Older Marantz high-end 14EX, 18EX and 19EX receivers? Do you know the differences?

[morkys]

Too late to edit. The 14EX does NOT have 192/24 DAC's ... it has 96/24 DAC's... opps... not sure about the 18EX.

So I guess the above specs links cannot be trusted either...

[morkys]

Picked up a used SR14EX and it is very good. Amazing in fact. I think my search is over... for the time being at least. I will do without the new fancy surround modes, but will try 7.1 THX EX for fun. The SR 14EX sounds great and has poop loads of dynamic range vs the SR 8000. At first it was hard to tell if the 14EX sounded better, but it's pretty clear now, especially for movies. Wow. I almost shat my pants. I thought I blew my speakers when a car exploded in one scene and then a tree crashed through a kitchen in the following scene in the dvd The Mator. Awesome. It sounds as good in stereo as source direct, or at least if there is a difference it's hardly noticable. I can even mix the subwoofer in, something I have only dreamed of doing and it really seems to work. It sounds way better than what I tried with the SR 6200, 7000 and 8000. I think it's because the stereo mode sounds nearly as good or the same as source direct, and the 14EX has a neat L & R mix option for the subwoofer output. The remote that came with it is an RC5200 which sucks. Man are touch screen remotes ever slow and they obviously have no tactile feel. I'm going with an RC2000mkii or RC1200.

thanks to all for your feedback etc,

[powerlord]

Hey that's great Morkys,you found something you are happy with and that's what matters.Hope you are enjoying it,I love Marantz recievers.

[morkys]

For all intents and purposes, I probably would have been just as happy with an 18U but this 14EX popped up locally on Canuck Audiomart (only a 40 minute drive from me) and everybody loves a surprising local find

[morkys]

Ok. Just a question about these EX and U models. When I upgraded from the SR 6200 to the SR 7000, it was totally and completely obvious that the 7000 sounded much better than the 6200. When I upgraded to the 8000, it was hard to tell the difference and sometimes I swear it sounded like the bass was better or more pronounced with the 7000, but it was hard to tell. I think I was listening too hard for a difference and was imagining it. I sold the 7000 anyways and kept the 8000. I've loved the 8000 all this time.

Now when I try my best to compare the 8000 and 14EX (it's hard because I have no real test switchers and it's not a double-blind test)... somehow I sometimes get the feeling that the bass isn't as good on the 14EX as on the 8000. It's sublte and sometimes I think I'm imagining it. I'm going to compare a few more times before letting the 8000 go, but it's a weird comparison. The 14EX has much more headroom and the midrange and treble seem to have incredible detail. I just wonder why this happens to me sometimes. I suspect maybe I'm listening too hard for good bass and expect more. The only reason I could have for the 8000 sounding like it has more or "better" bass would be because it has more distortion in the bass. I don't think the 8000 really does have noticabley more or better bass, and I think it's just my mind playing tricks. Perhaps I'll get another person to help me compare one last time. One thing about the SR 14EX that makes it potentially alot better in the bass is that I seem to be able to mix in the subwoofer with much better sounding results, and Source Direct doesn't seem to sound different, so non source-direct allows the use of the bass control (although the bass control is like all Marantz receivers, not very effective), AND lastly, I could always add an EQ. So the SR 14EX has much more options.

I am talking about the overall bass sound, and perhaps the mid-low bass, and not the absolute bottom end. When I play something like "Into The Fire" by Sarah McLaughlin, I hear all the nice tight bass and it sounds essentially the same with each receiver. Whatever the case may be, I think the 14EX with the PSB Image T65's will produce a better sound than my SR8000 and my 6T's. I think this double speaker and receiver upgrade was a good one.

Any thoughts regarding comparing the bass of the SR 8000 and the 14EX? I have matched the output volume as best I could using a Radio Shack SPL meter and treble and midrange just don't seem an issue, although I suspect they are clearer on the 14EX.

[morkys]

Must be my brain playing tricks. I could go back and forth and compare forever, but just listening to the 14EX is very satisfying. Very good midrange and treble detail and the bass is clean and deep so I will cease with comparisons and officially sell my beloved SR 8000.

