[dino_bobba_renno]

Well I've finally managed to squirrel enough money away for a new home entertainment system . Only problem is that I can't seem to decide on which AV receiver to buy . Right now I've got it narrowed down to the Pioneer SC 35 and the Marantz SR7005. I'm kind of leaning towards the Pioneer at the moment because of the ICEpower but I have to admit the Marantz seems like a fairly decent unit, not to mention the Marantz is fairly nice looking to boot. Only problem is I don't know much Marantz, has anyone here had much experience with them or know much about them?





The amps are being paired with Totem Tribe 3 speakers.

[raydan]

Depends on the dimensions of the room and also, what are you looking for, best audio performance or best feature set? A good sales-person should ask these questions before recommending anything.

There should be a good Onkyo in the price range you're looking at, or a Denon.

[dino_bobba_renno]

I did check the Onkyo and Denon line up before narrowing down my search but it came down to the Pioneer for it’s power and user friendliness and the Marantz which was more due to it’s construction and styling. The Denon line up was pretty darn nice when it came to features and power but it was kind of cheap looking. I know that shouldn’t be a big factor but in my mind when you spend that kind of money your system should look the part

I finally caved and went with the Pioneer. It was mainly because the guy I was dealing with on the Marantz flaked out on me. He would call me and tell me abut what he was going to do for a set up and then call a couple days later and say he couldn’t help me because my price range was too low. Then he’d call me back a few days later and apologize and try to convince me to buy with them again, this happened a few times over the course of a week or so. A rather strange experience if I do say so myself.

In the end this is what I ended up with

Pioneer Elite SC 35 receiver
Pioneer Elite BDP-43FD 3D blueray player
3 Totem Acoustics’ Tribe 3 Speakers (for the front and center channels)
2 Totem Mask in ceiling speakers (for rear)
Panasonic TC-P60GT30 Plasma TV
And some other odds and sods like a harmony remote and a monster powernet system so I can have everything wired into the network instead of going wireless.

Now I just have to tear my walls apart so I can install the remote dimmers that I’m hoping will work in conjunction with the Harmony remote.

Everything should be here next week, I’m so damn excited I feel like a kid on Christmas eve

*oh, I all most forgot to mention the seating:


I'm never going to want to leave the house once I get this all set up

[HaRdLy]

Have a look at Emotiva, and don't waste your money on anything that is from Monster.

[dino_bobba_renno]

HaRdLy wrote:

Have a look at Emotiva, and don't waste your money on anything that is from Monster.

Wow, they have some nice stuff. The Monster thingy is only for running internet. It's just so I don't have to snake Cat cable through my ceiling. I'm not big fan of Monster either but this seemed like a decent alternative to running off of a wireless connection where I'd have slower speeds (for video streaming). I don't even know if it will work that well but if it doesn't it will be going back.

[Regina]

I have a Yamaha/Bose home theatre system and it is great. But my old school stereo system except for the JBL speakers is all Pioneer, which is also fantastic.

[SprCForr]

Regina wrote:

Bose

Bose rocks. I switched the home theatre system to them about 6 years ago and haven't looked back.

[Zipperfish]

I'm gonna get myself a tv one of these days. I'm waiting for them to come down.

[DerbyX]

This is the perfect set for you and your family.

[dino_bobba_renno]

Yammy and Bose both put out some great stuff. Really it’s a hard decision when your shopping around for this stuff because all the major players have some pretty impressive stuff.

I’ve all ways kind of leaned towards Pioneer though. I helped my parents pick out a system around 15 or 20 years ago and I tell ya that system would still hold its ground against most newer receivers. Unfortunately I don’t think Pioneer is quite as good as it use to be, especially the elites but I'll guess I soon find out.

I’m just crossing my fingers now, I hope I’m not disappointed with my choices.

[dino_bobba_renno]

DerbyX wrote:

This is the perfect set for you and your family.

LMOA, man I haven't seen a cabnet TV in ages.

[megancheung]

I like Pioneer but seem to use my Marantz's units more . Plus my brother had a SX-780 in need of a cleaning and I gave him a Marantz 2015 to use until done . That was three years ago and the SX is still here waiting to be picked up .
Hey I gave him the 2015 anyway but he still has never taken the SX-780 back in all the times he's been over .

[dino_bobba_renno]

Man I forgot all about this thread . Thanks for the feedback but its a bit late now, I bought the Pioneer. I'm happy with it. Over all I think I paid too much but it is a nice system. The sound is well balanced too, no over powering bass that drowns out the center and such. The 3D Grand Canyon movie that has a sound track by the Dave Matthews Band sounds phenomenal . I also added remote control lighting and few other touches.

I'll show you the final results:





*I'm still waiting for my new coffee tables

[SprCForr]

Shoot out scene from Heat.

Do it.

[dino_bobba_renno]

SprCForr wrote:

Shoot out scene from Heat.

Do it.

Roger that! Down loading as we speak