[Darren_C]

A local (authorized) store has the SR4300 at $399. I'd like any input from owners or anyone who has listened to one or evaluated one against the competition. Unfortunately, they didn't have one on display as the shipment just arrived and they expect to sell out quickly.


My other top contenders are the HK AVR320 and the Pioneer D811. My main requirements are to have full 6.1 channel compatibility and a full set of pre-in and pre-outs. Price is an object, and $400 really is the limit for purchase from a reputable vendor.


Feature-wise, any of these should be fine. Mostly I'd like to know of any annoying quirks the 4300 or others might have. Obvious missing things like a memory backup for surround and pre-sets or subwoofer pre-out level control, inadequate backward compatibility, noted reliability or customer service issues, etc.


Going for the Marantz is that the price is reasonable at a local dealer. There is a 3 year warranty and the US headquarters and service center are within 10 miles. It also has full DTS-ES, ProLogic2 and DD-EX compatibility, and 7 pre-ins and pre-outs. Of course, I assume the 6x80W amps anc circuitry are entry level audiophile quality and somewhat above that of mass market contenders like Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, Kenwood etc....


Some things it appears to lack are multi-zone, A/B, 192k decoding, component video switching, front panel inputs and MP3 decoding. None of these appear to be an issue for me, as I probably wouldn't use any of them.


Thanks in advance for your comments!

 

[Darren_C]

This unit does not accept dual banana plugs :-(

 

[fredzy]

I cannot comment on the 4300, but I just bought a 5200. I had a similar problem as you in that I was only able to listen to a 7200 at the store. Frustrating these B&M guys are: if I cannot listen at the store, what is the point of going with them and not buying on the internet ?!?


I thought the soundstage was much wider on the Marantz than a yamaha that I compared it to. I discovered, however, after bringing it home, that having proper surround sound delays, etc. make a big difference. The sales rep was getting impatient and they were going to close, so I cannot imagine asking for the manuals for the two receivers to do proper comparison. He gave me a 10% discount to get me out the door.


Nevertheless, I am happy with my purchase. I also listened to the HK you mentioned at another store and found it a bit thin, which surprised me, as HK is known for superior amplification. Not sure how efficient the speakers were, I am used to my Klipsch mains.


Good Luck,


CG

 

[Darren_C]

I am considering upgrading to the 5300. It's over my price range, but with the nicer amps in the 5300 I will probably part with my Adcom GFA-545II or Parasound HCA-800II which will cover the difference.


Saving my investment in cabling and nice dual banana plugs sounds petty, but I can rationalize it with the added features I suppsose.


It appears the 5300 adds:


Only 10W more per channel, but amps appear to have better specs similar to those on the 6300 and 7300.


Extra inputs and outputs


192k DACs


On-Screen setup


Universal Remote


TV Auto On/Off


Front A/V inputs


Aluminum Face


None of these things add up to extra $200 for me, except the dual banana plugs


It also seems that Marantz dealers are quite specialized, with only one internet dealer for new equipment. That is Cambridge Soundworks who has higher prices than the local dealers. So, it's also nice to have something a little more unique than the mass market products


So how is your 5200? Looks like the 5300 is almost identical. I had considered getting a refurbished one from accessoriesforless.com, but opted to get the 4300 for the same price. Now I'm wishing I hadn't since I have to shell out extra money for the 5300....


For anyone looking at the 4300 and wondering how Marantz added 6 channel EX/ES for the same or lower cost than the 4200- It appears the amplifier specs are somewhat lower both in THD and SNR, so perhaps it is a less expensive design. They also went from a 192k DAC to a 96K DAC and a metal faceplate to a plastic one. Even so, I am happy with the 4300 for the price except for the banana plug spacing. Funny thing is, the vertical spacing is wrong, but they did space them properly horizontally. I wonder if it was a design gaffe with the silkscreen on the backplate or something and they just went ahead with it?

 

[Jeff Hovis]

This is a good thread for me to get into. I'm also considering a Marantz SR5300. A local dealer within 3-mi of my home gave me a quote of $500. I really leaning toward this unit but I forgot to ask about impedence. I have the 2002-2003 catalog and so far, I can't find anything. I need to be stable at 4 ohms.

 

[Darren_C]

The 5300 is very nice. I've just sold some of my old equipment, and will be upgrading to the 5300 soon. $500 is a good price, I think $600 is MSRP.


You can find the manual here:

http://www.marantz.com/pdfs/u_sr5300_man.pdf


I didn't see much in the manual. The back panel says 6-16 ohms. My guess is that it would have no problem driving 4 ohm speakers, given the presumed quality of the design. On the other hand, you will probably get no where near even the 8-ohm rated power if you are driving all 6 channels into 4 ohms. At 28 pounds, I doubt it has enough power supply capacitance or transformer iron to keep up with sustained high power into multiple 4 ohm loads. Without a fan, I doubt there is enough heat sink aluminum to remove the heat from all six channels at a sustained 90W anyway

 

[Darren_C]

Have just done basic setup and some music listening. It's very nice. Won't have the DVD player until the holiday...


This unit does accept my dual banana plugs. I can also confirm all the other upgrades listed earlier.


One minor catch is that the Auto TV On/Off apparently is from the composite video input rather than the audio or S-video inputs. My monitor does not have a composite video output, so I will have to test it with the VCR output or something...


Otherwise, so far, so good!