Rotel RSX-1056 or a Marantz, thoughts?

[IronBone]

I’m looking for opinions from some folks that own Rotel equipment. I am currently looking at an RSX-1067 to replace an old Harmon Kardon system I've owned for many years. I know it's probably quite a step-up and will be pleasantly surprised when I do finally make the purchase but I'm wondering how far I need to go. This may sound silly but I feel the HK does a good job with stereo. I split my time with listening to music, watching DVDs, and playing XBOX 360 about 40/50/10 respectively. My current setup will not allow for a true 7.1 setup of speakers so I will only have my Paradigm 90ps up front with matching center and two rears.

I can get a great deal on the Marantz SR-7400 or just buy the newer SR8500. for about twice the money. Then again, I could double that and buy the Rotel 1067 ($1800 from local dealer). My questions are:

Is the Rotel worth the money?
Should I be considering other brands as well?
Will the Marantz system keep up when listening in stereo?
Do either or both of them switch the component video well, will I lose quality? (I’ve never done anything but plug my HD components directly into the TV.)
How are the on-screen menus on the Rotel? (read bad reviews about the Marantz)
Opinions on the remote?
Has anyone went from Marantz to Rotel or vice versa? :>0
No jack for my new Sennheiser HD cans on the Rotel?

Your advice or thoughts are greatly appreciated!!

-T.I.

[audioqueso]

I've cut & paste most of this from a review I wrote a while back:

I have the SR6400. Aside from wattage, I'm not sure how much of the actual components are different compared to the SR7400. I used to own an Onkyo A/V receiver before this, so the switch from HK to either Marantz or Rotel will probably feel the same as when I switched from Onkyo to Marantz. The Onkyo was ok, but as you probably know, they are a little weak with bass. Aside from the bass, the biggest difference I heard right away was how much more open the sound stage was. I didn't really think a receiver would give me that airy sound I wanted. I was auditioning the Rotel RSX-1067 at the same time, but didn't hear that much of a difference compared to the Marantz. In fact, I found the difference between the two to be very slim. The Rotel sounded a bit more natural.

The Marantz sounded harsh and cold when I first received it. This was with B&W 601s. I let it burn continously for a day straight, then for a week off and on. After that week, the sound was very welcoming. It was warm and sounded so much more natural. I really like this receiver.

One thing I really appreciate about the Marantz is that it stays relatively cool. There's a BUT though. I've heard the 7400 has heat issues. The 7400 has one more channel compared to the 6400, so it could be some kinda of power management issue with the Marantz 7-channel A/V receivers. So you should research to see if that is still a problem.

Now the video is another thing. It's a little strange. One, I couldn't get the video to upvert to component as it's suppose to. Also, with my DVDs, the menus looked funny using the component connection through the Marantz. It would get grainy. The RCA connections was blurry, and this also occurred with my PS2. Finally after messing around, I found that the s-video did the best job. Clean and crisp image. I know that component video has more bandwidth, but if you want to use it, bypass the Marantz component connections. For RCA, if you go through the Marantz, then you'll get a bit of blurriness. S-video was the only one that gave me a very clean and transparent signal. I didn't test the Rotel with video, so I can't comment on that.

If you're going to go with a bookshelf/satellitle setup, then consider this: the Marantz' crossover settings are 80/100/120Hz. The Rotel can be stepped a lot lower in 10Hz increments making it a better setup with bookshelf/sub speakers.

Marantz remote is ok, but I don't use it since I have a Home Theater Master. The on-screen menu is ok. Nothing special, no pretty GUI, just a few screen with options. It works fine though.

In conclusion, soundwise, both the Rotel and Marantz have a very similar sound. Both warm, good depth, and airy detail. Yes, the Rotel did have a more natural sound, but for the price difference, I don't think it's worth it. I picked up my Marantz a few hundred dollars less than the Rotel. If you can, go and audition the both at them at your nearest dealer. See if you can hear the difference. If not much, I'd say save your money and pick the Marantz. By the way, most Rotel dealers carry Marantz as well.

Well, let me know if you have any further questions. :T

[audioqueso]

One last thing, the Marantz headphone out sounds really good compared to other receivers I've owned/tried. (Audio Technica ATH-A500).

[IronBone]

The Cheese

Thank you for the post. I have received some thoughts from Club Rotel as well and I found that Marantz is exactly what you said, very close in sound and cheaper. I plan to demo an A-B with the Rotel and the Marantz just to hear the difference. It will most likely by the Big Daddy Rotel vs. 8500.

I don't like to hear that the component video up conv does not work well! I'll see if I can see that at the local dealer as well.

Muchos gracias Queso!

[mikej]

I currently own the SR7400 and have had no trouble with the componet video, in fact, my TV (36in SOny Wega) looks near HD through the componet. The time base correction on the marantz is very good. I have not experienced the heat issues mentioned in several reviews on the model I had. In fact, I contacted Marantz and they told me the problem was fixed. I do run a Rotel 1040 dvd/cd player and have no complaints (or the ones I did were fixed). I tried the rotel on recommendation from my dealer (and budget) and in terms of dvd, satisfied. However, I am now looking to move up to the marantz 7600 dvd or 8260 cd.

mike