remote of the gods, good sound quality, preamp outs

No DTS, No digital switching, and wastes a digital in on Laser Disc

This unit is very versitile. It has served me well as I added DVD, upgraded speakers, added an outboard amp and sub. I think it sounded good with the internal amps through my Vandy's, but is better with the Classe.

I AM IN LOVE with the remote, and have encouraged several others to buy it separately ($175 on ebay).

I bet two channel sound will improve when I eventually go with separates, but for a receiver, I have been very happy.

A tip on getting the best sound from your center channel (recommended by Richard Vandersteen): I tested my center response with my system set up with the sub getting the .1 sub output. No matter whether I set the center to large or small, I had a big bass gap (40-80hz), since my sub is set to put out from 20-40 (for best blend in 2-ch), and the center speaker only reaches to 80. I solved this problem by sending the Right and Left outs to the sub. Now, with the receiver set for "no sub", that missing bandbass of 40-80 gets reproduced by the L&R speakers.

Assoc Equip:
Vandersteen 2ce, VCC-1
Velodyne FSR-15
Classe CA101
Sony ES90 and 70 megachangers
Pioneer 515 dvd
Marantz 630 pro cdr

Awesome remote, easy to set up/use.

Have to manually hit a button on the unit for Toslink every time, gets annoying when you're kicked back in a chair.

I love this thing! Even though it's not perfect, it has everything I was looking for and more. No DTS? Big deal. I strongly recommend a very good set of interconnects, as this component will let you hear and appreciate what you've been missing with lesser equipment. As for the higher than most price I payed, reason was I bought this about 3 mos. after it came out, and worth every penny. For being rated at 80 WPC, this sucker doesn't even break a sweat. Put it this way, I've had it pushing over 105db through the mains, clean as a whistle, with a lot left in reserve.

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none, first really good piece of equipment I've ever owned.

Sound, remote and S-Video switching

Lack of digital inputs

Got a great buy on this when the 7000 came out. Short on digital inputs (one coaxial and one optical)but great sound! The remote is exceptional and easy to use. On music, it will let you hear the flaws in your recordings. On DVD's it just blows you away. If you can still find one, remember the remote alone is worth $200.

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Yamaha, Onkyo

Good , clear sound. Good programmable remote. saves the frustattion of searching for all the remotes. One remote does all the work.Great for Dolby Digital.

Sadly doesnot recognize the input type ie optical or coxial for dvd players.

Denon AVR600 was my first venture into Home Theaters. Then came the upgradation of the speaker system. Believe me, the combination of Marantz with a complate B&W setup rocks. Also the facility to direct LFE signals to the front speakers is great.I think the multi room feature is cool. The sound of my system is good even if i am playing Movies or listening to music. The receiver is crystal clear and makes a hell lot of difference when listening to Beethovan symphonies. Just dim the lights and let the music liven you up. You can actually feel like you are in the center seat. It is just Great. My Combination is Marantz 780 with B&W 603 S2 (front) , B&W CC3 (Center) and B&W 302 (Surround). It is just great.

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Denon Dobly Prologic Receiver (AVR600)

Very good muicality, quality unit throughout.

5-way binding posts too far apart to accept dual bananas.

Very good unit overall. Will probably need to upgrade speakers to get any better sound quality out of it.
Seems pretty neutral and transparent.
Very "fun" unit.

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Sony A/V reciever

My year long search for the best $3k I could spend on a receiver and speakers ended a month ago. (My speakers are B&W and Velodyne) The receiver finalists included Denon, Yamaha, Sony, Onkyo and even B&K 4090 w/ AV5000 amp. I tested the $1200 Denon 3200 vs. the $3200 B&K separates just to make sure I wouldn't have buyers remorse. Did an A/B with the Outbreak DVD. I could tell a difference ~5% of the time. The machine gun fire was a little more intense and the high energy scenes had a little more punch. Keep in mind the B&K has 5x100 Watt separate amp. Now you should be able to tell a difference by spending $2k more. It just wasn't enough for me to justify more money. (I never did A/B them with audio because that isn't my main use of the system. I say that b/c I'm told that is where the B&K would shine.)
The final two were the Denon 3200 and Marantz 780 (Just released 11/97 with the 2nd generation RC2000 remote). Both of these units had a $1200 retail price tag. This site is very pro-Denon so I was even a little biased going into it. I listened to takes of several DVD titles and did not come away with a clear victor. That takes me to the features. The Denon will accept an outboard DTS decoder, there is a company in CA that will install an internal decoder to the Marantz for ~$300. That's a toss up. The last thing to compare was the remote. The Denon has an adequate learning remote, the Marantz has the brand new 2nd generation of the RC2000. They learned from their mistakes on the 1st one and added channel buttons to the main set and moved the buttons around to a more user friendly configuration. I picked the Marantz. Not because of the remote, but because it was the last item in a series of tie-breakers. The Denon 3200 deserves a nice round of applause. I can say nothing bad about it. I give this 5 stars.

