audiobliss

boomer, Have you personally compared Marantz with NAD for music? Also, are there any more views? I'm sure more of you than this are familiar with these receivers.

Surely somebody has experience with these receivers. Anybody?

Which receiver do you think is better for music, NAD or Marantz? In particular the NADT743 or the Marantz SR7200 or SR7000(I know these are older Marantz models but they sound better in 2 channel stereo than the newer Marantz models IMO). Can't demo the NAD but I've read good reviews about them. What do you guys think? I particulary like the smooth midrange Marantz has. I read on another forum that NAD has a more "clinical" sounding midrange. What do you guys think?

I hate that both of the Marantz units I tried had problems because I really liked the musical sound. Is NAD on par with Marantz or is it even more "musical"? I really like that relaxed and smooth midrange.

Yes, they are Klipsch RF15 mains, RC25 center RSX-4 surrounds

By the way, I forgot to mention that I won't be able to do an in-store demo of the NAD because the dealer is in the process of new construction so I can demo it in home and if not satisfied they will allow a refund of the purchase.

What do you guys know about NAD receivers? I am considering the NADT743. All of the reviews I've read say that NAD makes very musical receivers. I am more interested in music sound than movies. If you guys read my last post you know that I had an HK before. I did end up taking that one back, sounded good but other issues. I have had Marantz before but also had problems(bad dolby digital decoder) in 2 separate units so I'm not really considering them. The NAD receiver is priced at $699 which is within my budget. Are there any other receivers in this price range which focus more on music? I have had Denon before as well and wasn't satisifed with music performance(just not my personal preference, I know Denon has a huge following) or for a music first approach is NAD my best option in this price range ($699 or less)?

You're right. I may try to conact them

Hmmmm. So it seems like this is a problem with all of their models, not just the 130. I am seriously considering another brand at this point. It's annoying enough for me to want to take it back.

I'm using an optical cable. I tried analog but optical seems to sound better. But, I have not tested the analog output to see if it chops off the beginning of the track or not like the optical connect does. I have a dedicated cd player and it does not have a coax out. But, my dvd player does so maybe I will try listening to a cd through coax on the dvd player to see if it does the same thing.

I recently purchased the HK AVR130 receiver. The receiver sounds great. It's the entry level model in their current lineup. I do have one issue that may seem nitpicky to some but it is quite annoying to me. Whenever I listen to a cd it seems to cut off the first few seconds of a song. It doesn't just do it on the first track, it seems to do it on most of them. It's like it's slow to recognize a digital signal. Has anybody elsed noticed this? It's annoying enough for me to want to return it. Also, do you think it's a problem with just this model? I was thinking of returning it and getting the 230 model to see if that would make a difference or is this just a problem with all HK receivers in general? I have not seen anyone else mention this but it's quite noticeable to me. Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks for the useful info. guys. It looks like Denon is the popular choice on this forum. I've just heard from some that Denon is much more geared towards movies and sounds a little too "digital" on music. I just don't want to be disappointed with 2 channel music reproduction. I may have to see if it is possible for me to demo both the Integra and the Denon in my home.

Thanks Bill! I'm not really a pioneer fan. I have heard good things about Denon. I just hope that since they have merged with Marantz that they too will not start having quality issues. My local dealer that carries Integra just started carrying it but he raves about it. What about convenience features such as the remote, etc. The integra remote looks pretty good. I think it was the DTR-5.4 I was looking at. I think the Denon model in that price range is the 1804. Do you have any experience with how these 2 models compare head to head?

I'm looking for a new updated receiver. I know that in the end it boils down to what sounds best to me but I would like opinions. It will be used for both movies and music but music is my priority because most modern receivers do movies well. The only 3 brands I'm considering are Marantz, Denon, and Integra. One local dealer carries Denon and Klipsch and it sounded pretty good. The other one that carries Integra doesn't carry Klipsch. I heard it on some other speakers and it sounded good. That same store stopped carrying Marantz. I heard that Marantz is very musical but has quality issues. What do you guys think is the best match between only those 3 brands and Klipsch speakers, especially musically? Don't have the speakers yet but I'm working on it. The setup will be: RF15 mains RC 25 center RS25 rears Def Tech 10" sub(still remains from my old setup)