Thanks,
Rick
I'm using a Marantz 5200 (admittedly MUCH farther down the line) and, for the most part, I've been extraordinarily pleased. The thing looks great, and it's built like a tank. I've also had a 7200 for about 3 weeks now (more on that later), and I can't tell a difference. My living room is relatively small, so power isn't too much of an issue. I'm using M22s, QS4s, VP150 & EP175.
Now for the nastiness...I recently purchased a Pioneer Elite DV45a for the purpose of seeing what the whole DVD-Audio-nonsense is all about. It took all of about 20 minutes before the receiver went up in smoke. Never had a spot of trouble with movies, and I don't know if the power requirements are similar. Coincidence, bad timing, stupidity, 6 ohm load on the VP150, or all of the above? Don't know, but it seems awfully suspicious to me. Mind you, we're talking about moderate volume levels (don't want to annoy the neighbors more than necessary). Ultimately, I'd like to add a separate amp and use the Marantz as a pre. I'm looking pretty closely at Outlaw Audio and I haven't heard anything bad about them yet.
The combination of the Marantz and M22s is...revealing. If you've read some of the other posts here, you'll find a mixture of complaints and celebration towards the M22's hyper-accurate nature. Plain and simple, bad recordings sound like dirt while well-recorded albums are a revelation. It can be frustrating at times. But even with my unfortunate experience, I'm still considering upgrading to a 7300. Asinine, I know, considering I just admitted I couldn't hear a lick of difference. But the current Marantz line has some minor changes to their amp design and have included a few options that aren't available on my current receiver. The only question in the back of my mind is whether I'd do better with a Denon 3803.