Superb sound, versatility, awesome remote

The manual. the manual and the manual.

Setting this unit up was a bit, and just a bit, more difficult that other systems I have installed. The manual is actually less than helpful. Ignore everything except the diagrams and use experience and common sense for set-up. The manual leaves out the better features and is misleading on others.

That said, after I did get everything hooked up and configured correctly, I was amazed. Amazed. I have several units (two home theatre units, a Sony and an old HK) in my home. I like my Onkyo and Denon, the Sony is decent and the HK still is a great stero unit that I reserve for LP use) but the Marantz SR-8000 is nothing like anything I have owned before. The purity of the sound, the amazing silence (when there should be silence), the versatility of the unit itself and the Remote (capitalized, because it is the holy grail of remotes…) come together to create a truly amazing sound field. The quality of the separation, combined with its power, flexibility, and amazingly clean sound confirmed the comments of the (far better written) reviews you will find here.

The SR-8000 passed the one test that no other system I have ever owned passed – my wife actually noticed and commented on the quality of the sound. She takes very little interest in the sound quality of our home theatres, and for her to spontaneously comment on the superb sound quality is worth 20 positive reviews in itself. The ease of use extends to my 4 year old being able to easily switch between DVD’s, the VCR and the television.

I was able to create a sound field that surround my ‘listening chair” that is absolutely incredible. It is as if an elf came in and replaced my CD and DVD collection, because suddenly, there are new sounds, instruments, singers, etc. on all of them. My test DVD is the opening scene of “Private Ryan”. I found myself wanting to dodge the ricocheting bullets. Musical soundtracks, like on “The Matrix” take on an entirely new character.

The Marantz SR-8000 is equally adept as a top quality stereo system as it is a home theater platform. My Onkyo was relegated to my home office theatre, and I find that the comparison between the two is startling – something I did not expect.

I want to thank the other reviewers here – you helped in my decision and it was some of the best advice I have ever received. I am now checking reviews for a solid wide screen, HDTV projection monitor to match the sound capabilities of the SR-8000. By the way, I have played around with the multi-room features (not installed completely, yet) and in my test found the unit to be extremely capable of matching the main room quality. My Onkyo did not. The Remote not only eliminated the need for 7 other remotes, but the macro’s are far more useful than I had imagined. One button switches the television to video 2 mode, adjusts the sound field and volume, brings up the DVD and shuts down the other components. I am sure I will discover other great uses for the macro’s.

All in all, it is a fantastic unit, and the bang for the buck is unparalleled. I spent two weekends comparing and contrasting Yamahas, my own Denons and Onkyo, and I can say without hesitation that the SR-8000 is in a class of its own. I don’t know if the extra cost for the SR-8000 vs. the SR-7000 makes any difference. I just know that this unit is just short of perfection for my application. Compare, contrast, negotiate and then take one of these babies home. You won’t regret it for a moment.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Denon, HK, Sony

The RC-2000 Remote (WOW!!)
Very clear sound at very high volume levels...
Tons on Digital Inputs
Two digital outs

Yeah right......
This is very minor...No Component Video

What more can I say about this incredible receiver that has not already been said...I love this receiver...I am very glad that I spent the extra cash and got the 8000 over the 7000. This receiver is absolutely incredible for both music and Home Theater, sure separates would sound better but I use this for 85% HT/15% Music...

The remote that comes with this receiver is one of the best I have ever seen. The other night I watched Saving Private Ryan (DTS) my system was shaking the whole house. This receiver produced very clean and clear sound when the sound meter was reading around 115-120 dB.

Anyone who is considering this receiver GO GET one...I compared this with the all the products listed above and with the exception of the Denon 4800 this receiver stands alone...When compared directly to the 4800, this receiver can stand up to the test. Sure it does not have as much power as the Denon, but it has cleaner and warmer sound. I strongly considered the 4800, but the remote really sucks. Sure the 4800 has a few more features, but when I weighed all the factors there was no comparison.

So may say, "How can this be better than the SR-19?" The SR-19 is almost a year old and does not have 5-channel stereo...Sure it has THX and so does the Denon 4800, but who cares...The SR-8000 has the most important feature of THX, that being RE-EQ.


