Marantz SR8002 Surround Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)After 9 years, it was time to upgrade my former top-of-the-line Sony ES receiver (STR-DA 777ES) to take advantage of improved audio and high-definition video switching. After reading all the professional reviews, I settled on the Marantz SR8002. Three weeks after an extensive configuration and testing, I must say that I am pleased overall with my choice. However, several surprising configuration limitations keep me from giving it a full-on 5-star review.
Let me preface my review by stating that my home theater / audio configuration is on the higher-end of the scale: 3 KEF Reference speakers for the front 3 channels, Boston Acoustics rear surrounds and subwoofer, Sony ES SACD player (and yes, I have an SACD collection!), Bang & Olfusen turntable, Sony reference DVD player, AppleTV, Roku music server, JVC SVHS VCR, Mitsubishi HDTV monitor.
My first priority was in upgrading the audio quality, and I must say that in this respect, the Marantz SR8002 far exceeded my expectations. As a 7.1 channel amplifier, there are 7 x 125watt channels available, native decoding of the latest lossless HD digital audio on BluRay (DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD), Audyssey microphone and room equilazation, and THX Select 2 certification. For the ultimate audio experience, the Marantz SR8002 offers two "Pure Direct" modes - the first one bypasses the equalization and surround circuits, the second mode completely disables all video and display logic for even shorter audio output path. The SR8002 also provides a toroidal power transformer for extra headroom when needed, and in my setup the audio performance is dramatic.
I chose not to expand my current 5.1 speaker configuration to 7.1 channel. In this setup, the SR8002 gives you the option of taking the two unused channels and configuring them for a second amplified room/zone, or bi-amplification of your front speakers. I chose the latter, as my KEF Reference speakers support bi-amplified wiring, providing 250 watts per channel into Left and Right channels. Let me tell you - the pure stereo performance in this configuration will blow your socks off! Friends could not believe the sound in our fairly large family room was from 2-speakers only. And, the multi-channel modes (especially NEO6: Music) are quite outstanding even with a 2-channel source. Quite simply, the audio performance of the SR8002 is "7-star" on a 5-star scale.
My second priority was in upgrading to a receiver capable of decoding the high-resolution audio of BluRay, while providing high definition video switching (via HDMI and component). In this respect the receiver delivers, but with some surprising limitations. On paper, the Marantz SR8002 offers more connectors and options than you would ever need. You have 4 HDMI 1.3 connections + 2 HDMI 1.3 outputs (good!), 4 component HD connections + 2 component HD outputs (good!), 4 TOSlink digital audio (including front), 3 coax digital audio, and a plethora of S-video, composite video, and analog audio inputs.
But in reality, there are serious limitations...
First of all, it is inexcusable for a receiver of this cost to be missing a phonograph input. Yes, for $50 you can buy a phono preamp that gives you good performance and doesn't have the A/C hum of your $25 Radio Shack unit. But, come on.
Secondly, and more discouraging, despite the plethora of connections you only have 8 discrete settings that can be assigned. (The AM/FM tuner is another, nonassignable input, as is the optional XM radio input). This means that even if you could connect to all of the analog + digital inputs available you can only use 8 of them! This is quite a surprising and serious limitation. Even my Sony ES from 1999 had 12 discrete inputs!
The on-screen receiver setup lets you assign specific HDMI, component, and digital audio for your 8 choices. Each input can also be renamed. But you cannot use a single digital input for more than one setting. And you cannot reassign the analog video (S-Video/Composite) or analog audio inputs.
An example of this strange limitation is the analog input of the "AUX2" input also happens to be used as the Left and Right input channels for the 7.1 input. I had to reconfigure my setup to reassign the "AUX2" input to the digital CD input, which I also connected to the 5.1 (SACD) output from my CD player. Because there are only 8 input settings, I had to assign the "AUX1" (front) input to the digital audio and video inputs from my AppleTV. This means that the front AUX1 inputs are completely unusable, since all 8 inputs were assigned from rear input sources.
Another big surprise was the subwoofer speaker setting. By default, it is set to "mix"...all bass output is diverted to the subwoofer at an assignable crossover frequency. This works well for (and is recommended for) THX and multi-channel video sources. But strangely in "mix" setting, the SR8002 does NOT output the bass to the subwoofer for two-channel analog inputs AND it does not output the low frequencies to the front speakers. I spent about 3 hours trying to figure out why my new (required) phonograph preamp sounded so terrible before I discovered this problem. Setting the subwoofer to "BOTH" properly sends full-range audio to the front speakers. AND, it enables the subwoofer for the simulated modes such as NEO6. Not only does this not make sense, it is not documented anywhere in the manual.
There are other annoyances:
- FM / AM radio reception is below average. I was looking forward to trying the "HD radio" capability, but the tuner reception is so bad that it can never get a strong enough signal to use any of the HD radio broadcasts in my area. Compared with my 1999 Sony ES receiver using the same antenna configuration I can only tune half of the stations. My CLOCK RADIO gets much better radio reception than this $2000 receiver!
- the front of the receiver has two large controls for Source and Volume - each one has a bright blue LED indicator that does NOT move with the control. So, while you might think that the volume indicator would indicate the volume level it doesn't. The bright blue indicators are always at 12-o clock position. And the front input control does not have a positive feedback to let you know you have switched inputs.
- the remote control button/display backlight is ONLY activated when you press one of the two buttons on the bottom of the remote
- the remote does not offer discrete settings for all surround modes or settings (although thankfully there are discrete power on/off codes)
- the onscreen display is very primitive (think 1982 Apple ][+ 40x24 characters)
In summary, despite the outstanding audio performance of the Marantz SR8002 (once you figure out the subwoofer and other settings!), I cannot give this a full 5-star rating because of the serious limitations and limited inputs.

