[chip]

I am looking at probably upgrading my SC-25 that I have.

Current setup
TV: Sony X850D | LED | 4K ULTRA HD | HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) |
Receiver: Pioneer Elite SC25
Source: Nvidia Sheild – Plex, Netflix, OTA HDTV
Want to be able to take advantage of 4k & HDR Stuff. I also use zone 2 for audio for speakers out on the deck. I may also want a zone 2 for audio out there as well.

Items I use on SC-25:
Zone 2 for music in the backyard
5.1 setup
Auto Speaker Calibration
Support DD, TrueHD, DD+, EX don’t care about Dolby Atoms right now
Pure Direct mode

For price range under $800 max which models might you recommend to go with the Goldenear supersats speakers. Supersat 50s R/L, 60C, 3s for rears and two 15 inch subs in a room that is 11' 6" deep by 12' 6" wide.

I just started looking into my options. I am willing to buy refurb from say accessories4less.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Not sure if it has everything you need but this Marantz is a steal at this price-

https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/marsr6011/marantz-sr6011-9.2-ch-x-110-watts-networking-a/v-receiver/1.html

[Phil A]

Accessories4less is a great way to go.  Got my last several receivers there.

[roscoe65]

I also purchased my last two receivers at accessories4less.  Excellent service, quick and rock bottom pricing.

[Mr Peabody]

I'm not sure of current pricing, I do recommend Marantz.  I have one of the slim line that replaced an Onkyo, I preferred Marantz sound, and, so far, more reliable.  I also have a Marantz A/V processor that has served me well for years without a problem.  My small receiver has all the features you listed so I'm sure one in the  $800 range will be great.  Plus if you are into it, you can stream music to the receiver, there's Apps where you can use your phone to control the receiver, probably nice if outside listening.

[Odal3]

I had been looking at accessories4less for a while and was about to buy either a Marantz or Yamaha receiver, but then I saw that the local Best Buy/Magnolia had a lot of their demo room equipment on sale and picked up a Yamaha aventage A1060 for cheaper than the accessories4less price for the Yamaha A860. The price in the store was higher, but the BestBuy price online had the openbox on sale cheaper so they adjusted the price to match. Full warranty, and the unit and remote was in perfect condition. Perhaps I just got lucky but look around at local stores to see if they still have any open box demo units left...you never know. If I hadn't found that deal I probably would have purchased the Marantz SR5011 or Yamaha A860 from accessories4less. BTW: they normally run pretty good sales around blackfriday/cybermonday too.

Also keep an eye at Frys.com if you have one of those stores close by. Once in a while they have some pretty good deals on receivers if you sign up for their email list. For example, they sold the latest Yamaha A1070 for $700 back in August.

I am far, far, far from an expert on HT receivers so don't listen to me , I was looking at the Yamaha A860, Yamaha A1060 and the Marantz SR5011, Marantz 6011. I don't really need the big power ratings, I only run 5.2 setup with easy to drive speakers, I'm not too interested in Atmos, and I see fewer features as a plus so more focus can be on the basics. I pretty much only had 3 requirements - sound good for both music and movies, have full number of pre-outs and can play most formats.

The Marantz 5011 came across a little warmer presentation (which I liked for music), but the Yamaha A860 sounded more detailed (natural/neutral) in a good way when playing movies. They couldn't get the Marantz 6011 to play and the demo room didn't have a Yamaha 1060 hooked-up (which I realized later why when I saw it on the open box shelf). This was just my impression from spending 2 hours in a demo room so not sure if it would translate to my system or not.  I really could have been fine with either. I also tried a few high-end pioneers (can't remember the models) and it sounded good but came off as a bit sharp- but they were also outside my budget. I didn't really care much at all for any of the Denon's despite you get lots of features for the money.

Without having a direct comparison of the A860 and only going off memory, the 1060 is perhaps little bit more detailed /cleaner and maybe a little bit brighter (not in a bad way). This review kind of confirms this: https://www.whathifi.com/yamaha/rx-a1060/review but I would definitely not call it bad for music. It's kind of typical SABRE dac type of sound. Here's the same review site comparing the sound vs a pioneer SC-LX701: https://www.whathifi.com/pioneer/sc-lx701/review

So far I have been happy with the Yamaha in the living room for movies and background music. Positive surprises: The Yamaha app to control the receiver from my android phone is actually pretty good (but don't care at all for the music cast app they also offer). I'm also impressed how good the wifi receiver is since I have it located deep in a rack in a corner at the opposite end and different floor than my wifi router.

What I didn't think I needed but kind of miss: The ability to independently adjust settings for my two subs, and back light on the remote.
Supposedly a future firmware update will bring Tidal as well.

[Mr Peabody]

I think you are spot on with what you heard, Marantz does tend to lean a bit "warm", and, Yamaha is another good option.  The Marantz has a natural sounding midrange though, vocals sound as they should.

A couple years ago a friend and I were at a Magnolia, just comparing the Onkyo, Pioneer and Yamaha flagship receivers.  No Marantz were in there.  I was a big Onkyo fan at the time.  We both concluded the Yamaha receiver was much better sounding than the other two, sounding more like music, and natural.  It was an ear opening experience.

[witchdoctor]

A new Yamaha 1060 at about half off.

http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649362953-yamaha-avantage-rxa1060-av-receivereceiver/

[chip]

Yeah I may have to go into a Magnolia BB and take a listen. In the past I always thought Marantz was nice for music but didn't have what I was looking for in the HT part. I had an Onkyo many years back that did well. Thanks for all the input so far.

[witchdoctor]

Yeah I may have to go into a Magnolia BB and take a listen. In the past I always thought Marantz was nice for music but didn't have what I was looking for in the HT part. I had an Onkyo many years back that did well. Thanks for all the input so far.

