[rprice54]

Here's what I need:

7.1 in the main room, 2.0 zone B outside, so I 'm looking at 9.2 AVRs.

Dual HDMI output- TV and PJ in my media room.

Mostly football and movies, occasional music.

Running Axiom M60's (towers), VP100 center channel, QS8 surrounds (all 6-8ohm speakers), EP500


Pioneer SC-75 is my front runner. The well documented premature failures of the Onkyo's were blamed on heat. The class D amp supposedly are cooler. I run my gear in a cabinet, but it's fully ventilated, intake/exhaust fans run 24/7 and I have thermostat controlled fans on the AVR itself, should run cool anyways. Also a bit cheaper. My biggest concern is the MCACC. I have a nearly square room, I have issues with standing waves and my sub. Otherwise I think I want this AVR.


Next up would be Marantz 7008. A bit more change, similar feature set, gain Audyssey coom correction.


Yamaha Aventage 2030 thrown in for good measure.


Seemed like Denon was a big step up price wise for a 9.2 amp.


Go!

 

[KidHorn]

I've read the 2014 pioneers have (will have) an improved mcacc. It does some sort of rudimentary sub eq now. At least the higher end units do.

 

[rprice54]

yea. I've read where the MCACC is prob not as good out of the box, but you have much more fine tuning control, where Audyssey is better out of the box, but you can't tweak it. I lean towards the Marantz in that regard. An extra year of warranty is appealing to someone who bought a $2000 AVR only to have it fail 18 months out, then the replacement also failed 18 months out.

 

[commsysman]

IMO the sound quality of all of them is poor.


AVRs from Arcam, NAD, and Cambridge audio will have lower distortion and sound better with a wider range of speakers.

 

[Jon S]

I have a Pioneer and can attest how bad MCCAC is... But I do like the digital amps. I had an Onkyo TX-NR906 which failed and bought the Pioneer SC-67. I have no regrets, but I must advise you that the Pioneer has a real crappy remote... It's really, really ,really bad. The buttons are super small and all the same size. The text on the remote is dark and impossible to read and finally, the layout is bad. You really need a universal remote with the Pioneer. The Onkyo remote was magnitudes better than the Pioneer. HDMI handshaking on the Pioneer is dismally slow. A lot of times I will get the movie splash screen audio before the video appears.


But the Pioneer sounds a lot better. Runs cooler, has multi-zones. Looks a lot nicer. Do I regret it? not a bit...

 

[rprice54]

Classifying an entire range of amps as having a certain sound is subjective at best. Shoot, I had sound modes on my Onkyo that sounded terrible and others that were perfect. The first time I fired up that $2k amp and my $3k speakers I was horrified at the sounds I was hearing.


I bought a logitech smart remote for Christmas and love it. I'll never use a regular remote again. Between the IR blaster and direct plugs into the AVR and oppo I'm a happy camper. Plus I use my phone a bunch too. I will miss oRemote.


I guess for me right now, is the Marantz (with audyssey and another year of warranty) worth $400 more for otherwise similar spec'd AVR in the SC-75? I can get the extended best buy warranty for $250. I never buy those things, but I've been burned by the Onkyo twice now.