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Marantz SR8015 or SR7015 from Onkyo TX-NR5008 with separate amp?

3015 Views 15 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  the Son, 
T
I bought my Onkyo TX-NR-5008 new, many years ago, and enjoyed it greatly and didn't feel I'd ever need another receiver. Eventually, I became interested in separate amplification and started using a B&K Reference 7250 II to handle the front 3 and side surrounds. Since the B&K is a 5-channel, I kept the rears powered from the Onkyo. Speakers are Klipsch RF-83 mains, RC-64 center, and four RS-62 surrounds.

Eventually, a couple/few years ago, the Onkyo lost output from the pre-outs AND the amps. No signal to the B&K and no speaker outputs. Onkyo had a recall or something and offered me the newest AVR (don't remember the model) at a reduced cost, but that was the same price we could buy them anywhere that wan't Onkyo-direct, so I declined because (I think) the newer model wasn't the greatness the 5008 was anyway and I didn't even want it.

So, I have an old Denon AVR-1602 that I've ridiculously set up to have 5.x sound for the past couple of years. I have all my video run through the Onkyo, HDMI output to the TV, and then the TV audio coax-out to the Denon to give me sound. To top that off...I have split the Denon's single sub-out to feed two Hsu VTF-15H subs. I've been tolerating a lackluster 5.2-ish experience for a couple years.

SO...I'm done effing off and procrastinating a new receiver but am not sure what will satisfy me. I'm not seeing anything that attracted me like the 5008 did. I'm thinking Marantz is going to be the right choice. I'm struggling between the 7015 and 8015. It looks like they are basically the same except for the amplifier section. This is part of the hang-up. I like the 8015 having a toroidal transformer and 140W/ch, but I don't need the amplifier section because I have the B&K. Or should I chop the B&K? I could save $800 by going with the 7015 if the 8015 isn't going to do anything extra or better for me.
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eriksells916
@the Son Is this for movies and music? Do you need more than 5 channels? Save a bunch and get the cousin x3600/x3700 from Denon and of course keep the BK.

Do you need analog inputs? If so, save a bunch and get the little brother sr6015 and keep the BK.

Other options if you don't need full hdmi 2.1 implementation.
Pioneer sc-lx701/801/901/704
Onkyo - rz840 (if you can find one)
Yamaha - a2070/2080/3070/3080
Denon - x4500/x6500
Arcam - avr390/550/850or new avr10/20
Anthem - mrx720/1120/540/740/1140

If you can wait the new Yamaha Aventage, Pioneer and Onkyo with Dirac are coming soon.......well most likely sometime in 2021?
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eriksells916 said:
@the Son Is this for movies and music? Do you need more than 5 channels? Save a bunch and get the cousin x3600/x3700 from Denon and of course keep the BK.

Do you need analog inputs? If so, save a bunch and get the little brother sr6015 and keep the BK.

Other options if you don't need full hdmi 2.1 implementation.
Pioneer sc-lx701/801/901/704
Onkyo - rz840 (if you can find one)
Yamaha - a2070/2080/3070/3080
Denon - x4500/x6500
Arcam - avr390/550/850or new avr10/20
Anthem - mrx720/1120/540/740/1140

If you can wait the new Yamaha Aventage, Pioneer and Onkyo with Dirac are coming soon.......well most likely sometime in 2021?
Click to expand...

It is mostly for movies and TV, although my new fiancee will probably prefer it for music over my dedicated music setup - four JTR Captivators and two T12s driven by three Crown XLS 5000 amps... She's more all-in-one-place and doesn't care that the AV system will never reach the levels of the music system. She likes the convenience of using one system.

I need more than 5 channels. I use 7.2. My 60-something father says I would like the additional heights, but I'm not sold, much like I was never sold on wides and never considered them.
I haven't read much about Dirac yet, but I'd basically need a hard-sell off Audyssey. I've used it through 2 Onkyos and loved it.

I also need analog inputs. I still have and use a VCR, NES, N64, and other items.
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eriksells916
@the Son you have a nice 2 channel setup so I get the impression you like the finer things in life. So wait for the x8500a with the updated hdmi 2.1 board. It has audyssey xt32 and the $20 app, analog inputs, the best dacs and has excellent sinad/thd numbers so will be great for movies and 2 channel listening to ensure a long happy marriage :) .
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eriksells916 said:
@the Son you have a nice 2 channel setup so I get the impression you like the finer things in life. So wait for the x8500a with the updated hdmi 2.1 board. It has audyssey xt32 and the $20 app, analog inputs, the best dacs and has excellent sinad/thd numbers so will be great for movies and 2 channel listening to ensure a long happy marriage :) .
Click to expand...
These? Denon and Marantz announce flagship 8K AV receivers | Trusted Reviews

