Marantz NR1403 and NR1603 Slim Line Receiver Thread - Page 11

Now that you listened to both 1713 (Denon) and 1403 (Marantz), perhaps I can have my 2 cents .

In your own words:

- really like the Marantz line but may go for Denon, just not sure yet;

- debating between the Marantz 1403 & 1603 and the Denon 1613 & 1913 => now entered 1713, with the added benefit of MultEQ XT for better audio setup/adjustment (in my limited understanding), or hifi;

- Looking for best sound, best video, Airplay isn't a necessity but it would be nice along with a USB so I can play music thru my Iphone or an MP3 player of some sort => 1403 does not have USB/iPod;

- watch mostly HD channels with the occasional non-HD but the video signal is 1080i => not sure if the 1713 offers 1080i upconverting, but 1603 sure does!

- Currently the setup is 5.1 but would like to expand to 7.1 at some point in the future. => this eliminates the 1403 and 1613.

- What if any differences is beneficial to me by going from the Marantz 1403 to the 1603 or the Devon 1613 to the 1913 as far as sound and video goes?

In terms of video, or perhaps "future proof"-wise, up-converting of all sources to 1080 is, again, nice to have. It would help when you watch non-Bluray DVD with better picture quality, as the up-converted picture fills up the screen as if it is of HD. I found it out with a pleasant surprise when testing a 1713 and 1603.

In sum, many from this forum/thread prefers the 1713 over the 1913 if audio hifi is important to you. Personally I like the 1603 better for a compromise of both sound and vision! And if you can pay a little extra, try to deal with a local Marantz dealer (not FS or BB), you may be surprised how much less you can get for the next one up, sr5007...
Edited by dta721 - 2/23/13 at 4:33pm

I ended up buying the Denon 1913 and couldn't be happier. For whatever reason they didn't have that model in the Magnolia room (it was in the regular audio section of the store) but they really couldn't explain why that's the case, especially since it's pretty much on par with the Marantz 1603. After talking with them they said the biggest difference in the 1603 and the Denon 1913 is the Marantz is more for music aficionados who want the greatest clarity at that price. I love music but I watch more TV and movies so the Denon made more sense, especially at $430 for the 1913 (they price matched a website). I can't justify $200 more for the better looks of the Marantz with slightly better music clarity. That said, the Denon performs very well with the speakers I have. Once the Audyssey got set up it sounded really impressive. My JBL's, Infinity center, and Polk sub have never sounded better.

I decided what was most important in my AVR was at least 5 HDMI's, Airplay, Ethernet (which was a big turnoff for the Marantz 1403), 1080p upsignaling, a front HDMI and USB, and 7.1, and of course sound clarity! I hit it all with the Denon. Video pass thru is very good and the upsignaliing to 1080p is noticeable on my Panasonic GT50.

From what the Best Buy guys and other people have told me, get the Marantz 1603 if music quality is what's most important to you. If you watch more TV and movies and don't want to pay the extra money on the Marantz, the Denon is a great choice.

My 1403 audio is great from DVD/Blu Ray but I can't get the same audio when using HDMI from my computer.

With DVDs I always select Multi In which is true 5.1 channel audio but from my PC using HDMI to the front AUX input this same audio only lets me select from the stereo audio options (dobly pl II, neo 6, etc).

For example, the link below is only playable as stereo options and not 5.1 when using my PC. Enabling and disabling dolby digital plus has no affect on the audio options on my receiver.

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/consumer/technology/dolby-digital-plus-demo.html


Any ideas? I can't be the only person having this problem.

Does your sound card support 5.1? I found this to be helpful

http://www.avforums.com/forums/laptops-netbooks/1279148-5-1-surround-sound-dd-dts-laptop-av-receiver-step-step-guide.html

Thanks that makes sense.

I have a realtek HD audio soundcard but I dont have any digital output option (and its not hidden) for some reason. Ill look into it.

Hey All, I own a NR-1603 for the past 4 months or so and its been great except now i'm trying to add a 3d Blu ray player and i'm absolutely pulling my hair out with this thing.

I've tried 3 different Blu-ray players now (Sony, Samsung, LG) and i cannot get this thing to output any video when using any of the Blu-ray players as a source. I've tried turning off HDMI control, Turning off 3D, turning off HDMI Deep color etc to no avail. I've bought all new HDMI cables from monoprice. I'm at the end of my witts with this issue. Its bizzare that its only when using a blu-ray player. I've got a Apple tv, boxee, HTPC, Cable Box, laptop, and all work fine. Hook up the Blu-ray and nothing, except tv shows a black screen (with the correct resolution set from the blu-ray). Thats right if i change the output resolution of the bluray player to 720p, I get a black screen at 720p etc. If i plug the blu-ray directly into the TV all is fine.

