Does anyone build quality atmos receivers?

[ArmyOfQuad]

Well after disconnecting everything, it still goes into protected mode. It seems I lucked out that the warranty is 3 years, and I've had it for just a little under 2. Of course that means I need to be without a main receiver in the living room for a number of weeks while dealing with shipping it out, waiting, and having it shipped back. With my having this happen with both a Denon and a Marantz, I'm done with this line - Marantz is certainly not the company they once were. Still not sure where I'm going to next - it's all crap. Perhaps it's time to figure out how to pay for a McIntosh setup, and stop dealing with the cheapo garbage.

 

[jaybird100]

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

Still no multichannel analog inputs. Dealbreaker for me.

 

[humprof]

FWIW: I'm on the second modern Marantz that I've bought in recent years. (I got them both as close-out or refurbished units from Accessories4Less.com.) I worked the first one--a slimline NR1607--pretty hard for three-plus years with no issues, and it's still going strong as part of a backup system that I use less frequently. When it was time to upgrade to Atmos, I went with the SR6014, which--even discounted--was at the high end of my budget range. I like its sound and (for the most part) its performance, though I emphatically don't like its front panel. My primary complaint is that the volume control was glitchy right out of the box. Which is to say: the volume works via the remote, but with the physical knob, not so much. Come to find out it's a known issue that Marantz just didn't bother to QC. I found a relatively easy fix online, but should the end user of an expensive--or even cheap--piece of equipment really be expected to make up for poor oversight on the part of the manufacturer (he asked, rhetorically...)?
https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/322387-volume-control-fix-on-marantz-amp/

 

[nikomen]

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.

So here is my limited 2 cents worth. I could have purchased the discontinued AVR-X37600H for about $150.00 less than the X3800H except I haven't purchased an AVR in 15 years and wanted to get one that had the most emerging technologies so it won't be out of date within 6 months of owning it.

Personally I have put this AVR through its paces and honestly I think the bench stats may be overrated vs. actual audio performance. I know for instance that my Focal tower speaker distortion specs are far superior to that of my rear Klipsch Atmos enabled surround speakers, but I dare anyone to hear any difference at 90 Watts continuous.. Again, you can easily spend upwards of $5000 on an AVR that has better specs than mine, but can you really hear a difference for the additional $3200 is questionable.

The major differences (of why I bought the X3800H vs. the discontinued X3700H is emerging technology. The things that the X3800H does but the X3700H does NOT do is:

1. It supports Auro 3D
2. It has built-in Auro-matic upmixer
3. It supports Audyssey DSX
4. Has Subwoofer sync (for video)

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.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

FWIW: I'm on the second modern Marantz that I've bought in recent years. (I got them both as close-out or refurbished units from Accessories4Less.com.) I worked the first one--a slimline NR1607--pretty hard for three-plus years with no issues, and it's still going strong as part of a backup system that I use less frequently. When it was time to upgrade to Atmos, I went with the SR6014, which--even discounted--was at the high end of my budget range. I like its sound and (for the most part) its performance, though I emphatically don't like its front panel. My primary complaint is that the volume control was glitchy right out of the box. Which is to say: the volume works via the remote, but with the physical knob, not so much. Come to find out it's a known issue that Marantz just didn't bother to QC. I found a relatively easy fix online, but should the end user of an expensive--or even cheap--piece of equipment really be expected to make up for poor oversight on the part of the manufacturer (he asked, rhetorically...)?
https://www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/322387-volume-control-fix-on-marantz-amp/

Never realized there was a QC issue with the Marantz AVRs concerning the front panel volume control; even my old MARANTZ SR8500's volume knob would not ever turn and adjust worth a damn, I always just use the remote. So it's apparently an issue they've had for a really long time, can't fathom how they wouldn't have a clue about this for so long! The fix is something I'm just not comfortable in attempting.

