Warm sounding AV receiver?
Discussion
Hi, looking to upgrade my current Sony AV receiver and want something to complement my ProAc floor standing speakers which musically are at the bright end of the spectrum. After lots of research I'm thinking of the Marantz sr7010 as Marantz are known for having a warm sound. Any advice or experience?
Personally I'd be looking at getting the flattest most transparent stuff I could, EQing the sound sources to deal with the brightness and then upgrade to better speakers later. Clarity and dynamic range are more important IMO. Also just the room you are listening in will have profound effects on perception of warmth, brightess etc. Perhaps the space could be configured a little better to bring out the best in the system?
Thanks. I actually like the speakers ProAc studio 150s as they have a great range and quality sound to them, the issue is they are best paired with a warmer sounding (eg valve) amp, not a £500 Sony AV receiver! Sadly the Sony doesn't have a pre-out otherwise I'd add a stereo amp to my system instead for listening to music. I've read that Yamaha and Marantz are less bright than Pioneer or Sony.
A well positioned rug on a wooden floor and scattering a few cushions on a sofa will make as much change to perceived sound quality as any differences in the average AV receiver.
Having said that, Arcam gear has always sounded mellow to me compared to shouty Onkyos and the like - those ProAcs deserve better than a middling AV amp.
Having said that, Arcam gear has always sounded mellow to me compared to shouty Onkyos and the like - those ProAcs deserve better than a middling AV amp.
Yamaha all the way.........I bought an entry level VX-V377 as a stop gap a couple of years ago and its performance is excellent. It is well balanced, detailed, dynamic, transparent and the processing is great too. Regarding warm sound; I don't think the detail and apparent transparency is due to any exaggeration or brightness at the top end.
The Yamaha is driving a pair Duntech Marquis front speakers, KEF Coda 7 rears and my own centre channel design. The Duntechs were up with the very best available back in the early 1990s and are still extremely good today; certainly good enough to show just how talented the Yamaha is.
The 377 copes really well when pushing hard at or near 0dBfs; often not the case with AV amps. The Codas are an easy load but the Duntechs and my CC are not easy at all and the £200.00 Yamaha copes fine. Its power supply is beefy enough to really control the bass from the 4 ohm Duntechs; its deep and tight enough to remove the need for a sub in my AV system.
A possible way forward is to find a 'proper' dealer who is happy to let you have products to trial in your home using the rest of your gear. Your room, its décor and your ears will tell you what's best.
The Yamaha is driving a pair Duntech Marquis front speakers, KEF Coda 7 rears and my own centre channel design. The Duntechs were up with the very best available back in the early 1990s and are still extremely good today; certainly good enough to show just how talented the Yamaha is.
The 377 copes really well when pushing hard at or near 0dBfs; often not the case with AV amps. The Codas are an easy load but the Duntechs and my CC are not easy at all and the £200.00 Yamaha copes fine. Its power supply is beefy enough to really control the bass from the 4 ohm Duntechs; its deep and tight enough to remove the need for a sub in my AV system.
A possible way forward is to find a 'proper' dealer who is happy to let you have products to trial in your home using the rest of your gear. Your room, its décor and your ears will tell you what's best.
Edited by Crackie on Monday 11th April 14:43
Edited by Crackie on Monday 11th April 23:11
Depending on your budget I would look at the Arcam. I was about to buy the Marantz myself and then listened to the new Arcam kit and I was blown away. Mainly this was down to their use of Dirac EQ. Compared to the Denon I've used for years plus a recent test of the Pioneer offerings the Arcam was superior. Warmer, more detailed, controlled...whatever superlatives you want to use really. I ended up spending more than I had budgeted for but I have no regrets. Not an Arcam fanboy by the way. Loved my Denon for years but this was something else.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
this is the general consensus isn't it? i must admit i enjoy my 2030 for music as well as for av
I use a different system for 2 channel but for convenience I often listen to Spotify through the AV system. Even using Spotify unlimited at 160kbit/s the sound the Yamaha produces is superb and not far behind the full fat, and far more costly & complex, 2 channel setup. The new Yamaha 1050 I think it is pretty warm sounding too.
Plus it has a proper parametric EQ for each channel so you can really get it sounding how you like it.
Friend of mine just put one in his system, Dunlavey speakers all round. He was using a Meridian pro and Classé Power amp, he found the Meridian too warm, so swapped to the Onkyo pro. The Yamaha was meant to replace that and run with the Classé power amp, but he tried it on its own and I have to admit it sounds really, really good.
Although smooth it is incredibly open and very detailed.