[powerlord]

Morky I have demo'd the 14 EX,the 18 which I have and the SR9600.And I have owned the 8000,I can't even compare the 8000 to any of the other beasts,the 8000 is like comparing a mid level Sony to a Denon 5800.I hear the difference as night and day.If you took my 18 away and replaced it with an 8000 I would bleed out of every orifice and then die!

[morkys]

Morky I have demo'd the 14 EX,the 18 which I have and the SR9600.And I have owned the 8000,I can't even compare the 8000 to any of the other beasts,the 8000 is like comparing a mid level Sony to a Denon 5800.I hear the difference as night and day.If you took my 18 away and replaced it with an 8000 I would bleed out of every orifice and then die!

That's a little extreme, but yes, it is quite clear that the 14EX is better than the 8000. Remember that the 8000 is still quite good vs alot of the other stuff that is out there. It has HDAM's and an ok amp. Anyhow, I am really enjoying the 14EX the more I use it. I am thinking the next stop for me will likely be the SR 9600. I only hope it sounds as good as the 14EX. For now though, the 14EX will keep me very very happy

[powerlord]

I guess i should have elaborated a bit on my comparison,On my system there was a night and day differenc in sound,the 18 has way more headroom,it seems as though the more you push it the cleaner it got on my mains.And at a close to $2000 difference in your 8000 and 14ex if there isn't a major difference in sound and power then marantz did something wrong.I didn't think the 8000 was torroid equipped either.

[morkys]

No, the 8000 did not have a torroid. I have efficient speakers and a reasonabley small room (at the moment) so I don't notice the difference in headroom that much when listening to music at normal volumes. I do notice the following:

1) Bass has more impact and feel even at moderate volumes
2) Bass sounds clean, clear and deep
3) More spacious ambient depth to the sound
4) Great midrange and treble detail
5) Dynamic range for movies is incredible

It's great.

Out of curiosity, how does the SR14EX and SR9600 compare? The 9600 has HDAM's (newer SA2 HDAM's) and torroid power supply. Some day I think that could be my next uprgade. Nothing else other than the 9600 has the HDAM's and torroid.

[powerlord]

When I demo'd the 9600 it was on speakers similar to mine,Def Tech 2000's,so was the 14 ex,the 18 ex and the 19 and the 18u,they were all in the same listening room hooked up to the same pair of speakers.The 19 was the weakest,it pooped out before it got to reference level in all areas,for some reason the 18ex was pretty much the same,but when it came to the 14 and the 9600 and the U there seemed to be no limit to the clarity even past reference,and I couldn't hear an audible difference between the 9600 and the 14 or the U.The 9600 is full of new technology,we have older units,but the same power supply.The 8000 couldn't handle the load my RSF1000's put on it,the bass was muddy and incoherent at high volume and the highs were disgusting,I had an Elite on them and it couldn't handle reference level either,the sound became sloppy,but the 18 U makes my mains sing like angels,clear highs,deep clean authoritative bass past refernce level(which I never listen at).

[morkys]

That's what I love about my PSB Image speakers. They are fairly efficient, so I am only teasing the amp section to get good quality sound at sane listening levels. I am a tame, sometimes daring, but responsible listener. I listen at levels that have the sound going no higher than 85 dB on average at my listening position, 99% of the time. And I do this for obvious reasons. I have already suffered some hearing loss when I was at loud concerts as a teen ager. Stupid. I don't want to loose any more of my hearing. Luckily it was modest hearing loss and nothing nearly serious (had it checked).

Thanks for the feedback. At least I know that if I go to try out the SR 9600 some day for it's surround mode toys, it's audio quality will match the 14EX.

[morkys]

Well, the more I listen to this thing, the more I like it. It has lot's of clarity and lot's of slam. It sounds so clear and defined. No wonder the guy I bought it from says it sounds within 15% of some good quality separates. I thought he was exaggerating a bit but the difference between this SR14EX and other receivers is quite huge. I love this thing

[morkys]

Ok, I think I have found my one and only issue with this receiver, and I'm not sure if it's the mode of the receiver or the receiver itself, or the source material, or the speakers or a combination.

I am finding that often times the vocals in movies are boomy. Now, it varies from one dvd to the next. I have upgraded my speakers recently from the original PSB Image line to the 2nd gen Image line. I am using the receiver in NITE mode because one of the people I watch movies with is hard of hearing, so I increase the centre channel a couple of dB's and I try to reduce the dynamic range by using the NITE mode.

