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Review 1 of 20
Price Paid:
$699.00
from A&B Sound Summary:
What a great receiver.Marantz made this receiver,like many others I believe, on consumer feedback. It shows. Not only does it sound good, it looks downright beautiful with the gleaming aluminum (!) faceplate, colorful display and more than enough inputs and outputs. It has 6 channels, is rated at 90 watts (continuous!) front left right and center with 0.05 % harmonic distortion (lower the number, the cleaner the sound) from the same, and is backed up by high current transformers. All at a price in Canada less than Harmon Kardon's entry-level avr 130 which only has 5 channels, and therefore has no DD Ex, DTS ES, or Neo 6, and lower current. I asked a salesman in the store how much current went to the speakers, and he told me:"Maybe 40 to 50 amps..." I found that hard to believe, as the H/K avr 130 claims +/-25 amperes, or about half. He was just a biased salesman, however, not a technician and I, ever the conservative pessimist, decided it must generate at least 30 amps, and not more than 35. But what would I know?
Don't be worried about the wattage. 90 continuous blows away a Panasonic/Sony 100 watts- with- one -channel- driven at one paltry midrange frequency receiver. (Its more like 100 watts divided by 5!) It is a deplorable yet true fact that the more you pay for an amp, the more honest the power ratings become. To get a real "100 watts x 5" receiver you would have to pay upwards of at least $1000 Canadian($500 American).
The remote is the area where I conjecture that Marantz discovered a way to make the sr5300 more affordable. It is cruddy, a waste of time. At least it has the bass/treble controls on it, unlike many H/K receivers. Therefore you don't have the inconvenience of elevating your posterior from its prone position on the living room couch whenever you want a slight change in tone
Don't get me wrong. I am extremely unbiased when it comes to receivers, and I love the deep hard bass of H/K. It's just that H/K has had severe reliability issues in the past. The avr 500 and the avr 7000, among many others, just weren't funny. As a matter of fact I have seen many H/K receivers (avr 7000 for instance, referred to by the member of one warranty repair company as a "...back-breaking problem-prone piece of junk..")sitting dismally in pawn shops, very likely having problems including "popping noises" and various channels not working, ready to collapse the shelf upon which they rest. Imho they run so hot, they tend to melt the solders on various circuits.
I have read more than one review that has claimed "Marantz amps don't have the deep hard bass of H/K or Denon without a sub." This SR5300 produced much more bass than my H/K avr 500 could. (Try Circle surround 2 at Tru Bass Setting 6 while playing Grand Theft Auto San Andreas for Playstation 2, with digital input. However, I auditioned the Marantz sr7300 which has more power and current,and cleaner sound as per its Crystal dsp-- a true pro grade amp. As it turned out, the 7300 didn't have the deep hard bass that the sr 5300 did (without a sub), although it did have better bass management. I guess the bass differs from model to model.But it is a small issue,and who doesn't use a sub nowadays?
True, the sr5300 doesn't have component video switching like the 5400, and others. But I have discovered through trial and error, that component video switching with most receivers tends to noticeably reduce the quality of the picture. I have had more successful results with a petty audio/video selector that I purchased long ago from Radio Shack. It was a four-way selector, and by using the red/ white stereo audio jacks for two of the three component video plugs, I can now plug my Xbox, my Ps2, and my dvd player to my TV and have one jack left over for satellite etc. Had to laugh at the RS rep who told me I would likely see "Lines, distortion...all kinds of stuff" if I tried to use the av selector for component video switching. Suffice it to say that make sure your amp has at LEAST 50 mhz for hdtv switching.
I auditioned a Yamaha rxv730, before deciding on the Marantz. I liked the way the Yamaha had plenty of volume from the center and the surrounds, component video switching, ability to have different sound modes with the Dolby digital bitstream and front speaker a-b/a+b switching all for the same price as H/K avr 130. What value! What sold me on the Marantz was the Yammie was a bit too bright,and had an annoying habit of switching off whenever a loud sound occured in a dvd I was watching, something Marantz and H/K never seem to do. Its remote is more (BFD) aesthetically appealing than Marantz's,however, and to this day I miss some of the Yamaha's features, including mains switching. When I am playing Halo or some Xbox game in Dolby Digital (games which tend to skimp out on using the center chanel) I can't switch straight to 6 ch stereo and get matrixed sound from the center, something I could do with the Yammie. Strengths:
Another of those trusty salesmen told me that some researchers performed a study of the absolute peak power the Marantz SR6300 and SR7300 could produce in stereo mode, and they recorded 430 watts per channel/480 watts per channel respectively.Nice. I am sure the 5300 must peak close to 400 wpc in stereo mode. Mind your speakers.
Runs remarkably cool compared to Yamaha and H/K
Can't beat Marantz's 3 year warranty.
Sexy looks
Built like a tank
Sound is perfect : not too bright, but with strong emphasis on midrange
Had it for two years, with no hint of problem. Weaknesses:
Remote is anti-cool
Yamaha doesn't have that annoying pause when in its digital decoders first receive a signal, in DVDs or games, or anything that has digital input, unlike Marantz or H/K
Uninformed consumers who think it is underpowered, because they live in a baseball stadium.
Doesn't have Dolby Headphone like the 5400. What a travesty.
Center channel quiet.I used to think that the center channel was too quiet for a given volume, even with its db setting maxed out. Then I found that this was a good thing. Unlike entry level receivers which compress the center channel, the more expensive ones give you the full dynamic range of digital audio, like the theater(maybe better). Thus, when you increase the volume to bring the center channel to a desirable volume level, the other channels increase in volume proportionately. BOOM! SMASH! There went your 2000 dollar French windows.
Can be a bit pricey for certain individuals on a budget. Similar Products Used:
Harman Kardon avr 500, avr 125, avr 330
Yamaha Htr 5490, htr 5560,Rxv 530, Rxv730
Marantz Sr7300, Sr5300
Panasonic (Technics) Sadx950,750, sae70, sae75
Kenwood 6050, Sr506, sr507
Pioneer (1994 thing)
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