Marantz SR7002 Surround Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a bit long but I hope reviewers will benefit by my experiences.
Marantz is a name not found at most popular chain type stores, but it is one worth seeking out. I've had Marantz receivers and amplifiers since the 1970s, and that's not because I didn't consider other brands over that time. After research and demoing other brands, I kept coming back to Marantz. I have a Marantz SR7200 surround receiver that has worked flawless since I got it in 2002. But since I recently upgraded to an HD TV, an HD satellite receiver, and a Blu Ray player, I got the itch to upgrade to an HD surround receiver. The SR7200 was working fine, but doesn't have the latest PLIIx, HDMI inputs and outputs, and some of the other high definition sound and video capabilities. So my research began (and I really planned to try another brand this time). I scoured the internet obsessively (as I always do, and did for my TV and Blu Ray player), reading user reviews and professional reviews, and lab tests. I discovered the SR7002 which got very good marks, but another popular brand kept popping up as the recommended choice. It was just under a grand, so I bit the bullet and purchased the receiver. It had all of the latest bells and whistles and was a very good receiver. But for me, the warmth of the Marantz sound and the user friendly set up and menus was just not there. After a few days of use and adjusting, I returned the receiver, spent an extra $130, and walked out with the Marantz SR7002. Very wise choice for me. The SR7002 has a few less bells and whistles of the previous brand I tried, but it certainly has all of what most folks will need. It has plenty of power for my mid to large living room. The set up and menus are straight forward and very user friendly. Just as a test, I compared the quality of video I get when I run the HDMI video signal from my satellite receiver and Blu Ray player direct to the TV, and when I run the HDMI video signal through the SR7002 first, then to the TV. I cannot tell the difference. There is no loss of video quality running through the receiver first. The beauty of that is less cables to use and easier use of switching between functions. And the sound - excellent. For me, there is a warmth and fullness to the Marantz sound that I don't hear with other receivers. I've read the manual a bit more thoroughly now and have tweaked the system slightly the last few weeks and am even more satisfied. The automatic speaker "calibration" system is very simple to use and balances the speakers wonderfully. It calculates the distances each speaker is away from various sitting positions, adjusts volumes, etc. After that I did go in and made some very minor volume adjustments to suit my taste, particularly the sub and the crossover setting to the sub - everyone's speakers and tastes are different. But it's a great way to establish a solid balanced base to make personal adjustments from. The remote is fine too. It is a learning remote, and I've been able to program it to control my satellite receiver, my Blu Ray player, a DVD recorder, a VHS machine, and my TV. Very nice. I will say that I have since gotten a Harmony One universal remote that, after some experience and program tweaking with it, is excellent, and that is what I use. But I still keep the Marantz remote nearby just in case. I really could have gotten by with the Marantz remote just fine and would have been happy, but the Harmony One has other advanced qualities that are quite nice (but that's another review). So after a ton of research and a try out of a recommended brand, Marantz came through again. I'm totally satisfied. The receiver is the heart of any system; so you need to review, research, and try out for yourself; but in my experiences over the years, Marantz has always been a high quality product, and the SR7002 doesn't disappoint. If you want power and high quality sound, in a user friendly system, for just over a grand, this is it.

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Performance addicted? Just call this Marantz your enabler. With THX Select2 certification and 110 watts of continuous power per channel, the SR7002 receiver opens up the home entertainment horizon for the most demanding yet cost-conscious customers out there.Let's look at video capabilities first. You can connect up to four HDMI equipped sources to the SR7002. Direct the one you want to your display and to the SR7002’s built-in surround sound processor. Unlike earlier HDMI connections, these handle multi-channel sound with ease. Still enjoying non-HDMI sources? Rest easy. The SR7002 comes complete with format conversion lets you watch older videos through the super-convenient HDMI format. And there’s a Second Zone audio/video output, too, so you can enjoy your entertainment throughout your entire home.You’ll also find Dolby Virtual Speaker so you can enjoy an immersive surround experience with the dialog clarity inherent in a discrete center channel configuration with just two speakers.And, speaking of clarity, the SR7002 features Audyssey's remarkable Auto Calibration that examines your entire room to make those other seats just as rewarding as the ones directly in front of your display device's screen. Of course, there’s an infrared input and two DC trigger outputs so you can coordinate your entire system for convenient remote operation.You won’t have any problem fitting all this capability into your home either, thanks to a new, compact chassis that will fit more easily into even the tightest spaces. All this plus a three-year warranty.

