Replacement for Marantz SR-7000 to drive B&W 603 S2 & SVS setup (1 Viewer)

[Takosan]

Greetings!

Love my SR-7000 driving B&W 603 S2 (left, right), LCR6 S2 (center), and 602 S2 (rears) and SVS sub (5.1). But I need to replace it; thinking of moving SR-7000 to office for sound-only.

Reason for replacing SR-7000 that is in the family room is to get HDMI switching for easy of switching video sources.

SR-7000 is a great budget AVR that produces nice sounds mated to the above speakers ... is there similar in 2017? It doesn't have to be Marantz. Other than HDMI switching, AirPlay, Cast (Android), and BT would be nice but not necessarily requirements. Again, main thing is HDMI switching and driving nice warm sounds from the 603 S2 & SVS.

Thanks!
Rob

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

HDMI is standard on all AVRs these days. Beyond that, there’s nothing unique about the SR-7000 that you won’t get from any similarly priced (allowing for inflation) receiver currently available Marantz, or from Yamaha, Denon, Pioneer etc. for that matter. So browse the manufacturer’s web sites and pick something with the features you are looking for. Might want to avoid Onkyo, they seem to be having issues with HDMI boards of late.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Takosan]

Thanks Wayne.

Not audiophile by any means but when I started with hometheater in 2000 (and learning about this new hobby), I learned that "match" was important between AVR & speakers they drove. I think, although I may be wrong/forgotten as I got used to SR-7000 driving the B&W speakers all these years, many said SR-7000 was a good match in bringing out the B&W's intended tonal(?) qualities. Maybe not as important these days?

I will stay away from Onkyo! Thanks again!

Rob

 

[CraigF]

You will find the amplifiers in most mid-range and up AVRs to be quite competent these days. They will handle more "complex" speaker loads (as some B&Ws are, not necessarily yours) much better than even only several years ago.

The brands Wayne mentioned are fine. If you want a nice sound but don't want to get too "geeky" about it all, Yamaha might be good. Denon and Marantz are more my wheelhouse lately, good sound is to be had there too, good for futzers and more "complicated" requirements, but not necessarily just for those.

I know Pioneer doesn't make their own AVRs these days, but haven't really kept up with them. Who knew that H/K still makes AVRs, I haven't seen one (in Canada) for years. And Sony. Yeah, Wayne mentioned the mainstream "enthusiast" brands... A couple of other brands that are usually a little pricier but worth considering if your budget is "flexible" are Anthem and NAD. Anthem will give you a nice sound with somewhat less complication/flexibility than e.g. Denon/Marantz, but is still pretty flexible...sound and build quality is more Anthem's forte though.

[Onkyo has had problems with their HDMI boards for a long time. This is the heart of a modern AVR and when something goes wrong it's usually that board. I don't know what to say about that, they extended their warranties *in the U.S.* (but not in e.g. Canada where they sell the identical affected products), I assume because the stricter laws in the U.S. would force them to if they didn't do it voluntarily. So Onkyo might be OK in the U.S., I certainly wouldn't totally write them off, it's otherwise and usually decent stuff.]

 

[Takosan]

I just saw AVR-S510BT come down to $168 new @AMZN again (it was at that price point couple days ago but went back up to $230 & was kicking my self) so I picked one up before asking these question: The SR-7000 is rated at 100w per channel and the speakers are rated at 135w. The S510BT is rated at 70w per channel ... this should be still fine to drive these speakers?

Thank you.
Rob

 

[Takosan]

NVM. Looks like it is rated ate 140w per channel - duh - my mistake!

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I have similar speakers to yours - - B&W 604's for the fronts, LCR6 for center, and 602's for my surrounds. Until recently, I had been using Pioneer Elite AVRs, but needed to upgrade for 4K support. I went with a Denon X3300, which I have been very happy with. It has enough power to drive the speakers, and the Audyssey room correction does an excellent job of smoothing out the sound.

After probably 15 years of having Pioneer Elite receivers with my B&W's, I was apprehensive about switching brands. However, my system never sounded better than it does now with the Denon.

 

[Takosan]

Thanks Scott!