I've been dreading upgrading my main AVR for a really long time (and yeah, it doesn't even have HDMI), due to the hassle of tearing down my hard to get to system and not knowing where to go for a quality piece of gear that also won't break the bank.

 

[Mark Anderson]

I have the same problem with the volume knob on my SR7010

 

[humprof]

I have the same problem with the volume know on my SR7010

Incredible. Multiple models over many years and they still haven't fixed it? (Let alone issue a recall.)

 

[stereoptic]

I've also have the same problem with the volume control on my SR7013! I opened mine up recently and found a loose wheel and a broken piece of plastic. I had thought I damaged it when I moved.
I am not sure if it belongs on the volume control but it looks like it could. Also looks like it could be used for the fold out front flap.

 

[nikomen]

Incredible. Multiple models over many years and they still haven't fixed it? (Let alone issue a recall.)

In regards to our previous discussion regarding the review of the newest mid price level Denon AVR-X3800H and to give a reasonably priced upgrade option to J. Pupster, here is another review of the same deck by AV Forums:

https://www.avforums.com/reviews/denon-avc-x3800h-av-receiver-review.20306/

 

[ar surround]

I've also have the same problem with the volume control on my SR7013! I opened mine up recently and found a loose wheel and a broken piece of plastic. I had thought I damaged it when I moved.
I am not sure if it belongs on the volume control but it looks like it could. Also looks like it could be used for the fold out front flap.

I’ve never even tried the front panel volume control on my SR7013. I’ll need to check it out some time. Again, AVRs are throwaway equipment.

 

[ar surround]

So here is my limited 2 cents worth. I could have purchased the discontinued AVR-X37600H for about $150.00 less than the X3800H except I haven't purchased an AVR in 15 years and wanted to get one that had the most emerging technologies so it won't be out of date within 6 months of owning it.

Personally I have put this AVR through its paces and honestly I think the bench stats may be overrated vs. actual audio performance. I know for instance that my Focal tower speaker distortion specs are far superior to that of my rear Klipsch Atmos enabled surround speakers, but I dare anyone to hear any difference at 90 Watts continuous.. Again, you can easily spend upwards of $5000 on an AVR that has better specs than mine, but can you really hear a difference for the additional $3200 is questionable.

The major differences (of why I bought the X3800H vs. the discontinued X3700H is emerging technology. The things that the X3800H does but the X3700H does NOT do is:

1. It supports Auro 3D
2. It has built-in Auro-matic upmixer
3. It supports Audyssey DSX
4. Has Subwoofer sync (for video)

I would have done the same given those differences. The SR7013 has Auro 3D, Auromatic upmixing and Audyssey. If not, I would have gone for the latest unit…But waited for a close out because I am a cheap bastard.

 

[mandrix]

Well truth be told, the Onkyo TX-RZ50 I bought a few weeks ago was an "open box" for a little over $1300, not the $1600 list price.
Honestly, the prices on these things are crazy, especially when you think about all the crap there is I'll likely never use.
Multiple stereo inputs? Nope. Sonos? Nope. Chromecast? Doubtful. While I would have liked to have mpeg-h,
I bought it for the 9.2 amp, 11.2 Atmos processing and pre-outs. I pair it with an old analog input AVR for the side surrounds for a 7.1.4 Atmos system.
The Audyssey works pretty good, and the Dirac room adjustment works even better and I can do that right from my phone. I'm pretty happy so far.

Basically everything interfaces from my pc. I rip BD's, Atmos or otherwise to .iso and bitstream from PowerDVD. Anything else gets taken care of by either the Dolby Reference Player, Foobar or VLC and I have both a 27" monitor and a 42" 4K TV I can switch between. >60TB storage on the pc. Life is good. I do have my Oppo hooked up but seldom use it these days.

Guess i should have added all this is in a bedroom, my pc/audio room so as not to disturb the mrs, who has the big ass tv to herself. lol.