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Marantz NR1601 Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, I'm going to be totally subjective. This 4" Tall Marantz AV Receiver is the perfect Solution for use in my Den/ Bedroom (see pics above). It doesn't have every single feature of a $1500+ Receiver but still, for $500 bucks it has everything you need at the size you want (3D resolution, up to DTS-Master Audio, 4 HDMI inputs, etc.). I actually waited close to a year after the NR1501 was released for it's replacement and am glad I did.
Right off the bat - this is a standalone solution meaning NO Pre-Outs! You cannot connect it to another Amplifier... it's simply not built for that purpose, especially at its price point. Also there is no 2nd Zone output and No internet connection. I'm okay with that because this is for viewing TV and using my PC in the privacy of my own room. It also means that there are less things that can go wrong! The focus of this receiver is clearly on its Audio capabilities and it's 7x50 Watt amplificatiion is plenty powerful and sounds stellar! The audio is super clean, and is nothing short of luxurious. I can obtain internet services through a separate device connected to one of its HDMI inputs so it's all good. (Look for the upcoming Amimon HD WHDI stick - fingers crossed! : )
Instead of rehashing the Specs, I'll try and list some Useful Info:
- If you're using HDMI Out to TV and you call up the OSD Menu (On Screen Display - visibile on your TV) to change some settings, the screen reverts to a Black Backround and settings appear in a text based format. However it is quick and you can still hear the sound.
- If you're using Component or Composite Out to TV, OSD overlays right over the Video source and is Text based. Nothing fancy and straight to the point! I like that.
- If you TOSLINK Audio only from an HDTV to the receiver or are just using the FM Tuner, you can connect a single composite video cable from the receiver to the TV and use the input source you connected it to on the TV to call up the receiver's OSD Menu on Screen
OR:
- You can just cycle through your options without OSD using only the receiver's LCD panel
- You can completely shut off the LCD panel lights on the receiver while it's in use, very cool!
- there's a Sleep Timer
- Going through the Manual is a Must!
- Remote has backlight, is learning capable and has a separate on/ off/ input toggle to control most TV's, thus eliminating an extra remote (Codes provided at the back of the Manual)
- 6 position Audyssey MultiEQ settings can be stored. Play around with your speaker settings then default back to Audyssey if you don't like any adjustments you make (You first have to perform the Audyssey calibration to get access to and store the settings)
- Tone/ Bass Control is an option if you turn off the Dynamic EQ, I prefer Dynamic EQ on though
- Receiver can handle 2.0 to 7.1 speaker configurations
- you can also connect a 9.1 speaker configuration and then choose between 5.1 + 2.0 Front heights or 5.1 + 2.0 surround back channels according to your preference
- HDMI Control - turns on/ off other HDMI CEC compliant devices when you turn the Receiver on/ off (uses more standby power though)
- All channel levels can be adjusted on the fly without resorting to OSD black screen if using HDMI, You just press then on remote and cycle through them on the LCD display of the receiver
Things I *wished* it had:
- Internet Radio
- Video Processing/ Upscaling
Don't confuse Processing/ Upscaling with the NR1601's Upconversion feature! Processing/ UpScaling adds to the cost! UpConversion just means that you can connect all kinds of Analog Video Sources (from 480i - to 1080i) and they can be output to your HDTV "As Is" through a single HDMI cable instead of changing the source inputs all of the time on your TV that has separate connections (i.e. VCR, Cable Box, Wii, etc.). Nevertheless, it's a very convenient feature to have for Non-HDMI equipment.
Processing/ Upscaling takes it a step further by not only Upscaling it to 1080p but then "refines" that upscaled signal. However, this process can never take a regular DVD or Standard Definiton signal and convert it to Native Resolution Full HD anyway and is generally used to produce a cleaner look on HDTV's that are greater than 50" inches. A 1080p HDTV will scale a signal to 1080p but probably won't "refine" it like a good processor would such as Anchor Bay or Qdeo. I use a 37" LCD so this feature isn't a necessity. Also a full BluRay signal does not need any processing and you can get a good BluRay player that processes standard DVD's using Anchor Bay or Qdeo technology such as the Oppo BDP-83 (and the upcoming BDP-93).
I love Internet Radio and not having to hook up the computer in order to get it. But I plan on getting it either in the BluRay player I need to purchase to go with this receiver or as a separate streamer connected to the NR1601 such as the Xtreamer.
All in all, it's a Great receiver & Hope this was useful.