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Denon AVR-2309CI 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this receiver to replace an aging Sony STI-910 receiver when I upgraded the home theater system with a Sony PS3 that we use for blu ray movies and games. The first thing you'll appreciate is the automated speaker setup and synchronization system. It makes life pretty easy and eliminates the need to manually calibrate the sound output for your room.
I have a fairly big room and was surprised how accurate it got my speakers tuned. You'll need a good 2 hours to get the receiver setup, synchronized, and mapped to your inputs. One thing that some may find hard to do is the setup of each input. It requires you to map each audio, video, and source with each of the primary functions such as DVD, TV/CBL box, etc. But once you do the first one, it becomes much easier.
The remote control is a bit funky though. Denon decided to save space and created the remote with buttons on both sides. The botton side is primarily used to setup the receiver and select the various equalization modes. The front side is used to control each of the devices. This takes some getting used to and is a bit of a hassle for the price you're paying.
But remote issues aside, the sound is great. I cross shopped the Harmon Kardon 354 series, Pioneer Elite, and new Marantz around the same price range. If you have a PS3, you'd better check out the blogs first. The HK has a lot of issues with the PS3 and even after the latest firmware update, there are still some remaining issues. This kept me away from the HK even though that was my original choice.
The Marantz didn't have as many features as the Denon, even though it was just released. I think the sound of the HK and Marantz is slightly warmer than the Denon, but you'll only really notice this slight difference if you're listening to a lot of classical, jazz or vocal pieces.
For home theater, it really drew out a lot of nuanses that my Sony was simply not reproducing. Even my wife and kids noticed the difference with the first blu ray we popped in. The detail was much more pronounced and the auto speaker calibration really balanced out how my speakers were reproducing the volume and sound accuracy for the room.
For music, the receiver had quite a few equalization modes, but what impressed me was how much better the sound stage was in the direct bypass mode compared to my Sony. It was much clearer and had a deeper sound stage with better separation. It's not quite audiophile specs, but it's much better than many of the other low to mid end consumer components I've listened to.
The HDMI switching worked well with the PS3, Denon upscaling DVD player, and TV/CBL box I had hooked up to it. The Denon 2309ci did a good job of upscaling sources from my normal DVD and component inputs too.
I'd recommend this unit to others as the features, compatibility, sound and picture quality are very good for the price. I would have rated it a full 5 out of 5 if the remote was a more user friendly.
Hope this helped.

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A/V Surround Receiver featuring Dolby Tru HD, dts HD Master Audio and 1080p HD Video enhances your level of video and audio performances.

