Does anyone build quality atmos receivers?

[mandrix]

I have for a long time used a computer 240mm fan with the rubber mounts sucking the hot air off my AVR.

 

[marpow]

I own a McIntosh MX122, starts every day, plays everything, hope it lasts forever.
In a open shelf.
My Fanless PC that I use, hooked to my external MCH DAC, that RCA's back to the 7.1 RCA section of the McIntosh, again starts and stops, every day without a problem.
A friend of mine came over very impressed with the whole surround and sonic quality of my home rig. We did some internet shopping and we came up with what I thought would be very good for him and his budget.
Marantz-SR7015-$2999.00

 

[jaybird100]

Although my main receiver is 22 years old, a Denon AVR-3300, it still sounds as good today as it did when it was new. It hasn't given me a lick of trouble in all that time. Best part, it works with my Surround Master! This one was made back when Nippon Columbia still owned and manufactured Denon components, and it's built like the proverbial tank. I've resisted replacing it for three main reasons. First, the new ones seem cheaply built in comparison. Second, most of the new ones don't offer multichannel analog inputs. And third, I have no use for Atmos. I have no room for the extra speakers it needs, and I honestly don't see the value in it for music. I've read too many articles about how poorly done the Atmos mixes of several albums have been. My other receiver is a Marantz. It's been quirky; I'm now taking it out of service.

 

[Scott65]

if it's a modern Marantz, I recommend checking ALL of the cables, cause that happened to me this year and I broke down and got a Tonewinner combo similar to THIS ONE , which, I will say , kicks ass; but I plugged all my stuff to it and it shut itself down AGAIN, so I went cable by cable and found out that the culprit was an RCA cable that had gone south!!!!

I have a Marantz and have filed this comment away for future reference...

 

[mandrix]

I just bought this a few weeks ago. 9.2 but with 11.2 channel processing. I use an additional amp for the side surrounds in a 7.1.4 Atmos setup. I'm pretty impressed with the Dirac room correction, I can use the app right from my phone and with the Onkyo supplied mic.
https://onkyousa.com/receivers/av-receivers/tx-rz50
Here's a comprehensive review:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/.../onkyo-tx-rz50-review-home-theater-avr.30842/

 

[ar surround]

I own a McIntosh MX122, starts every day, plays everything, hope it lasts forever.
In a open shelf.
My Fanless PC that I use, hooked to my external MCH DAC, that RCA's back to the 7.1 RCA section of the McIntosh, again starts and stops, every day without a problem.
A friend of mine came over very impressed with the whole surround and sonic quality of my home rig. We did some internet shopping and we came up with what I thought would be very good for him and his budget.
Marantz-SR7015-$2999.00

My Marantz SR7013 at a closeout price of $1600 was a better deal. Same power output, Atmos, Auro 3D, etc. But only 4k switching on the 7013 vs 8k on the 7015, and perhaps one or two less bells and whistles.

I'm very happy with my SR7013. However, I don't think any SR7013 units remain for sale at that low price.

 

[MixerRog]

My Marantz becomes a room space heater when operating even at modest volume levels. Excessive heat will dramatically shorten the life of any electronic component, especially a device as complicated as an AVR.
That said I find that an EXTERNAL cooling unit is almost a requirement for today's multichannel receivers. I burned through several before I wised up.
My Marantz has been running problem free since 2018 with this cooling it.

Aircom T10

I am also a retired electronics engineer / technician & agree with the above that cooling electronic devices is the best way to a long life. Most of my AV receivers have small fans that I have installed to keep them cool & they seem to last forever that way.

It will greatly prolong the life of computers also. I run my computer with one side off with a small Aldis 9" 3 speed fan on low setting blowing directly on it's electronics to keep it much cooler than with the side on using it's own internal fans. This is especially helpful in increasing the life of the Power Supply & Hard Drives which have the highest failure rates.

Rog

 

[barfle]

My Marantz becomes a room space heater when operating even at modest volume levels. Excessive heat will dramatically shorten the life of any electronic component, especially a device as complicated as an AVR.
That said I find that an EXTERNAL cooling unit is almost a requirement for today's multichannel receivers. I burned through several before I wised up.
My Marantz has been running problem free since 2018 with this cooling it.

Aircom T10

Anyone who has been in this hobby for more than a year or two has experienced hot components. I started with tube gear, so room heat in the winter wasn’t an issue.

Al most all modern gear has a picture in the manual that shows how much space around the chassis is necessary for ventilation. How often do we ignore that advice?

I’ve left space in my shelves for the eventual (so far) pieces I intend to put in there, and it does squeeze out a few more bits and pieces I would like to integrate into the system.

 

[nikomen]

I finally broke down and upgraded to an Atmos AVR from my 15 yr old Yamaha Natural Sound 7.1 AVR which I run in another room and still LOVE! That system that Rog notes is magnificent looking, but I wanted to be able to have 2 sets of Atmos speakers, one front and a second set of elevation speakers in the rear, creating 5.1.4 Atmos setup, as it looks like things are going the way of having multi-elevation speakers, meaning you need 9 amplifiers minimum. I would have to buy 2 amps for that amazing Tonewinner set and my wife would kill me at $5400!!!