If you like Onkyo there are some really steep discounts on Integra receivers at accessories4less.

[chip]

Without having a direct comparison of the A860 and only going off memory, the 1060 is perhaps little bit more detailed /cleaner and maybe a little bit brighter (not in a bad way). This review kind of confirms this: https://www.whathifi.com/yamaha/rx-a1060/review but I would definitely not call it bad for music. It's kind of typical SABRE dac type of sound. Here's the same review site comparing the sound vs a pioneer SC-LX701: https://www.whathifi.com/pioneer/sc-lx701/review

Interesting read for sure. Thanks

[roscoe65]

Yeah I may have to go into a Magnolia BB and take a listen. In the past I always thought Marantz was nice for music but didn't have what I was looking for in the HT part. I had an Onkyo many years back that did well. Thanks for all the input so far.

Marantz and Denon are both part of the Harmon family, at least until Samsung decides to shut them down.  They are very similar, differing mostly in voicing and aesthetics.  As you noted, the Marantz is voiced to sound warmer than the Denon.  This warmth translates to highs that are a little more forgiving.  Since I use Omega speakers with my Marantz this works well for me.

I also owned a Yamaha before the Marantz.  It was nice, sounded good, but had some shortcomings in my application.  It sounded a bit more clinical than I preferred compared to the Marantz.  It also used its own DSP (YPAO) whereas Marantz and Denon use Audyssey MultiEQ.  In some newer models it also uses the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app that allows you to graphically adjust the EQ curves (or select from preset curves) from your phone or tablet.

[witchdoctor]

Marantz and Denon are both part of the Harmon family, at least until Samsung decides to shut them down.  They are very similar, differing mostly in voicing and aesthetics.  As you noted, the Marantz is voiced to sound warmer than the Denon.  This warmth translates to highs that are a little more forgiving.  Since I use Omega speakers with my Marantz this works well for me.

I also owned a Yamaha before the Marantz.  It was nice, sounded good, but had some shortcomings in my application.  It sounded a bit more clinical than I preferred compared to the Marantz.  It also used its own DSP (YPAO) whereas Marantz and Denon use Audyssey MultiEQ.  In some newer models it also uses the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app that allows you to graphically adjust the EQ curves (or select from preset curves) from your phone or tablet.

I hope you didn't buy stock based on that info: 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marksparrow/2017/03/01/sound-united-snaps-up-dm-group-owner-of-denon-marantz-and-boston-acoustics-audio-brands/#693e23c33b63

[Odal3]

I think at this price level, the receivers are probably more similar than different from the major brands, and it just comes down to personal preferences

Some brands have had issues with some quality in the past but not sure if this is still an issue. At least the Yamaha and Marantz I looked at seem to be built very well.

[Phil A]

I think at this price level, the receivers are probably more similar than different from the major brands, and it just comes down to personal preferences

Some brands have had issues with some quality in the past but not sure if this is still an issue. At least the Yamaha and Marantz I looked at seem to be built very well.

I agree for HT (as long as one is comparing models at similar price points).  I've gone through a bunch of receivers (have multiple systems and had lightning damage towards the latter part of March).  In the main system, which is an integrated AV System (1st pic below), I have an Onkyo TX-RZ3100 (doing 11.1/7.1.4).  In a back-up system (2nd pic below), also an integrated AC system, I have a Marantz 5010.  I moved an old Onkyo 1008 to the bedroom system (Pioneer 1120 had its HDMI board blown out during the lightning strike) and moved an old Marantz 6003 to the upstairs bonus room (after getting the 5010) and moved a Denon 1000 (from the bonus room) to a back-up computer.  Before getting the Onkyo TX-RZ3100 (which I had to replace when the lightning hit as it wiped it out completely), I briefly tried a Marantz 6011 in the main system.  I kept it one day before returning it.  It wasn't the sound quality, it was the hum, particularly from the side surrounds (not sure if re-assigning amps contributed).

[Mr Peabody]

I used to run all five channels of my Marantz 8003 into my Linn amp, in this set up I had to manually switch speaker cables at the back of my main L/R speakers because they were shared by both my HT and stereo rigs.  I then decided to use the bypass in my Pass stereo preamp which the bypass was only single ended.  When I switched to the bypass I developed a bad hum, I could not find the source or eliminate it but switching outlets etc.

What finally did eliminate the hum was using a XLR connection from the 8003 to the Pass.  My entire stereo is differentially balanced circuitry except the analog rig.  I'm not sure why the XLR cured the hum but I'm glad it did.  My current speakers and space, switching cables would have been a bear.  It was pretty easy with space and bananas.

All of that to say, the hum in the 6011 may not have been from a defect.  I've had my 8003 since the time it was first introduced.

[chip]

Reviving as the change is happening now. Looking at all of these at Accessories4less and trying to stay under $500. These all fit my needs.

Pioneer Elite SC-LX501
Yamaha RX-A770
Marantz SR5011
Integra DRX-2.1
Pioneer Elite VSX-LX302

[chip]

Well I think it is between the Pioneer/Yamaha.

I don't need preouts as I don't plan on adding an amp.

My room is small and I don't need the power I used to.

Right now kind of deciding between the Pioneer 302 and Yamaha 770/860(don't the preouts) but does have the YPAO multipoint.

Listened to the 302 and 770 yesterday and I couldn't hear any huge difference that would make me choose one over the other.

[ctviggen]

Is biamping an option for your speakers?  Some receivers provide this capability.  For instance, my receiver is 7 channel but allows me to use 2 channels per speaker to biamp my front speakers.  (I only use 4 speakers.)  Unfortunately, I only ran one set of speaker cables to each fronts speaker location, so I can't take advantage of that, but it's an interesting option.

[ctviggen]

I have the Marantz SR 5010.