Price Paid:  $600.00 from ebay

Summary:
Ok I'm finally writing my review on this reciever.I have heard many rumours about the wpc this amp puts out,it is rated at 140 wpc,no more no less.And does more than it's rated power in many reviews and tests.I weighed this reciever on a medical bar scale just to put an end to the anywhere from 49 to 55 lb. weight guess by many,my SR-18 weighs in at just a hair over 60lbs.I don't understand the problem many have had with the OSD control,it's pretty common sense.The sound this bad boy produces is the best I've heard so far,I'm by no means an audiophile yet,I've owned mostly entry to mid level AVR's so this is a step past the mid and into high as the reviews and price suggest.I have had no problem with this unit and the first owner who I know well has never had a problem with it either,so if you have a bad unit there is no need to bash the company,all companies produce lemons.I haven't heard many people that have had any problems with this reciever.This AVR delivers with authority and clarity,you won't be sorry you bought this.

Strengths:
power and grace and sexy!

Weaknesses:
Wish it had HDMI switching

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer Elite
Yamaha
Denon

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Secher Audio

Summary:
What a great unit. When I first got it, it was the answer to all my audio prayers. Powerful, great sounding with ever feature you can imagine. The ONLY downside being the remote control which is too top heavy.
Once out of warranty however, things started going wrong. A "pop" through the rear speakers and the sound would go dead. You could usally fix this by switching inputs back and forth or turning the unit off, waiting a minute and turning it back on. After a few days waiting a minute becomes 5 minutes to 15 minutes then it's dead. I've had it "fixed" twice at half the cost of a new unit. It's the DSP board or something and always seems to fail just after the service warranty runs out. It has just done it for the 3rd (and final time). I want to scrap it - the distributor in Australia can't fix it properly and has not answered my emails (is anyone from Marantz Global reading this?? - maybe you can help me?). This, I guess is the same story with all Marantz equipment. Honestly, I bought this looking for 10 years of life before updating (like I got with the Pioneer VSX 9900s I "upgraded" from).
So, I'm left with a very expensive doorstop. Hey, it's a nice looking doorstop!

Strengths:
Looks, Power, inputs

Weaknesses:
Remote control, reliability. repair service

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer VSX9900s

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Price Paid:  $1000.00 from ebay

Summary:
Great unit, great power for home use. Lots in reserve. Lots of functionality, well laid out, built to last.

Strengths:
Quality built, lots on power, programmable remote.

Weaknesses:
One set on analogue inputs, cannot have SCAD and DVD audio inputs at the same time. Slight problem with the display.

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $2000.00 from Dealer

Summary:
This is an awesome receiver. I never would have thought this much clean power could come from a receiver without having separates. Great for movies as well as music.

Unlike previous reviewer claims, you can use preamp outputs to play sub as well as use full-range speakers for front channels.

Strengths:
Very powerful and clean-sounding amp, many features and A/V setup options. Beautiful piece of equipment. Remote can control more components than I will ever own!

Weaknesses:
Nothing with receiver, but owner's manual somewhat difficult, probably due to translation errors.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha, Denon

Price Paid:  $1450.00 from Used from a gentlema

Summary:
Well this is not your typical receiver ...you know that you're dealing with something special just from the sheer mass and beautiful looks ...there's no point in repeating all the praise that has already been said about the SR-18 ...it is so good that you will cry when you experience it ...this is the kind of thing you buy and don't get rid of ...it is THAT good! ...do yourself a favour and have some competent speakers that can fully compliment the SR-18's amazing ablities ...also, this receiver stays SO composed at high volumes ...no strain whatsoever which makes me believe there is some serious amperage (current) going through this beast ...i'm guessing over 10 A for sure ...honestly though, this was my best and smartest purchase so far in my relatively short life but i definitely won't be having it for a short time ...actually i highly doubt that i will part with it ever ...it is that good ...go listen and see for yourself ...don't be a fool and buy a Yamaha or Denon or Onkyo or anything else that tries to be as good as Marantz ...i can't wait to get my Energy Veritas speakers ...then i will be dreaming i think

Strengths:
seemingly endless list i'm afaid

Weaknesses:
nothing that would affect the sound quality ...that's for sure ...perhaps minor things like the owner's manual but i didn't really have a problem ...it's all common sense anyways ...the weight distribution of the remote is not that great... it's like 80/20 in favour of the top due to the batteries ...oh well ...remote is still fantastic

Similar Products Used:
there isn't much to compare to for this kind of money ...comparable sound quality demands ALOT more of your hard earned cash