Price Paid:  $600.00 from Botman

Summary:
I bought the receiver for a fair price(got free speakers) and I never had any regrets. I consider myself a audio enthusiast but due to cashproblems (I'm a student) I cannot afford high-end stuff.
The receiver is a no-nonsense one which is built to last. The first few months I used my stereo video for the surround effects and was quite satisfied. But when I hooked up my brand new Marantz DV3100 dvd-player and turned the switch from Pro-Logic to the dolby digital mode I was immediately blown away by it's awesome sound.
I use JBL SCS175 home theater package which is good enough for the small livingroom I have.

Strengths:
Audio quality as well as video (both prologic and digital) are superb.

Weaknesses:
cheap plastic looks, no phono, no DTS

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha, Denon

Price Paid:  $330.00 from Stassen HIFI

Summary:
Great value for money Marant Reciever, it's 60 watts per channel is 60 Marantz-watts and not cheap sony, pioneer or kenwood watts. People who say it lacks power, compare this reciever to a 100 watt per channel of one of the brands above, the Marantz will defeat 'm all.

The HIFI sound is excellent like expected, great punch en enormous good bass quality. Combined with a pair of good speakers you will not feel the need for buying an equaliser, it just sounds great.

The best about this reciever is that it sounds great with cinema and great with HIFI. The DD decoder is great, I use five full range speakers and the Marantz has no problem controlling them, even at very high volumes. Because I'm using full range speakers, combined with good bass-quality from the Marantz a subwoofer is really not necessary.

I still enjoy this reciever every day and I think it's my best buy in years.

I use the Marantz with Alternating Gain studio MKII speakers, these have an outstanding sound quality and are very compact.

Strengths:
pefect Marantz 'warm' sound, great programmable remote, build to last, excellent DD decoder, easy to use

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood, Pioneer

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Vink Beeld&Geluid, Groningen, NL

Summary:
This piece of equipment meant my entrance in the HiFi-world and it does just that: with its smooth, detaild, well-rounded, punchy sound it provided enduring listening pleasure. Surround is OK. It was at bargain end of line like price and for the money it did what I expected it to do. Recent stuff is better but avoid Sherwood. I'm going to sell it now for the purest (I hope) of listening experiences in this class: the PM6010 OSe. I became an addict thanks to it, it's deserving of a thorough listening session as it goes away for almost nothing and will give you an insight of what HiFi is all about, still absolutely not disappointing with ProLogic and DD but maybe there it could do with a little more bite 'n' clarity.

Tremendous stuff! Nothing at the price comes near!!!

(by the way: avoid names like AudioTechnology Acoustic Monitor. I was given one of them and it's AWFULL. Should be given money to get rid of them. Nice for kids.

System:
Marantz SR590 A/V receiver
Marantz CD5000 spinner
Marantz SD2020 cassette (SlimLine: wonderfully put together!)
vdHull speaker cable
Cambridge linking
Bose 301 MkI speakers (too wooly)

Strengths:
Smooth, rounded, detailed sound with music, exciting with movies both ProLogic and DD

Weaknesses:
noise (85dB s/r ratio) a problem with every surround piece of equipment, slight bass exaggeration, lacks a little power with very elevated listening levels

Similar Products Used:
neolithican stuff

Summary:
xcsd

Strengths:
Realy nice machine. Good hifi sound and realy easy to use.

Weaknesses:
Some think that because this system hasn't got DTS is a problem. I ask those peolpe, why do you want DTS if there isn't any nice title on DTS.

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo TXDS-555

Summary:
As we know, Marantz had some problems with economy but when Philips buyed the company there is not any problems of that.

At first look SR-590 reciever looks very cheap but when you take a closer look you will se how great building quality is on this reciever. Everything is well done, conections avery little detail is similar to the machines in other much higher pricerange. Remote is aweful but very advanced, you can control everything with it because it´s learnable. Lot of buttons and almost every button can have up to 7 functions. ;)

Connectors: Gold plated front AUX connectors, Optical in, Coax in, RF in, CD in, Tape 1-2 in/out, AuX in, LD in VCR2/DVD in, VCR1 in/out, 4 video in, video out, Monitor out, 5.1 pre out.

Reciever has a "real" volume controler, as u maybe know decibels hmmm this is hard to explain. But i will try to explain it more practical, if you are listening to the cd and volume is 60 / 100, it sounds very high BUT not on this reciever. when you get it on 70 /100 there is more much more power and 75/100 it´s laud, 77/100 even lauder, 80/100 much more lauder, 95 /100 very laud but on marantz very very crisp even at 100/100. In beginning it´s very hard to get used to it but that´s the only right way it should be.

This reciever is realy nice to music listening, **** stars.!!

Dolby Dgital, Home Cinema:

I use it with a Pioneer DV-525 and optical interlink, they work fine together. DD sound it´s crisp and clear and the power is enough. This reciever it´s build to have a natural and warm sound. perfect for movies, ***** stars!!

I compared it with a yamaha Rx-V595A. Yamaha it´s more tech. advanced and built "only" for Home Cinema, the worst it´s speaker connections and Hi-Fi sound. Dolby digital and DTS it´s working fine and there is many settings (advanced , u need a manual to understand them). Yamaha is not user friendly, u must even have a remote to control some of standard functions. But it´s good piece of equipment specially for Home Cinema.

Strengths:
Quality, Easy to use (u don´t need the manual), connections, Fan cooled

Weaknesses:
no s-video, no phono, no DTS

Similar Products Used:
yamaha rx-v595a