Improved remote over SR5000
Source Direct Mode
Five Digital Inputs - 2 Digital Outputs
5 Channel Stereo
High quality audio circuitry

Remote's LCD Display not Backlit

I had purchased a SR-780 2 months ago about the time that the SR-5000 arrived in stores. The 780 performed well for Home Theatre at the time but realized I wanted newer features like DTS decoding, external 6 Ch Inputs, and extra Digital Inputs/Outputs. I returned the 780 and considered purchasing the SR-5000 but was turned off by the poor remote control that was included. I knew about Marantz's new SR-7000 and SR-8000 receivers from the little information provided by it's web site but no detailed specifics to base a purchase on.

After waiting to audition the SR-7000 I was glad I waited for it to arrive. This unit was a vast improvement from the SR-5000. Besides the extra power to all 5 amplifiers, the remote control supplied was a RC7000SR that performed similar to the RC2000MK2, scaled down slightly in size(easier to hold) and programmability but functional and ergonomic. Large LCD display is not backlit. Push buttons are luminous and readable for 10-15 minutes after the room is darkened. Would have preferred all backlit like RC2000.

Another surprise was the amount of digital inputs/outputs - 3 Coax and 2 Optical Inputs that are assignable to any external source. There is 1 Coax and 1 Optical Output to feed a digital recorder. This much digital switching will be more useful in the future as digital interfacing becomes commonplace.

Another feature on this unit that I liked was a "Source Direct" switch that bypasses tone controls and bass management for a more purist audio circuit path thru the receiver. I use this at times to listen to CD's thru the analog inputs and notice a sonic improvement.

The "5-Stereo" Surround effect is quite pleasing to hear at times. Fills the whole room with a balanced mix of 2 channel sound on 5 speakers and Sub.

I would recommend this receiver get serious consideration for it's high fidelity, flexibility, and ease of use compared to other brands in the same price range or higher. Anyone considering the SR-5000 should check out this model before they buy. The extra few bucks are worth it!

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR-780

Great sound, features and price.

The manual and no back lighting on the remote. Not a big deal though.

I bought this about a month ago. I find this receiver's sound very nice. It has much better and cleaner sound than my old Marantz Sr-770. It goes well with my Klipsch KLF-20's.

I definitely like the bass output of this receiver. It is quite good. I usually have to turn my sub down during movies because the explosions get a little loud. The remote is really cool and works well.

Anyway, I like it which is all that matters.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz Sr-770

Steady, clean power to speakers. Good remote. Great looks.

Most vague manual ever....some say too warm sounding.

The minor weaknesses are few with this great receiver:

-The manual is nearly useless in some areas and leaves others completely up to the user to figure out.
-Wish remote was backlighted...but still a great remote.
-The binding posts seem somewhat cramped to me...can be difficult to hook up speakers (especially with biwiring).
-Kind of heavy, but what do you expect for something this great.


And now the strengths of this baby:

-Truly 100 watts * 5 channels.
-Low Total Harmonic Distortion.
-Delivers the material to the monitors clean and true.
-Solid design and looks.
-Can crank the volume up without distortion or clipping (assuming the speakers can handle it).
-Remote controls everything you have hooked up to it.
-Sounds better the longer you listen to it.
-Can turn display off so that light won't disturb movie watching.
-DD and DTS decoding are perfect.
-On screen display.

I've only had this a few days, and I love it more each minute. It produce just the right amount of warmth to complement my somewhat bright sounding B&W speakers.

My system:

Technics 60 disc changer
Panasonic RV-30(DVD player)
SR-7000
B&W 602 s2 for mains.
XPHP monster cable (biwired to speakers).

My center, surrounds, and sub are nothing to speak of...I'm still in the process of upgrading my system to all B&W speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood VR-407 (though I really wouldn't compare the 2)

Steady, clean power to speakers. Good remote. Great looks.

Most vague manual ever....some say too warm sounding.

The minor weaknesses are few with this great receiver:

-The manual is nearly useless in some areas and leaves others completely up to the user to figure out.
-Wish remote was backlighted...but still a great remote.
-The binding posts seem somewhat cramped to me...can be difficult to hook up speakers (especially with biwiring).
-Kind of heavy, but what do you expect for something this great.


And now the strengths of this baby:

-Truly 100 watts * 5 channels.
-Low Total Harmonic Distortion.
-Delivers the material to the monitors clean and true.
-Solid design and looks.
-Can crank the volume up without distortion or clipping (assuming the speakers can handle it).
-Remote controls everything you have hooked up to it.
-Sounds better the longer you listen to it.
-Can turn display off so that light won't disturb movie watching.
-DD and DTS decoding are perfect.
-On screen display.

I've only had this a few days, and I love it more each minute. It produce just the right amount of warmth to complement my somewhat bright sounding B&W speakers.

My system:

Technics 60 disc changer
Panasonic RV-30(DVD player)
SR-7000
B&W 602 s2 for mains.
XPHP monster cable (biwired to speakers).