You really can't go wrong with this receiver, it really drives my Paradigm speakers.

My Setup:
Marantz SR-8000
Toshiba 3109 DVD
Paradigm Studio 60v2 (WOW!!! These blow away speakers three times their price)
Paradigm Studio CC (Best Center I have ever seen)
Paradigm Studio 20 (rear)
(Really wanting a Servo 15, but may settle for a PW-2200...Opinions??? -- Email me)

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, Denon 4800, Marantz SR-7000, Marantz SR-19, Yamaha 995, Sony 555ES, Pioneer Elite 27TX

Sound quality, power, ease of use, good looks, good remote

Manual is pathetic, but can be overcome

I love this unit. It is an excellent quality receiver with good power and sound. Suprisingly easy to use even with poor manual. A bit pricey compared to comprable units, but seems to be worth it (I have only had the unit 2 months.)

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Yamaha, Harman Kardon

Sound quality, connectability, killer remote, sheer dynamics and finesse are both produced with ease.

If there are any I would like to know about them.

Even though I don't own this receiver as of yet, I just wanted to mention that this receiver is the receiver of receivers. This unit is without a doubt the cleanest sounding receiver designed for home theatre use I have ever listened to. Bass is powerfull, robust and detailed, soundstaging is gigantic, mids and highs are controlled and defined. With music like Diana Krall or the Brian Setzer Orchestra, you can get a real sense of the capabilities of the amp. Distortion is non-exsistant, and there is no noise coming from the speakers at all if you spin the volume all the way around with nothing playing through it. I used Dave Grusin's Homage To Duke Ellington to initially demo this rig, and let me tell you that the duke never sounded better! After listening to that, I decided to move onto the Brian Setzer Orchestra's Dirty Boogie album, Track 12: Hollywood noctrune followed by Track 5: Sleepwalk. After listening to Sleepwalk, I noticed the hairs on my forearms and neck were standing up, an experience I first encountered with a tube amp/preamp and electrostatic speaker system I heard a few years ago. This was something I never expected to experience from a HT receiver. No other receiver I have demo'ed up until now has been able to make the Gibson Les Paul Setzer plays sound like this (except the 1978 model 2252 Marantz and Klipsch KG 2.5's I currently own). Diana Krall's "I miss you so" produced the same results. Moving on to Home theatre capabilities, I used the Matrix and Gone in 60 seconds DVD's. What the SR 8000 does with 2 channels it does with 5 channels. Sheer brute force and monster sound quality x5! The placement of effects was convincing and well defined to say the least. The timing and accuracy were also excellent with the amp never running out of steam. The remote is a little bit overkill compared to what I'm used to, but I know it wouldn't take long to fiquire out. Besides, I've been told that it is known as "the remote of the gods" compared to the competition. To summarize, Marantz has made the ultimate affordable killer with their stunning SR 8000. It combines a flawless amplifier with kick ass home theatre processing capabilities. This Receiver is the benchmark for hardware below $2000 Canadian, and is what I think to be the one all others should be judged by.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, NAD, Nakamichi

see review - 2 below this one.

I revise my weaknesses. I just rediscovered the "direct" switch.

I just wanted to amend my review posted a week or so ago.

I have discovered since submitting that review that if I use the "direct" switch for analog inputs I do not need to use the ATTenuator function. Funny how I now remember reading about this in the manual when I first got the receiver but then failed to put the "direct" switch in action. This addresses one of the weaknesses I cited before.

I have also discovered in the meantime, however, that if I run in DTS or DD audio via analog 6 channel inputs from my Technics DVD audio player the sound quality is somewhat better than if I decode the digital signals using the Marantz.

Similar Products Used:

no A/V receivers

Still living in the 2-channel era with a Rotel preamp/tuner and Acurus A150 amp, Santa decided enough was enough and upgraded me to the Marantz SR8000, Marantz DV7000 and Energy Take 5 with the 8" sub (with Monster interconnects and speaker cable).

