Price Paid:  $900.00 from Singapore

Summary:
Nicely built. Coming with two remote controllers.
Stereo sound good with a little laid back feel.
Surrond sound is poweful and detail. Classic Marantz sound too.

Strengths:
1)Nicely built which gives a macho look, and I can hardly find another AV amp looks better than it when comparing price to price.
2)It's a true 7.1 channel AV amp, it do simulate 7.1 channel sound even you use a 5.1 source material. The auto position calibration is easy to use and accurate.
3)Upscaling video source to 1080p via HDMI 1.3a connection. Acceptable video quality via upscaling. Very good quality when connecting with Blu ray player.
4)Functions are easy to learn and use. It will be a good amp for home theatre.
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Weaknesses:
1)Sound a bit laid back when compared with Onkyo and Yamaha. Hence you may not like the Marantz AV amp if you prefer to have a direct and impact sound.
2)As usual, we cannot expect AV amp to sound as good as the stereo sound system. The buit in D/A converter, though acceptable for Dolby Digital and DTS, do not play well on stereo source. If you have a decent CD Player, do connect with analogue cables and do not rely on the AV amp's DA converter.
3)Dissipate many heat during DVD playback. Just get to know that the power consumption for this AV amp is almost double when compared with other brands of AV amp. Hence good ventilation is a must and unless you will to kill your CD or DVD player, do not put them on top of this heating machine.
4)Do not invest much on AV amp, they are too prone to technology upgrade and really depreciate to fast, to a speed which can rival your notebook pc.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha 2020, Pioneer 938TX, Pioneer AX-4i, Onkyo 606.