Marantz SR5013 issues with ARC and much more

[Andrey81]

Hello, a few weeks ago I decided to make a 'refresh' of my old system that was Panasonic ST60 plazma paired with Onkyo TX-SR508 7.1 receiver , Bi-Amped with PSB Alpha speakers and Energy sub (5.1). I was unlucky that some short circuit (could be due to the storm) burned my HDMI board on Onkyo but also on TV so I decided to invest some money and buy latest available equipment.

For me home theater is more important than listening to music so for TV it was an easy decision: LG OLED C9, 65'', which is amazing, out of this world technology and I would give 10/10 grade. I was always afraid to change good old plasma, but this is heaven to watch.

For AV receiver it was hard to decide and first I was leaning to Denon and later on after reading many of user reviews decided to buy Marantz SR5013, that was for me premium brand in comparison to Onkyo (at least I thought so). I was expecting a huge difference in comparison to 10 years old, and less powerful Onkyo TX-SR508 in all fields, but unfortunately all my expectations were ruined after I set the system, or to say it better...after I was trying to set the system work.

Let's put aside how Marantz sounds, I will come back to this later.
After initial start I was surprised how bad the menus are, I don't like them but this is personal opinion. They look much more 'professional' on my old Onkyo and you have many additional options.

My biggest problem was setting ARC in order to get sound from TV and HDMI control. After many hours of trying I couldn't get this thing work and ended with optic cable that, partially solved the problem. I have the sound but no HDMI control. For comparison... Onkyo with Panasonic was working flawlessly from the first setup. I just needed to press button on PS4 controller and whole system was turned on with the right HDMI input. The same was with shut down sequence.

With LG and Marantz ARC is not working and I really have no idea why. SR5013 is 2018. model, C9 is 2019. model. It should be compatible.

Other 'strange' experience with Marantz is Bluetooth that I tested with 2 diferent Androit smarthones (ZTE Axon 7 and latest Xiaomi Mi9). It's stupid that Marantz, when in stand-by mode, does not have bluetooth in some kind of stand-by mode so you can easily connect to it whenever you want, so your smartphone would initialize turning of Marantz on, and switching to bluetooth mode. Instead, you have to press Bluetooth on Marantz remote in order to connect. And connecting is hell and it's not working like it should, connection is not instant and smooth, you have to wait and wait and wait and wait... and after 'successful' Bluetooth connection another strange problem starts..

Imagine yourself watching Netflix in 4K (it has to be 4k)... or youtube 4K video.. So if you have turned tv in the background and you change Marantz to Bluetooth and play something on.. youtube or any local song.. Marantz will play with incredibly strong interference produced probably by wifi conection. Strange, because when you use bluetooth Marantz is not downloading anything via wifi but interference exists and music will stop playing, will have distortions, noises, in short it's impossible to be listened. When you turn tv off it works without issues. When you play some HD material on youtube (on tv) it's also OK. There is only a problem if you play 4K video that uses to much wifi trafic. Strange. Can somebody explain what could be the cause?

Marantz dispaly is really small and bad. Low quality, it looks like it's 30 years old display. I was really disappointed not only by how it looks but also with lack of data is shows. Without ARC I was depending on the display.

Sound level and unresponsive remote control.
Since I have to use Marantz remote, which looks cheap and has hard buttons, I was surprised to see how unresponsive it is in comparison with Onkyo remote. You really have to point remote towards Marantz to make it work, you have to point it more to the right side of AV receiver, and if something stands in front (like front speaker in my case) it will be like trying to find a G spot. So disappointed with IR remote and IR receiver. Sound level is also strange. Turning volume up or down lasts incredibly long and you cannot just like that turn the volume up or down.. this process will take some time, a long time.

Sound.
I was surprised in a positive way how the system sounds. I was expecting this from Marantz. It sounded much fuller and warmer than old Onkyo with better vocals and usage of surround speakers. But something was missing... deep and strong bass like the one present in Onkyo. I like bass that I can really feel and that is making my house shaking during some action on the screen or when some music hits (i like to play Metallica Nothing else matters for a test) and this is the point that was crucial for me.

I disconnected Marantz and tried to connect old Onkyo (hdmi is not working but aux is working). And that good old strong, full bass was back.

I still have SR5013 but it's packed in a box and waiting to be returned. In the meantime I ordered 2019. model Onkyo TX-NR696 that will arrive during the day, can't wait to try it.

Any similar experience with Marantz?

