Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Marantz vs Integra

I've been a longstanding Axiom owner. Currently running the standard M60, VP150, and QS8 setup. I have been using the Arcam AVR300 for a few years now and love it. But the bug has got me and I feel the need to try something new and different. Most of my usage is games and movies. I have both an HD player and a PS3 for Bluray, so I'm interested in the lastest 1.3 HDMI rigs.

Currently eyeing the Marantz 7002 and 8002, as well as the Integra 7.8 and 8.8. More likely to lean towards the 7002 or 7.8 because of budget...but I wanted to hear if any Marantz or Integra owners (or those who've heard them) could chime in and give me some feedback to work with.

Thanks!

Wow, deja vu - those were the three brands I was most curious about when I got my Axioms almost two years ago. I think that my first post was eerily like yours. You're not a psychiatrist in your spare time, are you?

I ended up going in an entirely different direction, getting the Outlaw 990/7125 combination, and I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'm always happy to chime in. This may be my only opportunity this year to post something other than comic relief.

Before getting the Axioms, I listened to an Arcam prepro (don't remember the model) at the local hifi store. I was told it had a lot of the same guts as the AVR250 (this was before the 300 came out). I also forget the speakers it was paired with. I do remember being underwhelmed, because I had heard that Arcam products were giant-killers in terms of bang for the buck. Maybe it was the listening environment at the local store. In fairness to the Arcam, it was not a very thorough listen, and it was at low volumes during a movie (SW ep I) and a jazz CD. I was definitely impressed with the musicality of the Arcam vs its movie processing.

After getting the Axioms, I hauled them into the store and hooked them up to a Marantz receiver. It powered my M80s for about a half hour of music that I thought was a nice test, but that my wife would have thought was too damn loud. I thought the sound was better than the Arcam, but I'm sure that it was the Axioms that made the difference. Alan and others here have chimed in on Marantz products having difficulty with the M80's 4 ohm resistance, but it was OK in my admittedly limited test. Hopefully you'd have no problems with the 8 ohm M60s.

All that being said, my hunch is that the makes/models that you are considering would not be an improvement (or at least not much of one - beware the upgrade bug!) over the Arcam. It's a very well-reviewed piece of audiophilia. I love neologisms. I would also love to hear an Arcam with my Axiom Epic80/500 setup.

Of course, the only one who can answer your question with any authority is you, after a personal listen. Let us know how it goes!