I am planning on setting up a 2.1(moving to 5.1 later) system with either Paradigm Atoms or Athena AS-B2's for the main speakers and a Fluance 12" for the sub. My listening interest is 50/50 music and movies. Any advice on which of these two receivers I should choose?
If I were you, I would go for the Marantz/Athena combination. Overall, the Marantz is a much more robust receiver with a better power supply and a warmer, more inviting sound. Pair them with the brighter sounding Athena's (which are a pretty good speaker for the price by the way), and I think you would have a pretty good combination in my opinion.