Sound, Remote, Copper Chassis, 5 channel stereo

No Component Switching

Love the sound this thing produces. The construction and the copper chassis is second to none. The remote kicks every other remotes ass except for the RC5000. The 5channel stereo pushes my rear speakers and makes me feel as if I'm in the middle of the action. The only thing missing is component video switching. I don't see why Marantz can't do it and they only offer it on their SR-18, that sucks. It is very tough for me to give this receiver 4 stars, it deserves a 5 if Marantz went all out, they didn't. I may be picky but if you give something 5 stars it's gotta be perfect, this is the closest to a perfect receiver I have ever owned.

Similar Products Used:

Nak AV10, Yamaha 2095, Pioneer Elite

5-Channel Stereo/Remote Control/Digital Outputs

Haven't found any

I have been going through receivers like crazy and I have finally found one that I love for music and movies. The Yamaha's were great for movies, but they didn't impress me in movies. The Denon AVR-3300 was good in 5-Channel Stereo but was not god in 2-Channel and it was okay in movies. The Marantz SR-8000 is unbelievable in 2-Channel Stereo, 5-Channel Stereo, and movies. There is no hiss unless you turn the volume way up and go and put your ears to your speakers. The remote is incredible. I have never seen a receiver have this good of a remote. This receiver is very user friendly from the remote and from the receiver itself without the remote. The Denon had an okay remote and was not user friendly at all. I must say that Yamaha has the most user friendly receivers without a remote, but that is just a minor detail. DTS, Dolby-Digital, and music will never be the same with this receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV-595A, Yamaha RXV-795A, Yamaha RXV-995, Denon AVR-3300

5 channel stereo, remote, all-around sound quality

no component switching

I actually went in looking to hear the 7000 and 8000 after a long search for the centerpiece of my HT setup. Thanks to everyone here who made me hold out to hear this piece. Was originally going to get the 7000 but decided to pay up and go for this one. The remote/power/copper were worth it to me as I expect to have this unit a long time.

After listening to a lot of units and narrowing it down to the Yamaha, Denon and one of the Marantz ones, the final decision was simple. Until I heard these, I just wasn't pleased with the overall sound of the other units. The Denon is a great piece, but it's just not what I wanted. It didn't sound as "natural" to me. The Yamaha was very good for HT, but not as crisp. It also was weak for regular stereo which is a shortcoming of many HT receivers. Even listened to the SR-18 to see what the next step was since I liked what I heard. It was amazing and, yes, I could hear the difference, but it was out of my range(if you can afford the big price tag, go listen to it!). The 8000 was above it too, but when I brought my wife to hear it, she could only say "go for it". It was everything we were looking for in a unit:

The sound is clean, crisp and wonderful. It is a stellar heart of my HT and it plays music wonderfully too. This is the "holy grail" of units in that it provides great sound at a good price. (However, if price is an object for some, make sure you don't miss the 7000 as it is an amazing value for the money) The unit was easy to set up and program the speaker placement info. The remote is a dream. Why can't other manufacturers do such a good job of it? Took very little time to program each component and it works like a dream.

To complement this terrific unit are:
fronts: NHT Superones
center: NHT Supercenter
rears: NHT Superzeros
sub: Velodyne CT-12

The speaker array allows this unit to shine as the NHTs will show what a receiver has to offer both good and bad. If I had more space I probably would have gone with the Tannoy's I heard and loved, but it wasn't a viable option for me.

The unit is 5 star all the way except in the value category where it's 4 star. A little less of a bump in price from the SR-7000 would give it a top value rating too. For those who can afford it, this is the best unit in its price range that I have heard. Every guest has been awed by it too.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 995, Denon 3300, Marantz SR-18

Beautiful looking, solid construction

No component video connections

I don't own this piece, but I heard it yesterday, and actually was able to A/B it against the $3,000 SR-18. Yes, I could hear a difference! I listened to a female vocalist (don't know who), accompanied by piano and bass. The SR-18 had a slightly better mid-bass sound. A little warmer and fuller than the SR-8000. Both pieces have an incredibly open sound, showing completely clean silence during any pauses in the music. I'm sure I would have been blown away by the 8000, had I not done the A/B comparison! I never did listen to any dvd's, just audio.

Make sure you lift up the SR-8000 and check underneath! The bottom plate is solid copper! Supposedly done for extra shielding purposes. I don't know if it actually adds anything, but it sure looks great!