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Marantz SR7005 Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a fan of vintage Marantz stereo equipment, their 60s/70s amps, receivers, and tuners were always well made, elegant, and had a signature warmth sound to them. This was during their Saul Marantz and Superscope days. But in the 80s and 90s they were owned under the Phillips brand, and their gear was never quite the same since; be it quality, tonality, and certainly esthetics.
Now a days the company is under D&M Holdings ("D"enon and "M"arantz), and Marantz is bouncing back to it's former self; there's an emphasis being paid again to style (in this case the classic "porthole" design), simplicity (two-knob unit with a concealed interface, logos of features are on the top of the unit as to keep the front face clean-looking), and construction (the sr7005 packs a lot of sound but can fit just about anywhere).
Above all, my fellow vinyl purist will be happy to hear, the Marantz SR7005 brings back the MM PHONO STAGE with a ground! For a long time this was taken out of their receivers (and not just with the Marantz brand) which was puzzling when the company's logo is: MUSIC MATTERS.
Look, not to get too long winded here, so I'll just say this I'm an avid vintage audiophile, an FLAC and AIFF nut, and a HT semi-guru, and this SR7005 does the trick. No buyer's remorse here! A huge step up from the Sony DA5ES unit I was using for home theater stuff, which was just about the same price in 2002.
I'm running the SR7005 with Aperion Intimus 5B Harmony HD surround speakers, mostly use it for 2 CH music and the thing is incredibly warm and above all tweak-able (direct pure analog mode, 2CH w sub, PLII/DTS Neo:6: Music, Movie, and Game mode, even a mode to compensate for lossy mp3 files which sounds pretty good).
With movies, the Audessy XT set up worked beautifully and accurately. It may not, however, be the latest version from Audessy and "only" a 7.1 receiver, but I can live with that. Blu-ray/DVD movies sound and look amazing.
Another thing to note, this amp, when cranked up has never distorted on me, with any speaker (I also ran it with a pair of vintage Henry Kloss Advent Loudspeakers), which is a testament to the hardware. If your receiver is distorting or overdriving, it's crap.
My few complaints are: no S-Video input which is a let down for things like my N64 and SNES that I may want to pull out one day. And, while it seems all companies are doing it these days, I can't stand the digital volume knob; you'll have to keep spinning and spinning to lower or increase the volume. Granted you can program the volume to start at a certain -db but I'd preferred it to have been analog, with a finite 0 and max volume on the barrel.
Other happy surprises:
you can set the blue ring and "porthole" to "off" if you find it distracting to the eye.
Airplay is rad! Spend the $50 and you can turn on the SR7005 and control it via your iTunes. You can also control the Marantz on your iPhone via their free app.
You can also shut down shown INPUT modes so that when you're toggling through the inputs with the left knob, you don't have to pass by inputs that you aren't in use.
Please rate if this review was or wasn't helpful!
Thanks

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Marantz M-CR603 Network Stereo Receiver with CD Player Review

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(More customer reviews)if you seek a simple, yet sophisticated approach to a secondary audio-room, look no further. it won't play loud and deep, but it will handle most secondary listening needs perfectly. for the price, you can't go wrong.