A single word can sum up the system--perfect. Albeit, coming from a 2-channel system is an apples to oranges comparison. However, even in the 2-channel mode, the Marantz/Energy setup still blows away what many would consider a better 2-channel setup, which included the Acurus amp, Rotel preamp/tuner and B&W 610i speakers (biwired and all).

I also had the Sony entry-level DVD player from last summer, but upgraded to the DV7000 for the DTS capability and, of course, because its much more of an audiphile-grade unit (an absoloutely beautiful piece).

My whole world has changed. CDs I've had forever have a whole new life--especially in the 5-channel stereo mode. And DVDs, of course, now come out in full Dolby Digital or DTS (Mouse Hunt, by the way, has an incredible DTS track).

Marantz picture and sound is second to none (considering other products in comperable price ranges). The build quality of both Marantz products and the Energy system is unbelievable (check out the extensive copper shielding on the SR8000)! Not to mention that fabled Marantz remote--and I haven't even begun to program it. And I got a measurable discount over list on all three products at a NY-based store!

I can't say enough about the value here. Except that, if you've paid more on similar setups, you've paid too much.

Build quality, pure high current power supply, clean uncluttered features, awesome remote

Would love to have had one more set of main speaker connections...remote takes patience to program

I have had this receiver for approx 3 months now and absolutely love it. The power is clean and pure. I am running it with a Marantz DVD 930, Cardas interconnects, and AudioQuest CV4 Speaker cables to a pair of B&W DM602's. I had the B&W's before purchasing the receiver and DVD player, but the current combination is phenominal.
The music comes alive, with good imaging and an excellent soundstage.

The receiver has numerous inputs and outputs to tailor the system to personal preference. For instance, I have the DVD player connected so that I can listen to CD's in analog (which I prefer) but switch the setup in the receiver to digital for watching DVD's. Additionally, it has 6channel input capability for future growth.

When I first auditioned this equipment, the store had a pair of X1 Slamms connected to a Krell CD Transport with builtin pre-amp and monoblock amplification to the speakers (a very expensive system beyond my fiscal resources but very nice pure sound). He then connected the SR8000 and the DVD player to the X1 Slamms. I was amazed at what was NOT "lost" in sound quality with this equipment. The amplifier section of the SR8000 is top quality- by far the best that I have owned, and likely ever will due to a desire not to spend the huge money that one can when entering leaving "mid-fi" and entering into the world of hi-fi (I am sure that many audiophiles would consider the Marantz to still be mid-fi stuff, but the bottom line is where your ear meets your pocket book...)

If you are looking for an excellent centerpiece for home entertainment that will serve well with both music and home theater, this is the piece. Highly recommended.

sound quality, build quality, remote

no phono preamp; no HDCD processing; analog signals too often require attenuation, affecting sound quality

I have been listening to this for the past six months and finally decided to submit a review.

In a word, I think this is a very good product. I won't go on about its strengths, which others have previously duly noted. I was surprised, however, to go from an old Fisher 500C (tube stereo) to this and not find the sound irritating. I thought when I switched to tubes that I would never go back to solid state, but this is one smooth sounding unit.

I agree that the unit is oversensitive to analog inputs, requiring one to use the "ATT" switch. I can hear some sonic degradation with this, so this is a significant problem. It is especially a problem with HDCD encoded cd's, because they are usually very loud. Since the Marantz doesn't have HDCD decoding, one must run the signal in analog to get the best sound from these discs...but then one must engage the Marantz's ATTenuator, degrading the sound. This is pretty poor, though not entirely Marantz's fault. CD's generally have gotten too loud over time, and many players put out a higher volume than they should.

I do miss the phono preamp and had to keep an old receiver hooked up so I could still listen to vinyl. My dealer told me that putting a phono stage in a HT product was a bad idea -- too much internal noise -- so that I shouldn't be too concerned. This may or may not be true. I do know that it isn't easy to find a HT receiver with a phono preamp built in.

