Marantz SR7013 AV Receiver Review & Comments

Looking great. Nice choice of speakers. I have the SR7012 and find it very musical for stereo listening, but I do use an external power amp for my front speakers. I think it does a great job as a pre-amp. And movies sound awesome. Enjoy!
 
Yeah, heading there tomorrow, weather permitting. 5 year warranty as well.

They`re trading in my current AVR so saves any messing around trying to punt it on Gumtree.

Did you pick this up, in you're signature is says you have a Denon 4400, is this what you have traded in? Have you noticed any difference at all, they are very similar amps.
 
Did you pick this up, in you're signature is says you have a Denon 4400, is this what you have traded in? Have you noticed any difference at all, they are very similar amps.
No I didn`t mate. I stuck with the Denon for now as I`m going OLED this year with eARC so might get a Yamaha instead.
 
No I didn`t mate. I stuck with the Denon for now as I`m going OLED this year with eARC so might get a Yamaha instead.


OK mate fair enough.

I'm really on the fence with this, I'm happy with the 3300, but feel the pre-outs on the Marantz would be better for a power amp. I just don't know if it will be worth folking out £1000
 
Auro 3D, is there actually any (decent)content sold in the UK which has this? I have yet to listen to anything with it encoded, appears a waste of time
 
You can't go wrong with Denon & Marantz mid or high end AV receivers.
My SR8012 doesn't get enough use these days, but its a brilliant piece of kit with a wonderfully musical sound quality with 2 channel sources.

It does get a bit hot though (even at very low volumes) unless you use ECO mode.. and mine has 5" clearance!
With ECO mode on it thankfully runs quite cool, and I find that's fine for everything except big movie nights.

Heat is definitely something people should be aware of with AV amps & receivers.
Onkyo has no heating issues. I have aTX RZ 1100 beast with immense power and no matter how hard I push it, it never runs hot. A Denon 4400H I trialed for a little while was a different story. It ran very hot unless you engage ECO mode and keep the volume under 45 percent
 
Just moved from an Arcam AVR550 to this Marantz SR7013, and @Phil Hinton is definitely partly responsible for this step up/sideways because of this review! Amazing video review too, thanks so much for very obviously taking days to prepare that.

Initial impressions are very very good. Installation was simplicity itself. I'm still learning and attempting to extract the best from it. So far I think the Arcam's amplification is superior, but surround steering seems better, all after a 6-point Audyssey calibration.

Has anyone played with the Audyssey Pro app? £20 seems quite punchy when other very well experienced people have said it ought to be included. Personally I think the Marantz offers terrific value and I have no problem with spending a little extra to be able to tune the settings for a very awkward open plan space. This includes the ability to set thresholds on the upper frequency (same as DIRAC) so sound above this value does not get processed, allowing the speakers' characteristics to come through.

My biggest problem is slow/rollercoaster bass right now. You all know why that would be annoying to me (check my avatar)! So I'm hoping spending some time in the app will help here, however we're waiting for a huge curtain to arrive that will go across the reveal of a sliding door, so that will change the in-room response somewhat.

If anyone would like to know more about the SR7013 in particular (I know some people have very similar models, let's face it, it doesn't change much over time normally), fire away or catch me in a PM.

Thanks. :)
 
Just moved from an Arcam AVR550 to this Marantz SR7013, and @Phil Hinton is definitely partly responsible for this step up/sideways because of this review! Amazing video review too, thanks so much for very obviously taking days to prepare that.

Initial impressions are very very good. Installation was simplicity itself. I'm still learning and attempting to extract the best from it. So far I think the Arcam's amplification is superior, but surround steering seems better, all after a 6-point Audyssey calibration.

Has anyone played with the Audyssey Pro app? £20 seems quite punchy when other very well experienced people have said it ought to be included. Personally I think the Marantz offers terrific value and I have no problem with spending a little extra to be able to tune the settings for a very awkward open plan space. This includes the ability to set thresholds on the upper frequency (same as DIRAC) so sound above this value does not get processed, allowing the speakers' characteristics to come through.

