Surround Processor Reviews

David, do you find that the AT IC-6 speakers blend well with the MK system?
Thanks.

Not sure when this review was written, but the Upgrade for HDCP 2.2 starts June 1st the information and forms necessary to complete the process are online on their website.

Hi David. Okay, please do me a favor and ease me off the ledge I'm ready to jump off...I just bought the previous generation 8801 processor. (haven't even unboxed it yet) Are the sonic upgrades enough that I should buy the new one? I'm not ready to go Atmos any time soon, but all the improvements you write about make me wonder if I should just grit my teeth and get the new one. What's your opinion?

Jonas, if I wasn't upgrading to Atmos, I would have happily kept my 8801 since I rarely listen to 2-channel music unless I'm doing a review (I just don't have the time!). If you're big into 2-channel, then the 8802 is quite a bit better in this regard (if you can listen to the two right after another). For movies, the 8802 is slightly better with surround imaging placement (but that could be the Atmos-effect I'm hearing). Also a thing to consider, you probably bought the 8801 for a very good price (at or below $2k) and you'll pay substantially more for an 8802 (as much as 2x as much) and when you take that into consideration, the 8801 becomes a much better value. As you are probably aware, the law of diminishing returns definitely take hold when comparing AV gear! Let me know if you have any further questions...I'm happy to answer.

I don't mind it when commentators make this mistake, but the reviewer should know better.

So can anyone point to me the benefit of getting this instead of the Onkyo PR-SC5530? Comparing the 2, I was unable to find any thing that The Marantz offers that the Onkyo does not, quite the opposite. So why is this worth $1,500 more?

I've become more interested in DSD recordings which are becoming more plentiful. I didn't see any information on the DACs used in the 8002 and whether the unit will play 64fs, 128fs and 256fs. Could you elaborate on the 8802's ability to play DSDs?

I've got just a 2 (maybe 3) channel system, is a Receiver like this wasted on such a system ?

Any idea how much idle/active power it consumes ? I was attracted to the Pioneer Ice-Power for it's power efficiency. Just wondering how the Marantz compares in efficiency.

4 grand for a unit that can't handle 2 discrete subwoofer channels and will be obsolete in 2 years?

No thanks.

Thanks for the review David. Maybe I am missing it somewhere on the website, but can you please tell me what AMPS you used with your test setup and the Marantz. Thanks

I used a Parasound A51 for the left, center, right, r & l surround. I used a Parasound Zonemaster 1250 (bridged to 6 channels) for the l & r rear surrounds and 4 overhead Atmos speakers. I usually list this in the review, but it was probably cut for space constraints.

Thanks

I'm not forking over one more cent for additional surrounds. If the manufacturers want me to inve$t in more channels - then let them get me the two missing front channels that are between the left and center, and the right and center front channels. These front channels have been in most multichannel movies since "Oklahoma!" came out in 1955! No more surrounds! Now,get with it!

Hi David,
After reading the review on the Marantz AV8802 Surround Processor i need to ask a few questions for my next step.
we are building a "home theater" 6.0 m x 4.5m, the speakers are whatmough P series P31, P06, P11 and FX speakers, along a typhoon sub, so 7.1.
my budget had been a round 8k ( pre amp/power amp)+ 1k for cables and install costs for audio only.
Knowing the AV8802 will be around the $3.3k that leaves me $4.7K + install costs for the preamp/power amp.
i will be installing 2 more ceiling speakers to use some of the ATMOS technology, however this can be done a little later.

oh, i can hear the readers saying run the cables while you are doing the install/ Reno, and yes i will run all the wires for future speakers.
My question is if i go down the path of the what would you suggest would complement the 8802 preamp?
I have been steered to Rotel, parasound, then others have suggested Marantz.
Here is my conundrum, which brand will complement the above mentioned (5ch + 2ch,)Power amp giving me 7.1 ch.
or do i purchase 2 x 5 ch, with built in capacity for future speaker installs ( max 3) i know.
any help greatly appreciated.

