I have a Marantz av SR 7500 receiver. I just wanted to ask a question I bought this 3 years ago from a very well known Music Company in Syracuse New York. everybody loves my receiver however I'm not the electronic aficionado as most people would be. I paid $600 for this receiver. A lot of people are very jealous and the price that I paid for this. It's an awesome receiver however I need some help when I turn the volume 2 around - 25 db the receiver automatically goes into protect mode. right now I'm using the Klipsch quintet speakers for this. has great sound but I feel as though these are not paired correctly any recommendations for the pairing of the receiver with speakers

I purchased the SR7500 Maranz receiver in 2005, this is one of the best purchases I have ever made. This receiver is absolutley awesome, I have not had one ounce of trouble with it since I bought it. The sound is just as crisp as it was when I first bought it. As far as Im concerned, because of this product, Maranz receivers are tops. Im 63 years old and have been a big audio buff since I was 20, believe me, you can't go wrong with this receiver.

Clarity of sound. Programmable. Elegant design.

At the price I paid, absolutely none.

My previous amp was a Yamaha rv905. I initially started looking for new amp after purchasing a used set of Def Tech speakers as my receiver would cut out in surround sound mode. It turns out that it was just a bad center channel, but decided to upgrade anyway. I found a two year old Marantz SR7500 on craigslist, and purchased it for $120 (steal!). Since I thought my receiver was pretty high end, I was pretty skeptical that newer/better receiver would actually make a difference in sound. Boy was I wrong! Music comes alive with this new receiver! If you every find the opportunity, especially at the price I did, buy it!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RV905

everything

no hdmi switching ....
however thats not a deal breaker considering they haven't stopped revisions to the format yet and i only have one hdmi input. if i get more i will buy an external switch.. and there is an upside to running the video separate the reciever will run the audio "pure direct" with all the vid circuitry off for cleaner sound with no vid interference.

now that i've had a few days to review my new reciever i can say....
this Marantz sr7500 is the bombsmack.

after the MRAC ( marantz room calibration) mic. was setup it took about 30 seconds of test tones to get my room setup correctly and completely flat response on its built in eq network.
very musical reciever, it took what my onkyo 503 was doing and somehow gave it life.
i am extremely happy with it's clartity, hearing parts of movies and songs i've never had the privilege of before. almost a VIP ticket to everything the recording artist intended.
the surrounds are more lively and full sounding.
the power is more than any one house should have.
the sub sounds more flat and extended.
frequency response and tonal quality is spot-on with a warmth that makes you smile while listening to music.
and speaking of music, the soundstage has opened up, higher and wider with a good bit more depth than the onkyo. now that may be the reciever or the new marantz dv4600 dvd player, one of them deserves a pat on the back.
i've listened to more music this weekend than in these last couple months and i'm sure it's a direct result of the marantz sr7500...

after the reciever has burned in and has had a few months of time under it's belt , i will review again but for now it has to be the biggest amplification bargain out there.

Similar Products Used:

2006 onkyo 503, 1992 JVC surround reciever.
This reciever is running...
PSB image series T-45 towers, Mb Quart center channel, PSB alpha B-1 surrounds on monster wall mounts, and a DIY 15" sub vented / tuned to 18hz with 300watt bash amp.
sources:
Marantz dv4600 dvd, xbox360 prem. w/ HD dvd add on, dish network VIP211 through HDMI.( all others are component/ dig. opt)

everything

no hdmi switching ....
however thats not a deal breaker considering they haven't stopped revisions to the format yet and i only have one hdmi input. if i get more i will buy an external switch.. and there is an upside to running the video separate the reciever will run the audio "pure direct" with all the vid circuitry off for cleaner sound with no vid interference.

now that i've had a few days to review my new reciever i can say....
this Marantz sr7500 is the bombsmack.

after the MRAC ( marantz room calibration) mic. was setup it took about 30 seconds of test tones to get my room setup correctly and completely flat response on its built in eq network.
very musical reciever, it took what my onkyo 503 was doing and somehow gave it life.
i am extremely happy with it's clartity, hearing parts of movies and songs i've never had the privilege of before. almost a VIP ticket to everything the recording artist intended.
the surrounds are more lively and full sounding.
the power is more than any one house should have.
the sub sounds more flat and extended.
frequency response and tonal quality is spot-on with a warmth that makes you smile while listening to music.
and speaking of music, the soundstage has opened up, higher and wider with a good bit more depth than the onkyo. now that may be the reciever or the new marantz dv4600 dvd player, one of them deserves a pat on the back.
i've listened to more music this weekend than in these last couple months and i'm sure it's a direct result of the marantz sr7500...

after the reciever has burned in and has had a few months of time under it's belt , i will review again but for now it has to be the biggest amplification bargain out there.

