AV Processor Conundrum

My experience with the recent crop of Anthem gear has been mixed. It doesn’t do Dolby Surround correctly, it has noisy outputs and lacks the ability to manually dial in EQ curves fully. Also, the room correction just doesn’t work that great for me. I get much better integration with miniDSP and some light EQ work.

Based on what I’ve seen, get a Marantz that has the advanced features which let you dial in parametric EQ curves.

@zagorskia 

When you are in full penny pinching mode 😁 & sound quality is a priority, you could try the Schiit SYN full analog surround processor. (400 dollars)

It accepts analog outputs from any hifi DAC and is a full analog surround processor for music. You could also set something up based around a HTPC/usb or TV/toslink for tv/movies with this processor.

https://www.schiit.com/products/syn

When you're in half penny pinching mode and sound quality is the priority, you could try the new Sony STR-AZ5000ES (or go higher up). 2100USD. This is the first model where you get full preouts for your amps, not that you will absolutely need it. Sony's new 360 reality spatial mapping is a notch above anything i've heard in object based audio. They don't have a prepro with this new ES line yet, unfortunately.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_158AZ5KES/Sony-ES-STR-AZ5000ES.html

Since you already have a Marantz 7706, might not be a bad idea to try something new. It is not going to be much of a revelation as you ascend higher on the Marantz chain (from what you already have).

i purchased an avm90 and i am extremely satisfied.

coming from a top of the line yamaha, the difference is night and day. yes its worth it

unfortunately you missed the holiday sale. they discounted it $1,200

the avm90 is arguably the best sounding processor for 2channel as well if your interested in using it as a dac/preamp. There are shootouts you can find on youtube where the anthem handily beats trinnov in 2channel

I have a marantz 7706 with a monoprice monolith 7ch x 200 amp -- and they sound great together -- No its not a McIntosh or Mark Levinson experience... and -  

I know monolith is not the usual name that comes up here among the flexers in AG that spend $200k on a 2ch system... but ...  

For what the system is -- it sounds much better than you would expect it to -- given that it isn't a high - end consideration. 

I have always been a fan of Marantz, but others are great too -- I have had anthem, nad, rotel etc... and they are all great --

I gave the monoprice monolith amps a good go - because I bought two of them - and i use one for outdoor and other in ceiling speakers - and I liked the amp so much I bought it to replace an amp I was using with my 7706.  Just a quick fact -- monolith amps are designed and produced by ATI. They are no slouch of a mfr.

Just my 2 cents.

Zagorski. I would stick with the 7706. The 8805 has more bells and whistles, and maybe some better parts, but I don't think you could tell the difference. I am a big believer in sticking with the same platform- it eliminates the learning curve. 

If you are a penny pincher, consider a used Marantz receiver and use the pre outs if you want to use an amp- that's how I run my rig. Marantz SR7012 and a Simaudio Titan 5 channel amp. I use the Marantz to run the Atmos speakers. It sounds great, and was hundreds cheaper than a processor. David

Grab the Cinema 70 at Accessories 4 Less for $800. That is my plan for my upgrade from a Marantz 7005.

Redwoodzz; I've owned a Marantz Slim Receiver. They are nice and compact. The model I had only had pre outs for FLFR and SW. These offer PreOut for all speakers and two subs. Nice.