Marantz SR5005 vs NR1604

[Andrei Pavel]

I am looking to buy a new 7.1 receiver for my 7.1 speaker system consisting of 2 Monitor Audio BR2 speakers and the Monitor Audio Vector 5.1 package (4 sattelites, 1 centre, 1 sub).
I was looking to get the slimline Marantz 1603 or maybe wait for the 1604, but I discovered that the older SR5005 sells in my country for about the same price as the NR1603. I will use my receiver mainly for music, but also for movies and gaming. I don't care for airplay because I don't own an Apple device. I know that the SR5005 sports double the power of the NR1603, but I don't think it will affect me that much because I won't be listening at huge volumes.
I don't really have space constraints, so I don't care about nr1603's slimline appearance.
I only do care about the sound quality, but I couldn't find anywhere someone comparing these 2 receivers directly (or any other slimline vs 5005).
In theory, maybe, the 5005 should sound a little bit better due to the fact that it is positioned more on the higher end of Marantz's line of products than the slimline receivers are, but I have absolutely no clue, to be honest.
Any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
these are the products in question:
1. http://us.marantz.com/us/products/pages/productdetails.aspx?CatId=avreceivers&ProductId=SR5005
2. http://us.marantz.com/us/products/pages/ProductDetails.aspx?CatId=avreceivers&ProductId=NR1603

 

[dante01]

Despite its age the SR5005 is indeed a superior product. The slimline products maintain a high price simply due to their size and not because of their abilities. The size may be convenient for some, but it compromises the abilities of the receiver when compared to more conventional AV receivers because there's less space for the power unit and amplification stages. If you are not restricted to having to use a slimline model then a full size model is always the better option.

 

[Andrei Pavel]

Thanks a lot for your quick reply.
That is exactly what I was thinking. Not being restricted by space and not needing the gimmicky features of the newer recievers (4k support, airplay, networking etc), I think that the beefier sr5005 is the way to go for me.