I've also been looking at the Denon 3300, but haven't really heard it in depth. Between the two, the Marantz is $200 more, and may be harder to find discounted than the Denon. Feature-wise, the Denon has 8 auxiliary line inputs vs. 6 for the Marantz (for future formats?), and has a couple component-video inputs and one component out, where the Marantz has none.

The Marantz seems to come with a pretty powerful remote (RC-2000?), which should easily outdo the Denon's.

Keep in mind that since I don't own this piece, my opinion is limited to only about a half-hour worth of listening and looking!

Similar Products Used:

None

build quality, REMOTE, power, value (at the price i paid,at least), home theater sound,

manual is awful, highs are a little "bright" at first, high "retail" price ($1250), why no "A/B" speaker connectors???, no bass management(which would have been nice)

Well, where to begin.. I wasn't familiar with marantz until i read these reviews... there were so many 5's, i thought it was worth a look. Well after listening to various onkyos and denons and yamahas, i deeided to audition the marantz. They were hard to find so i called around, looking for the 7000. The dealer was out of stock, but offered me an excellent price on the 8000(compared to what many on here paid) to get me to come down to the store. Auditioned the 4000 (the dealer didn't even have floor models of the 7 or 8 left, all sold out). I auditioned almost strictly music- dave matthews, pearl jam. I was impressed with the full sound it put out- and i figured the 8000 had to be even better. I just couldn't pass up the price on the only 8000 the dealer had left. Overall, i liked the onkyo but i went with this b/c it had the features of the 777 for the price of the 676. The yamaha was not adequate for music and the comparable denon was overpriced. Also, one of my friends fried his denon, this could have infuenced my decision.

Went to set it up- boy, the manual really is as bad as the others have said. I do technical writing such as this at my job and i would be embarassed if i wrote anything this bad. However, the remote is truly excellent. It's backlit-very handy, and even more importantly, it came preprogrammed for my philips VCR. You really will like this remote.

My setup is for 80%music, 20% home theater.
For the moment i'm running some older radian research 10's, i am replacing them soon- see below. For all you "audiophiles" out there, keep this in mind before you read on. I am a college student who listens to hard rock, dave matthews, and metal. This does NOT mean that i am unable to appreciate quality sound. I like some bass, (not earthshaking rap/hip hop bass- that's what my car system is for) and this reciever is slightly lacking in bass output, but hey, that's what a sub is for i guess.
I do not like really bright highs, and this reciever tends to be on the bright side. Some like it, but i haven't acquired the taste for this yet. Maybe some day...Anyway, i have had a really hard time finding speakers to use with this reciever since many "quality" speakers seem to enhance the brightness factor. If any of you out there have a good suggestion, please feel free to email me at mattkpsu@aol.com

I suspect that when i acquire a good set of speakers, ie psb, ar, etc. and after i get a quality sub, i will be happy with the setup and i will be sorry that i said this reciever is too bright and not bassy enough. Honestly, i feel this reciever is best suited for classical, acoustic guitar, jazz, etc., but not for my type of music.
If you like this type of music, LISTEN TO THIS RECEIVER. If you like metal, rock, alternative, rap, club, etc. then this may not be the best for you. Denon and onkyo and maybe sony db are the ones for that.

As for home theater, i have been impressed so far, but have not given it a full blown test yet, ie. matrix, saving private ryan, etc.

Some other notes: This reciever is good at showing flaws in your sources since it is very clear and accurate. The tuner is about average, not excellent. Why aren't there A/B speaker terminals?!?


IMHO:

value **** 1/2 for what i paid
*** 1/2 for retail price of almost $1300- yikes
so i will average that to "4"

overall **** 1/2, i'll round up to 5

Similar Products Used:

have auditioned onkyo 676. 777, various denons, older sony de line, yamaha 995

CLEAN,CLEAR AND WELL ROUNDED SOUNDS

THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL FROM HELL-

TO BEGIN, I AM NOT THE AUDIOPHILE I USED TO BE. WHEN MY SONY APPEARED TO SELF DESTRUCT, I CAME TO THIS SITE AND STUMBLED ON THE MARANTZ 8000.

TO PUT IT SIMPLY AND SHORTLY- THIS IS THE BEST RECEIVER I HAVE EVER OWNED AND IN ITS PRICE RANGE-THE BEST- BTW- GO AND CHECK E BAY FOR THIS MODEL. I SCORED MINE FOR $800, WHICH MADE THE DEAL EVEN SWEETER.

I RUN MONITOR MK14 GOLDS FOR MY MAINS INFINITY BOOKSHELFS FOR MY CENTERS, AND 6X9 COAXES AND RADIO SHACK MINI'S FOR THE REARS. AN ONKYO 6 CD CHANGER AND HAD A PHILLIPS DVD LENT TO ME AND MY SONY VHS WHICH I STORE A LOT OF MUSIC ON.

THE ONLY THING I NEEDED TO ADD WAS A SUBWOOFER BECAUSE MY NEIGHBOR COMPLAINED ABOUT THE LOUDNESS: AND I WAS BARELY INTO THE PLUS ZONE ON THE VOLUME CONTROL. I CHOSE THE AR-8, WHICH GIVES A CRISP LOW RUMBLE THAT DOES NOT DISTORT.
SINCE I LISTEN TO A LOT OF GRATEFUL DEAD, I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE TOTAL SOUND PACKAGE.

THE FM RECEPTION IS SUPERB, THE SOUND IS SO CLEAN AND THE UNIT CAN DEFINITELY KICK YOUR UNITS ASS..

OUTSIDE OF THE WORLD'S WORST OWNERS MANUAL- THERE IS NOT ONE DAMN THING I CAN SAY BAD ABOUT THIS UNIT- I AM GOING THROUGH MY CD COLLECTION AND REALLY HEARING THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME..OH I WILL AD THAT THE REMOTE IS EXCELLENT ,HOWEVER THE INSTRUCTIONS AGAIN HAVE LIMITED MY BEING ABLE TO USE IT TO THE MAX. BUT IT IS A LEARNING REMOTER AND NOW I AM DOWN TO 2 REMOTES AS OPPOSED TO THE SIX I WAS USING.
IF YOU ARE EVEN TRHINKING ABOUT BUYING THIS- STOP HERE- GO DO IT!!!!

excellent for music

no sub output in Direct mode

I auditioned this unit at two different locations and it sounded excellent. I will probably get the SR-7000 because of the price and because I could not detect a difference in the sound.

To the reviewer below: How can you review a unit that you have not auditioned? Is it the first time you discover that most audiophile companies do not sell by mail? By the way, there is a company that is authorized to sell Marantz online. If you want to speak to a Marantz representative, call them (sorry, it is not an 800 number), they are very helpful. As an owner of other Marantz components, I can say that their warranty and service are among the best.

One weakness that I found: in Direct mode there is no sub output. This was mentioned by somebody else in the SR-7000 section. OK, this might be the whole point of the Direct mode, but it wouldn't hurt to include bass output even in that mode as Denon does. This would not degrade the signal for those that do not want to use it. On the other hand, if you need a sub for music you have to use sub pre-out for HT and speaker-outs for music, which is crazy. Or, you have to forget about the sub pre-outs at all and that is a problem with the HT use.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha R-V1105 (terrible), Denon 2800, Onkyo 676

Solid well-built receiver. Sound Quality. Remote

None so far. Well, maybe the manual (but it can be overcome).

I purchased this receiver based on the reviews here. Thanks to all. I previously purchased the Sony strv444es (it burned and died) and the Sony strv333es (defective video output). Needless to say, I gave up on Sony and had to find another make.

I have only had this receiver for 3 days but I am very impressed with it so far. It has exceeded my expectations in sound and features (especially since the Sony's are loaded with features). It is suprisingly easy to use inspite the poorly written manual. The remote is awesome.

So far I am pleased with this purchase. I will post again if anything changes my opinion but so far so good.

BTW, my receiver also has the "U1B" designation. The dealer told me that this was NOT a B-stock item. I took it one step further and called Marantz to ask what that designation was for and I was told it meant "United States-Black". They also told me that B-stock items must be clearly stated as such by law.

Similar Products Used:

Sony strv444es, Sony strv333es

Musically Accurate, Solid 5.1 performance, Well designed reviecer and remote, astetically pleasing.

limited - but I think two channel stereo mode needs more power. I want to revise this if you have two large high wattage loud speakers two channel stereo will rock. In my system I have bookshelf in front; the front speakers alone do not adequately to showcase the systems power.

Preface - I work in the tech sector and I have always been deeply involved in computers. Like most of the other geeks out there I discovered digital music (mp3's) in early 1997. I quickly started bulding an mp3 collection. I very much enjoy listening to my mp3 collection, however to do so I've been relegate to a computer, so when Dobly 5.1 sound card became a pratical solution I started researching and AV upgrade. My system at the time was a 300 dollar shelf system from a local store (it served me well). I started with names I know like Sony (my brother has a sony reciever) and Onkyo (My dad has an Onkyo reciever). I also evlauated Denon as a recomendation from a close friend who is as DJ. One day while in Dallas (TX) on a business trip and in need of some serious relaxation I wandered into a high end AV custom shop. An extremly introverted and inept sales person gave me the tour I though all was lost until I sat down in the one of the theater rooms and I watched the Eagles acoustic on dvd the the SR-8000 was hooked up to a snell speaker system Needless to say I bought the reciever that day.

