Marantz SR7015 AV Amplifier Review & Comments

Nice review thanks. Looks like there has never been a better time to purchase a multi channel amp/receiver.
 
Looks like there has never been a better time to purchase a multi channel amp/receiver.
Can't argue with that! The only possible reason to wait might be if you're planning to buy both next-gen games consoles, and thus could use two 8K HDMI inputs. Otherwise you can get amazing bang for your buck these days.
 
In the review did you use MultEQ XT32 flat or reference setting? and did you use the Dynamic EQ? I found the speaker levels that audyssey set for my subwoofer, to have very weak bass when not using the EQ. i have a marantz sr8015 so im just curious what you think sounded best?
 
In the review did you use MultEQ XT32 flat or reference setting? and did you use the Dynamic EQ? I found the speaker levels that audyssey set for my subwoofer, to have very weak bass when not using the EQ. i have a marantz sr8015 so im just curious what you think sounded best?
Personally I always use the Reference setting, and I don't use the Dynamic EQ setting. How effective Audyssey is will largely depend on your room, but have you tried moving the crossover settings up to let the sub do more heavy lifting at the low end?
 
Personally I always use the Reference setting, and I don't use the Dynamic EQ setting. How effective Audyssey is will largely depend on your room, but have you tried moving the crossover settings down to let the sub do more heavy lifting at the low end?

crossover is set to 80 hz and my svs pc4000 should have ample of power :)
 
on my old yamaha 3050, 80hz crossover was very good. audyssey sets my subwoofer almost 8 db lower then YPAO used to. I have redon the calibration 2 times, both times it sets it very low.
 
Audyssey XT32 room EQ correction will filter more of the low end output than Yamaha's YPAO room EQ correction. It could potentially be this room EQ correction that is altering your perception of the lower end frequencies?
 
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Audyssey XT32 room EQ correction will filter more of the low end output than Yamaha's YPAO room EQ correction. It sould potentially be this room EQ correction that is altering your perception of the lower end frequencies?

maybe:)
with master volume on 75 out of 98 i still find the bass impact in heavy LFE moments to be weak compared to my yamaha 3050.
 
Hi Mr Withers, will a video review be available any time soon
 
maybe:)
with master volume on 75 out of 98 i still find the bass impact in heavy LFE moments to be weak compared to my yamaha 3050.

Try turning Audyssey room EQ correction off just to see if that makes a difference. The only other thing I can suggest it that you manually configure the sub level on the AV receiver in accordance with your tastes. I'd not go crazy with this though or you may get more than you were bargaining for at higher listening levels during the portrayal of action films,

I'd also suggest you set the receiver's master volume scale to the relative to reference db scale as opposed to using the default absolute scale. This makes it a lot easier to ascertain the kind of levels you are experiencing relative to your primary listening location.
 
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maybe:)
with master volume on 75 out of 98 i still find the bass impact in heavy LFE moments to be weak compared to my yamaha 3050.

If you have aimed about ~78-80db at the on-screen setup phase for the subwoofer when you run Audussey then it should come back roughly -8db or so if you look "subwoofer level" from Marantz menu. Easiest way to check is to run 3mic positions and then press calculate. Then you can tweak this figure to your liking, normally boosting 3-6db for people who likes decent bass impact so you lower it to example -5db first. You can also tweak the level directly from phone app for the PC4000.

From SVS article: The desired AVR subwoofer channel level after running auto-set-up is in the -8 to -4 range (typically on a scale of -12 to +12).
 
@Steve Withers i may sound like broken record, but i hope we wouldn´t have to see these silly power output figures on AVF reviews. Some newer members might get wrong idea. :)

" The Marantz SR7015 is a nine-channel AV amplifier that employs discrete high-current power amplifiers on all channels, delivering 200W of power per channel. "
 
If you have aimed about ~78-80db at the on-screen setup phase for the subwoofer when you run Audussey then it should come back roughly -8db or so if you look "subwoofer level" from Marantz menu. Easiest way to check is to run 3mic positions and then press calculate. Then you can tweak this figure to your liking, normally boosting 3-6db for people who likes decent bass impact so you lower it to example -5db first. You can also tweak the level directly from phone app for the PC4000.

