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?
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.
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...
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.
Ok, thanks for all the advice. After lots of careful consideration and a conversation with the wife, I'm off to Sevenoaks tomorrow to get a Yamaha RX-A1050 Aventage. Everything I've read about my speakers is they reward better quality equipment so fingers crossed!
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 16th April 12:05
Well I picked my new toy up today. Plugged in all the wires, ran the automatic set up and tried some music. All I can say is WOW, this thing makes my old Sony sound like a transistor radio. Sound is punchy, warm and yet sooooo detailed. Interestingly it set all my speakers to large and I set them to small on my Sony because the sound and bass was so flat. Watched world war Z and the gun shots had me diving for cover. My speakers absolutely sing and the surround is out of this world. What a difference! You absolutely 100% should consider one of these amps, they are unbelievable!
.....oh and it looks great too. I'm one happy chappy!
.....oh and it looks great too. I'm one happy chappy!
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 16th April 18:14
Most surprising thing is the way the speakers have reacted. Complete personality change, gone from OK to fantastic sounding. Taut bass, punchy mid range and sparking top end. They sound as good as all the reviews said they should and I just want to sit down and listen. Really chuffed! 
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 16th April 22:09
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