One I got home I immediately set up the reciever and connect the dvd player via (coaxial audio) attached two old large stereo speaker and start terrorizing the neighbeighors. The Setup was easy with the on screen display I configured it for two large speakers setup, assigned the digital inputs. The system was very tighy musically I notice things in the songs I've heard hundreds of times that I hadn't noticed before. The system did not get nearly as loud as would have liked it to so I decied to purchase a 5.1 speaker package after research and listeng I opte for POLM RM 7500's with center and the PSW 650 also from polk. The system really comes through here in 5.1 mode (which is how I listen to most of my music) the reciever makes thoe polks work. I have to say I find the system most impressive when playing classical music. The PSW 650 is truly something to behold, when driven by the SR-8000. The system also cranks out the sound in movie like Glaiator, The Matrix and The Patriot. My house shakes!

I'm still working on the fine tuning the reciver and the speaker layout (physically) but I don't think I have to state how impressed I am with the acuracy of the reciever.
Something that baffles me is when I have the volume way up and nothing playing there is ZERO! noise coming from the speakers the amplfication is damn near pristene. If you are looking for a great vaule and can forgo component switching and THX certification. This SR-8000 is the reciever for you.

If anyone has a Denon 4800 or Onkyo 787 I would happily test them in my configuration at home to see if they can compete with the SR-8000.

My Currsent setup
Marantz SR-8000
Polk RM7500 speaker w/ PSW 650
Panasonic DVD-RV65
Digital Cable (Time Warner)
TV - (Sony 32HS20 or 32XBR500) still workin on the funding.
Philips PCS 706 5.1 PC Sound Card
Panasonic 4-head VCR (nothing special)

Similar Products Used:

Never owned but evaluated Sony STRV-444ES, Denon 3801, 4800, Onkyo 787.

Musicality, remote control, build quality, lots of inputs and outputs, unadorned with useless DSP modes

Multi-room/multi-source requires a separate amp, cheesy manual written in Jinglish

I listened to the DTR-7 and the SR-8000 on multiple occasions before finally settling on the Marantz. I was NOT able to do a rigorous comparison because they were auditioned in different stores, so I will describe both setups.

Demo A:

Marantz SR-8000 receiver
Marantz DV-7000 DVD player
B&W DM602 Series 2 speakers (on Sound Org. stands)
Better than average audition room, roughly the same
size as mine (18'W x 22'L)

Demo B:

Onkyo Integra DTR-7 receiver
Onkyo Integra DPS-5 DVD player
B&W DM602 speakers (on a carpeted display shelf)
Worse than average audition roon, smaller than mine

Source material:

Tracy Chapman's Crossroads, Track: Bridges
Steely Dan's Aja, Track: Aja
The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over, Track: Hotel California

You might think that given all the above detail, what comes next is a Stereophile-esque missive describing my experience. I am an enthusiast, not an audiophile, and as such I do not feel qualified to say anything other than than the Marantz just sounded better (much better). The updated speakers, the room, the stands, the source all probably had something to do with it, but all I know for certain is that the Marantz was able to draw me into the music in a way I have not experienced on many much more expensive systems. That it was capable of doing that, and therefore had a chance of doing it in my home, was the deciding factor. I am not disappointed - it sounds great in my room, and will sound even better once everything is broken in and my speakers are properly placed. I am very happy with my decision.

There were two things I liked better about the Onkyo. First, its display is a little larger and more attractive. But more importantly, its Multi-room / Multi-source feature is implemented such that when in use, it can drive the remote speakers with the rear channels of its internal amplifier. I *really* wish Marantz had done it this way.

The remote control supplied with the SR-8000 is great (and way better than the Onkyo's). I've got it set up to control the the TV, VCR, digital cable box, CD player, and DVD player, and have lots of room to grow. "Teaching" it was easy, though a bit time consuming. It has a nifty LCD screen which displays the labels for the "softkeys"; these labels can be customized to suit your needs. One minor knock against the remote is its ergonomics - it is too darned big. When channel surfing, I still like the cable box remote because I can operate everything with my thumb.

Both Marantz and Onkyo Integra products come with a three-year warranty on parts and labor.

Anyone looking for a high-quality, musical A/V receiver in the ~$1000 price range would be foolish not to look at both of these pieces.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo Integra DTR-7, Denon AVR-3300