As to the previous reviewer's problems with DVD audio, I think he's missing something. If you set up the receiver properly, you will get all the channels the dvd audio disc has to offer. If you are using the 6-channel analog inputs, make sure you have set up the receiver to know that you are using 6 and not 2 channels. (Mine was initially set up to 2 channel.) If you are talking about decoding the digital input, then I'm not sure what the problem could be. I know that due to copyright issues, the full resolution dvd audio signal will not be output from the dvd audio player; I think it gets downsampled....but all the channels are there.

I only give my purchase 3 stars for value rating because I paid full retail at a local dealer. I normally look for a discount on audio/video gear, but in this case I wanted (a) to audition something in a good environment before actually buying it and (b) to be able to upgrade to something else within a year and get full credit for my purchase price. At this time, however, I doubt I will be upgrading, since I'm mostly happy with this unit.

Similar Products Used:

None

MUSIC PERFORMANCE, POWER, REMOTE

I SUPPOSE IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A LEXICON MC-1 - THIS IS A RECEIVER. I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS

THE RC-2000 REMOTE CONTROL IS A MUST FOR ANY SYSTEM - EVEN NON-MARANTZ. BRACE YOURSELF FOR A NEW LEVEL OF BATTERY EXPENDITURE - BUT IT'S WORTH IT. MACROS ARE EASILY CONFIGURABLE; LEARNING PROCESS IS SENSIBLE AND EVEN RHYTHMICAL ONCE YOU GET THE HANG OF IT; FURTHERMORE, IT LOOKS LIKE A SPHYNX - AND THAT'S COOL.

IN 2 CHANNEL MUSIC MODE, THE SR-8000 DRIVES MY THIEL 1.5'S WITH AUTHORITY. TIMBRE, RESOLUTION AND IMAGING ARE SUPERIOR. MARANTZ IS THE BEST IN ITS CLASS FOR MUSIC REPRODUCTION.

MY WIFE MADE ME TURN ON THE 5-CHANNEL STEREO FUNCTION SINCE WE HAVE THE SPEAKERS AND ALL AND, THOUGH I KNOW BETTER THAN TO LISTEN TO MULTI-CHANNEL MUSIC, IT WAS AWESOME. THE SPEAKERS DISAPPEARED AND THE MUSIC WAS EVERYWHERE WITHOUT SOUNDING REVERBY OR PROCESSED. SO MANY MANUFACTURERS SPEND SO MUCH EFFORT PUTTING SO MUCH PROCESSING IN THEIR RECEIVERS, AND MARANTZ DOES IT RIGHT WITH 3 OR 4 SETTINGS WITHOUT EVEN BEING KNOWN FOR IT.

IF A RECEIVER CAN'T DO GOOD MUSIC, IT CAN'T DO THEATER - AND MARANTZ DOES BOTH.

SYSTEM:
MARANTZ SR-8000
MARANTZ DV-3100
MARANTZ CC-4000OSE
THIEL 1.5 (AMBERWOOD)
B&W CC6S2
B&W DM303
VELODYNE 15" (HYBRID)

Similar Products Used:

MARANTZ SEPARATES, VARIOUS YAMAHA PRODUCTS

Excellent sound in both stereo and 5.1 mode, amazing remote, solid construction, tuner

maybe the bulkiness of the remote

This is a solid, well constructed receiver that sounds great. I am primarily a music listener, and the SR8000 is most certainly up to snuff in this area; sounds are tight and accurate, leaving little to be desired. Excellent reproduction of guitar sounds on DiMeola/McLaughlin/DeLucia's Friday night in San Francisco. It has a warmth that was absent from the Denon model. Movies and concerts in Dolby 5.1 sound incredible-- James Taylor Live at the Beacon Theatre becomes a jaw-dropping event in your own living room with this reciever. I haven't tried anything encoded in dts yet, but I expect similarly stellar performance.

The unit has a clean design with buttons and controls that are well laid out; the volume and surround knobs have a nice solid heft. The remote is quite a beast, both physically and functionally. It has a nice green backlighing that smoothly fades away after a couple of seconds of inactivity and can learn the signals of pretty much any remote out there. Unfortunately it can be a bit on the bulky side. I have to say though that it is quite a conversation piece that clearly complements the quality of this fine receiver.

I'd say that I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and that I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3801, NAD T760