Need Recommendation

[admin_exported]

Hi All, Great forum - just stumbled across it recently. Bit of an audiophile here who listens to a lot of music but has become a bit out of touch with the latest amp technology over the past 10 years. I used to have a fantastic Marantz (can't recall the model) but it was a big, heavy powerful beauty rated 100W / channel RMS and had the kind of perfectly balanced sound that I love: powerful, with very little distortion, natural, clear and not too bass-heavy. After about 12 years of almost daily use, it started to give very nasty feedback crackle and pop (I guess some kind of dry joint in the circuitry). Anyway, I needed a quick replacement, as I use the amp daily for both TV and audio. So, I went out and replaced it with a much more entry-level Sony STRDH520 (money was tight at the time) and now have nothing but regret. I was told the Sony was a very good, solid amp, and it certainly looks good, but it simply doesn't compare to the old Marantz in terms of sound quality or output. The Sony distorts, especially in the upper frequency range, has a real lack of clarity and purity and, despite its power rating being similar to my old Marantz, there is no comparison in terms of listenable output. While it looks good, especially with the LCD, it is a huge disappointment overall. So, now I'm thinking of trying to offload it and buy something more akin to my old Marantz. I'm looking for around 100W RMS with at least six inputs, strong dymanic range with an emphasis on clarity and natural sound (as I mentioned, I'm not a fan of some modern audio set-ups that are all about bass-heavy amps and subwoofers). I am budgeting around €500 / £400 (I live in Ireland). My living room is about 20 feet by 16 feet, with the sofa in the middle and the speakers (lovely old floor-standing Monitor units) 20 feet apart, lots of hardwood and little in the way of soft furnishings. From my limited Googling so far, the Marantz PM7004 looks like it might fit the bill? Thanks in advance. Jonathan

 

[drichardb]

Welcome to the forum!

Not sure but I think this might be better served by being in the HiFi section as it looks like your hunting for a stereo amp rather than an AV Receiver. I appreciate it is going to be used for some TV/Film use but ultimately your looking for advice on a different type of product than is normally discussed in this section 8)

Also, you haven't specified the make/model of your speakers. This will help anyone should they be able to reply to your post in detail.