Emil Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I have just purchased some rf-7's and a qsc plx 1602 amp for my setup, to go along with my rc-7 and satellite surrounds. Now I am in search of a receiver with pre-outs for my system and I am considering between the Onkyo 705/805 and the Marantz sr8002. I am aware that the Marantz 8002 is the top of the line receiver compared to the midrange Onkyo's, but my question is how discernable would the difference in sound quality be if I am using soley the pre-outs?... as will be the case for the rf-7's. I am thinking of eventually buying another mono block amp for the rc-7 but not for the surrounds. The onkyo's I can get for around $400-550, but I can also get the marantz sr8002 for a steal at $1200, and locally to boot. I know the onkyo 705 uses cirrus logic dac's whereas the 805 uses burr brown, and I'm not sure what is in the Marantz, but from what I read marantz has an excellent reputation for outstanding sound quality. I'm struggling with this decision as I'm not sure whether the extra money will translate into a significant improvement in sound quality. I'd appreciate any and all advice on the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Why spend $1,200. if you just want to use the pre-outs ? You can do better than onkyo for the money ............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim_in_NC Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Are you dead set on the Marantz or Onkyo ... I'd get an H/K (Harman Kardon) to pair up with the Reference 7's ... H/K's are great when matched with Klipsch audio!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InVeNtOr Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 i went with the onkyo 805 and emotiva lap-1. the front 3 are bi-amped and the onkyo takes care of the 4 surrounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsu99999 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I've been doing a lot of research on receivers lately and will give my opinion... In my opinion, the Marantz is WAY superior to the ONkyo product line unless you get their flagship which is much more expensive than the 8002, and even then, is about equal in offering. The key w/ Marantz is they don't have any scaling technology in their current lineup (8002,7002) which may or may not be an issue for you. I honestly think you should go for the Marantz. Even if you got the 7002, I still think you would be better off. The sound quality in a side by side test w/ Klipsch speakers is far better (in my opinion) and I've auditioned more receivers than I can count. The option stated above to go with Harman Kardon would in my opinion be better than going with the ONKYO. Honestly, I hate Onkyo - I think their products are inferior and overpriced. I owned their Flagship TX-NR1000 and it was a real peice of crap. A 4k receiver that they stopped support on within a year of release. If you are looking for something to keep for 6mos to a year, go for Onkyo. you can get their low end models cheap and they have most basic functions. If you are planning on keeping it over a year, get something else. Keep in mind - this is my opinion - many people on here really like ONkyo and to be honest, I would consider one of their low end models myself if it was for a really temp time because for 400 bucks, you can get all the new audio codecs and fairly decent functionality, but I couldn't stand keeping it over 6 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emil Posted July 25, 2008 Author Share Posted July 25, 2008 "Why spend $1,200. if you just want to use the pre-outs ? You can do better than onkyo for the money ............." This is the point I was trying to clarify, but there are other considerations aswell that I should have pointed out earlier. 1. Ideally I would like a unit that handles the new audio codecs and HDMI 1.3a. 2.A seperate pre-pro such as the Integra dtc 9.8 would be nice, but it iseven more expensive (around 1300-1400) than the Marantz that I'mconsidering. 3. I'll be using only the plx 1602 on my RF-7's forthe meanwhile, so I need something decent to power my RC-7 andsurrounds. I may not even buy a seperate amp for the RC-7 in the futureif I'm satisfied with how the receiver powers it. 4. I live in Canada, so anything I bring over the border I have to pay tax 12% and duty 7% on (no duty if the product is made in the USA). This is why the Marantz looks even more appealing, as it is local and I don't have pay anthing extra. The selection of used receivers up here isn't that great and when buying from retailers products are typically priced about 10-20% higher than in the US. 5. I want to make sure that the receiver I buy will be able to get the most potential out of the qsc 1602 pro amp, as I've heard there is an issue if the consumer pre-outs signal is too weak. So given this scenario I'm wondering whether getting the marantz or even a HK 254 or 354 (they are priced similarly to the onkyo's I believe) would give me the best bang for my buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Where are you located in Canada ? Oinkyo would be my last resort ............. Harmon-Kardin is a better choice ...... Marantz is best choice, or did you ever just consider a seperate pre-amp ? OR ..... maybe an OUTLAW RR 2150 might be worth a look ... www.outlawaudio.com ... take a minute, check them out ............. EH !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernXposure Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I just bought an SR8002 last week to replace my NAD T773. Clean natural sounding power is key here and the 8002 takes care of that in spades. I use it to drive my RF 83 system and I can't believe what a coupling they have made!!! If you can get the 8002 at 1200$ don't even think of getting anything else. I just payed 1800$ brand new plus tax!! and I find it worth every penny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emil Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 Thanks for the feedback everyone. The outlaw pre/pro's look good oldbuckster but they lack the inputs that I'm looking for, and I'd rather not buy an amp to power my promedia satellites at the moment, it would be a bit of a waste. I'm leaning towards the Marantz now, but the Harman Kardon 254 and 354 are still looking tempting at almost half the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Do not let price be the deciding factor ...... Buy because it's cheap is wrong reason to buy ........ been there, done that, always end up spending more later, but it's your money. ........... Did you ever say where you're from in Canada ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emil Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 Haha no I didn't, I'm from Vancouver, British Columbia. I believe there are a few other members from around these parts, and thanks for the advice, I believe I'll go with the Marantz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernXposure Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 xcellent choice keep in touch so we can compare set-up notes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 Marantz and Klipsch work very well for music. [Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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