Onkyo PR-SC5508 vs Marantz AV7701 - please help with final processor choice

Which processor should I go for - sound quality being the most important factor?

  • Marantz AV7701

    Votes: 5 83.3%
  • Integra DHC80.3

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other options with Balanced XLR output - pl. write in your choice in the thread

    Votes: 1 16.7%

  • Total voters
    6

intgenx

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Folks,

I seem to need some help with finalizing between the following 3 options:

1. Marantz AV7701 - about US$1700, including customs duty and shipping
2. Onkyo PR-SC5508 - about US$2500, including customs duty and shipping from UAE
3. Integra DHC80.3 (or Onkyo PR-SC5509) - about US$2600, including customs duty and shipping from

(The DHC60.5 is not available yet outside North America and Taiwan - so I'm forced to look at the above options)

Background: I'm based in India (220V-50Hz AC). My mains (L/C/R)- Neumann KH310 (Active 3 way, balanced XLR inputs). Not yet decided on the surrounds - will add them later... These will be sitting in an untreated, reflective apartment living-room and in a couple of years move to a dedicated HT room (with some treatment).

Sound Quality is the top-most priority. Usage will be Music 70%, Movies 30% - played through a HTPC from media files stored from hard-disks or streamed through.

The PR-SC5508 and PR-SC5509 (Integra DHC80.3) have the following factors in their favor:
1. Audyssey MultEq XT32
2. Sub-Eq
3. 32 bit DACs
4. 2 USB inputs - makes it easier to have 2 disks connected
5. 9.2 Ch

The following factors are against the Onkyo/Integra:
1. Does not offer 4k Pass-through - again not sure if its a simple firmware upgrade or the whole video-card needs to be changed? anyways I don't plant to get a 4k display in the next few years - its still nice to know it will be covered when I do get it... but who knows what will happen to HDMI standards at that point - and by then HDBaseT (found on the DHC60.5) may be the standard.
2. The price is considerably higher than the Marantz.

The Marantz AV7701 has the following factors in its favor:
1. Lower price - a preferred price point for me (considering I've already spent around US$7k for just the LCR)
2. Available locally with better dealer support network than the Integra which is available only in the UAE.
3. 4k pass-through

The following factors are against the Marantz:
1. No Audyssey MultEq XT32 or Sub-Eq
2. 24bit DACs
3. only 7.2 ch

Not sure how to compare the THD and other "performance" figures of the above.

I've also considered the following but dropped due to price or lack of a certain feature or availability or other considerations:
Sherbourn (Emotiva) PT-7030, XMC-1
Marantz AV7005, AV8801
Denon DN-500AV
Yamaha CX-A5000
Krell Foundation, Crestron, Anthem, Cary, Primare, Lexicon, Storm, Meridian
It is quite surprising that there no other processors in the US$2000 price range with balanced XLR output...

Could the experts and regulars of this forum help me make a decision on this decision?
Thanks in advance for any and all responses.
 
Last edited:
"The AV7701 has local support, the Integra doesn't". To me, that makes the question a no-brainer, regardless of whether the Integra sounds better, or has more features, or not. It is in fact the reason I will not consider Integra here (Switzerland), despite the excellent reviews.
 
Thanks Mark:

I agree with you... in fact for the DHC80.3 - I'd have to (or find someone to) make a special trip to UAE - whereas the AV7701 is available locally (but the key reason to consider a UAE purchase is the warranty support that I will get for the AV7701 is spotty/doubtful).

I'm being told that the Audyssey MultEq XT32 and Sub-Eq feature alone is worth the price difference between AV7701 and DHC80.3...especially considering my "untreated and reflective cement walls and marble flooring - apartment living room".

I realize the DHC80.3 is comparable to the predecessor of AV8801 than to AV8801 or AV7701

Unfortunately I do not want to step-up to the $3500 price bracket - in which case - AV8801 might be the first choice as it offers Audyssey MultEq XT32 and Sub-Eq and 4k pass through... At the $4000 price point other brands may enter the picture.

I also know the AV7701 is comparable to DHC60.5 which is not yet available anywhere but North America and Taiwan...

I really feel Marantz disappointed everyone by not offering the Audyssey MultEq XT32 and Sub-Eq in the AV7701.

The other features found in the DHC80.3 like 32 bit DACs, Built-in Blue-tooth, WIFI with DLNA, 2 USB inputs and 9.2Ch are all nice to haves... but its the lack of Audyssey MultEq XT32 and Sub-Eq that is causing me to hesitate with the AV7701...


so is the Audyssey MultEq XT32 and Sub-Eq alone the clinching factor (considering my setup location (apartment) and the powerful 270W active speakers) to take all the trouble (and higher price) to get the DHC80.3?
 