My center, surrounds, and sub are nothing to speak of...I'm still in the process of upgrading my system to all B&W speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood VR-407 (though I really wouldn't compare the 2)

Excellent AV Amplifier Sr7000 Delivers power very well to all speakers with unbeliveable sound on DSTV,Satilite TV,DVD .Low current amplifer.

none as of yet

Exellent all rounder ,especially for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel

Sound quality, remote, digital inputs, reputation.

Using sub for non-HT forces compromises. no back light on remote. Manual is very weak. Have to use remote to get to some controls, while having to use unit directly for others.

Marantz SR-7000
Pioneer DVL-919
Acoustic Energy Aegis Three (L/R)
Acoustic Energy Aegis Center (C)
Paradigm PDR-12

Knowing that I use this website by looking for high averages and number of reviews when trying to narrow down my search for audio equipment, I felt the SR7000 deserved another 5-star review. In its class, I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything better, and definately few as good.

Nothing much new to add, but feeling this amp is a great product AND value, I thought I'd write about some things that might be harder to figure out or a little disappointing, at first, which could effect one's opinion of this unit. I think that if one goes into evaluating this unit having reasonable expectations considering the price, they will be very happy with it.

Pros:
Sound is subjective, so you'll have to listen and compare. However, I can say I haven't heard any hiss or hum that you might get with most inferior products. Increasing the volume seems to do just that - it gets louder, but the sound quality does not seem to change much - which makes me very happy. The unit feels very solid. Since I couldn't listen to everything, especially with the same set of speakers and/or listening environment, I looked for a unit with a solid reputation. I was considering Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo and Marantz. In the end, the dealer that had the speakers I wanted (Acoustic Energy - Aegis Three and Center...will review those next...) carried only Marantz and Yamaha (for my price range), and the Marantz seemed to have a better rep for music.

Cons and other comments:
I wish some of the controls were more easily accessed on the unit itself, like the basics - treble, bass, etc. Also I wish the Direct Sound setting was on remote (maybe it is, but I certainly couldn't find anything in the manual.) Didn't see a mono switch (which I've used in the past for testing). Didn't see a balance switch (but there'd have to be somewhere, right?). Pretty sure there's no A/B switch. Don't like having to use one remote position for turning up bass and a different one for turning it down (same for treble). However, these are things that are generally set and left alone / rarely used (I just leave everything flat, myself.)

I had some trouble setting the system up for my DVD because the manual was not very clear about details. I spent a decent amount of time reading and rereading the manual to try to figure out why I was only getting 2-ch instead of 5.1 ch from my DVD. Turned out the setting was on the DVD itself, but the manual was so limited, it wasn't clear at first. (Turned out my DVD has 2 PCM outs, one for older amps and one for newer, 5.1 amps). (Hard to blame Marantz for that one, but anyone who's (tried to) read the manual should understand - so much missing, it's hard to tell if it's because they forgot to put it in or if it doesn't exist.)

I noticed, as others did, that most CD's I have (using the analog inputs) will cause the PEAK indicator on the SR7000 to light, and it was very hard to find any information on what that meant. Once I found out about the attenuation, I still couldn't find out what it actually did. (I decided that for my purposes, I'd just use the digital out from the CD/DVD, and not worry about it - which is worse - analog with attenuation or digital without?).

I also was surprised to find that the control on the subwoofer was somewhat limited when not using 5.1 encoded. The system has a setup for LARGE vs. SMALL speakers. The manual says that it cuts off output at 100Hz for "SMALL" - from my listening, it seems to be doing more than just cutting the frequency - the sound gets really 'thin' (I apologize, but my audio-related adjectives are very limited, and probably not accurate). Since the Direct Stereo mode bypasses the LARGE vs. SMALL settings, I'm not surprised that some people have reviewed this amp as sounding MUCH better in direct mode. In the end, I decided my main speakers have enough bass for me, and I'd rather run the L/R in full range and have the sub soley as a discrete ch. for HT. (My L/R speakers are good down to about 33Hz, and cutting off at 100Hz took out too much good sound - I couldn't match the sub to sound as good as just running the L/R full range.)

Couldn't tell if the speaker binding posts take banana plugs or not. Again, it's not mentioned specifically in the manual, but the centers of the binding posts look like you might be able to pop them out with a small screwdriver. I haven't tried yet, but I'm not terrible optimistic.

So, with those points being said, please read the many other reviews if you don't understand my 5 Star rating. Again, for a sub-$1000 receiver, it's a great choice for both HT and music. (If music is really important, you may want to make sure you have L/R speakers that don't need a sub to sound good, or be willing to be creative in how you hook up the sub.)