The AVR that I found that was reasonably priced, with great reviews, and the ability to have up to 7.4.4 Atmos setup with up to 4 separate subs (CRAZY!) is Denon's 9.4 AVR-X3800H, which still boasts 105 watts to 9 channels. Not quite my 140 W/channel to 7 channels of my Yamaha, but pretty close and 15 years newer technology, as well as the ability to play ALL current surround technologies available, at a reasonable price of $1675.00. Check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBYSLL3V?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

[mandrix]

Here's a pretty comprehensive test/review on the X3800H:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denon-avr-x3800h-review.38574/

 

[humprof]

The AVR that I found that was reasonably priced, with great reviews, and the ability to have up to 7.4.4 Atmos setup with up to 4 separate subs (CRAZY!) is Denon's 9.4 AVR-X3800H, which still boasts 105 watts to 9 channels. Not quite my 140 W/channel to 7 channels of my Yamaha, but pretty close and 15 years newer technology, as well as the ability to play ALL current surround technologies available, at a reasonable price of $1675.00. Check it out:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BBYSLL3V?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Here's a pretty comprehensive test/review on the X3800H:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denon-avr-x3800h-review.38574/

The reviewer and the early respondents seem to be disappointed mainly on the basis of the bench specs, which are worse than the 3800H's predecessor. I didn't have the patience to read through more than a few of that thread's 80(!) pages, but I'm wondering how those specs translate into audible differences and (@ArmyOfQuad's main concern) reliability & durability. Any thoughts about that, @nikomen?

There's been some interest in this AVR elsewhere on QQ because of its support for MPEG-H 3D/Sony 360RA--although as far as I know, there's still no way to actually send a 360RA file to an AVR, unless you have Fraunhofer's MPEG-H Authoring & Playback Suite, which includes a software audio player. (So far, the streaming services offering 360RA limit playback to ambisonic stereo, via smartphones & headphones--although you can download the files for offline playback.) Whether you can use Fraunhofer's audio player to pass through a Sony 360 RA file to your MPEG-H-capable AVR via HDMI isn't clear.

 

[sjcorne]

There's been some interest in this AVR elsewhere on QQ because of its support for MPEG-H 3D/Sony 360RA--although as far as I know, there's still no way to actually send a 360RA file to an AVR, unless you have Fraunhofer's MPEG-H Authoring & Playback Suite, which includes a software audio player.

I’d assumed you could simply bitstream 360RA from Tidal to the AVR, same as Atmos.

 

[perzon57]

I’d assumed you could simply bitstream 360RA from Tidal to the AVR, same as Atmos.

I've tried with my AVC 3800, but I get only stereo.

 

[humprof]

I’d assumed you could simply bitstream 360RA from Tidal to the AVR, same as Atmos.

Maybe? I guess I should do a little more research. Somehow I thought 360RA was still limited to mobile phones, but maybe that was an erroneous inference based on the effective absence of compatible AVRs before now.

 

[stereoptic]

My Marantz SR7013 at a closeout price of $1600 was a better deal. Same power output, Atmos, Auro 3D, etc. But only 4k switching on the 7013 vs 8k on the 7015, and perhaps one or two less bells and whistles.

I'm very happy with my SR7013. However, I don't think any SR7013 units remain for sale at that low price.

That is correct. They are less expensive! $1200 at accessories4less

https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...9.2-ch-x-125-watts-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html

also - I am guessing that the OP's issue is a stray speaker strand making contact with another.

 

[ar surround]

That is correct. They are less expensive! $1200 at accessories4less

https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...9.2-ch-x-125-watts-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html

also - I am guessing that the OP's issue is a stray speaker strand making contact with another.

It’s Marantz Factory Refurbished. For $1200, I would not let that stop me if I wanted an AVR. Also, it has 7.1 analog inputs, albeit the only thing that functions on this input is the volume control…No Audyssey, no Auro3D, no tone controls.

 

[stereoptic]

It’s Marantz Factory Refurbished. For $1200, I would not let that stop me if I wanted an AVR. Also, it has 7.1 analog inputs, albeit the only thing that functions on this input is the volume control…No Audyssey, no Auro3D, no tone controls.

I have bought from them before without issues. Are there any AVRs that Audyssey, etc. accepts analog inputs?

 

[ar surround]

I have bought from them before without issues. Are there any AVRs that Audyssey, etc. accepts analog inputs?

I haven‘t seen any.

 

[timothyemerson]

I have for a long time used a computer 240mm fan with the rubber mounts sucking the hot air off my AVR.

In line with boondocks' comment, I've got a couple of these on my receiver and they keep it WAY cooler: Quiet USB fans

 

[timothyemerson]

My Marantz SR7013 at a closeout price of $1600 was a better deal. Same power output, Atmos, Auro 3D, etc. But only 4k switching on the 7013 vs 8k on the 7015, and perhaps one or two less bells and whistles.

I'm very happy with my SR7013. However, I don't think any SR7013 units remain for sale at that low price.

I got mine for $3K less than NZ retail too. Great price. Not sure I'd have sprung for it at full price but very glad I got it as it allowed me to experience Audyssey for the first time which works wonders in my room.