 

[Dasiz]

I have a Marantz 6012 and also had issues with ARC, when i initially purchased the receiver, it worked fine, then all of a sudden got no sound via HDMI, so went to Optical, i understand quite a few people had this issue and was down to a new firmware and could have required a plug pull, but i never tried to fix this, i'm sure i will eventually.. ARC is notoriously flaky in general though...

i can't speak for the Bluetooth issue as i always use wifi when listening to music on the Marantz and have never had issues when doing this. When using spotify, if i change the device to the marantz it automatically turns it on and starts playing.. i do find if i listen in pure mode, there is a lack of base, but this i believe is due to the speakers i have (MA Mass), as my Dali pico's in my second zone sound great however when i listen to music in the main zone i prefer multi stereo as i prefer the sound stage that produces, which engages the Sub, but this of course is also a personal preference...

In terms of the sound i get when watching tv\film, it is fantastic and not been anything but impressed with it.. Did you run through set up and complete the audassey setup? have you tried different sound modes? did you set the speakers to small to then allow the Sub to handle LFE?

I personally like the on screen menus, but that is of course a personal preference..
The porthole screen is very restrictive of the info it details, you would need to move to the 701x range to get a full display, but assume you knew there wouldn't be much info on this screen before purchasing?
i also found the remote fine, but no longer use it as i have a harmony remote to control everything - would def recommend one of those..

 

[Andrey81]

Yes I completed audassey setup and tried different sound modes. Speakers set to small and sub was set to handle LFE. You are also right about porthole, I expected this but I thought it will be more nicer and useful in reality. It really looks cheap and gives minimum info. Hmm.. I never thought about Harmony remote.. I will definitely consider this option.

Will see today, I'm about to try both receivers and give a second chance to Marantz and then decide which one to give back. With optic cable I can resolve the issue with sound and with harmony I don't need to care about ARC. Thank you for this info. Right now I'm leaning more towards Onkyo probably due to the previous nice experience and that bass kick.

 

[Dasiz]

i dont think you will find the music reproduction an improvement on the Marantz as they are deemed the best receivers for music below the anthem\arcam etc level. however maybe your current Onkyo has something extra 'under the bonnet which newer receivers don't.

 

[Hixs]

I had a ton of arc issues with my 5010. I ended up using optical. Means I have to change source manually which gets old, but optical works without a hitch.

I don't mind the.menu myself. It's basic and pretty self explanatory once you've been through it a few times.

The port hole display is pretty useless, but these days I turn off all my LCD displays, so it's no longer an issue.

Never had an issue with the remote. Yeah you gotta point it at the receiver, but it's only IR so that is to be expected. The build quality is fine imo You can always get a Harmony remote. But saying that I bought a Harmony Touch remote a few years ago and for the price I didn't think much of its build quality (120 quid).

 

[Dasiz]

I had a ton of arc issues with my 5010. I ended up using optical. Means I have to change source manually which gets old, but optical works without a hitch.

What do you mean you have to change source manually? i just have 'tv audio' using Optical for audio, all source changing still goes through the AVR..

Never had an issue with the remote. Yeah you gotta point it at the receiver, but it's only IR so that is to be expected. The build quality is fine imo You can always get a Harmony remote. But saying that I bought a Harmony Touch remote a few years ago and for the price I didn't think much of its build quality (120 quid).

I found the quality of remote decent enough.. never thought it felt cheap...
The harmony i have (latest elite) is very good quality, doesn't feel at all cheap, quite premium in fact... i have had various all-in-one remotes in the past that also felt cheap..

 

[dante01]

What do you mean you have to change source manually? i just have 'tv audio' using Optical for audio, all source changing still goes through the AVR..
/QUOTE]

ARC automatically switches the AV receiver to the associated TV source if you start playing audio via your TV. Optical has no auto switching and would require you to manually select the TV source. The auto switching is facilitated via HDMI CEC.

It should also be noted that ARC does have one other advantage over optical, that being its ability to convey DD+ (Dolby Digital Plus). This is still a lossy compressed format, but one with a higher bitrate than regular DD and also the ability to carry Atmos metadata. It is how you'd access Atmos encoded soundtracks if using the streaming apps on a TV. You can access Atmos streamed via Netflix via a TV's SMART app using ARC, but not via optical.

 

[b1g1an]

ARC automatically switches the AV receiver to the associated TV source if you start playing audio via your TV. Optical has no auto switching and would require you to manually select the TV source. The auto switching is facilitated via HDMI CEC.

It should also be noted that ARC does have one other advantage over optical, that being its ability to convey DD+ (Dolby Digital Plus). This is still a lossy compressed format, but one with a higher bitrate than regular DD and also the ability to carry Atmos metadata. It is how you'd access Atmos encoded soundtracks if using the streaming apps on a TV. You can access Atmos streamed via Netflix via a TV's SMART app using ARC, but not via optical.

Don't use hdmi control at all and all my sources are external but love ARC for the single reason that it auto mutes the TV when the amp is on with no mute symbol on screen for ages like doing it the old fashioned way via my Harmony.