My biggest problem is slow/rollercoaster bass right now. You all know why that would be annoying to me (check my avatar)! So I'm hoping spending some time in the app will help here, however we're waiting for a huge curtain to arrive that will go across the reveal of a sliding door, so that will change the in-room response somewhat.

If anyone would like to know more about the SR7013 in particular (I know some people have very similar models, let's face it, it doesn't change much over time normally), fire away or catch me in a PM.

Thanks. :)
Interesting that you moved from an AVR550 to a SR7013. Apart from the review what were the reasons? I tried a move from a SR7012 to an AVR550 but went back to my Marantz after a couple of weeks.

The MultEq Editor app is definitely worth the money if you want to fine tune the Audyssey results. It's now stable and useful (originally it had a habit of corrupting the files which meant you lost all the time and effort of doing the calibration). Perhaps as a result of this I always keep the base calibration file untouched and do changes on copies which makes it easy to have multiple variations on the frequency thresholds within which Audyssey operates and switch between them for comparision.

As for the cost it's no worse (in fact much better) than the NAD AVRs which ship with Dirac Lite and you have to pay another $99 if you want the full Dirac.

Changing the curves is a bit hard using a tablet and fingers though compared to Dirac on a PC with a mouse which is where this PC editor for the app comes in a treat ratbuddyssey a tool for tweaking audyssey multeq app files
 
I think any owner know the 'quirks' the Arcam trio of AVRs has, and I wanted to try something from D&M. As the Arcam is musical, that's why I leant more towards Marantz, and the SR7013 was the best fit.

Thanks for the pointer to ratbuddyssey, I'll have a read of that.
 
If anyone would like to know more about the SR7013 in particular (I know some people have very similar models, let's face it, it doesn't change much over time normally), fire away or catch me in a PM.

Thanks. :)

This is exactly the kind of thread I need right now so thank you for posting! My beloved Lexicon RV5 has died and is being sent away for repair (if it's repairable) tomorrow. So I've been looking at potential replacements and top of my list as they're well priced at the moment are the Arcam AVR550 and the Marantz 7013. I was considering the Denon 4500 too but a lot of the good folks on here were saying I'd probably need a 2-channel amp with HT pass thru for the music side of things so I was leaning towards Marantz as the Arcam's sound buggy. Very interesting that both yourself and Doug56hl above have moved from Arcam to Marantz.

I guess I'd better actually ask a question here! So, how is it for music? And how is it for movies for that matter? If anyone in the thread listens to records how is it for vinyl? Ive always struggled to get the best out of my vinyl even with an RP3 and Rega Fono going through the Lexicon so I'm hoping that if I do need to replace it with the Marantz then it will be an improvement.

Cheers
 
Very briefly, Arcam for music, Marantz for movies, but there's a catch to my answer: I haven't spent much time with the Marantz and know that I've got to take in-room measurements and tweak to get the best out of it. I had nearly 3 1/2 years with the AVR550 and spent many an hour in DIRAC Live doing all sorts of target curves and making adjustments and uploading them to the receiver, then listening for the changes. Very frustrating at times because some in-room response is not what you would expect, especially in my super awkward room! I eventually zero'd in on what sounded good to my ears as well simplifying, and settled in to enjoy music and movies. That's what it's there for!

I think an unbelievable combo would be a Marantz processor with Arcam power amps, but that's obviously a 2 box solution. Maybe even Yamaha with Arcam, not sure because I've never spent any time with Yamaha. And Kawasaki don't make amps! ;) Us Brits are amazing at amplifier design; it's just a shame we don't manufacture many any more. But user interface, firmware updates, processing capabilities, go Japanese.
 