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Marantz AV7005 Audio Video Pre-Processor (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Update May 6, 2011
I lost the two front speakers again and restored them using the technique on page 115 of the User Guide. The speakers are now working but I'm curious why that is happening; I'm going to contact Marantz technical support and see if they can shed any light on it. If anything interesting emerges I'll post another update. I suppose the most important information I can share at this time is to please use the memory saving instructions on page 115; they're simple and can save a lot of re-setup in the future if you experience a problem.
Update March 14, 2011
A few days ago I experienced a complete loss of my two front main speakers, both left and right. That was a first so I started checking wiring etc. to try and isolate the problem but everything looked good. I then checked the settings on the Marantz and could find nothing suspicious there either. I tried using the tone generation feature but it too skipped over the front left and front right speakers.
In researching the mystery I got to page 115 of the User Guide and read the section on "Resetting the microprocessor." I decided to try that procedure and it worked and restored all of the speakers to normal operation. I had spent several hours on the initial setup and found that work could be saved to memory by following the "Memory Saving" procedure on that page.
I would recommend that you save your settings to memory by following the instructions on page 115 when you have completed setting up your AV7005. If you should experience a similar loss of speakers the resetting procedure described on that page worked well for me and may work for you as well.
I continue to be very pleased with the musicality of the Marantz; I have discovered the "Neural" setting amoung the surround options and have started playing back my two-channel CD's using that setting and am getting fabulous results. It's almost like hearing my older CD collection for the first time.Original review
I have owned a Krell Home Theater Standard preamp processor for many years now; the experience has been both rewarding and disappointing. Rewarding in the sense that the Krell has very good audio qualities, but disappointing in the sense that it was not future proof as represented. This Marantz AV7005 is replacing a Krell HTS 7.1 which has absolutely no HDMI capability and cannot be updated to offer it. This happens to be my second Krell, neither of which could be updated to utilize later developments although both were initially represented as being future proof.
It has been a delight to set up a piece of equipment which has all of the latest bells and whistles and can accommodate the latest cables. Of all of the things important to me, the only things lacking is the ability to decode SACD and DVD-Audio; this, however, is being supplied by the OPPO BD-83SE player which I've attached to the system. With those two correctable exceptions, the Marantz has done everything asked of it and done it very well.
The set up on the Marantz took some time but was not too complicated. If one uses only new equipment with HDMI capability the set up with the Marantz is virtually automatic. If you're trying to integrate some older equipment it takes a little longer but the flexibility is there to integrate most legacy equipment successfully.
I tried using the Audyssey auto setup but found the results were not really to my liking; I wound up using my trusty Radio Shack sound pressure level meter and adjusted the speaker balance and crossover frequency between the subwoofer and the other speakers to the THX recommended standards.
As one of the other reviewers mentioned, the primary use for my system is the reproduction of music; I happen to be a serious pipe organ fan and had the pipe organ in mind when I originally set up my system. As I've mentioned elsewhere, a system designed to reproduce pipe organ has an easy time with the crashes and explosions found in most action films.
With regard to musicality, the Marantz has provided very satisfactory results to date; I cannot clearly detect any major differences between the Marantz and the Krell which cost many thousands of dollars more. A direct A/B comparison might reveal differences but that sort of comparison is not possible.
As of this point I am very pleased with the Marantz which accommodates 3D as well as a first rate 1080P video image and reproduces first rate audio. For the price I have found it to be an outstanding piece of equipment.