 

[dante01]

Don't use hdmi control at all and all my sources are external but love ARC for the single reason that it auto mutes the TV when the amp is on with no mute symbol on screen for ages like doing it the old fashioned way via my Harmony.

ARC is dependant upon HDMI CEC for its functionality. You cannot use ARC without HDMI Control. especially if wanting the auto source switching.

 

[b1g1an]

ARC is dependant upon HDMI CEC for its functionality. You cannot use ARC without HDMI Control. especially if wanting the auto source switching.

Perhaps not on your AVR at least, but you can on mine

 

[dante01]

Perhaps not on your AVR at least, but you can on mine

If talking about the way in which Marantz and Denon do things then yes and and no. ARC cannot function without HDMI CEC, but Marantz and DEnon do offer a means by which the circumvent the nescetity to have HDMI Control having being to enaged on the receiver inorder to still be able to access audio via ARC. It is still in use though by the receiver.

HDMI ARC is reliant upon HDMI CEC. eARC isn't reliant unless you actually want auto source selection. If wantinging auto source selection then you still need HDMI CEC even in association with eARC. If you don't think this to be the case then try turning HDMI CEC off onboard your TV and see what happens.

 

[b1g1an]

If talking about the way in which Marantz and Denon do things then yes and and no. ARC cannot function without HDMI CEC, but Marantz and DEnon do other a means by which the circumvent the nescetity to have HDMI Control having being to enaged on the receiver inorder to still be able to access audio via ARC. It is still in use though by the receiver.

Yep, I'm talking about exactly what I said, no more, no less, and you said it couldn't.

 

[dante01]

Yep, I'm talking about exactly what I said, no more, no less, and you said it couldn't.

And I'm factually correct in saying you cannot use HDMI ARC without HDMI CEC. Your AV receiver is still using HDMI CEC to convey audio to it via ARC. No AV receiver can use ARC without using HDMI CEC.

 

[dante01]

Both Denon and Marantz have included HDMI options that do make life easier for those that do wish to avoid some of the issues associated with using HDMI ARC such as the option to turn HDMI Control OFF while still leaving ARC on and the option to bypass the power management associated with having ARC and or HDMI Control enagaged. Even though you can turn HDMI Control OFF, the receiver still needs to use HDMI CEC if using ARC to access audio via ARC. ARC cannot be used without HDMI CEC and conventional HDMI ARC is reliant upon HDMI CEC for its functionality.

 

[Andrey81]

Yesterday I gave a second chance to Marantz but again without success (factory reset, update, all possible HDMI settings, different cables...). Then I connected a new Onkyo and it's working perfectly, from ARC to Bluetooth (I like bluetooth wake up option which means that you can turn-on receiver with your smartphone bluetooth connection, you just have to play some music and the system wakes up). Display gives many information, settings are perfectly organized, gives many listening modes, has separate buttons on remote to adjust bass and dialog (very useful for documentaries) and really gives bass that you can feel. It has much punchier and stronger sound than Marantz and with it's abilities and options is more appropriate for home theater than music lovers. With working ARC I was able to get DD+ sound from Netflix (you cannot have this with optical cable). Since my priority is HT it's was an easy decision to return Marantz. Cant find any flaws, works like a charm and shakes the house

 

[Bluemanta]

HI All,

Not sure if you already solved the issue.

I just got the C9 and had no issues connecting the TV to my Marantz SR5013.
In fact the CEC is implemented much better by LG than my older Samsung F8500 Plasma. When turning on the TV it automatically turns on the AVR and switch it to TV Audio. Turning the TV off turns the AVR off as well

Regarding the ARC it didn't work out of the box, but once I switched the TV to PCM (settings > Sound > Sound Output) the sound came on.

If you tried that and it didn't work, the issue may be with your Hdmi cable. I am using HDMI over Fiber cable from Celerity.

 

[jwsg]

With the C8 it was essential to have the audio setting changed from PCM to auto.

PCM is suitable only for a simple stereo amplifier which does not understand bitstream formats. Auto allows DD+ and therefore Atmos over ARC. It should not make ARC start working by selecting PCM.

The ARC/CEC implementation on recent LG is quite strong and works well with Denon and therefore ought to be fine with Marantz. The best time to select ARC is first time setup, people wrongly advised to go optical seem to have a harder job changing all settings to ARC later.

Keeping CEC on at TV and receiver is needed to make the most of ARC. Many people turn CEC off for devices or fit a Lindy CEC blocker and use a multi-device remote to control devices.

If CEC/ARC does go wrong its usually possible to recover by a power down and unplug power and HDMI, followed by a gradual re-connection of the system.