I have been listening to hi-res in the round since 1999. I had a Kenwood Sovereign DV-5700 since 2001, which sounded superb in DVD-Audio. It died (as did 2 previous Kenwoods)and I decided to get the Marantz based on advice from Music Direct(I live in a remote area and there are no local retailers I can audition ). It sounds awful in multi-channel. Highs are grainy, mids weak and lows muddy. Soundstage lacks coherence. I'm in pain. MD says it will need 200 hours of break-in, then all these nasties will disappear. Should I wait and hope or send it back before the 30 day grace period is up? Surprisingly, redbook CD playback is much more balanced and smoother, yet detailed on the top end.
I have been listening to hi-res in the round since 1999. I had a Kenwood Sovereign DV-5700 since 2001, which sounded superb in DVD-Audio. It died (as did 2 previous Kenwoods)and I decided to get the Marantz based on advice from Music Direct(I live in a remote area and there are no local retailers I can audition ). It sounds awful in multi-channel. Highs are grainy, mids weak and lows muddy. Soundstage lacks coherence. I'm in pain. MD says it will need 200 hours of break-in, then all these nasties will disappear. Should I wait and hope or send it back before the 30 day grace period is up? Surprisingly, redbook CD playback is much more balanced and smoother, yet detailed on the top end.