Similar Products Used:

2006 onkyo 503, 1992 JVC surround reciever.
This reciever is running...
PSB image series T-45 towers, Mb Quart center channel, PSB alpha B-1 surrounds on monster wall mounts, and a DIY 15" sub vented / tuned to 18hz with 300watt bash amp.
sources:
Marantz dv4600 dvd, xbox360 prem. w/ HD dvd add on, dish network VIP211 through HDMI.( all others are component/ dig. opt)

Musical. Capable of driving large speakers and fill the room with a wide, hauntingly real sound stage. Also great as a pre/pro connectd to a multi channel amp. Good sound separation.

On the pricier side but well worth it.

Overall great receiver for the price. Better than Onkyo, Sony's and other brands you find at the big stores. Features/connections are a plenty. Configuration is not hard to figure out.

The receiver is simple, classic looking. It has a panel that is covered which adds a high end look to it. Better than all the clutter you see on the machines out there.

Very musical and especially capable with loud action movies. One of the best remotes i've seen that comes with a receiver. Will add more comments as i play with it more.

One additional bonus is the dolby surround headphone output. I was in for a surprise when i hooked this up. The sound was clean and really felt like the sound is all around and not inside the head.

I would recommend this in the second hand market or for anyone looking to upgrade.

Customer Service

Don't need it!

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo SR701 THX

Component video in and out, sub out, loads of connections for composite, s-video, 6ch dicreet, analogue, and coax or optical inputs. Awesome remote that's fully backlit and will run likely everything else you have. Lots of power, emotion and realistic sound reproduction at almost ANY sound level. Dollar for value all around. Automated calibration, or manual setup of almost every feature the unit is capable of.

Makes poorly prodced or overproduced music or soundtracks sound really bad...(wait, maybe this should be in the strengths section?). Don't have onscreen display for many things when using the component video switching, but it DOES work with S-video or composite.

Well, I have 2 old Marantz stereo receivers at my parents house, and was always extremely fond of the sound they produced. Especially my 78 Model 2252 that I was using to drive a pair of 97 Klipsch KG 2.5's. Man did that setup sound awesome, especially with a DVD player as the input source. But, despite the amazing sound quality of that setup, on of my KG's launched a tweeter one day (which is damn near impossible for Klipsch), and I had decided that it was time to start shopping for new kit, and first up...look for a HT reciever. I had looked at some Marantz models several years ago like the 1st gen SR5000 and whatnot. At that time, these recievers ranged in price from $2000-$3000, with little haggling room. Fast forward to 2006, and kit like the SR7500 is available, and is so for less than $1500 at certain locations. My biggest problem with Marantz...finding a retailer in southern ontario that hadn't thrown in the towel on Marantz in fovour of more "bread n' butter" brands. Luckily for me, Gibsons Sound and Vision on Columbia st in Waterloo was a dedicated dealer, and enticed me to drive all the way there to look at Marantz's offerings. As soon as I got there, I walked straight past Gibson's "Bread n' butter" offerings(pioneer, sony, denon), and walked to the rear of the store where they keep the good stuff. They had Marantz kit galore there, connected to Angstrom speakers, Mirage speakers, and Marantz DVD players. I started talking to one of the salesmen, who turned the 5500, 7500, and 8500 on, and let them warm up a bit, before playing some Colin James. As soon as I heard anything playing, I liked what I was hearing. To be fair, he switched to a Denon reciever, and then a Pioneer, both of which undercut the Marantz in price by upto 50%. The sound difference was so drastic (to my ears anyways) that the price was more justified. I switched back and forth from the three different models, all of which sounded awesome. I was ready to buy an SR8500 until the salesman convinced me that the price difference for the torrodial transformer and HDMI switching wasn't really worth the extra $500. I think he's right, and besides, I'd preffer to run HDMI straight from my digital cable reciever to my TV anyways. After listening to some of the DTS demo CD, and then the Eagles Hell Freezes over DVD, I was sold on the SR7500.

