Which AV receiver?

[Tonestar1]

Hi,

I moved home last year and am building a DIY home lounge/cinema room, next step is to get an AV receiver. Set up is a follows.

TV Philips POS 9002

Speaker set up will eventually be 5.1.2 but at the moment it's as follows

Rears Monitor Audio in wall WT265

Atmos Monitor Audio in ceiling CT165

Fronts L/R B&W 684

Centre... None at the moment but can use a B&W M1 as a stop gap as I intend changing my fronts over the next few months, probably to bookshelves or smaller floorstanders. When decide on the upgrade to the fronts I will get a matching centre but that's for another thread..

Sub... None yet

Room is approximately 5.5 x 4.5 and the rear wall and one of the side walls is mostly glass although I have extremely heavy curtains. TV sits midway along the 5.5m wall. Floor is suspended solid oak with a large rug in the centre.

So back to business. I have approximately £1000 to spend on a receiver. I want something that is good with music as well as movies. I had my eye on the Marantz SR7011 which was at a great price (£899 down from £1400) but unfortunately it is now sold out everywhere.

So the options I am considering are below though happy to take any other suggestions.

Yamaha 1070 £999

Denon X4400 £1099

Marantz 6012 £849

Marantz SR7012 at £1300 but that's really pushing the budget and it would need to be head and shoulders above the rest to justify the additional expense

Pioneer LX701 £800 Richers are doing this at a great discount but its an older model so worry that it may be missing some newer features. If the sound quality is significantly better I would be willing to sacrifice some functionality.

Would be interested in opinions on the above or if there is anything else I should be adding to the list that I have missed. I will try to demo first but I don't have anywhere local that does Marantz so wont get a chance to listen to that though I've listened to marantz stereo kit many times and enjoyed the sound.

 

[bigboss]

I've got Monitor Audio in wall and in ceiling speakers (WT280-IDC fronts and centre, WT265 side and rear surrounds and CT265 ceilings). Marantz SR7009 pairs beautifully with it.

What about Marantz SR7011, still available in a couple of shops for £849?

 

[Tonestar1]

The SR7011 was no 1 on my list but I can no longer get one. Should have bought it last month but I thought I'd hold out till afer Christmas. Peter Tyson still shows it on the website but they are actually out of stock and I can't see it on Superfi any longer. Google is thowing nothing up either. Can you provide a link or retailer if you have one?

 

[bigboss]

You're right, all disappeared now. It was available for £849 at Audible Fidelity. Not anymore.

Yamaha, Denon and Marantz all pair beautifully with Monitor Audio. That Denon is very good.

 

[Tonestar1]

Missed the boat on that one but thanks for having a look.

I'm swaying towards the Denon after reading the reviews and the fact it's the sister model of the 7012. Think I'll see I can get a demo of the Denon vs the Yamaha. Wonder why Richers stock Denon but no Marantz in their AV range. Seems a bit strange as they are the same company, would have been interesting to compare them.

 

[Samd]

Missed the boat on that one but thanks for having a look.

I'm swaying towards the Denon after reading the reviews and the fact it's the sister model of the 7012. Think I'll see I can get a demo of the Denon vs the Yamaha. Wonder why Richers stock Denon but no Marantz in their AV range. Seems a bit strange as they are the same company, would have been interesting to compare them.

If you're anywhere near Derbyshire - it's a 2300 but will allow you to 'feel' the Denon sound.

 

[Tonestar1]

If you're anywhere near Derbyshire - it's a 2300 but will allow you to 'feel' the Denon sound.

Thansk for the generous offer but unfortunately I'm up in Glasgow so won't be able to take you up on it. How did you get on with the Denon? I'm coming from a recently deceased Arcam AVR280 circa 2k new around 10 years ago. I'm not sure how things have progressed so I'm a little concerned it might not meet my expectations with music.

 

[Samd]

If you're anywhere near Derbyshire - it's a 2300 but will allow you to 'feel' the Denon sound.

Thansk for the generous offer but unfortunately I'm up in Glasgow so won't be able to take you up on it. How did you get on with the Denon? I'm coming from a recently deceased Arcam AVR280 circa 2k new around 10 years ago. I'm not sure how things have progressed so I'm a little concerned it might not meet my expectations with music.

The Denon was really good and we used it for stereo also but I was looking at upgrading (4400 was shortlisted) but we (me and The Treasurer) had a hard look at how we were using all our kit (5.1.2) and realised our use of surround sound was minimal. Seemed silly to upgrade with facility for even more speakers so went a different route.

 

[Tonestar1]

Thanks for the feedback Samd. Much appreciated. My treasurer hasn't, and won't, be consulted unless she start's consulting me on the price of her shoes

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

The SR7011 was no 1 on my list but I can no longer get one. Should have bought it last month but I thought I'd hold out till afer Christmas. Peter Tyson still shows it on the website but they are actually out of stock and I can't see it on Superfi any longer. Google is thowing nothing up either. Can you provide a link or retailer if you have one?

You should also look at the Marantz 6011 and 6012 models.

Both decode up to 11 channels with 9 internal power amps, meaning you can have 7.2.2 or 5.2.4 without an external power amp or without routing the fronts through your "proper stereo" amp Aux or AV inputs. Add either an external stereo power amp or your "proper stereo" amp into the mix and you can go up to 7.2.4.

The 6011/2 receivers are quite a bit cheaper than their sibling 7011/2 models, but a little down on peak power (6011 is rated at 110 wpc into 2 channels / 8 ohms, 7011 is 125 wpc), but the differences are so small you won't notice, and even if you do, all you have to do is crank the 6011/2 unit up a couple more notches to compensate.