Similar Products Used:

various Denon A/V receivers

sound quality

none

had to sell my B&K a while back for legal debts.I really liked that one alot.came time for another 5.1 setup and couldnt afford the fancy stuff again,so i checked reviews and sought out marantz this time.Checked out SR 8000 and was impressed, then saw SR7000 on net for $550 locally so took a chance and bought it. WOW! im throughly impressed with this reciever. I honestly cant justify the $ for B&K or anything else over $1000 after getting this.I did listen to various denons and onkyos including integras and the arcam 100,i DEFENITLY think that i got the most bang for the $ BY FAR!! do yourself a favor and compare what you like and put this one at the top of your list if your a music lover but not a rich man, im listening to mine right now and with my eyes closed honestly cant tell any diffrence from t he $2800 B&K, but then again im not some pretencious snob with cash to burn!

Similar Products Used:

sony str-de945, B&K202(NOT TOO SIMILIAR, I know)

Sound
No Crappy DSP settings like the Yamahas

Manual Sucks Bigtime

So far I am quite happy with this receiver. I have it paired with Definitive technology Bp 2004's, the CLR 2300 and 2 BP2x surrounds. The receiver handles everything that I have thrown at it so far ( Matrix, Private Ryan, Bugs Life, Eagles etc).
The DTS sounds great and I really enjoy the 5 channel stereo. However the remote could be better...Does anyone know how to program volume for TV, so that volume controls the amp and not the TV's internal speakers without using a second remote to profram it?
Looked at the Denon but it was $400 more CDN at Bay Bloor in Toronto. I bought my unit for $1100at American Sound in Thornhill (Bay Bloor is overpriced)

Buy this unit if you want great sound at a great price. If you've got mega bucks look towards the new DTS Es receivers

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR 3300

Sound and build quality

Manual

First off, Let me start with the common related gripes.

* The instructions are hard to decipher at first. But I managed to figure out 90% of the manual after a couple of weeks and glad I read into it more. Also, Once you get used to the remote and the reciever is configured, you will enjoy it immensely.

* The Peak indicator light goes off and does not like the signal input of analog CDs when using my old but reliable JVC CD player. I cured this by upgrading to the Marantz CC-4000 CD player with coax digital hook up and that's when the fun began.

Now on to the Good stuff. When using this CD player selected in auto mode (PCM), the sound was excellent with great Highs and lows with lots of depth and clarity. I heard no hissing or any distortion no matter where the volume was at. 5 Channel stereo mode is also an excellent feature and very enjoyable rediscovering my CD collection. Surrounds modes are plentyful sounding great and there is also a Source direct mode if you do not wish to use the surround modes.

When using DVD's, DTS and HT 5.1 modes are very clear and precise with great power and warmth in all 5 channels, I'm hearing sounds that I never heard before with this reciever. These modes at full throttle definitely sound like the rated 100 watts. There are also plenty of Digital and Analog inputs, along with S Video. Tuner is also a joy to use with excellent reception.
This is reciever is definitely in a class of it's own for the price with excellent looking and user friendly front panel.
Despite the minor shortcommings I listed above, this reciever difinitely kicks with a warm yet powerful sound showcasing all details in music and movies along with lots of features I still have not mentioned. This reciever is very well built and DEFINITELY worth buying which deserves my highest rating.

The rest of my system is complied of:

CD Changer: Marantz CC-4000
27" Sony Trinitron
Front Speakers: Bose 301's
Surround Speakers: Bose 301's
Center Channel: Bose VCS10
Subwoofer: Boston Acoustics PV600
VCR: Mitsubishi HiFi 4 head HS-U575
Monster Cable tieing everything together

Similar Products Used:

JVC RX-882VBK

Very musical, Strong DD/DTS playback, More than enough Digital ins & outs

Manual (as many have stated) Bass seems to muddy at extreme volumes

Before purchasing this unit I auditioned all the ussual suspects in the $700 - $1000 price range. I chose the sr7000
due to the fact that I found it superior musically to the rest of the field. Are there better recievers out there, Sure, but in my opinion, not in this price range. I prefer the warmer laid back sound of the Marantz to the harsher in your face sound of the Dennon or Yamaha.
The sr7000 mates well with my Energy Veritas 2.2 speakers & my M&T terminator 2 cables. However as my budget grows, so has my tastes and now I'm in the process of demoing seperates. Maybe after I purchase my new components Mr. George Washington would like me to ship him my sr7000. That way he can post another 15 reviews proving without a doubt, not only is he not an audiophile he is an idiot.
This web site has been a vital reference tool for me in my research of audio & video equipment. Unfortunately there are people like George Washington who feel the need to slant ratings. I only hope that those viewing this site are smart enough to ignore his reviews.
As many have stated on this site, the only way to truly know how a component will sound with your other equipment is to demo it in your own house. What one might rave about another might find not to their liking when mated with their equipment. It doesn't always mean it is a poor piece of equipment.
I give the sr7000 5 stars for value 4 stars overall.
But due to those who abuse this site I will give it 5 stars

Similar Products Used:

Dennon, Yamaha, Harmon Kardon,Sony......