I have had the 780 for almost a year now. I had initially purchased a demo model of the 870 which is a wonderful Pro Logic model with the first generation RC-2000 remote. Shortly after however, I got a DVD player (Sony DVP-S3000) and decided I had to have Dobly Digital.
I took it back to the store and they gave me my full credit towards the new 780. Try that with OneCall...

The 780 came out after Marantz's initial DD receiver, the 880. The 880 is still listed as the flagship model but I think the 780 is a more desirable unit. When I bought it, only the 780 came with the revised remote. I'm sure that has changed. The 880 sends 110 watts to the front 3 and 60 to the surrounds, a nice setup for Pro Logic. The 780 has equal power to all 5 channels, a more optimal setup for Dolby Digital.

The thing is a beast, built rock solid. Playing thru an Energy Take 5 speaker system with a Cambrige Soundworks Powered Sub, it sounds wonderful at low to moderate listening levels. The Energy's become a bit strained at macho man levels but with 2 small children, I rarely get to play it that loud.

With this setup, I'd say it sounds better on music than movies, and it sounds pretty great on movies. With 85 quality watts all the way around, there is no shortage of power.

I have found this to be a very versatile receiver, especially with the multi-room capability. Sending a pre-out signal to an NAD amp, I can let the kids watch a movie in the living room and listen to music on the patio at different volumes.

The remote is everything that has been written about it. My only complaint is that it is too top heavy and does not sit comfortably in one hand. The backlight is a godsend. The onscreen menus are nice but it would be nicer to be able to QUICKLY exit them without backscrolling thru 2 or 3 menus.

The only problem I've had is that the front panel video jack does not seem to work. Initially, I thought one of the rear panel AC jacks was faulty. I have a fan hooked up to a switched outlet and found that sometimes it would shut off and sometimes it would not. No problem actually. When the multiroom is turned on, the outlets stay on and audio signals are still passed thru even if the main receiver is turned off. A nice touch.

$1,200 a year ago seemed reasonable. The 3 year warranty is very nice. Would I pay $1,200 today for the same thing? I think so.

The 780 is the cleanest sounding, most accurate receiver I've ever owned or heard. After listening to receivers for several months (Sony, Onkyo, HK, Kenwood, Denon, Yamaha) and making arrangements (Conditional purchase)to try finalist in my home I returned two (Denon 3200, Yamaha 2092)I settled on the 780. It has more inputs than you would ever normally need - all types.I even preferred it over the 880. The remote was not a consideration since I thought it would be the remote from hell. It appeared so complicated. Much to my supprise it really is the "remote of the gods". It works great. It learned the codes of all my other components quickly and easily. The OSD is a real necessity until you learn how the menus work. One complaint the directions for connecting the receiver to the TV so that you can display the OSD characters was the bare minimum - "the OSD characters are available from the TV MONI output jacks.

Bought the sr780 love it so far. Question: Was it worth more than the denon avr-3200? I paid 840 for the marantz. Can getb the denon for 650. BUt so far so good

I've had my 780 for almost 2 years now..I jumped on the dvd bandwagan as soon as they came out & needed a dolby digital reciever...& this thing just rocks...there is a whole bunch of new dolby digital recievers but for the money this is still as good as it gets. It's easy to use has all the jacks you'll ever need & sounds great...I had been using it with some old advents but I kept reading about magnepan mmg's so I tried a pair of them & sold the advents the next day...the maggies are awesome with this reciever. All of my friends agree this is quite a great set up for such a respectable price.