I have always been a fan of Marantz av stuff, but have found they can be a bit shut in soundstage wise, but prefer this to bright. The Yamaha I would be more than happy with. I even considered selling my Meridian DSP system to have a go with one myself. But know I would miss the Meridian if I did, but I think that is pretty high praise for the Yammy.
Plus it has a proper parametric EQ for each channel so you can really get it sounding how you like it.
Friend of mine just put one in his system, Dunlavey speakers all round. He was using a Meridian pro and Classé Power amp, he found the Meridian too warm, so swapped to the Onkyo pro. The Yamaha was meant to replace that and run with the Classé power amp, but he tried it on its own and I have to admit it sounds really, really good.
Although smooth it is incredibly open and very detailed.
I have always been a fan of Marantz av stuff, but have found they can be a bit shut in soundstage wise, but prefer this to bright. The Yamaha I would be more than happy with. I even considered selling my Meridian DSP system to have a go with one myself. But know I would miss the Meridian if I did, but I think that is pretty high praise for the Yammy.
wormus said:
Hi, looking to upgrade my current Sony AV receiver and want something to complement my ProAc floor standing speakers which musically are at the bright end of the spectrum. After lots of research I'm thinking of the Marantz sr7010 as Marantz are known for having a warm sound. Any advice or experience?
I've been running an SR7010 since just before Christmas. This was an upgrade from an Onkyo 929 - so similar but with some extra toys, namely immersive audio such as Dolby Atmos.
I've found it to be every bit as good as the Onkyo for music, but with the caveat that my speakers are MK 150 MkII's which are geared much more toward films than 2 channel listening. There's a lot of good AVR's popping up from all the main manufacturer's - if the main remit is for a warm sound, as noted above in the thread, Yamaha have long been top of that perch.
Room EQ's are worth a mention, Dirac being the daddy, followed by Anthem's ARC and then Audyssey (I've always have a good experience with XT32 but once you've heard Dirac working...
Rather than searching for something in another AVR, just wrap your current one in a blanket, that will give you a much warmer sound.
Or just stick with an AVR that has pre outs and invest in a decent power amp. Now that will give an improvement over the poxy amplification in average receivers and will last through a number of receiver/processors upgrades.
Or just stick with an AVR that has pre outs and invest in a decent power amp. Now that will give an improvement over the poxy amplification in average receivers and will last through a number of receiver/processors upgrades.
Thanks guys, is the Yamaha really comparable or better than the Marantz for sound? There's quite a big difference in price for the 2 models mentioned and a quality 5.1 system that's great with stereo hifi is more important than bells and whistles, Atmos etc. My system is used every day, all day for TV, film and music. Music is probably the most important.
Only going on memory ( not the best on a good day ) when looking for bookshelf speakers anout 4 yrs ago i had a demo with a 2 channel Marantz amp in the £300 range. It was a lovely warm sound, comparable i would say with the Yamaha AV amp i was using at the time which was over £1000 in the mid 90's.
wormus said:
Thanks guys, is the Yamaha really comparable or better than the Marantz for sound? There's quite a big difference in price for the 2 models mentioned and a quality 5.1 system that's great with stereo hifi is more important than bells and whistles, Atmos etc. My system is used every day, all day for TV, film and music. Music is probably the most important.
Only you can decide which is better and the best way to do that is to listen for yourself. The anecdotal advice given on PH is well intentioned but can only tell you that person A likes product X and person B prefers product Y. Your specific taste, with your Proacs, might be for product Z.Regarding whether or not the Yamaha amp I was referring to is comparable to the Marantz; it sounds magical driving a pair of very well respected Duntech speakers that were often used by recording studios during the 1990s. Put another way, the Yamaha cost less than £200.00 but is good enough to be paired with a 'reference' quality speaker which, in the early 90s, cost double the price of B&W's 801 flagship.
Gizlaroc is familiar with Duntech / Dunlavy speakers and his post above shows similar experiences to mine; the Yamaha AV amps are capable of outstanding results, even when paired with forensically accurate speakers.
Yamaha should certainly be on your shortlist of products to audition..........
Edited by Crackie on Tuesday 12th April 12:07
wormus said:
Thanks. What's the best way to audition these amps with my speakers? They are rather large/heavy so not keen on carting them around the country. Does anyone allow in-home trials? Best scenario would be to try both out back to back and keep the one I preferred.
Not sure where you are in the UK but a search should let you know who'll let you trial at home. It might be worth speaking to this PHer http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=2... he runs HiFi Lounge in Bedfordshire and stocks Yamaha Good luck.
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff