Please help me choose an AV receiver

[Haffster]

Hi all. Looking for some specific advice between two AVRs (Marantz SR8012 and Anthem MRX 1120) from someone who has or has had either or both. 

 

My setup is:

 

Front L/R: Klipsch La Scala

Center: Klipsch Heresy

Surrounds: Klipsch RP-600m

Front heights: Klipsch RP500sa

Subs: Martin Logan Dynamo 1000 (2)

Projector: JVC DLA-X590RB

Screen: Elusevision Reference 125”

 

This is a pure, dedicated HT setup. I don’t normally listen to music here (I’ve got a separate two channel setup for that upstairs). 

 

My original electronics for many years were Rotel processor and power amp. Last year, got hold of a Marantz SR 5013 for Dolby Atmos (5.2.2). It’s nice, but I need to move on to a better amp that at least gets me closer to the Rotels I used for years. Not looking for separates at this stage, want to keep things a bit simple. In the process, I want to move to a 5.2.4 setup, but want to keep the option open for 7.2.4 (side walls are too close for side surrounds, might figure something out later). 

 

I have already bought a 2nd pair of Klipsch RP-500sa for rear heights (in-ceiling is not an option, installing these as heights seemed like the next best alternative). 

 

With that context, I have narrowed it down to the Marantz 8012 or the Anthem 1120. I have auditioned both but obviously not in my basement with my speakers (they had them setup with DefTechs). At the shop, I thought the Anthem sounded distinctly richer for music (couldn’t tell the difference with movie clips and the atmos demo clips), but then it was with different speakers. If anyone has experience with either amp using speakers similar to mine, I would love to get their feedback. 

 

With the Marantz 5013, I do have some sense of the sound signature, although it seems that the 8012 is a different beast, much more power and better DACs. The 5013 has the basic Audyssey though, so I expect the XT32 should be far superior. 

 

What’s making this difficult for me:

1) I can get either for the same price, so that’s a wash. 

2) Marantz is more feature rich, I’m not fussed for now but future proofing could be important. 

3) There seem to be evenly divided (and passionate!) opinions on Audyssey vs ARC. 

4) Not sure which one will sound better with my speakers.