Now I've also got a Marantz AV7701, and if ireplace the NR-1603 with the 7701 and keep everything else the same it works fine also. WTF? Does anyone else on here have this problem with their 1603? Tried searching but cannot find any info anywhere. HELP

Disabling the "Deep Color Output" setting is generally what solves video related issues with a BDP. Make sure that the HDMI-CEC feature on the TV is set to OFF. Disconnect all other HDMI sources from the 1603 and try plugging the BDP into every HDMI input to see if one works better than the one you're using now. Try doing an HDMI HDCP reset listed below.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1334369/the-official-denon-avr-xx12-model-owners-thread#user_L11

Otherwise, give a microprocessor reset a try after first using the Web Control feature to save your config.dat file to a PC.

Silly question: did you verify the firmware on the 1603 is the latest? If not, half an hour of firmware update may help.

Thx for the tips, i will try shortly. Yea firmware is latest, should have mentioned that.

Well, if it is the latest then there is nothing to update !

Have you tried another HDMI input on the 1603? Swap inputs with one that works, like your Apple TV or cable box. Your "blu-ray" HDMI input may be malfunctioning / defective. Just a thought.

Hi,
I have to choose between Marantz 1603 and Denon 2113 receivers.
Room is small (13.5 square meters, or 11/11 feet) and I listen mostly at low and medium levels.
I have a 5.0 setup of Monitor Audio BX2/BXC/BXFX.(for BX2 the recommended minimum amp power is 30 W)
I also prefer a warmer sounding receiver to pair with the Monitor Audio - because these speakers sound very bright on highs and I dont like too bright/metalic sound.

Which of the 2 receivers do you think I should prefer? I'm not interested in internet capabilities.

Also: Denon 2113 is here only 60 euros more expensive than Marantz 1603, although it's much more powerful, it's 7.1 and has DLNA etc.I wonder why the price dropped so much for it?

Thank you.

Sorry: its Marantz 1403 (not 1603)
Edited by alexandru27 - 2/28/13 at 11:53pm

Well the Microprocessor reset did the trick. I did save my config file but it absolutely refuses to upload. I let the Receiver sit there twice with "Loading" on the screen for about an hour each time. Supposed to take 5 min. Oh well it was simple to restore the things i needed anyways, and finally the Blu-Ray player works so it was worth it. Hopefully no more issues down the road!

^^
Review the tips suggested in the below link when doing a SAVE.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1334369/the-official-denon-avr-xx12-model-owners-thread/0_100#user_E10

The 2113 uses the more advanced version of Audyssey MultEQ XT and is well worth the extra 60 euros. The price has likely dropped because the new 2013 models will be released later this summer.

I see. But isn't Marantz generally considered a warmer sounding receiver, even more musically so, then others - Denon included?
I mean, apart from the fact that its much less thick than Denon, shouldn't it be preferable - from this point of view - to Denon, as being paired to the bright sound of the Monitor Audio speakers?

I have already returned a Yamaha RX673 receiver because the sound of Monitor Audio was too bright/metalic (on the verge of sibilance sometimes).

I know it's preferable to exchange the speakers, instead of the receiver, to get rid of the annoying brightness, but that's not possible for me anymore.

Oh dear, only now I've noticed Marantz 1403 has no USB plug. Thats a deal breaker for me, so I'll go either with the 1602, or the Denon 2113 (1603 being too expensive).
Edited by alexandru27 - 3/1/13 at 11:01am

I recently purchased the nr1403, using it with a Samsung PN517000 and the Oppo BDP-103. My fios box runs through the Oppo to the receiver in order to take advantage of the Oppo's superior video processing. Problem -- every now and then the center channel suddenly drops out during a movie or during a television program. I can hear other surround signals coming from the other speakers, but vocals are gone. On another matter, while watching bluray, during scenes with explosions or crashes, etc, the audio becomes muddled and quiet rather than booming and powerful.

Any thoughts?

@alexandru27 We have a 1603 paired with Monitor Audio Radius one HD front/centre and R45HDs for the sides. Sub is a REL T5. Similar size room, 13'x12'. Sounds absolutely fantastic. We listened to the a Yamaha and there was no contest in terms of music reproduction - the Marantz won hands down on all but a rock CD which was pretty much a tie. All personal taste I know but we listen low/medium level too.

Cable/sat boxes often don't do well with AVR connections and are best configured connected directly to the TV with audio from the box to the AVR. As the Oppo is dual HDMI, connect video directly to the TV with optical to the AVR.