From SVS article: The desired AVR subwoofer channel level after running auto-set-up is in the -8 to -4 range (typically on a scale of -12 to +12).

i will try that
 
@Steve Withers i may sound like broken record, but i hope we wouldn´t have to see these silly power output figures on AVF reviews. Some newer members might get wrong idea. :)

" The Marantz SR7015 is a nine-channel AV amplifier that employs discrete high-current power amplifiers on all channels, delivering 200W of power per channel. "
I meant to include the word 'claimed' in that sentence but forgot. I've just added it.
 
@Steve Withers i may sound like broken record, but i hope we wouldn´t have to see these silly power output figures on AVF reviews. Some newer members might get wrong idea. :)
Marantz like Denon use a 70% guarantee of the claimed power rating in 5.1. Its all just pure marketing the 200w
 
The claimed 200 watt rating is actually relative to 6 ohm, 1 kHz, 1% THD 1 channel driven.

They don't give a rating for all channels, 9, 7 or 5 channels driven. The only realistic "real world" rating they provide is a rating relating to 2 channels driven:

  • Power Output (8 ohm, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.05% 2ch Drive) 125 W

As mentioned, Marantz do guarantee that their receivers will produce at least 70% of the 2 channel rated power for 5 channels driven.

70% Power Guarantee
Marantz has the 70% power guarantee, meaning that a minimum of 70% of the stereo power indicated in the specification section will be available when 5 channels are simultaneously used. A lot of misunderstanding about power rating has been created by claiming the highest possible output power as a unique selling point. Measurement often has been done on only 1 speaker drive, with lower impedance than 8 ohms and high THD (total harmonic distortion) acceptance. A standard THD value is 0.08%. The lower the better.


Their AV receivers have invariably attained this when independently bench tested.
 
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Gene got information from Marantz: SR7012 is able to deliver 90.5W x 5ch (72.4% of 125W) at THD+N =0.05% according to their test results. So this should apply to SR7015 aswell.
 
As mentioned in other threads i'm interested in the SR8015 for my 7.1.4 speaker set up. The other model I am considering is the Denon 8500. This review does colour my feelings regarding changing my present AV amp, my beloved Denon AVC A11XV, for a Marantz model with regards to upgrading to Atmos / DTS:X and up to date HDMI's but also the quality of its two channel sound. One of the reasons I bought my present Denon amp is that it got great reviews for its hi-fi credentials in Hi-Fi News all those years ago. That magazine rarely does reviews on AV amps even though it was with regards solely to its two channel reproduction. In fact I can't think of an AV amp since then that has garnered a review on its two channel sound from them.... Unless someone knows otherwise.

I will garner reviews from other respected and reliable sites, but in the meantime this was one of the more important one's for me. Therefore I thank you for your review "Count W". :thumbsup: Luv LT.
 
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@Steve Withers
Are you going to get the sr8015 to test and review? Was wondering if its worth an extra £1k over this one. I'm only using 5.1. Currently have the nr1608 and was thinking of upgrading to the big monster one.
 
If you don't think you'll need 11 channels built-in, then you may as well save some money and get the SR7015 instead. As far as I'm aware, the design and features are identical.
 
I'm under the impression that the topology of the SR8015 is different to that associated with the Marantz models below it? For instance, it has a centrally mounted toroidal transformer. Some of its components are specific to that model and the chassis is copper plated to better isolate the internal components. Whether this really makes a difference is subjective though. If there are any audible differences then they will be marginal, but isn't that the case will all things hifi and don't people spend inordinate amounts to attain these marginal gains?
 
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In the review did you use MultEQ XT32 flat or reference setting? and did you use the Dynamic EQ? I found the speaker levels that audyssey set for my subwoofer, to have very weak bass when not using the EQ. i have a marantz sr8015 so im just curious what you think sounded best?

Just some suggestions after experimenting, and taking to folks over the pond. Dependant on were Auydessy puts your sub, our friends suggest upping the sub 3/4 dbs dbs higher to compensate for lower bass. I dont use dynamic eq, but if you wanted you could try reference level offsets, to see if it improves the sound for you
 

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