I feel it's a but much at over $4k. I am a cheap bastard. I'd need convincing that it's worth the cash. I'd be splurging on the 8015 for the same reason. I didn't mention budget, but that's not the limiting factor at this level of a system. Again, I'm just cheap AND don't understand or realize the benefit. That limits me.
When I went from the Onkyo 805 to the 5008, there was no question for me in features other than finding the best price for the 5008.
I guess I need to read about this HDMI 2.1 thing.
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eriksells916
@the Son if you are looking for a good HT experience with a dash of music, get the sr6015 and save some $$. It will still do 7.2.4 with 2 channel amp down the road if you expand the theater and has analog inputs. If you want Dirac then get the NAD 758 v3i. Limited hdmi inputs though.
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eriksells916 said:
@the Son If you want Dirac then get the NAD 758 v3i. Limited hdmi inputs though.
Click to expand...
This looks like a deal-breaker for me. I need 4 HDMI inputs and 1 composite video.

It looks like my best options are:

NAD T 778 with a composite-to-HDMI converter. I can change what's plugged into the converter as I need it. The NES, N64, and PS2 are rarely-used, so one converter for interchanging them will work. I probably don't need and will never need HDMI 2.1, so It'd be 2.0 and Dirac.

A Marantz (probably the 8015 since it has the toroidal transformer and power figures that I like). It has HDMI 2.1...which, as I said, I probably don't need, Audyssey, and composite inputs.

Anthem MRX 740. Again, would need a composite-to-HDMI converter and only has HDMI 2.0. Another hiccup is ARC Genesis.

I'm THINKING that the Marantz is the most "direct" replacement for my Onkyo. However, I'm gathering through the forum that Dirac is better than Audyssey, so maybe the NAD is a better choice with a composite-to-HDMI converter.

Then there's the remote...My Onkyo has macros, so I can go from zero to all-on that I'm wanting to use with one button. I don't see that with the Marantz, but the NAD DOES have macros. The Anthem doesn't appear to integrate very well for full-system control.
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eriksells916
@the Son yea Dirac is superior. Yes the x6700/x8500 and sr8015 are similar level to the old flagship 5008.

If you need hdmi 2.1 now, then the x6700, x8500A and st8015 are good reliable and bug free choices.

If you want DIrac now and hdmi 2.1 down the road, the T778 and Arcam avr10 should have 2.1 board/mdc available, possibly late this year?

My old Integra has a great back-lit learning remote that I control everything with. If you can keep using yours do it, otherwise most HT guys here use a Harmony remote. The Harmony 650 used to be about $100 and are now $235 on Amazon, so wait for the craziness to subside before pulling the trigger.
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T
I think l I'll go ahead with HDMI 2.1, just for futurability. I "just" have a Mitsubishi Diamond DLP that I don't want to replace, even though it's only 1080.
After lots of looking and comparing, I'm down to these, mostly based on inputs available:

ReceiverHDMICalibrationPowerExtra info
Onkyo TX-NR5008 (current)1.4aAudyssey MultEQ XT32145W (8 ohm, 20-20,000 Hz, 0.05% THD)toroidal transformer. 22,000 uF capacitors. Burr-Brown DACs.
paid $1,600.00 new​
Marantz SR80152.1Audyssey MultEQ XT32140W (8 ohm, 20-20,000 Hz, 0.05% 2ch Drive)toroidal transformer
$3,800.00​
Onkyo TX-RZ502.1Dirac Live120W (8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, 0.08% THD, 2-ch driven, FTC)
$1,400.00​
Onkyo TX-NR71002.1Dirac Live100W (8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, 0.08% THD, 2-ch driven, FTC)
$1,100.00​
Integra DRX5.42.1Dirac Live120W (8 ohms, 20-20,000 Hz, 0.08% THD, 2-ch driven, FTC)
$2,000.00​


I love the clean power level and toroidal transformer of the SR8015, but I'm having a LOT of trouble accepting it being worth so much. Since I have the separate amp, the others "have enough" power. Maybe I'm hung up on what I needed/wanted from the 5008 when I got it 11 years ago.
Does the Marantz integrate Audyssey differently from Onkyo to where I may not like it?
Is Dirac Live better than Audyssey enough to completely disregard the power differences?
How about sub integration with Dirac Live? I've read goods and bads about it and not sure if there's a problem for me with the pair of VTF-15H subs.

