Upgrading my Marantz SR7300

[admin_exported]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of finally upgrading my old marantz sr7300 to the HDMI age,(as the sat and media players all have HDMI) and was looking at the Pioneer VSX920, Denon 1911 or Onkyo TXSR608 as an option

I'm currently using the 8 chanel analogue outputs of my Panasonic bluray BD55 to get the benefit of the bluray sound through the amp

My question is, as my Marantz cost about €1000 when i bought it, are the above amps going to give as good a quality sound?

I'm happy enough with the marantz sound but need to change for the HDMI on TV, sat etc, like the look of the pioneer and the fact that has the iphone apps etc

I use monitor audio bronze speakers I bought gradually BR4 front, BR2 rear, bronze centre and FB110 sub

Room size 15ft x 10ft

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi 1138

I am not sure about the Pioneer (as i've not heard it) however the AVR-1911 and TS-XR608 are a step up in performance to the SR7003. Yamaha's RX-V667 and RX-V767 are also worth considering as these work particularly well with Monitor Audio speakers.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Rick

i'll give them a look

 

[Frank Harvey]

Personally, I don't think you'll gain anything as far as amplification is concerned. The 7300 was a decent amp, and I don't think the current crop if £400-500 amps are going to improve on things, except for HD processing of course. As a secondary system, I have a Pioneer 920 with a Bronze BR package and it all works together very well. The Pioneer is usually just under £600, but can be had for just under £400 at the moment, making it an extremely good buy. If that doesn't do the trick, you'll need to be looking at £800-1,000 amps to get a decent improvement.

 

[kinda]

I've moved recently from a Marantz SR6001 that was about £700 a few years and from reviews thought to be very similar in sound to the SR7001, which was about £900.

I replaced with a Denon 1911 and so far do not feel I've lost out in sound quality. I feel I'm getting a bit more detail and space, i think helped by the dynamic volume, and a bit better steering. It's slightly more forward than the Marantz, and has a slightly less smooth sound but I'm very happy so far.

If you like the solid and muscial sound of the Marantz you may struggle with the Pioneer and Yamaha. The Pioneer 920 for me couldn't control the bass properly and there was a lack of texture and solidity, especially with music. I listened to a Yamaha RXV 3900 and it had a nice natural sound, but somehow not exciting enough for me, and with Kef 6005 only marginal extra detail in comparison to the 1911.

I'll say the 1911 doesn't have the most massive amount of legacy connections, and maybe the display isn't as informative as some other brands at a similar price, but in terms of sound quality I think it's very good. I've even heard people say they couldn't tell the difference between it and the Denon 2310.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys for your input

I've narrowed it down to the Denon.1911 or pioneer 920.

The pioneer seems really good value at the moment and I'm a sucker for gadgets so the iphone connection and remote app are a plus. The remote on the other hand looks like a nightmare to work, especially after the using the straight forward marantz for so long

Had a pioneer many years ago and was impressed with both the sound and finish of the unit

I ve heard of one or two reliability issues with the older Denon 1910, so I'm a little reluctant to go down that road.

Not too many places stocking them over in Ireland so hard to find somewhere to listen to them

So might just that a leap of faith and try out the Pioneer

Thanks for all your advice, will let you know how i get on during the week

 

[Anonymous]

Went with the vsx920 by pioneer in the end

Much improved surround sound, but as expected the sound has slightly less warmth and higher upper tone

Overall very pleased with it, and the iphone plays really well though it

Thanks for your help guys