Lots of inputs and outputs, beautiful sound.

I don't like the overall appearance, but I won't hold that against it.

The Marantz was a truly great receiver, up there with the high-performance budget receivers. The back of the receiver was clearly labeled, but the only problem I had with it was hooking up the speaker wire. The binding posts were a little hard on my fingers, and a little close together. Overall, the Marantz is a good receiver that is well worth it.

design,high quality,clear sound,solid very powerful

none discovered yet

Marantz SR-880 MK II + Boston Acoustic sytem 9000
When can you tell that your home theater system sound really
best ???
My idea of perfection is when you can hear sound exactly as
is appear in natural life for example when you drive a car that has all windows closed and having some conversation with, say two other passengers that riding with you and you
Suddenly open a one window, you will hear first voices coming from different sides of the car interior and then sudden noise from outside.
This is only one example that I experienced on my MARANTZ I tested out many receivers and none absolutely
none sound the way I described above.
People may think I'm some kind of "hometheater maniac" but
I'll say when you buy something - buy something GOOD !!!
I recommend this equipment to every one that appreciate HIGH
STANDARTS AND QUALITY !!!

Similar Products Used:

yamacha,sony,denon

Great sound, not sharp or tinny. Easy setup, great remote.

Maybe not enough inputs? No 5.1 inputs.

This is a great receiver. It sounds just slight worse then my Hafler preamp. I still run it through a Hafler XL280 amp for the front mains. It was easy to set up and of course the RC2000mkII is great.

I had a Sony DB930 for two weeks before getting the Marantz. I'm glad I got the Sony locally so I could return it. It buzzed, the CD input didn't work and the remote was from hell.

I got the Marantz from Harvey online for under $700. Setup was easy, I had the whole thing done in a fews easy hours. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of some other receiver, but who actully uses things like the Stadium setup on the Sony?

If want a mid price unit, this is a great receiver to look at.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DB930

Just picked up the piece on Friday and got it to work on Saturday night after going thru the manual thoroughly. Very nice clean sounding piece. I have tested similar pieces from Onkyo, Pioneer and kenwood. I like this one alot, especially the new remote it comes with RC SR-18. I think it's the latest after the RC-2000MKII. It comes with the DTS function on the remote. I have tested it with Dolby Digital(5), Pro Logic(5), very nice. I will check with DTS sometime this week and report back. As with anything, reviewing items such as this is subjective to individuals preference. I have never owned a Marantz piece, but it seems to me that Marantz makes quality products. I would give this piece a Rating of 4.0 out of 5, it would have been a 5, but it does not have a built in RF Demodulator. Also, not testing it for DTS.

I am just now selling my SR-880. I have had it for two years and enjoyed it the whole time. I compared it to every other receiver out there (pretty much literally) in the price range when I bought it and it was hands down the best. I am parting with it now only because I am investing significantly more money into a straight stereo system since I found that I am much more of an audiophile than a videophile. Yet this receiver did satisfy my audiophile tastes for some time. I would recommend it to anyone.
P.S. The RC2000 remote is going to be as hard to live without as the receiver

I listened to the Nakamichi AV-10, Rotel 965, several Denons, and the Marantz 880Mk II before deciding on the Marantz. The reasons I went with the Marantz included the overall build quality, the DTS capability, the "clean" sound free of background hiss, the easy to navigate OSD, the great remote, and a price that was very close to the less expensive units I demoed. The dealership I bought the unit from(Definiive Audio) is also first class and stands behing the products they sell; I have been a customer of theirs since 1987.
My home theater setup consists of Paradigm Monitor 5's up front, Paradigm CC350 center, Paradigm Titans for the rears, Tributary cables, and Pioneer DVD 414. This is a clean sounding, versatile system that is great for a mid level system for HT and audio.

Clean sound

None found so far

I finally gave up on affordable high-end surround sound and decided to run seperate sytems for movies and stereo. I bought the Marantz on the advice of an audio salesman I trust. Much to my surprise when I connected this into my existing speaker system the Marantz not only delivered the goods on movies, but also doesn a very credible job on stereo sources too. It isn't as good as the Adcom GFP 555 and GFA 5500 it replaced, but that would be asking too much anyway. Now I have a killer surround sound system and a killer stereo in my home office. The Marantz even drives the 4-ohm Magneplanar MMGs with no problem.

Associated home theater equipment:
Magneplanar MMG front channel speakers
Definitive Audio center channel speaker
Snell E III rear channel speakers
ACI Quake subwoofer
Sony DVD player

Home office equipment:
Adcom GFP 555
Adcom GFA 5500
Marantz CD 63
Snell Type M speakers

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned various Sony, Nakamichi, and Yamamha receivers

I just got this unit in replacement of the HarmanKardon AVR65. The AVR 65 has many problems that HK still has not resolved. The Marantz SR880 MKII is a great piece. Very solid build and nice features. The remote that it comes with is basically the god of all remotes. It's the RC2000. Although it is a little bulky and confusing! But it has these Macro keys that allow you to program the remote to do like 20 things in sequence. For example, turn on the receiver, turn on the DVD player, turn on the TV, put the TV to channel 3, set the receiver to DVD, adjust the volume of the receiver, and play the movie... all with one push of a button! The only complaints about this receiver is that it is not "future" ready... it doesn't have the 6 channel direct inputs. Oh well... AC-3 and DTS should be sufficient for quite a while. Other than that, it sounds very, very clean and accurate. One thing for example is if I turn the volume all the way up to its highest position when there is nothing being played, there is no hiss at all coming from the speakers! Nothing! With my AVR65 if I did that, there was the normal hiss and/or hum that would come from the speakers. I would recommend this receiver to anyone looking for a high-end home theater piece. The only reason I give it 4 stars is that it is not "future" proof (no six channel direct inputs).

Got this unit 3 weeks ago, I am very happy with it. The dolby digital has excellent seperation and it was fairly easy to balance it for my room. A big plus with this unit is the remote, it is one of the best learning remotes I have ever used and can honestly replace all the functions of other remotes. The manual is pretty bad, but luckily its not needed that much; also there is no info on the unit on their web-site. Sound wise I would give this unit five stars, I'm giving it four because of the poor manual, and the lack of optical out (for hooking upto a DAT recorder).