Marantz NR1200 or Denon DRA800H

OptimusPrime9

by asking a dealer should be able to get the marantz cheaper that its current price

its not just music i listen to i will connect it to my computer for movies, videos, live streams
not sure what to go for as getting a demo is difficult
i guess il prob have to gamble

ideally id rather than the denon because of its 2 opticals vs the marantz 1 optical connection
but il probably be ok with 1 optical so if marantz suppose to sound better then id prob go with the marantz

why u not rate the denon receivers for music? are marantz suppose be alot better at this?
i see some comments how the marantz is more musical whatever that really means
and the denon is more home theatre

but surely the better sounding product should be able to do both music and movies better?

highwayman8155

If they are technically too close to call have a think about which one you find the most pleasing visually. If you hate looking at the thing in your living room it doesn't matter much what it sounds like... Especially if you have to get purchase authorisation from the other half. I am biased as I love the marantz look.

Digital Jive

Thanks for that... the Denon doesn't look terrible but I think the Marantz is certainly more stylish. If anyone is in Canada the NR1200 is really cheap on Amazon.ca right now... only $559 CDN.

Jonashifi

Also looking at both options which have exactly the same price over here.
But maybe any of you can advice me on my general considerations. I have been trying to settle on what would be the best setup for my needs but feel increasingly lost

Priority is stereo sound. Having resisted for a while I now want to be able to make sure of streaming platforms. However, from a pure audio perspective it seems that separating tasks would be best. For example: the marantz PM6006 and the NA 6005. Or the Denon PMA-800NE with the DNP-800NE. Important to mention that I also want to connect to a beamer. I am currently doing this through my laptop.

I don't find it very convenient it requires my laptop to be connected to my receiver so I am considering getting the Nvida Shield so that I can just use the android tv interface. As far as I understand I would connect through HDMI the beamer with the Shield and the receiver. However the Marantz and Denon setup mentioned above do not have HDMI ports. the DRA 800H and NR1200 do have but again, as far as I understand, they are inferior in sonic terms. Important to mention as well that I want to connect 4 speakers so the A/B option is very convenient. Alternatively I would have to use a splitter. Not sure if that is advisable? I would even consider the Marantz PM7006 but again no hdmi here.

I am also wondering about the chromecast audio connecting to a Marantz PM6006 and whether that's not as good as having a separate streaming device.

Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated!

OptimusPrime9

i found a yamaha RN602 i had to be boring, harsh also

on how the denon sound is
would the denon DRA800H be a much more fun amp to listen to?
i was interested in the marantz NR1200 but i dont like how it has a plastic front panel

would the denon also have better bass more punch to it that what a marantz and yamaha do?
as i listen to more like pop music, not into classical music

Digital Jive

I got myself the NR1200 and I'm liking it: feel free to send questions if interested. Setup was very easy and it sound great through my PSB towers. Only minor annoyance is technological... I was hoping that Alexa would play Apple Music through the unit thus giving me voice control. However, Alexa will play Apple Music through an Echo, or will send Amazon music to the receiver but can't send Apple Music. There are lots of workarounds but I thought this would have worked.

OptimusPrime9

hi Digital Jive
comparing the marantz NR1200 to the denon DRA800H

have you head both of them?
if so what you find different between them, like which had better vocals, bass?

what made you go for the marantz over the denon?

Digital Jive

No, I didn't get a change to compare them. I was planning to but when Amazon Canada posted the Marantz for $550 CDN I assumed it was a mistake so I jumped on it and ordered. I do prefer the look of the Marantz although I would have been fine with the Denon. The sound is certainly much better than the vintage unit it replaced and I had no problems linking it to my network. The only minor issue I have is that HEOS doesn't support AppleMusic so I can't ask Alexa to play something from AppleMusic... but I can access from my iPhone etc.

4stimpy

It this moment I am also in doubt between these two.
I have a pair of Monitor audio rx6 speakers which tend to have a crispy sound.
At this moment I get the sound from a Yamaha rx v667 which gives a warmer sound.
This combination gives me an acceptable sound.
But now I want to step up and go for a network receiver for 2 channels with sub out.

I tend to like the Denon more for looks and power output, but i am afraid it will give me a sound that is to crisp or sharp.

Therefore I think the Marantz will do better in my setup, and even the lower power output is still enough for my speakers.

The thing I don't understand is why the Marantz more expensive, must be a brand thing because I can't see real quality difference between both.

I would like some extra feedback before I buy one of these.

Digital Jive

The Marantz has less power, and one less optical port... but is in a smaller box. Aside from that, the specs are identical and they probably use the same parts but it is difficult to know how the units have been tuned unless you can directly compare them both.