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Marantz SR4023 Stereo Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I owned a 2252B in late 70's early 80's. loved the sound but sold it when I got tired of neighbors, police, landlords, and having to move so many times! I just could not resist cranking it. Over the years I have bought at least ten receivers trying to find THE SOUND I LOVED SO MUCH. Clean, clear bass, mids and treble that were lifelike and not too bright or shrill. WOW DO I LOVE THIS RECEIVER! More than enough power. SOUNDS FANTASTIC! I wanted old school stereo, as if the band is in front of me. I have it hooked to two yamaha YST-SW315 subs and Polk LSi9's. If you want to be the envy of all who hear this setup don't waste a ton of money, This is all you need, Just add DVR and OPPO Blu-ray Player. I also had my Marantz 6300 turntable restored and added a Grado platinum cart. I'm set for life. Oh ya, don't forget room treatments.

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Marantz SR6005 Audio Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I received a Marantz 6005 a few days ago and have been auditioning it since then. I've also auditioned, over the last four weeks, the Yamaha RX-V667, Marantz SR5005, Denon 3310, Pioneer 1120, and Onkyo 808. So how does the 6005 compare to the others? Here are my thoughts:
Sound Quality: No surprises here. Having loved the sound quality of the 5005, the 6005 performed equally as well. As noted in a prior post, I had never listened to anything powered by a Marantz prior to auditioning the 5005, having previously used either Denon or Yamaha receivers. There's just something special about the Marantz sound that sets it apart from the others. It has a full-bodied, life-like sound that gives it a pleasing depth and range. Perhaps this is what others refer to as "warm." Whatever it is, it's absolutely wonderful. I'd rank (subjectively) the Onkyo and Yamaha second and third, respectively, in the sound quality department, with Denon and Pioneer bringing up the rear.
Video Quality: As noted in a prior post, the 5005 seemed to add a slight purple tinge to video images. The 6005's higher quality ABT chip appeared to fix that shortcoming, with no noticeable degradation in video quality (whether it improved the quality, I couldn't discern). By comparison, the Onkyo 808 appeared to give images a slightly greener hue.
GUI: The 6005 also overcame the 5005's GUI shortcomings. While the 5005 had a black & white on screen display that didn't overlay on images, the 6005 has a much easier to use color GUI that overlays. While the 6005's GUI isn't quite on par with Yamaha's (which has the best GUI I've encountered), I really have no complaints.
Remote: The 6005's remote is essentially the same as the 5005's, with a small LCD window at the top that indicates the source being controlled. It won't win any awards, but certain third party remotes are clearly much better than any stock remote provided with a receiver.
Other Features: I encountered no issues when plugging in my iPhone to the USB connection. Worked just fine. And if looks are important, the Marantz's understated, brushed aluminum facade is nothing short of classy.
Overall, I rank the Marantz 6005 as the best receiver I've auditioned. And after enduring a range of comments from my wife regarding why I have been purchasing so many receivers, the 6005 will also be the last receiver I'll audition for at least the next few years. This one's a keeper. Granted, the 6005 doesn't win any awards in the value department and it was the only receiver where I paid full price. But I confidently believe it is worth it.

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Marantz SR5006 AV Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)This is by far the nicest receiver I have ever owned. The sound is great and the design is elegant, with only two knobs, one row of buttons, and a small "porthole" LCD on the front. It projects a sort of confidence, "I don't need to show off with rows of glowing controls; it's all under the hood." That said, the design entails certain compromises -- some aspects of the receiver are difficult to configure unless it is attached to a TV by HDMI. If you don't plan to connect it to a screen in that way, this probably isn't a good choice for you. The same holds for debugging; if it doesn't do what you expect, you're going to have a hard time figuring out what's wrong without any sort of diagnostic output on the unit itself.
However, if you do plan to connect it to a screen via HDMI, you're home free. It connects to audio sources via component cables, TOS-link, HDMI, ethernet, USB and bluetooth (with RX101 adapter, not included). It connects to video sources via HDMI and component cables. It can send two different audio streams to different sets of speakers, if you are watching TV in one room and somebody wants to listen to music in another. It comes with a microphone, which it can use in self-configuration to optimize its setting for the room in which it is placed.
Issues: Though the device has Airplay, which allows it to play music from iTunes over the local network, I haven't yet been able to get it to work correctly. The remote that comes with it is a very old school slab of buttons, but Logitech has not yet updated its database for Harmony universal remotes to work with the SR5006. I figure they'll probably do it soon. Finally, and this is not a Marantz issue I think, the box arrived from Amazon looking as though it had been kicked open, taped up, then kicked open again. The cardboard was shredded and the styrofoam was crumbled. I was surprised the receiver was unscarred. Amazon should have put another box around the Marantz shelf box.
The real test will come over time, and I will update this review if I run into problems.

