I'm looking for advice in setting up my home theatre system. I currently own Thiel C2 speakers with a Thiel center channel scs2. I most likely will go with cieling mount speakers- currently thinking about speakercraft Aim8 -two. What reciever would you suggest- The Denon 3805 and the MarantzSR7400 has been suggested. Any comments?? Also does anyone have a recomendation for the subwoofer?
Sue, When "blind-tested" against almost anything, and most certainly against a Denon, people will describe the Marantz line as "warmer, smoother" etc. In my opinion, Marantz was the king of 2-channel audio receivers in the 70's when solid-state receivers began. When they approached the home theater market, they refused to give up that heritage for movie playback.
However, it really depends on your flavor of sound. Denon = detailed and Marantz = warm. I haven't auditioned Theils, are they warm enough or too detailed?
What's your price range for the sub?
sue123
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To tell you the truth I have never appreciated the sound from the Thiels since they have been located in a room with a cathedral cieling which gave to very poor acoustics. I'm moving them to a basement hometheatre which I anticipate will allow them to do their thing....so in answer to your question I'm not sure how to describe them....I'm trying to get the most bang for the buck with the subwoofer (hopefully in the 500 to $1000 range) The area for the theatre system is fairly big (room size 15ftx21ft). Also, what would you recommend for a decent DVD- I don't need all the bells and whistles- just something to play movies well and music
You can get a great sub within that price range. Try to audition HSU, SVS, and Velodyne. I personally own a Velodyne SPL Series II. It's a little more on the expensive side, but I think it's worth it. Very accurate and tight for music and handles explosions from movies exceptionally well.
The Denon 2200 DVD player isn't too fancy and may be what you're looking for, especially if you own a few SACDs or DVD-Audio.
As with any equipment, try to audition them yourself before "shelling out" your hard-earned money. You'll read countless equipment reviews, both good and bad, but what really matters is how and what you interpret as good sound. Best of luck to you!
I dont agree with the Denon beeing detailed and Marantz just warm. While the Marantz is warm, I still can hear more details with it than with a Denon, especially the Marantz's midrange is more open and focused. The Denon is also clearly very detailed, but for movies they probably would require more pure depth and punch for the lows. The 3805 has great features though.
I haven't ever heard the Thiels, but I remember they're quite legendary speakers in the USA.
I agree with N.A.D for the subs and the DVD-player.