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Denon AVR-4308CI Multizone Home Theater Receiver with Network Streaming and Wi-Fi Review

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(More customer reviews)Denon 4308CI Receiver

Strengths: Great quality picture and sound, excellent build quality, nice display, GUI interface, easy to assign/rename imputs, HD radio, 4 HDMI, 140 Watt multizone output, good value for price point.
Weaknesses: Complicated user manual, Useless remote, Faroudja vs. Silicon Optix processor
Price paid: $1,780 (2/08)from a reputable retail store. (Please do not ask which one as I was given an insider price)
Summary: After considerable research I purchased the Denon 4308CI to upgrade a prexisting Sony STRDA555ES receiver. My main desire in upgrading was to obtain HDMI connection capability and take advantage updated sound processing and 1080P upscaling. I ruled out various other comparable recievers for a variety of reasons, including heat generation as my components are enclosed in a audio rack partially recessed into a closed media room.
As a longtime Sony fan and owner of three ES AV recievers, it came down to a choice between the STRDA 5300ES and the Denon 4308CI.
I opted for the Denon over the Sony for a few reasons. The display on the Denon is much larger. It might sound silly but I like to see the information displayed on the receiver from where I'm listing to music. The Sony display was rather small. I also liked the fact that the Denon has internet streaming capability and HD Radio reception. The Sony has more HDMI hookups and a longer warranty (5 years vs. 2 for the Denon) but the Denon has increased power handling and full 1080P upscaling. Pricewise the Denon was a few hundred dollars more then the Sony but I felt that it had a more "modern" feature set.
So far after 4 months of use I have been very pleased with the Denon. Sound is fantastic and the GUI was intuitive. I disagree with some of the other reviews that I have read regarding the ease of setup. It took a little longer then I anticipated to set up but as I previously noted the GUI was fairly intuitive. I really like the fact that you can rename the inputs so when you select them from the function selection dial it will display whatever name you decide on. I prefer optical connections so I had to reassign some of the optical connections. Rear connections seem pretty sturdy. The unit gets warm but not hot after a few hours of use. Still havent taken advantage of the 1080P upscaling as of yet. HD radio signal reception is pretty strong and so far no interference despite living in a New York City Apartment building.
Harmony 880 Universal Remote works better then supplied remotes.
Video processing is excellent. I have however occasionally noted video artifacts. This reciver uses a Faroudja DCDi FLI2310 processor which is simply not as highly regarded by professional reviewers as the Silicon Optix Realta HQV processor used by Denon's flagship 3800BDCI Blu-ray player or the Silicon Optix Reon chipset used by receivers such as the Onkyo TX-NR905 and Integra DTR 8.8. However, overall picture quality on standard 1080i and 720p cable source material is excellent.
3808CI vs.4308CI? The 4308CI appeared to have a slightly more "attractive" build quality and appearance. In comparing the two models side by side before purchasing, the 4308CI simply looked better. However, HD radio, increased power handling and WiFi capability were the primary reasons I opted to spend more to purchase the 4308CI.
4308CI and 3800BDCI blu-ray combo. Have had the 4308CI and the 3800BDCI paired for the last three weeks. The Blu-ray picture is simply amazing. Will never purchase another standard DVD again if available in Blu-ray format.
Conclusion: I've been very happy with the 4308CI. It offers great sound and picture features at an attractive price point. However,if you are interested in better video processing you may want to check out the Onkyo TX-NR905 and Integra DTR 8.8 as well.

Review system components: (used in review)
Panasonic TH-50PZ750U 1080P (limited Ed)
Artcoustic DF-65's
Artcoustic DF-Multi (center)
Denon 3800BDCI (DVD)(used three weeks)
Sony ES 5 Disc changer
Sony SACD player
Monster HPS7000 Signature Series
Monster AVS2000 Signature series
Polk XM Radio Tuner


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Denon AVR-4308CI Next Generation A/V Multi-Source/Zone with Network Streaming Receiver