Next came the arrival home, and to my parents asking what I'd gone and done, and how much it cost. They also commented on the unit's sheer size when I unboxed it. I took it into my room and connected it to my JVC XVN512S flagship DVD player, and to my old klipsch cabinets. This sounded ok, but I went out the next morning and bought my front main speakers to get a real feel for the unit's abilities at home. I would later unhook the unit, and all my other gear and bring it up north to my new place. Fast forward a little, and I have the SR7500 being sourced by my JVC dvd player and JVC I'ART Pro TV, a Cogeco Digital cable terminal, and all connections are made via Monster Cable Component video cables, RCA cables, and Digital Coax cables. The Receiver is driving a pair of Klipsch RB25 bookshelf speakers, and a Klipsch RC15 Center channel, all connected with 10 gauge monster speaker cable. I also have a Klipsch RW10 self-powered sub connected to the receiver via a Monster cables sub cable. With the speakers located where I want in the room, the included microphone connected to the MRAC port on the front and placed on my coffee table and remote in hand, I begin the automated room setup. I am glad I chose to do this, because after trying to set up the reciever manually, it actually sounds better in the room having the unit calibrate itself. After about 3 minutes and a gammit of tests, the unit is done. The only change I made to it's settings was to switch my fronts back to "small" instead of big...this is because my sub wasn't being used at all with the fronts set to large. I also turned the volume of the sub down, as I'm happy with where I set it. Other than those things, the reciever is ver acurate at setting itself up. I have read other reviews on this, and other sites about Marantz's room calibration not working, but I think that's because you actually have to create ambient noise like coughing or something else so the mic can listen to the room. I tried the MRAC without making ANY noise, and the setup failed and asked me to try again, so keep that in mind.

Performance? SHEER BLISS!!! This thing goes very loud and proud with my Klipsch Refference setup, without EVER getting even close to running out of steam. The sales staff at Gibsons mentioned to me that on the SR7500 and higher models, they are equipped with THX certification, which is something that is very expensive to do, and because of this, they are equipped with preamp stages in them that are designed not to let the unit play loud enough to enduce clipping or distortion (when using digital inputs). If you get the peak light to light up using the analogue inputs, then this is the only time the unit will start to clip at higher volumes, and you can avoid this by using the built in ATT (attenuator). My DVD player has one built in too, so I used this until I switched to a Digital Coax. This is also the only way to make the unit work properly and have the surround maps and DTS symbols to light up on the units screen. At 105 watts RMS, I would guess this is a modest rating, and it's also an FTC certified rating too. The SR7500 is very capable, and excells with almost anything you throw at it. Like the other reviewers mentioned, I also preffer DTS movies, as I find the THX mastered ones sound muddy in comparison (Sorry Mr Lucas!). The achilles heel to the Marantz? is that it so faithfully wants to reproduce everything so well, that it also reproduces the bad as well. Poorly produced or OVERproduced material sounds excatly as it's called. Some music tracks just sound like crap on my setup, wheras other stuff sounds amazing. Movies like "I Robot" or "Flight of the pheonix" sound phenomenal on this reciever. Lots of delicate noises and nuances can be heard at both high AND low volumes, which speaks volumes of the high current capabilites of the units power supply. I particularly like to listen to Michael Buble's "Caught in the act" DVD on my system, or other similar Jazz recordings. Jazz is not only a forte for Marantz, but definately for Klipsch, and I think the pairing of the brands is an awesome choice if you want sheer power and realisim in the sound. My Galdiator DTS ES 6.1 DVD....simply stunning. This thing kicks so much butt, there's no need to go into the really expensive "gucci" kit that costs several grand more.

With Component Video input, Coax and Optical digital inputs, Composite and S-Video switching, and a ton of Analogue inputs and outputs for seperate amps or 6 channel discreet, this unit is very flexible. As flexible as I need anyways. I think that if you want a setup that has both finese and sheer brutal power, sound quality, easy onscreen navigation (not fully functional with component video switching), and choice of manual or automatic setup, this is the unit you've been waiting for.

Stay away from the Denon or other similar recievers, unless you wanna own what everyone else has...Marantz just has that natural "warmth" and "soul" that their older stuff had, and still does. It has a sound that lets you feel as if you'll be making your purchase decision on a "gut feeling", which the SR7500's sound will give you...

Similar Products Used:

Denon, sony, Pioneer, Samsung, JVC (ultimate brand for HT on a small budget)

Good sound, Auto Set Up

Mail in service, no dual banana plug, poor component video.

