakers and fill my room with music. This is a huge plus because I have excellent surrounds (Newform Research 630's). Instead of being relegated to HT sound effect generation they help create an omni-directional musical soundstage.

I am thinking of upgrading to separates (I want a digital amp this time) but I will not go back to 2 channel stereo. Does anyone know of any other receivers or pre-amps that have this 5 channel feature? Any assistance would be much appreciated.

Copper chasis, AWESOME remote, DTS AND DD overall build quality and Marantz reputation to boot.

Manual designed for aliens written by blind apes.

I just got this Receiver last month, after a very enjoyable time with an SR-96 and DP-870 I wanted to move up to a high end unit with DTS and DD built in, but didn't feel the need to get a THX certified unit and pay the extra $1000 for the SR-19. All I can say is WOW, I am extremely impressed by the sound this thing produces in for both movies and music. The 5 channel mode kicks butt! I'd recommend this unit to anyone!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V2090, Marantz SR-96