Steve

David, I really enjoyed reading your review on the Marantz AV8802. In fact, you have helped me finalize my decision on purchasing such a high quality upgrade. Would you care to recommend a few amps that would match the quality of the 8802? I will be utilizing a seven channel system (no Atmos yet :( ). I know I can match the Marantz seven channel amp and get 150 W per channel with a perfectly matching appearance. I was also thinking about going with Emotiva's seven channel amp which I believe will give me 200 W per channel and cost significantly less. Can you help me find an amp of outstanding quality that does not completely break the bank?

My apologies, I overlooked your post about how you're partial to Parasound. I do want to clarify that I'm probably going to be looking for a seven channel amp mainly to conserve shelf space - if I ever decide to go Atmos I would purchase another amp. I don't believe Parasound offers a seven channel amp. That's why I was really thinking about Marantz for the matching looks or Emotiva for the extra power and excellent price. Thoughts?

hello David i've decided to buy a Atoms sound system . i read this well written review and after that i'm in doubt now between Marantz 8802 and Denon AVR-X7200WA with Hdcp 2.2 integrated please tell me which one is more suitable with my TV Samsung UN65JS9500 and Blu-ray Player Pioneer Elite BDP-88FD ? do I also need to buy another Amplifier ? I also need a 7.1 channel speakers ? what are your recommendations ?

David.. Review is very useful.. Currently I have Onkyo NR3030 and enjoying every bit of it.. the show stealer is Dolby Surround Mixer for non Atmos discs.. Have you tested DSU in AV8802? Also, did you experience the DTS Neural surround? An up-mixer solution like DSU

Which amplifier can preferable for klipsch rp280,rp260,rp450..speakers with marantz for 11 channel setup.

Can Some one please elaborate a bit on the Chroma resolution fail? Does this mean that an AV8802 cant pass HDMI video without degrading it?

This post is intended for David Vaughn.
Hi David, I've enjoyed your review on the Marantz AV8802 pre pro that you did last year. Thank you for that. I'm curious how the Marantz AV8802 would compare against the Classe SSP 800, Classe Sigma SSP and the Meridian 861 v8 reference pre pros.
Can you comment on their two-channel performances as well as surround sound performances for movies? I did demo the Meridian 861 v8 reference pre pro, the Classe SSP 800 & the Classe Sigma SSP at my local dealer but not the Marantz. My local dealer does not sell Marantz. They carry the Meridian, Classe, McIntosh, NAD, Rotel, Audio Research, Dan D'Agostino, Linn, Datasat, Theta Digital, etc.
Anyways, the Meridian and both Classe performed fantastic in both two-channel and home theater. The Meridian 861 v8 was superior to both Classe in both two-channel and home theater. It was expected though due to massive price differences between the Meridian 861 v8 and the Classe. I'm not sure if the Marantz AV8802 could compare to the Meridian 861 v8 and the Classe (SSP 800 & Sigma) sonically.
I'm willing to pay for whatever price as long as I can get the best fidelity in both two-channel performance for music and home theater. And I'm not interested in Dolby Atoms, Aura 3D, hdcp 2.2. I don't care about the feature set or bells and whistles. All I care is about the audio fidelity or performances in both two-channel for music and home theater. I currently have the Ayre universal bluray disc player and the Linn Klimax DS digital streamer/DAC as my stereo source for music.
Fyi, I've been using the Linn Kisto pre pro with all Linn amplification and all Linn speaker system for the last 10 years but the Kisto got really outdated. Linn Kisto was Linn's flagship av preamp surround processor but it isn't equipped with hdmi connections because the Kisto was first released before bluray came out.
I had the Ayre bluray player connected to the Linn Kisto via multi-channel analog audio and hdmi out of the Ayre bluray player directly to the TV. Previously I used to have the Linn Unidisk 1.1 universal disc player connected to the Linn Kisto.
Your advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.