I could not find any reviews of the Marantz 7500/8500 receivers online, so I wanted to post my experience here, in case someone else is looking at this fine sounding receiver. I anxiously tracked the shipment of my new Marantz 7500 daily from accessories4less.com, an authorized Marantz dealer. During my initial home theater investigations, Marantz stressed the importance of purchasing from an authorized dealer or the warranty would be void. While on the Marantz website, I saw a link for the prestigious “owners circle”. Of course, I could not wait to put in my serial number in order to get all the “secret” information about how to set up the amp. I sold my trusty Onkyo 787, and felt confident that I was moving up to audiophile quality. One dealer I went to informed me that he was getting out of the Integra line (Onkyo’s high end line) in favor of the Marantz line. I wonder if I should have been suspicious when he told me – “don’t turn it up too loud”. I reconsidered the 8500, because it had the “special amp section” but accessories4less said it did not justify the added expense. Everything else is identical, except for the torrordal amp and HDMI switching. The Marantz had everything I was looking for. 7.1, ProLogic II, 100 WPC and I liked the idea of the auto set-up. I read the newsgroups that spoke of the Marantz amps (not this one in particular) as being “musical” and “warm”. People who liked audio seemed to like this amp, and I was never really impressed with audio only sound “cd” out of my Onkyo. My Marantz arrived. I unpacked it, disconnected my Onkyo and all the other components, re-arranged my audio shelf, and prepared to plug my banana plugs into the back of the amp. Did you notice how “dual banana plug” is conspicuously missing from the online Marantz manuals? Dual banana plugs that make hook up easy on all amps that I have had in the last 10 years – including my old trusty Onkyo, and my 15 year old Adcom that I use to drive my subwoofer. All my Klipsch legacy speakers close to 20 years old use this standard – pretty much everything I have seen out there – except my new Marantz 7500 (and the 8500 is the same). I take off all my banana plugs, being careful not to lose track of which side is negative, then, for the next hour, meticulously try to thread 10 gauge speaker wires into cheap plastic binding posts from the old days. One must be careful not to let any strands of wire touch the metal housing, lest you may blow the amp, and I would suspect, the “authorized warranty”. 1 hour later, all the rest of the hookups are made, I am ready to power up. Power comes on; I hear a series of tiny relays click in the amp. I try to start the manual speaker setup, but soon give up when I can not find where to set the amp to output 6.1 only. I decide to run the auto feature. The 7500/8500 both come with an included microphone. I put the microphone on a tripod stand, push one button on the face of the receiver, and presto, magic happens! On-screen I see the receiver magically adjusting the speaker size, distance, loudness – it was all very cool! This is definitely something Marantz has over Onkyo (sorry Onkyo – but who really cares about net-tune). At the end of the 3 minute procedure, a confirmation comes up, letting you know all the settings that the receiver has “set”. Then I notice something peculiar. The 7500 says I don’t have a subwoofer. I start to investigate; the power light to my Adcom is not on. I check the power switch on the Adcom, it’s in the on position. One would assume that a new Marantz 7500 would be able to supply power out of its switched AC jacks in the back? But this one didn’t. I moved the plug to the always powered jack, yep, dead too. OK, well, maybe I got the 2 in 100 amps that accessories4less says that they get back, I mean, someone has to win the lottery – right? I took a break and went to enter my serial number into the secret “Owner’s Circle” on the Marantz website. Maybe there would be a secret answer, like some software “switch” that was required to turn on the AC outlets on the back of the receiver. I will let you in on a little secret, the special owners circle is a place where you can enter your email address to get mailings from Marantz. No special FAQ’s. No setup hints. Not even a moderated site to speak with other happy Marantz owners – I suspect Marantz knows what the outcome would be of having any kind of email board on their site. Go check out Klipsch to see what a real audiophile site should look like. I run an extension to power up my Adcom, and on comes my subwoofer. I run the auto setup again, and it really is perfect. I have to say, that this receiver does sound very good. I played a couple of DVD’s – then I notice – why do the people have a yellow cast? HMMM? I disconnect the output component video wires from the back of the Marantz 7500 with all its nifty up conversion crap, and connect the compo

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 787, 803

Awsome sound. I found it easy to set up. Up conversion of Video signal to Component Biamping when I don't use the 2nd zone. Great Remote. My Polk speakers have never sounded so nice (never mind loud!). THX DTS formats SRS Price. Found GUI easy to use.

No auto EQ (although the mic does do everthing else) No Equalizer for Room acoustics Lack of Modes (Concert, Hall, Club, etc.) Don't miss them though! Boy can it get HOT! Never had a problem with it though. LCD is hard to read most times without the back lighting. Video Screen blanksout sometimes for a fraction of a second (happens on TechTV alot so I think it is something in the satilite signal causing the reciever to do it.) Small fingers are needed to hookup speaker wires in the back without banana plugs. If you want to spend the money get em. Don't set up without the GUI! THX...

