I've been reading Marantz vs. Denon threads all night. I'm sure that you've all been bombarded with quite a few of them in the past. So please forgive me for posting yet another. However, my ability to audition the equipment I'm looking at before buying it is somewhat limited. As such, I'm trying to get all the feedback I can before making any decisions.
Here's my situation. I have a pair of B&W 603 S3s currently sitting boxed up and receiver-less. At this point, I'm pretty certain that I've narrowed it down to the Marantz SR7400 and the Denon AVR2805.
While I take both movies and music seriously, the reality is that I spend much more time listening to music than I do watching films. As such, I'd rather get a receiver that leans towards performance on the music end of things. So far as I understand, this would put me squarely in the Marantz realm. However, I just wanted to get other people's opinions on this. I'm afraid to pair a Denon 2805 with the B&W speakers, as their both 'bright' devices. The Marantz is (I've been told) a fair bit warmer sounding.
Opinions? I'd love to hear what you have to say. Thanks in advance.
Marantz would probably sound better with B&W's, since the speakers are quite bright sounding. ...and I tend to find the sound from all those Jap-receivers (Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, etc) to sound very harsh and forced.
I think warm receivers such as Marantz, HK, or even NAD would really complement your 603's better than the Denon.
I have a Marantz SR-7300. I had JBL XT1-60's as mains and B&W 602 S3's for rear surrounds. I recently swapped their positions and have since ordered another pair of 602's to replace the JBL's. The Marantz and B&W combination is absolutely wonderful imho.
Marantz and B&W 600 series speakers are very well matched. At the level you are looking at both the Denon and the Marantz will give you good music performance. I prefer the Marantz by a whisker as it seems to present a richer sound.
Thanks for all the advice, gentlemen! This has been a great help, as it's confirmed my suspicions that the two would make a good pair. Glad to hear it. Cheers!
BTW, Marantz is both owned by Denon right now, and is made in Japan (thus making it one of "those Jap-receivers")--neither of which have affected the sound.