Are there any concerns with running pre-amps to 5 speakers and the internal amp to 2? It seems some receivers don't do both very well, and I haven't found specifically for these yet.
Maybe that's what killed the processing for the Onkyo and not something recall-based? I had 5 of the 5008's pre-outs run to the B&K, and the rear surrounds driven by the 5008's amps.
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Stephen Hopkins
I'll agree with @eriksells916, I'm not sure what the SR7015 offers over an SR6015 or Denon X3700H if all you're powering is rear surrounds and possibly Atmos channels in the future. Same goes for the SR8015 if you don't need 13ch processing. I'd personally wait for RX50 availability for Dirac but, if you'll looking to purchase before March '22, that may not be an option. If you can live with 9ch processing, the Integra DRX3.4 (same chassis and processing as the NR7100 but with 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 pre-outs) may be an option but, at that point, you're pretty much paying the same as the 7.1.4 capable RX50 and getting inferior amplification.
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the Son said:
I bought my Onkyo TX-NR-5008 new, many years ago, and enjoyed it greatly and didn't feel I'd ever need another receiver. Eventually, I became interested in separate amplification and started using a B&K Reference 7250 II to handle the front 3 and side surrounds. Since the B&K is a 5-channel, I kept the rears powered from the Onkyo. Speakers are Klipsch RF-83 mains, RC-64 center, and four RS-62 surrounds.

Eventually, a couple/few years ago, the Onkyo lost output from the pre-outs AND the amps. No signal to the B&K and no speaker outputs. Onkyo had a recall or something and offered me the newest AVR (don't remember the model) at a reduced cost, but that was the same price we could buy them anywhere that wan't Onkyo-direct, so I declined because (I think) the newer model wasn't the greatness the 5008 was anyway and I didn't even want it.

So, I have an old Denon AVR-1602 that I've ridiculously set up to have 5.x sound for the past couple of years. I have all my video run through the Onkyo, HDMI output to the TV, and then the TV audio coax-out to the Denon to give me sound. To top that off...I have split the Denon's single sub-out to feed two Hsu VTF-15H subs. I've been tolerating a lackluster 5.2-ish experience for a couple years.

SO...I'm done effing off and procrastinating a new receiver but am not sure what will satisfy me. I'm not seeing anything that attracted me like the 5008 did. I'm thinking Marantz is going to be the right choice. I'm struggling between the 7015 and 8015. It looks like they are basically the same except for the amplifier section. This is part of the hang-up. I like the 8015 having a toroidal transformer and 140W/ch, but I don't need the amplifier section because I have the B&K. Or should I chop the B&K? I could save $800 by going with the 7015 if the 8015 isn't going to do anything extra or better for me.
Click to expand...
Why not get the AV7706 if you have an external amp? Otherwise the SR7015 is a fine AVR. If it’s strictly for movies, might want to go with Denon since it’s even cheaper.

I have a SR8015 and got it because I didn’t wanted to use separate amps and wants the extra channels for experimentation. Otherwise I would have went with the AV7706 else maybe AV8805, though that one is kind of costly..
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Stephen Hopkins
Where are you getting an AV7706 for less than an SR7015, much less an SR6015 or X3700H (or RZ50 when it's available)? And what does it offer over any of those given the application?
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truwarrior22 said:
Why not get the AV7706 if you have an external amp? Otherwise the SR7015 is a fine AVR. If it’s strictly for movies, might want to go with Denon since it’s even cheaper...
Click to expand...
7.2 system, but my amp is only 5-channel. I do also have a Sherbourn 5-channel amp, but I'm out of available outlets (it uses TWO). Maybe I could add a 2-channel amp or sell these and get a 7-channel.
Reading about Marantz compared to Denon has made me exclude Denon.
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the Son said:
7.2 system, but my amp is only 5-channel. I do also have a Sherbourn 5-channel amp, but I'm out of available outlets (it uses TWO). Maybe I could add a 2-channel amp or sell these and get a 7-channel.
Reading about Marantz compared to Denon has made me exclude Denon.
Click to expand...
Did you see Youthman's comparison video on youtube? Worth a watch. Do Processors REALLY Sound Better than AVR's? | Marantz SR8015 vs AV7706 - YouTube
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truwarrior22 said:
Did you see Youthman's comparison video on youtube? Worth a watch. Do Processors REALLY Sound Better than AVR's? | Marantz SR8015 vs AV7706 - YouTube
Click to expand...
:unsure:
Looks like it'd be pointless to use the SR8015 as a pre-amp for 5 channels and use the internal amp for the surround-backs because you can't selectively disable amp sections.
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T
Now I'm looking at the AV7706 with Monolith 7X (so I don't have to run two amps). I can pack the Sherbourn and B&K amps into a closet or something.
If only the 7706 had Dirac...
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