Price is in Canadian so I paid about 850 american (man can I haggle or maybe it's just being 6'5" and 350+....) For the price this is an awesome receiver. My Polk Monitors have a tendency to be bright so I was looking from the outset to purchase a "warm" receiver in the $1000 dollar range (I am "trying" to keep a budget...). I had listened to Onkyo's and Yamaha's but they where exhausting to listen to for long periods. Then I found the Marantz SR7500. Because I live over 2 hours away from where I purchased the receiver they let me take it home for a couple of weeks and it ain't going back! Power’s pretty good at 105 watts RMS and it will drive 6 ohm speakers. Now considering I will probably never own a house over 1500 sqr. feet this is more than enough. Has all the hooks up you will every need and preouts for that separate amp for my towers I am going to buy someday…… Anyway I bought this receiver for home theater and it does it great but for music..WOW! I did not know what I was missing in just 2 channel music before I bought this receiver. It is warm and rich and makes my Polks come alive unlike anything else before. Metallica, Korn and Godsmack never sounded so good. Listen to the Godsmack Changes concert DVD in DTS NEO! The drum battle (...des tambours...) is awesome compared to how it sounded on other receivers. Be warned that the receiver gets pretty hot during loud listening sessions and make sure to keep it somewhat ventilated. Also note that if you have really good speakers that go nice and low Pure Direct sound is awesome (2 channel no processing). Listened to some paradigm reference speakers in puredirect and it almost made me replace my new Polks! My Polks don’t sound so great as they don’t have enough low end (still love them for their awesome mid and high range and that is why I have a sub woofer anyway so no Pure Direct for me) While this is a THX receiver I by no means affected my purchase. It does make actions movies sound more like the theater in THX mode but I prefer DTS. I am a believe in the quality of DTS but it is hard to find movies encoded in DTS so having the THX is nice for movies like Star Wars. Don’t get me wrong though, ALL my movies sound the way they are supposed to be now and I prefer the sound over the theater now (just need that SVS sub to destroy my room at the same time now..hehehehe). Video up conversion is great and this receiver is very easy to use with the on screen GUI. I did not find any visible loss in quality of the picture by going through the receiver. Do not have an HDTV either so buyer beware on that one I guess. Remote is good but is not a permanent replacement for all my other remotes. It is the first that could access all the menus on my old Goldstar Hifi VCR so Kudos to them for that as my remote for it broke years ago and I now have a clock in my living room again?!?! I do have one grip though when it comes to movies and it’s not the receiver’s fault. Now I can hear some of the **ity crap that is in movies that I couldn’t hear before. Hiss-pops-cracks and static that are in older movies that have been re-released and “digitally remastered” (ahem-cough Ep. IV, V, VI). You can definitely tell that the sound has been processed from and inferior source. Which sucks cause after listening to the splendor that is Lord of the Rings, Kill Bill, and Band of Brothers, I feel like throttling a Sound Engineer or Two. In the end I can not recommend this receiver enough for the money. Sure there are some problems I have with it but I have not found a receiver yet that did not have something about it I did not like. For me it’s the closest thing to perfection for the money I was will to spend.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 58## Onkyo 701 Yamaha V.. 1500

Amazing sound for home theater. Drives center channel and surround speakers with no problems, no strain. features are great.

White remote control, which also has a cheap feel.

I had used a Marantz AV550 surround processor which I bought brand new for several years. It only had DD and Dolby ProLogic. Had it hooked up through my Audio Research preamp tape loop going to stereo amp for L+R and had dedicated multichannel amp for center and surrounds. Recently I went to the store to listen to CD player I am planning on buying. Saw this receiver and thought it was kind of cool with all the features, DD and DTS decoding. I asked a salesperson to pop in a DVD so I can see what the receiver is capable of. I bought it. When I brought it home and hooked it up, I realized that my processor with my multichannel amplification is only taking up space. That is how good this receiver is. Its sound is smooth yet very detailed. Both Dolby Digital and DTS sound great. I don't care for all the other surround modes, because I rarely use them. Features on this receiver are awesome. There is a mic included with this receiver. When this mic is hooked up to it and placed in the listenning position, you can, by goingt through the set up menu, let the receiver automatically do the speaker set up. And it does an incredible job. I am very happy with the reciver's home theater performance. As to its stereo performance, I do not use it for that, since I use the L+R pre-outs from the receiver to my Audio Research stereo preamp, so the receiver is only used for home theater. For music listenning I use ARC preamp with McCormack 2 chanel amplifier. The only thing that I have a small gripe about with this receiver though is the remote control. After using an RC2000MKII that came with my surround processor for so many years, the receiver's remote feels kind of plastic and cheap and it's white, which makes it look pretty odd. But, it does everything the RC2000MkII did and more, so functionality wise, no complaints. Overall very satisifed. Performance 5 out of 5, looks 5 out of 5. Remote 4 out of 5 for its plastic feel and ugly color. Features on receiver and the remote 5 out of 5.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz AV550 with multichannel amplification.