Any thoughts?

[morkys]

Any idea's how the SR9300 compares to the SR 14EX? I am looking at a used SR9600 but it's still pricey...but I also have a chance to pick up an SR 9300 for a decent price. The SR 9300 doesn't seem to have those HDAM's... but has all the rest. Not sure what I want to do. I'm a Marantz junky.

[johnny p]

Morkys, I'm not sure where you're located, but send me a PM if you're willing to sell the 8000, it'll be a great upgrade for me, and rest assured, It will give me a lot of enjoyment!

I'm not sure of the resale, but I'll check it out.

[morkys]

I am in Pickering, a sub-urb of Toronto. I sold my SR 8000 a while ago shortly after I bought the SR-14EX. I may sell my SR-14EX now. Why? Because I have Marantz upgrade-itis desease. I don't need to upgrade, I am just mental for Marantz.

[johnny p]

hmmm Doubt I can afford a 14EX, (especially with the decline of our dollar up there)

[morkys]

Well, just so you know, I'm selling my with an asking price of $995 at the moment. Lemme know if you are interested.

[morkys]

Sold the 14EX late last year and picked up an SR9600. Works well with my PSB image speakers, except that it can be so detailed as to be overly bright and revealing. Much of the blame goes to my PSB speakers.

[sb01]

Hi- sorry to bump back an old thread, but I have a very important question to ask regarding the Marantz SR-9600 and was hoping an owner of one of these receivers here could help me-

I used to own a Marantz SR-18ex, it was a fantastic receiver and my favorite of any I've ever owned or heard up to date. The only, ONLY thing that always bugged me about it was that you could apparently NOT run the subwoofer in source direct mode for two-channel music such as CD. (On Dolby and DTS surround modes, however, the source direct seemed to work with the sub- I suppose because the LFE was a dedicated signal, but on two-channel the subwoofer was trying to "borrow" the low-end frequencies from the front left and right channels, but it would not receive any signal because source direct eliminated output to the sub.) On Marantz's more recent receivers using source direct mode does NOT bypass bass management, but on the 18ex it did. I have very revealing Apogee speakers and LOVE their clarity through the source direct mode, but there was no way to run a subwoofer with them in this mode, which is pretty much a necessity, so i was relegated to using the stereo mode on the receiver, which, while still sounding very good, took away a bit of the clarity IMO.

I now have the chance to purchase an SR-9600 which is very comparable to the 14ex and 18ex but adds a few more options. The thing I need to know is whether you can run the subwoofer in the source direct mode for two-channel music on this model, or if it bypasses the subwoofer output like the 18ex did. I also notice that this receiver has a "pure direct" mode as well which bypasses video circuitry, and I have heard that the pure direct mode bypasses the bass management and subwoofer output for two-channel music while the source direct mode does not.

Can someone please clue me in to help me make a decision regarding the SR-9600? I am willing to shell out big bucks for this model but ONLY if it can run a sub in source direct mode for two-channel music. Thank you!!!

[pixelthis]

Dont know about Marantz, but every source direct mode I have ever seen
disables the sub.
Thats the point of this mode, to provide a unenhanced two channel sound in the highest fidelity.
"Stereo" is usually the mode you need, two channel with a sub.

[sb01]

Dont know about Marantz, but every source direct mode I have ever seen
disables the sub.
Thats the point of this mode, to provide a unenhanced two channel sound in the highest fidelity.
"Stereo" is usually the mode you need, two channel with a sub.

Normally I would agree with you, and I see your point- however in some cases such as mine it is necessary to have the sub to augment the lower frequencies to the front two channels. All you are doing with the ability to run source direct with a subwoofer is introducing one electrical circuit back into the signal (bass crossover management). You would still be bypassing tone controls (and in some cases video circuitry altogether) which is the main point of source direct, and even if you had front speakers that would handle the full audio range it would mean that those speakers are still introducing more crossover circuitry back into the signal (granted passive not active, but still.)
To me the benefits of being able to run a sub in source direct far outweigh the drawbacks. And not to start an argument, but just about every receiver that incorporates this mode nowadays (except the extreme high end ones) allow a sub with source direct.