Jim,
The serious AV/HT geeks hang out on the AVSforum site. Go there and search the archives. You will likely find lots of information about both of these receviers as they were both very popular high-end models.
As I recall, the AVSforum group is pretty keen on the Onkyos. I think there are also many proponents of that Marantz unit on the site. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
I don't personally have any experience with the Marantz line, so take my comments with that in mind. I have owned HT receivers from Sony, Sony ES, Pioneer, Pioneer Elite, Denon and B&K. My current Onkyo SR-TX703 is by far the easiest to setup and use. It also sounds as good as any of the other HT receivers I've used in my modest HT system (I'm primarily a 2-channel guy too). If I were suggesting an HT receiver for a casual HT enthusiest, I would feel very comfortable suggesting the Onkyos.
The only suggestion I would make is to consider your entire HT setup before deciding on a receiver. Many of the current receivers (I don't know about the one generation old models you are considering) provide video upconversion which will allow you to connect a single HDMI cable from the receiver to TV. The receiver will upconvert any video signal (Composite, Component, S-Video, HDMI), convert it to digital and output it over the single HDMI cable to the TV. This could be a great feature that simplifies your ease of use and cuts down on cable cost.
Good luck in your search and ENJOY!
TIC
The serious AV/HT geeks hang out on the AVSforum site. Go there and search the archives. You will likely find lots of information about both of these receviers as they were both very popular high-end models.
As I recall, the AVSforum group is pretty keen on the Onkyos. I think there are also many proponents of that Marantz unit on the site. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
I don't personally have any experience with the Marantz line, so take my comments with that in mind. I have owned HT receivers from Sony, Sony ES, Pioneer, Pioneer Elite, Denon and B&K. My current Onkyo SR-TX703 is by far the easiest to setup and use. It also sounds as good as any of the other HT receivers I've used in my modest HT system (I'm primarily a 2-channel guy too). If I were suggesting an HT receiver for a casual HT enthusiest, I would feel very comfortable suggesting the Onkyos.
The only suggestion I would make is to consider your entire HT setup before deciding on a receiver. Many of the current receivers (I don't know about the one generation old models you are considering) provide video upconversion which will allow you to connect a single HDMI cable from the receiver to TV. The receiver will upconvert any video signal (Composite, Component, S-Video, HDMI), convert it to digital and output it over the single HDMI cable to the TV. This could be a great feature that simplifies your ease of use and cuts down on cable cost.
Good luck in your search and ENJOY!
TIC