Thanks for the update/closure!

Although I made the move to 5007, I kind of miss the sleek look of the 1603, especially the cool "pure direct" light when playing music!



It could have been my "holy grail", as the 5007 is a bit of an overkill for my needs

Hey All. I've been visiting this site for a while, but suddenly I can no longer sign in with my password even though I've just reset it 3 times.

Anyway, I'm pretty much HT novice, but I just recently bought the NR1403 I got on sale for $350, and got a 5.0 set of the Energy Veritas V-mini series for $350, which I understand is a pretty crazy deal.

Even though I got the 5.0 speakers, I'm only doing a LCR setup and planning to sell off the other two satellites to offset of this now overpriced "budget" setup. My questions are anyone willing to help a novice are: is this a decent match-up of speakers and receiver, or did I just make a huge mistake? What kind of wiring should I use to connect them for the best quality sound (without blowing too much on wring alone)

What I'm plugging into it is pretty basic: a cheap Vizio blu-ray player, Apple TV, old Wii and a cheap Insignia digital TV tuner box for OTA TV. I want to run it all through the NR1403 and just have one HDMI wire running from the AVR to the TV because I have the (apparently unpopular) over-the-fireplace TV setup, due to the fact that the small room doesn't really allow for placement anywhere else.

I would appreciate any thoughts on what I have now, and tips for improvements (especially the tuner box, which I know little about)

Great forum, thanks for all who participate!

I saw mention of gapless FLAC playback via DLNA earlier in the thread. Is anyone actively using the 1603 for this purpose? Any comments on performance/usability? Good enough to be a Squeezebox replacement? I picked up a 1402 on a whim, but the gap in cost between it and a refurb 1603 narrows significantly if I can eBay my Squeezebox.

I think you have to step up to the 1603 to get video (up)conversion.

+1

Althought the Wii can be converted using a Wii2HDMI.

hi all. i wanted to ask a question about the power output (50W) for the 1403. Currently, my home theater is a 2.1 setup using an Outlaw 2150 (100W), Monitor Audio Silver RS6 speakers and an Outlaw M8 subwoofer, along with a PS3, CD player and a turntable. I am currently moving the Outlaw 2150 to another room (along with the CD player and the turntable) to make it audio only and update the speakers as needed (perhaps MA Silver RX-8 which are 175W, 4 ohm, but the 2150 should be able to handle that). I also recently bought a 1403 for a 5.1 system and would like to use it with the existing MA Silver RS6 front speakers (91 dB. 6 ohm, 120 watts max) and the Outlaw M8 subwoofer, and then also buy a Klipsch WC-24 center speaker (94.5 dB, 8 ohm) for the system. I will get the rear surround sound speakers at a later date (recommendations for this system?).

Will the 1403 be able to power these components? The WC-24 has a recommended amplifier power of 100W. I thought the 2150 did a fantastic job for sound quality for audio and the 2.1 theater experience, but wanted to give the 5.1 set-up a shot. should I have purchased a receiver with more Watts? the 1403 was available at $362 with free shipping, so i jumped on it. any comments would be appreciated. thanks!

If the 1403 will be used for speakers in a small/med sized room, there shouldn't be any problems as the average draw from the speakers will be < 5W/CH.

OK, good. it is a medium room (14x16), so that is about what i needed to know. i am still a rookie at matching components, so this is helpful. if need be at some point, i can always move the 1403 into the bedroom and get a receiver with more power in the future. thanks!

I don't think it's a good idea to get rid of the surrounds. I use my surrounds even when listening to music. Also, you already have a Blu-ray player, you will be missing a lot without the rear channels. Why did you buy a 5.1 receiver if you just wanted 2 channel sound? I suggest you listen for a while before doing anything. The 1403 is a really a sweet sounding receiver, and deserves good speakers (5.1). I like Blue Jeans Cable speaker wire, and make my own cables. Reasonable price with solid performance. http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm

The receiver isn't just for the speakers. It's also so I can run all my components into it and have one HDMI wire running to the TV. Also I will have a 3.1 setup with LCR + sub. The reason I bought the 5.1 set is because I got a great deal for the Energy Veritas set at $350 when I believe they run around $1,000 or over $500 on sale. They have amazing reviews and I figured I could recoup most of the cost of the whole set by just selling off 2 of them. Y living room setup doesn't really allow for rears unless they are sticking out obtrusively somewhere and I doubt my wife will let that happen.

Although it may not matter to your wife, but the surround speakers in a 5.1 setup would ideally go to the "sides" of the couch rather than to the rear.