I have a 7.1 system and am thinking that my MM8003 is lacking the power I would like to deliver to my speakers.
I have a Marantz AV7005 as my processor and am powering Sunfire HRS Satelites. They are really more small bookshelf speakers than Satelites and an HRS 12 subwoofer. Sound quality and clarity are exceptional, I am just looking for more volume.
The MM8003 is rated at 170w over 6 ohms though I am certain that is a pretty liberal rating. The Sunfire's are rated for 200w over 6 ohms, so I am certain I have room to deliver more power.
I have limited space and really need to keep it to one unit, if at all possible. I would prefer it to be balanced. The question is, at the price point I am looking at, will any of these units deliver an improvement in volume while at least maintaining sound quality.
The Marantz MM8077 - new amp from Marantz. Has a bigger power supply but almost the same power rating as the mm8003. The only thing I can say is it is quite a bit more expensive than the 8003 was and claims to be better. I question whether or not it will be. It says total power consumption is 800w and is 150w/7.
The Outlaw 7700. Outlaw sells Marantz processors and I have heard they pair well together. It says it's total power consumption is 1800w and is rated at 200w/7.
The Sunfire TGA 7201 is designed to pair with those speakers. 200w x7 is the rating but it is supposed to only consumer 280w of power due to the Tracking Downconverter.
These are all between $2200 and $2500. Do you guys have anything good or bad to say about any of these units? Should I consider any other 7 channel power amps? If I needed to take up my budget, where would I start seeing a serious increase in quality?