I need receiver advice. I was all set on purchasing the Yamaha 1400, then Marantz came out with the SR7400 model which is in the same price range. Overall features between the two are very similar, so I'm a little torn. The Yamaha has a few more inputs and outputs, but that won't make much of a difference for me since I have a typical DVD/Satellite/CD Player setup.

One of the features I liked about the Yamaha was having the powered zone 2 output seperate from the surround back channel (although I realize you can not output to both at the same time), so switching between 7.1 and 5.1 is simply a few buttons on the remote, whereas on the Marantz, there is only 1 set of binding posts, so you have to decide on one or the other when wiring your system.

As for Marantz, I really enjoyed the sound produced listening to music. (Which begs the question: Will the receiver be used more for HT or music? My Answer is unfortunately both!)

Lastly, I know a lot of people have have the 1400 paired with Axiom speakers, however there doesn't seem to be much discussion from Marantz owners. Is Marantz's more laid back sound (when compared with Yamaha) a good pairing with the Axioms (M60's for example)?

Dr.Dre

Dr, there's nothing "laid back" about the 7400 as compared with the 1400; both are transparent and have a ruler-flat frequency response. The 7400 isn't depressed and the 1400 isn't elevated in the presence area; this should be no factor in your decision. Choose based on features and price, but note that the 1400 has the automatic calibration and equalization feature which the 7400 lacks.

DrDre,

I own the Marantz 6200 and I could not be happier with the performance I get with my M22tis. I believe from a performance standpoint, the Marantz units are on par with comperable units from Denon, HK and Yamaha. Very clean, transparent and powerful.

The only problem I have with my Marantz is the clunky onscreen interface (coupled with the fact I that I dont have the original remote). Marantz has probally greatly imptroved the interface in 2 generations