 

[Owen Smith]

All this is what puts me off replacing my Arcam AVR350 from the early 2000s. It does everything I need at present, and I own two (one faulty but working) so if one ever needs repair I have options. The early 2000s weren't great for build quality and I've had lead free solder problems on one of them. But it sounds like things have gone seriously downhill since. I expect to get at least 20 years of use from AV gear.

 

[mandrix]

One of the bad things that plagued Denon, Onkyo, and other products for a while (years?) was HDMI problems. Onkyo seemed to get theirs straightened out years ago as I have a 2016 model with 5.1.2 Atmos that has worked pretty well; a previous model not so much until I recapped the HDMI board after a trip to an authorized repair center. Denon's problems carried on a while but I think their's are pretty much solved now that they changed chips.
Still it blows that problems can sometimes carry over from one year to the next without attention.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

One of the bad things that plagued Denon, Onkyo, and other products for a while (years?) was HDMI problems.

Yep... AVR's have got way too complicated in recent years!

Their primary job should be to offer audio decoding and amplification. In my opinion they shouldn't offer any video processing features at all, just video source switching and pass-though!

 

[mandrix]

So I had asked Onkyo USA if the RZ50 was likely to get a firmware update for mpeg-h and I got a response today that basically they are clueless about any future firmware updates. Oh well.
One can only wait and hope. But I think it unlikely as it's never been mentioned I'm aware of.

 

[AYanguas]

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

Fortunately, the TIDAL App (on Fire TV, cheapest device) detect and send bitstream Dolby Atmos (DD+) from Tidal to the AVR.

But for 360RA, there is no yet any client App on any Player that detect the format MPEG-H 3D / Sony 360RA. So, neither TIDAL 360 streaming or any MPEG-H 3D file format (with any media player) can be sent bitstreaming HDMI to an AVR.... Except, I assume, with the player included in the Fraunhofer Authoring Software for 360RA, as @humprof said.

When the TIDAL App (on Fire TV) does not detect Atmos capable EDID at the output, it switches to the Stereo version of the server file.

But with 360RA it seems they have only implemented the downmixing/virtualizing of 360RA to stereo to be played only in headphones.

 

[fredblue]

Went to turn on my Marantz receiver this morning to watch a little TV while eating breakfast, and the damn thing won't stay on, keeps shutting off into protect mode. Merry fucking Christmas to me!

The worst part of this is, I still have the Zappa set sitting on my table, that I haven't gotten around to being busy with the whole Christmas season thing - now I don't get to listen to that until I get this all sorted out, whicih means dumping more money into a less than 2 year old piece of shit equipment.

I am surrounded by 50+ year old hardware that is still going strong, so I find it absolutly disgusting the current state of audio hardware manufacturers! How do they get away with this crap? Marantz certainly isn't the company they once were, just another one of those garbage companies cheaply fitting together barely working components to edge it past the warranty finish line, and have you coming back to hand over more of your hard earned money.

Are there any honorable manufacturers left? What would you all recommend for an atmos receiver I won't have to be replacing again shortly after purchase?

what model Receiver is it, ArmyOfQuad?

does it have a Headphone socket?

i only ask since one of my Denon Receivers kept going into protection mode and it turned out it was dust or something inside the Headphone jack and once i cleaned it out the Protection mode nonsense stopped and it all worked ok again.

 

[ar surround]

what model Receiver is it, ArmyOfQuad?

does it have a Headphone socket?

i only ask since one of my Denon Receivers kept going into protection mode and it turned out it was dust or something inside the Headphone jack and once i cleaned it out the Protection mode nonsense stopped and it all worked ok again.

How did you manage to figure that one out? That's definitely "out of the box" thinking.

 

[mandrix]

Dust is definitely the enemy. My audio room has old carpet and I swear it's the source of more dust accumulation than anything I've ever seen since I lived in El Paso, Texas.
I run one of those air purifiers almost 24/7 but it won't pick up everything.