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The SR5006 is loaded with numerous convenience features and tremendous sonic capabilities. Features include a 7-channel discrete amplifier (100 watts x 7), network/streaming of Internet radio, Napster, Pandora and more, up-scaling HDMI to HDMI 1080 video, multi room audio, six HDMI inputs, plus it's certified Control4, Crestron and AMX compatible.

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Marantz NR1602 AV Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased the NR1602 as a system upgrade when my old 720P business projector conked and needed to switch from a 720P DVI universe to a 1080P HDMI universe. As such, the NR1602 replaces a DVDO IScan HD+, an Outlaw 950 and a 200W/ch Rane commercial amp.
Size-wise it's awesome. Tiny little thing. How's it sound? Plenty good enough. I mix audio for a living and I haven't heard too many receiver/speaker combos currently for sale that aren't "plenty good enough" for most living rooms. In switching from 200W/channel to 50W/channel the biggest difference I notice is that I turn the volume up more. I can still make the system plenty loud enough to annoy my neighbors in my condo. This thing isn't going to power the Hard Rock Hotel but then, if your concern is oomph you aren't buying a compact Rx anyway, are you?
By my count, this Marantz is one of only ten receivers that are currently Airplay-enabled. Airplay works flawlessly on the Marantz: you fire up your iPod or iPhone, the Rx shows up and BAM you switch to it. The Rx will automagically switch from whatever else it was doing and play your portable within about two seconds. Pretty slick. Something to keep in mind, however, is that the NR1602 HAS NO WIFI. If you intend to use Airplay, intend to sting the back of the NR1602 with some CAT5 lovin'. This is actually a feature as far as I'm concerned because I've got a router in the rack and prefer to wire whenever possible but if your sound system is in another room than your cable modem expect to get out the fish tape.
The jackfield out back is sparse, which again is a plus as far as I'm concerned. I'm only running a Mac Mini and a Nintendo Wii into it so a whole bunch of extra inputs aren't too beneficial. It will support 4 HDMI inputs which is pretty much the future so unless you've got a bunch of legacy gear, you're likely okay. One annoying quibble: the speaker jackfield is spaced too far apart for the traditional 2-pin banana plugs that have dominated the industry since Edison was in short pants. Oddly enough, *pairs* of outputs work... so your left and right hot can share a plug while your left and right cold share a plug. Which is janky and annoys me, but there it is.
Where things start to go pear-shaped is in the UI, the setup and the video. For starters, THIS UNIT DOES NOT UPCONVERT AS ADVERTISED. It converts, yeah - plug an analog signal in and you will get digital out of the HDMI. However, if you give it a 480p signal on component you'll get a 480p signal out on HDMI. Even better, the Marantz will screw up the aspect ratio. Give it a 1080i, it'll give you a 1080i. Give it a 1080p, it'll give you a 1080p. Give it a 720p, it'll give you a 720p. Give it nothing and the GUI shows up as 720p. So it's *got* a generator in there, it's just not functioning correctly. Not only that, but the configuration options for HDMI are sparse at best. Power-up on/off. Volume control TV/Amp. That's it. No output settings whatsoever.
Which is kind of the TL;DR on this whole product - "It's in there, it just isn't working right." The "Setup Wizard" crashed on me twice. It won't let you assign a digital audio input to an HDMI video input (in the setup wizard - go digging in the menus and you can do it). In order to check the network connection, you have to press a button on the remote that doesn't actually exist. When futzing about on the internet there are ways to end up in a function with no way to return - Pandora or Flickr, for example. The setup is arcane and rendered in stiff Engrish with no help offered anywhere - and, considering this is an internet-enabled appliance with an HD GUI, the lack of "help" functionality is appalling, particularly since it ships with a scant newsprint "quick start guide" in three languages and a CD full of the actual manual (which is a bulky PDF that taxes my laptop to browse, yet has an index that isn't particularly useful).
But then, the whole reason I opted for this product rather than the 1601 or 1402 is that it's the first Marantz product that allows you to update the firmware via Internet, rather than taking it in to a service center to get the ROM flashed. Considering how coy Apple has been with Airplay, I figure a lot is likely to change with this product once Lion comes out - picture/video streaming, for example? If you dig around in the menus, way down deep in options is "Add new feature" which prays to the Internet and finds nothing at the moment. Likewise, there's no new OS for the receiver, and there really should be.
The whole product has a deeply "beta-test" feel to it, as if it were rushed out the door in time to make the market ahead of Lion. I'm pretty sure the guys who wrote the manual, the guys who designed the remote and the guys who designed the UI have yet to have a meeting together. I think that the Marantz NR1602 is going to be a hell of a device once Marantz works out the bugs and ships new software for it. Until then, I'd recommend holding off. I used to make a lot of money as an audiovisual consultant and traded this box for 10 rack spaces worth of professional gear and *I* found the setup to be janky, bootstrapped and byzantine. The whole point of a "setup wizard" is to make things easier but to be perfectly honest, I have a hard time imagining the casual users this product is aimed at ending up with anything other than a hair-tearing experience as things sit now.
I did a lot of research on the NR1602 before purchasing it and found not a single hands-on review so I figured I'd do the world a favor by writing one. I'll update this one as the situation develops but for those of you looking to make the jump: If you can wait a little, do so. The software on this device is not yet ready for prime-time.