I have a 7012 that I've also done some "beyond 7.1.4" stuff (using Pro Logic steering and matrixing to get a 11.1.6 speaker setup) and frankly, it sounds lovely in stereo mode with PSB speakers. The extra matrixed front wides and "dialog lift" feature (basically I send the L/C/R into the front height speakers at an amount that pulls dialog and front effects to about 40% of the screen height as if I had speakers behind the screen instead of below it) combine in stereo mode to create a sort of pseudo/partial line array with extra arrivals that remind me of my Carver AL-III dipoles upstairs in some respects. I can turn the effect off at a push of a button (heights/wides are powered by an older receiver using 7.1 inputs) and it's definitely cleaner/clearer with the extra speakers, which cancel some lower frequency reflections and add some extra arrival times to sound slightly more spacious in depth/width).

I definitely now enjoy listening to music in my home theater room a LOT more than when I had only a 6.1 setup in the same room. It's much closer to the sound quality I get upstairs with my Carver 6' dipole speakers. I don't credit all of that to just the Marantz AVR, though. The extra speakers clearly improve the overall stereo effect, so much so I rarely use DSU or even Auro-3D for 2-channel music. I get out-of-phase effects to the 90 degree point with speakers that are all in front of me. Of course, true Auro-3D music albums (e.g. Mando Diao's Aelita album) sound phenomenal with full surround.
 
I guess I'd better actually ask a question here! So, how is it for music? And how is it for movies for that matter? If anyone in the thread listens to records how is it for vinyl? Ive always struggled to get the best out of my vinyl even with an RP3 and Rega Fono going through the Lexicon so I'm hoping that if I do need to replace it with the Marantz then it will be an improvement.
Bear in mind in the following that I've got the older SR7012 rather than a SR7013 but going by comparisions with my SR7010 (that the SR7012 replaced) there is a similar sound across the Marantz 70xx model range.

I found the AVR550 a bit better than my SR7012 for music, seemed to be more engaging and cohesive.
Instruments sounded better defined and easier to follow. But rhythmically neither were as foot tappingly good as my 20+ year old cheap Kenwood stereo amp in another room using some even older Tannoy 613 speakers.

For movies the AVR550 seemed to have slightly better steering of effects and I did notice some things in soundtracks I hadn't before.

But at the end of the day the niggles of Arcam operation coupled with an annoying transformer hum meant I returned it. However, if I hadn't already got a Marantz sitting there/paid for and managed to get an AVR550 without the hum I could well have stayed with the 550.

In a situation of having to buy one or the other it would be a much more difficult decision to make especially with the SR7013 and the AVR550 being around the same price band at £1124 vs £1499.

Having said that the Marantz SR6014 offers much the same package as the SR7013, is newer and is also much cheaper than either at £864. If I had to buy an AVR now that would be the one I'd go for, especially as I bought both my SR7010 and SR7012 new for less than £900. It is the lack of the SR7014 replacement for the SR7013 which is keeping its price higher than it would otherwise be at this moment in time.
 
Thank you @Chester @MagnumXL and @doug56hl for the excellent replies. All very helpful. I think I’m definitely leaning more towards the Marantz than the Arcam now. It just sounds a lot less fiddly and is it will he used by the whole family I think the more simple the better in terms of operation.

Very interesting what you said Doug56hl about potentially going for the 6014, I do only have a small living room of about 3.5 x 4m and that could leave me some spare cash for adding a couple of Atmos speakers to my 5.1 set-up. However, I have always been led to believe that if you can push for more amplification then the extra headroom is worth it. As always it’s a tricky decision having never a Marantz AV receiver, let alone the difference between models. 🤔

Very much appreciate the advice everyone, if anyone has anything further to add it’ll be much appreciated. 😁👍

And Chester, a Kawasaki amp would be something special indeed, that would certainly make my Metallica vinyl sing! 🤘😎
 
Very interesting what you said Doug56hl about potentially going for the 6014, I do only have a small living room of about 3.5 x 4m and that could leave me some spare cash for adding a couple of Atmos speakers to my 5.1 set-up. However, I have always been led to believe that if you can push for more amplification then the extra headroom is worth it. As always it’s a tricky decision having never a Marantz AV receiver, let alone the difference between models. 🤔
The SR6014 is rated at 110W into 2 channels at 8 ohms vs 125W for the SR7013. Both have a 70% guarantee for 5 channels so that's 77W vs 87.5W. The 10.5W difference in output is nothing and would translate into a tiny fraction of a dB difference for in room loudness levels.

