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Help W/ Temporary AVR?....

557 Views 6 Replies 3 Participants Last post by GAME_ON, Jul 19, 2021

GAME_ON

Discussion Starter · Jul 19, 2021

Hello all,
I'm in need of some good suggestions on a temporary home theater receiver to hold me over until I could afford a set of separates that I really want. My setup includes the following;

Martin Logan (5.1.2)
Motion 60XT (L&R)
Motion 50XT (Center)
Motion FX (Surrounds)
Will be adding (2) In-Ceiling soon
Dynamo 800

Now - I'm a little partial to Marantz. I really like the "Naturally Smooth" sound they produce. I've been looking at either the SR7013/7015 or SR6015. But I was hoping to keep the budget around $800. But, by the looks of it, I'm not sure if that's possible. I watch moslty movies. About a 58% to 42% split between movies and music. I am mostly concerned about sound quality over power.

Your thought's...

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philpoe

· #2 · Jul 19, 2021

Prices are a bit inflated because of scarcity, so some temporary options may be 'expensive'
If you have a 5.1.2 setup (7 speakers, 1 sub) you may not need/want the higher-end Audyssey XT32 room correction of the more expensive models (SR6013 or higher/newer) until you're ready for separates.
You may want to check out accessories4less.com for refurbished receivers.
If you're OK with Audyssey XT, the SR5014 is available $200 under budget. You could even get away with Denon cousin AVR-X1600H $300 under budget, and it includes and extra 3rd party warranty.
If you want the Audyssey XT32 room correction, the SR6014's available refurbished $200 over budget, and its Denon sibling AVR-X3600H is $100 over budget.
Those prices seem 'reasonable' or even a value. The SR6015 is $550 over budget there. Denon sibling AVR-X3700 $300 over.
Depending on your room setup and power needs, you may want to save some money depending on when you think you'll get to separates.

If you can bear it, you could go downstream even further. If you're a Costco member or know someone who'll buy there for you, the Denon AVR-S750H and Yamaha TSR-700 are available at half your budget and can power your 7 speaker, single sub system, while giving you a little bit of a head start towards separates from the savings. Given Costco's generous return policy, it's not much of a risk to try and see for yourself if either can hold you over.

DanLopez said:
Now - I'm a little partial to Marantz. I really like the "Naturally Smooth" sound they produce. I've been looking at either the SR7013/7015 or SR6015. But I was hoping to keep the budget around $800. But, by the looks of it, I'm not sure if that's possible. I watch moslty movies. About a 58% to 42% split between movies and music. I am mostly concerned about sound quality over power.

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GAME_ON

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 19, 2021

philpoe said:
Prices are a bit inflated because of scarcity, so some temporary options may be 'expensive'
If you have a 5.1.2 setup (7 speakers, 1 sub) you may not need/want the higher-end Audyssey XT32 room correction of the more expensive models (SR6013 or higher/newer) until you're ready for separates.
You may want to check out accessories4less.com for refurbished receivers.
If you're OK with Audyssey XT, the SR5014 is available $200 under budget. You could even get away with Denon cousin AVR-X1600H $300 under budget, and it includes and extra 3rd party warranty.
If you want the Audyssey XT32 room correction, the SR6014's available refurbished $200 over budget, and its Denon sibling AVR-X3600H is $100 over budget.
Those prices seem 'reasonable' or even a value. The SR6015 is $550 over budget there. Denon sibling AVR-X3700 $300 over.
Depending on your room setup and power needs, you may want to save some money depending on when you think you'll get to separates.

If you can bear it, you could go downstream even further. If you're a Costco member or know someone who'll buy there for you, the Denon AVR-S750H and Yamaha TSR-700 are available at half your budget and can power your 7 speaker, single sub system, while giving you a little bit of a head start towards separates from the savings. Given Costco's generous return policy, it's not much of a risk to try and see for yourself if either can hold you over.

This is great! Thank you. I just have to be sure that the AVR I choose will be sufficient enough to power my Martin Logan's.

Thanks again

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Garet Jax

· #4 · Jul 19, 2021

What about the the Onkyo TX-NR797?

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philpoe

· #5 · Jul 19, 2021

Looking at the Motion 60XT tower's specs, they're 4ohm speakers with a pretty high sensitivity, so as long as the AVR is rated for 4ohms, it shouldn't take too much power to drive them.
All of the Marantz and Denon models mentioned before are rated for 4ohms, and have power ranging from 80W/2ch (AVR-S750H) up to 125W/2ch (SR7015).
The Yamaha TSR-700 is rated for 4ohms for the L/R speakers, but 6ohms for other channels, with 100W/2ch. It would probably still work fine, but there's no reason to push the specs.

What looks like a relatively large power difference from the low-end to the high actually may not make that much of a difference on the volume, since output isn't affected linearly by power.

Double amplifier power does not double the volume - Geoff the Grey Geek

This article logically shows the relationship between amplifier power, SPL and loudness. It includes a level difference exercise and a gain calculator.

geoffthegreygeek.com

Given that, it's probably worth starting at the lowest price point and working up from there. The AVR-S750H has the lowest price and easiest return policy, so I'd suggest trying it to see if it's "good enough", then work up the cost ladder from there. OTOH, the Marantz SR5014 isn't that much more, and the SR6014 isn't too badly over budget to give you your brand preference and "full" feature set.

DanLopez said:
This is great! Thank you. I just have to be sure that the AVR I choose will be sufficient enough to power my Martin Logan's.

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GAME_ON

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 19, 2021

Garet Jax said:
What about the the Onkyo TX-NR797?

Definitely an AVR to consider

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GAME_ON

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 19, 2021

philpoe said:
Looking at the Motion 60XT tower's specs, they're 4ohm speakers with a pretty high sensitivity, so as long as the AVR is rated for 4ohms, it shouldn't take too much power to drive them.
All of the Marantz and Denon models mentioned before are rated for 4ohms, and have power ranging from 80W/2ch (AVR-S750H) up to 125W/2ch (SR7015).
The Yamaha TSR-700 is rated for 4ohms for the L/R speakers, but 6ohms for other channels, with 100W/2ch. It would probably still work fine, but there's no reason to push the specs.

What looks like a relatively large power difference from the low-end to the high actually may not make that much of a difference on the volume, since output isn't affected linearly by power.

Double amplifier power does not double the volume - Geoff the Grey Geek

This article logically shows the relationship between amplifier power, SPL and loudness. It includes a level difference exercise and a gain calculator.

geoffthegreygeek.com

Given that, it's probably worth starting at the lowest price point and working up from there. The AVR-S750H has the lowest price and easiest return policy, so I'd suggest trying it to see if it's "good enough", then work up the cost ladder from there. OTOH, the Marantz SR5014 isn't that much more, and the SR6014 isn't too badly over budget to give you your brand preference and "full" feature set.

First - Thank you for that great read. This website has a lot of great information.

I think I have a plan now...
I'm thinking about ordering the SR6014. It seems to have the specs that I've been looking for without breaking the bank. Then hopefully by the end of this coming winter - when we're back to some sort of normalcy - I will add an amplifier (Marantz MM8077). This amplifier will be the start of my goal to having the separates I want. I can then add the AV Surround Sound PreAmplifier (AV7706) as the budget allows.

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