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Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been using this for 2 weeks now, and it's my first blu-ray player (no PS3). The good stuff: Excellent look, not too loud, amazing picture and sound. Working ethernet and USB port. (I haven't had to download any firmware or code updates, but I'm sure it'll work fine.)
Operations: No fan noise, no noise while playing, but during menu & loading, you hear some track-seeking which is audible at 10'... nothing offensive, though. I just noticed last night, after my 5th blu-ray a little flicker in in the bottom center of the screen during the credits of Juno... not sure if it's a bad disc or a player having a problem. It was repeatable, and the disc seemed clean. Lastly, the load time, eject time, etc seems just fine. Not instant or as fast a nice DVD player, but not noticably slow. I've heard alot about slow disc-loading, and if it is a problem on other players - it's not a problem on this one. Lastly, sometimes when you click on a menu instead of pausing, the screen with show a "progress-bar" for 2-4 seconds while the next manu loads, which isn't completely kosher, but doesn't bother me.
The so-so stuff: I'm giving this 5-stars because it's near-perfect at what it's designed to do for it's price, but it's not perfect. One reason to get a mid- to lower-cost player is to (duh) save money... if you're someone who has an older receiver that doesn't decode the two new DD and DTS formats, and (probably) doesn't decode multi-channel PCM, this player isn't for you. It only has stereo-out analog RCA plugs, not 5.1 or 7.1 analog outputs.
That means you can't bypass your receivers pre-amp to play the newer audio formats and let the blu-ray player decode them. My old Receiver (which I used the player with for a week) only decoded DD 5.1 (no DTS, and only 2-channel PCM to 48khz). This player lets you send a PCM stream to your receiver from an internally decoded DTS 5.1 signal, but this didn't work for me... as my player can't receive 5.1 PCM streams, it only saw it as 2-channel. At least the player lets you downsample 96khz PCM to 48khz, so that I at least got sound (Golden Compass only has DTS 5.1 or DTS HD Master).
With my new receiver, all formats work perfectly, all bitstreamed.
Some people perhaps are holding off for new receivers because they don't want to connect through the player's analog RCA 5.1/7.1 connectors - but this is probably mis-information. What you want to avoid is taking digital sound, converting it to analog, then back to digital, then back to analog... don't worry - you wouldn't be doing this. Basically you would be doing all your processing in the player digitally, then once it is sent out through the pre-outs to the receiver you'd bypass the receiver's processing and it would go straight to the amplifier (which is of course analog anyway).
So my conclusion for thos people with older (but good) receivers - this blu-ray player won't save you any money. The best savings would be to pay a little more for a player with 5.1 analog outputs and continue to use your existing receiver.
-Kevin Moore
Natick, MA

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Experience the Blu-ray difference with the SAMSUNG BD-P1500. You'll get incredibly detailed images with brilliant color in full high definition 1080p resolution. It's the only media capable of delivering true 1080p performance on an HDTV set. Its Anynet+ technology lets you control all your SAMSUNG AV devices from just one remote. The BD-P1500 lets you have it all. It's backward compatible with earlier formats. watch your current collection of DVDs or listen to audio CDs with the highest-quality sound available. 1080p resolution - Enjoy lifelike, vivid visuals and crystal-clear details with full high definition 1080p resolution when playing Blu-Ray discs HDMI keeps it simple by using a single cable wire to deliver the sharpest, richest images possible. Conveniently and easily transfer high-definition video and audio from your DVD player to your HDTV and other digital devices using a single cable. HDMI version 1.3 transfers deeper color and higher resolution, and handles new, compressed audio formats. Control it all with one remote - Anynet+ delivers streamlined, one-touch control over all your Anynet+ compatible devices such as the TV, AV receiver, and home theater Playback Media - BD-ROM / DVD-ROM / DVD-R / DVD-RW / AVCHD / audio CD Playback Formats - VC-1 / MPEG2 / H.264 DVD Upconversion DTS Decoder BD Profile - profile 1.1 USB 2.0 (for SW upgrade only) HDMI CEC Composite Video Outputs Component Video Outputs HDMI Outputs Optical Digital Audio Outputs Analog Audio Outputs - 2-Channel Built-in Ethernet connection - RJ45 USB Port Picture in Picture Dimensions - 16.9 in. x 3.3 in. x 10.8 in. Weight - 8.6 lbs.

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