PS I'd definitely go for a 9 channel AVR rather than a 7 unless you're absolute sure you're never going to add side or rear surround channels. In most normal-sized rooms two Atmos overheads is enough, 4 is getting to overkill, but the two extra "around the walls" are well worth it. You also have the option to pipe the two spare channels into the kitchen or dining room for music there too instead of adding extra surround or Atmos speakers.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

There some new ones on eBay around £1000 mark for a Marantz SR7077 but select uk only when looking

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Older receivers won't "do" Atmos, HDCP2.2, HDR....

Buy at your peril!

 

[bigboss]

Older receivers won't "do" Atmos, HDCP2.2, HDR....

Buy at your peril!

Blacksabbath means Marantz SR7011 which has all these features.

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Sorry yes I made a mistake

 

[Tonestar1]

Thanks fo the input folks, I'm not too sure about the 6xxx range. It doesnt have the display behind the flip down door on the front. Right or wrong that makes me think its a cheapo.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Personally I find the on TV displaymore useful for setup and the display on the receiver to be a distraction when actually using the thing.

But each to his or her own...

 

[newlash09]

Since you are still getting your room done up, please go for 4 in ceiling speakers. I did the same with a marantz SR6011 and cheap Yamaha IWC 280 inceiling speakers for a 5.1.4 setup. And I find the benefits of the 4 inceiling speakers in my small 11x17ft room. Since your room is 18x15 ft, you have enough room there, and should go with 4 inceiling speakers.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

+1 on going for four from the get-go. I started with two then decided I wanted four, and since I couldn't be ahemed to fix the holes left if I moved the first two, I now have six (four used) NS-IC800 in my ceiling.

I also used NS-IW660 sides and rears and NS-IW960 fronts and centre.

Quite happy with them and I see no need to spend more, especially on the surrounds.

All I need now is the right six numbers so I can buy that new Marantz 13 channel processor and two or three Emotiva power amps...

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

PS be sure to box in your in ceilings if you can.

1. For fireproofing (if you believe that it'll help if your whole house goes up).

2. To keep insulation and the wee beasties out of your speakers.

3. To push sound down into the room rather than into the ceiling space.

 

[leenorm1]

Everyone has different needs from an AV Receiver. Will it be used daily for general TV sound ? I only ask this as the Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ is the stand out feature in the Denon & Marantz. If you are only going to listen at reference level then there is no need for Audyssey.

Dont believe the hype that Denon and Marantz sound the same, they are similar but the Denon has a far more intelligible dialogue, in fact its one of the best I have heard at that price.

Personally the Denon is my choice....and in my line of work I have listened to a lot of AV equipment.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Speaker cables make all the difference. Oops! I said it

 

[Tonestar1]

I ended up going for the Yahama 1070. Just felt the build quality was superior to the Denon and I didn't need the extra channels so thought the money would be best concentrated on an amp with the number of channels I can use. I'm really happy with it so far.
@ newlash and BenedictI would have loved to have a .4 system unfortunately there is a steel & concrete beam that goes along the back wall. It would have meant both sets of atmos speakers would have been in front of the surrounds and both sets of atmos would have been in front of my listening position so didn't think I'd see much benefit. @ BenedictThere is a bedroom above so keeping the sound out was a priority. I was sceptical of the fire prevention need as I have never seen or heard of a speaker go on fire in my life but during my research i discovered the point of the hoods was to stop the fire spreading as the integrity of the ceiling is compromised. As there is a bedroom above I have used firetopper pros to enclose the speakers in the ceiling cavity and well as insulation to try to keep the sound out too. Was trying to post the website here but spam filter got me. Search firetopper if you want to see the ones I bought.I'm still not sure why these need to cost £45 but better safe than sorry. Next on the list is a cabinet to put the amp in and a sub and a UHD player. Also been looking at some used PMC 22s for new fronts... The list is never ending! But that's for another thread. Again thanks for the input everyone. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon to give you a visual of my set up.

 

[Tonestar1]

AS per subject line.... This forum is a pain... No idea why the formatting isnt working,. I will try to fix once the spam filter stops harrassing me.

Mods: You have now been added to the trusted group.

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

1 made my own enclosures out of 1 x 4 sawn pine and 1/2 inch plywood. Build quality reminded me why I didn't take O-level woodwork, i.e. atrocious, but they do the job. I had the luck of having an attic above, so I simply stuck them down with construction adhesive from one of those big syringe type things you use for sealing round the bath.

You can buy ready made enclosures cheap on Amazon. They can look like they've been made out of old Quality Street tins, but they're cheap. You squeeze between the ceiling speaker outside flange and the Artex, but you have to be careful to get the right sizes for your speakers.

 

[newlash09]

Congratulations on getting the Yamaha a1070. A proper movie amp it is. Probably I will switch to the Yamaha from my current marantz once it breaks down . As at certain times I feel the marantz is a little polite. The Yamaha's are loud and powerful, will aptly suit the kind of movies I mostly watch

As regarding putting the sub in the cabinet, I think it's going to reduce the bass effeciency, and also lead to bass boom and cabinet rattle
Please consider placing your sub in a place with air to breathe. Since you are still getting your room done up, you can plan furniture to hide the sub as well. Maybe a table with legs long enough to hide the sub perhaps. I just finished my new place. And despite my planning , once I got the furniture into the room, I didn't have room for a proper sub placement. So please double check again. The sub will make or break the home cinema experience.