You can see my Avatar - a Quad ESL. When I bought my ESL-63, it had full local support. When it broke down, local support was deteriorating (they were using refurbished panels rather than new replacement parts), and now there is essentially none - although you can get a faulty device repaired through the shop who will ship it to Germany where you'll get non-original refurbished panels. Alternatively it could be shipped to Quad in UK, as I was doing - an expense that was not much lower than the repair itself (the speaker is too large to send by post).

When the Quad broke down last time round I decided not to repair but replace with new speakers. Does a current Quad ESL perform better than the equivalently priced Martin Logan (which I did buy)? Possibly, but I don't know. I didn't even audition it. Without local support there was no way I was even going to consider purchasing a Quad ESL.

But that doesn't mean you aren't going to have a different experience.

How's the local support for the Onkyo PR-SC5509? And what feature is it missing that you don't wish to consider it?
 
Although the Onkyo PR-SC5509 is available locally with pretty good support - I had dropped it because it was turning out to be almost the same price as the Integra DHC80.3 but lacked built-in WIFI/bluetooth. The Onkyo website does not list Sub-Eq as part of the 5509 - but I'm guessing it has it based on reading it elsewhere - and not sure what other features are missing - but my guess they are the same otherwise?

I may reconsider it - if the local dealer is able to drop the price of the 5509 down to slightly below the 80.3.
 
The Onkyo website does not list Sub-Eq as part of the 5509
The Onkyo web page clearly states that it has Audyssey MultEQ XT32, which is the Audyssey incarnation that incorporates subwoofers into the equation (comparison). Since neither the Onkyo PR-SC5509 nor the Integra DHC 80.3 offer built-in WiFi or Bluetooth, I don't understood your remark as to why you dropped it.
 
Thanks Mike. I stand corrected... yes it seems they both don't have Bluetooth or WIFI - I was mistakenly looking at the specs of the DHC60.5.

and yes.. the Sub-Eq is present in both.
This means PR-SC-5509 is identical to the DHC80.3 except for the facade and warranty (nmot sure about the internal parts etc)...

The PR-SC5509 is available at about the same price here in India with 1 year warranty. So that clears that difficulty of having to get the Integra from the UAE.

The new wrinkle is that the local Onkyo dealer has offered the PR-SC5508 for US$2000 (incl. taxes, shipping and duty) with 1 year warranty delivered immediately.

Since I don't plan to upgrade to a 4K or 3D TV for at least another 4-5 years - are there any other technical issues/bugs with the PR-SC5508 that were rectified in the PR-SC5509/DHC80.3?

Any reason why one shouldn't go for a PR-SC5508 - at this point - about 3 years after it was launched?
Other than 4k and 3D - what else will I be giving up/gaining with the PR-SC5508 vs the much newer Marantz AV7701?
 
Any reason why one shouldn't go for a PR-SC5508 - at this point - about 3 years after it was launched? Other than 4k and 3D...
The 5509 is supposed to be more reliable, less prone to failure, and less buggy than the 5508 it is based on and replaces. The Onkyo owner's forums have details.

Back in post 1 you rejected the Onkyo 5508 because it didn't have 4K, now it's irrelevant? (Post 1 also implied the 5509 didn't have 4K pass-through, but that's presumably a typo).
 
Thanks Mark... I'm willing to forego the 4k upscaling or pass-through provided I can find a good processor within my budget.
I'm still under the impression that the PR-SC5509 or DHC80.3 don't have 4k pass through... but have 4k up-scaling. Is 4k pass-through something that can be added by a firmware update?

Another question is if down the road I get a 4k TV or projector and if my HTPC can somehow output 4k video - will I somehow still be able to continue to use the non 4k processor for just surround processing? How would such a connection be setup? Will the Audio Return Channel come into play or will we need a separate "Video-Audio-splitter"?
Thanks again.
 
Thanks Mark... I'm willing to forego the 4k upscaling or pass-through provided I can find a good processor within my budget.
I'm still under the impression that the PR-SC5509 or DHC80.3 don't have 4k pass through... but have 4k up-scaling. Is 4k pass-through something that can be added by a firmware update?

Another question is if down the road I get a 4k TV or projector and if my HTPC can somehow output 4k video - will I somehow still be able to continue to use the non 4k processor for just surround processing? How would such a connection be setup? Will the Audio Return Channel come into play or will we need a separate "Video-Audio-splitter"?
Thanks again.
If a processor has an HDMI input chip that cannot accept 4K input, then 4K pass-through is not firmware updateable. I suggest you ask on an Onkyo forum for clarification of this question.

If you purchase a 4K TV or projector, it will be able to scale any supported lower resolution signal it is fed. The processor's 4K capabilities only become relevant if you purchase a 4K source device. In the event that you update your HTPC to support 4K output, you would indeed need to consider a graphic card with independent dual mode outputs, rather like the initial batch of 3D BD players, to be able to take full advantage of the new facilities. ARC is not relevant to this question.
 

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