I find the SR7012 notional 125W more than adequate for my 4.4m x 3.8m room and usually have the volume set at -20db (except for Disney atmos where -14db to -12db is required to be the same as the -20db setting with other studios).

But there are other differences between the SR7013 and SR6014 apart from power and so I'd suggest you look into those and see if any of them would be important to you.
 
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Hi.
I have Onkyo 727 + Wharfedale diamond 10.7 +10.cs+10.1. Now this av receiver is around 900 pounds( in czechia its 1130 pounds) so i am thinking about upgrade. What do you think? Is this Marantz far better than my onkyo?
I still have plasma Samsung PS60e6500 so i dont need it coz 4k HDR etc. But of course i am thinking about new OLED :). Sorry for my English. I am from Czechia.
 
I went from Onkyo to Marantz 7012 and still regret it, I think Denon 4500 would be a better option to stay with the Onkyo sound, I found the Marantz to laid back, that's why I will move to Denon soon.
 
Denon a d
I went from Onkyo to Marantz 7012 and still regret it, I think Denon 4500 would be a better option to stay with the Onkyo sound, I found the Marantz to laid back, that's why I will move to Denon soon.

You do know Denon and Marantz receivers are nearly identical save the HDAM preamp section, right? Most people I've seen comment on the sound (technically amps should not impart their own sound to the signal) think the Marantz sounds better where they have heard a difference. The impedance from the HDAM module output is better for matching to most external amps as well from what I've read.

I've got a Marantz 7012 with PSB speakers (known for being very neutral/accurate in frequency response) and I wouldn't call it laid back sounding at all. My Carver AL-III ribbon speakers upstairs are a bit more laid back sounding to my ears in the treble, but not in a bad way (Carver TFM-35X x2 with custom active crossovers and Carver C-5 preamp).
 
I am going buy my experience, and I was disappointed comming from the Onky 906 to 7012 with MM7055 power amp , it just didn't have that in your face sound I liked with the 906.
 
I am going buy my experience, and I was disappointed comming from the Onky 906 to 7012 with MM7055 power amp , it just didn't have that in your face sound I liked with the 906.

Was that with or without Audyssey room correction enabled (or both?). Audyssey can greatly affect the treble (it was too in my face the first time; I had to run it again with the mic in slightly different places) so it can push it either way (it's also adjustable with the phone app to set any curve you like, really).

There's also a Cinema EQ setting that if turned on reduces the treble above 10kHz (for far-field movie soundtracks that are treble high) that could make a difference if it was somehow turned on while listening to music, etc.
 
Not sure if anyone is still watching this thread, my thoughts after owning the 7013 for six months is it's fantastic.
Have an LG CX, PS4, Switch and Oppo 203 all connected to the 7013 then a single HDMI to the TV.
Also have a Rega P1 connected.
Use the Oppo for CD listening as well, no connection issues, really lovely sound on everything, very happy.
Have B&W 600 series 5.1 speakers with 4 PSB Atmos upfiring speakers for 5.1.4
 
Glad you like it , my 7011 has been flawless , but I do miss my old Onkyo 906 on the performance stakes.
 
Not sure if anyone is still watching this thread, my thoughts after owning the 7013 for six months is it's fantastic.
Have an LG CX, PS4, Switch and Oppo 203 all connected to the 7013 then a single HDMI to the TV.
Also have a Rega P1 connected.
Use the Oppo for CD listening as well, no connection issues, really lovely sound on everything, very happy.
Have B&W 600 series 5.1 speakers with 4 PSB Atmos upfiring speakers for 5.1.4
Any chance of a pic of your B&W's with the PSB on top?
Thanks.
 

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