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Small in size, not in features. While the NR1602 maintains the same chassis as the NR1601, the feature set has increased exponentially. With second zone audio, networking and streaming capabilities, the NR1602 is a full-featured receiver in a small package. Other features include a 7 channel discrete amplifier (50 watts x 7), network/streaming of Internet radio, Napster, Pandora and more, up-scaling HDMI to HDMI 1080 video, four HDMI inputs, plus it's certified Control4, Crestron and AMX compatible.

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Yamaha RX-V863BL 735 Watt 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had this receiver & its ipod dock for about 45 days. Picked this one over the 663 for its video upscaling. I use it mainly for watching dvds and ipod videos, streaming netflix, and listening to ipod and HD radio music.
Pros: Quality of sound and video output met my high expectations. (I'm biased toward Yamaha already FWIW). Surround fields are versatile & distinct. The enhancer modes are fantastic for low volume listening. Headphone listening is stellar. Config menus are straightforward. YPAO was easy to set up, though I wound up tweaking rear speaker adjustments up a bit as personal preference. The remote runs all our gear. I dusted off old concert and movie DVDs and this receiver makes them seem new again.
Cons: No macro mode on the remote to power everything on & off with one button. HD radio control is not intuitive. So far I haven't figured out if I can navigate a docked ipod's menus with my TV osd which would be nice.
Bottom line: I saved up and looked at a LOT of receivers before choosing this one, and I'm not disappointed at all. The RX-V863 is everything advertised and lives up to Yammy's top shelf reputation.

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The Yamaha RX-V863BL 7.2-channel digital home theater receiver delivers 735W powerful surround sound over 7 speakers (105W x 7).Full support for HD audio formats ensures maximum enjoyment of all high definition sources. Other advantages include full HD 1080p video upscaling with 3 HDMI inputs, an HD Radio tuner, as well as exclusive Yamaha features such as Pure Direct for the highest possible signal purity, YPAO sound optimization and 4 SCENE buttons for quick and easy browsing, selection, and automated setup of audio sources.

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