Yeps, I was apprehensive and probably buyers remorse for no good reason after such a good run with SR-7000 driving the 603 for over a decade. The S510BT just got delivered & I can't even open the box until later tonight - frustrated.

Without really testing the efficacy of what bi-wiring does to sound or using thick vs. thin AWG wires does to sound, I did those things "just because" when I initially setup the SR-7000 and the 603 Funny thing is the S510BT has only spring clips instead of binding posts and it is highly unlikely that I hear the difference of bi-wiring anyways .

I'm glad your still loving your B&W after all these years! I do too!

Rob

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Spring clips instead of binding posts would have been a deal breaker for me. While there is no sonic advantage to one over the other, I find banana plugs connected to binding posts so convenient to use -- especially in the tight confines on the back of a receiver.

Glad to know there is another person out there still enjoying his B&W's. I've owned mine for many years, still really enjoy their sound and have no desire to upgrade. They've been the best investment I've made in my home theater, considering I have swapped out every other component several times since purchasing these speakers. For example, I've had four different AVR's powering the speakers over the years -- one Sony ES, two Pioneer Elites, and now the Denon.

 

[Takosan]

In my case Marantz was my first AVR; this forum was my teacher to get into this hobby.

I could only afford the B&W left & right speakers and a Marantz CD player initially; enjoyed that for couple years. BTW, I appreciated the 2 channel experience & the source direct mode of the Marantz (again, this was my first AVR & speakers set so my CD collection suddenly became alive). Got the center & rears after a while. Then the hot water tank in my living room, err SVS sub .

Yeps, these are great speakers for me and I don't foresee needing to replace either. My next component is probably a BD player as my JPN PS3 can't play US DVDs (I know - what's a DVD, right?) - LOL!

Rob

 

[Takosan]

This is a little EMBARRASSING but I need to revisit this thread as I may have been, ummm, straight up dumb about this ... maybe So I did get the AVR-S510BT couple years ago but always felt that the sound was sub-par comparative to the SR7000 it replaced.

The B&W 603 S2 (left, right), LCR6 S2 (center), and 602 S2 (rears) were connected to the SR7000 using banana clips & bi-wired to the HF & LF terminals.

Here's where I think 510BT is a capable receiver after-all but the user, myself, forgot to do something ...

When I saw that the AVR-510BT terminals did not accept banana plugs, I just disconnected the HF terminals on the speaker end. I only had LF connecting to the 510BT's terminals but forgot to connect the LF terminal to the HF terminal on each speaker ... isn't there usually a little hook-like thingy that connects the HF & LF?

Rob

 

[JohnRice]

Wait...

You’ve been playing these speakers without tweeters for two years?!? You didn’t notice?

Yes, there are flat, metal straps that come with the speakers to connect the two inputs, or you can just use short pieces of speaker wire with banana plugs to connect them together. Possibly those straps were never removed in the first place, because using only the LF would sound obviously AWFUL! I can’t believe you wouldn’t notice right away.

 

[Takosan]

Well, probably I'm the first & should win an award

Half my face is paralyzed and I always sit at an angle with the ear I don't hear out of towards the speakers (when the family watches a movie) so I "thought" I just miss my SR7000 too much

Since I bi-wired the speakers as soon as I bought the left & right fronts, I don't know where those "thingies" are. Do you know if the distance between HF & LF posts are standard that I find them on Amazon? Or just use a piece of wire as you suggest - no banana plugs as that is the original problem with 510BT but I still blame myself & laugh about it!

To add to all these amusement, I saw a VSX-LX102 on sale for under $200 which do accept banana plugs so I was thinking if I should replace the 510BT with if I can get the funds together. I'm an old geek but still an newbie when it come to audio.

Thank you.
Rob

 

[JohnRice]

Those straps aren't standard. What I was meaning is that all you need to do is connect the high and low posts together. You can use short pieces of speaker wire to do that, instead of the straps. Just don't connect anything between + and -. That will short the amp. In other words, a short piece of speaker wire between the + high and low, and another between the - high and low.

 

[Takosan]

Thank you! I'm goiung to do that this July 4th slowdown and report back that now I can HEAR