My search for receiver yesterday.

[tinytok]

My marantz sr5200 had died on me. So went for audition at kec on sr5001.

After 1/2 hr, i confirm that its either i test the sound on sr3001 if sound no different from sr5001, i will be getting the sr3001.

I find that new marantz receiver is getting less warmth on the music output. So i think i would just buy one to replace without spending much.

 

But kec do not have sr3001 on demo. But quote me $395 nett. So i go to basement seng heng. Ah lao ask me how much the others offer me, so i say to him, you tell me how much you  are selling.

Now he is not very happy but i told him the price. Then he agree to hook up demo.

Then i was waitin stupid in the room but he went out and no return. So i walk to counter where he was, he told me he will lose money on the deal.

He ask me go back to where i got the price. Very rude to do business this way when also i told him if i hear that SR3001 is no different to SR5001, i will get the SR3001. However, he did not think that eventually i might get another receiver or even the SR5001. Then i walk out, never wanted to go to tat shop again.

 

Then went to asia-one. That boss told me singapore do not have sr3001 n ask me to buy a pioneer.

Again, face changes when i told him to demo. He went on to say  people do not demo a cheap receiver.

I say thank you and walk off.

 

Last, i went to audio act. They do not have sr3001 but willing to demo for me a low end denon. So i say good.

Then i saw the önkyo sr604 selling on $699, so i say demo this. In the end i ditch marantz for gd n have no complain with onkyo given this price vs its ability n performance. Not the best price(online is US$370 now) and i suspect that they have amplified another stage when demo or maybe its my room the require me to turn louder.. But at least they r willing to demo low end receiver. No regrets with the onkyo.

 

 

[petetherock]

Wow, I ran this through http://babelfish.altavista.com/ but I couldn't get a proper translation as there was no Singlish/ smsglish to English translation :)

 

But seriously I am glad you excercised your right to try before you buy. I always say, afte ra few opinions our ears are the best judge. If you found no difference with the SR 3001 vs the 5001, you save a bundle.

 

Do tell us your opinions on the Onkyo, Tat Chuan I assume?

 

I have bought stuff from Mr Lee at Seng Heng before, (don't think it was the boss, as he doesn't usually hang out there), and although he won't win any courtesy medals, neither he nor his younger colleague gave me any frief when it came to doing a demo, even when I was very explicit about the fact that I was merely trying out, he always obliged and showed off his stuff.

If you want a caustic reception, try the shop almost directly above him... :)

 

 

But I hope the sales people out there also realised what a little serivce does, we are often sorely lacking in this and I hope you get better service the next time.

 

PS: although Marantz is generally thought to be warmer, I always advocate hearing it for yourself. Power to the buyer!

[tinytok]

pardon for the english, i sent that while on the bus using my mobilephone. Anyway, my English is O Level D7, so have to bear with me.  ;D

 

This scenario was that i've got money to spend in the shop. Its just that how the shop will make me part my money, more or less.

 

Marantz SR5200 sounds warm with my Wharfedale diamond 8.4 be it input from my CD6000OSE or my cheapo terrapin DVD using Marantz SR5200 DAC. However, it still lacks the punch and bass extension.

 

But after having listen to SR5001, i found that the sound was very bright with a pair of Epos bookshelves. And also tried it with Wharfedale 9.3 i think which have a little bit more of low end but still no bass extension to speak about.

 

Being a Marantz Fan since i was in Sec1, i wanted very much to stick to this brand. Hence bend on getting SR3001 if it sound not too far off from SR5001. But i always give my ears the priority.....and onkyo with a S$2k plus Jamo speakers really wins me over. ok i've also tested on a Jamo priced below S$1k which music is acceptable.

 

Now i had this Onkyo SR604, distributor is not tat chuan but another one. can't remember.

 

Have not setup using audessy yet but tested tracks of Kong Fu. Its amazing!

 

When i got back home today, i put on cai qin to warm the amp.

And after an hour past, i got home after having dinner.

Sit down on the sofa and don't want to get up anymore.

 

Her sound was so sweet and mid range is there, i feel the warmth of the music in pure direct mode.

However, the bass extension was still a tad or 2 shy from what i've heard with my wharfedale valdus 400 years ago.

Nevertheless, i am begining to imagine things again.

 

Conclusion, if anyone here is finding the marantz music moving further away from the initial love of marantz sound, i would urge you to listen to other brands for a compare.

 

 

[petetherock]

Nice review bro, this amp has HDMI and Audyssey2 EQ system?

 

BTW the Epos ELS 3 sounded a bit bright to me as well, whereas the Wharf had a darker presentation, so matching the amp / speakers is imperative.

 

some thoughts, the new amps have so many features, crammed into a small chasis, and the cost has remained the same, so something has to give, and this applies across the board to most brands, so I reckon the really musical amps would start at the 7001 or 8001 and above, and similarly for other brands as well.

 

WhXX Lo fi mag writes with so many embellishments it makes it as though even the most basic amp will overflow with musicality, and sends our bros scurrying for budget models with great expectations on their stereo capabilities, only to be dissapointed.

 

Sometimes the bass or sound quality changes due to room changes, experiment a little more and write a bit more.

More important though, enjoy your purchase!

 

 

 

[tinytok]

This Amp had Audyssey2 EQ and HDMI 1.1(not sure about the version, should be 1.1) but no HDMI auto source switching (or upscaling i presume).

http://www.intl.onkyo.com/products/av_components/av_receivers/tx-sr604/index.html

 

From Marantz SR5200 back to my old Yammy RX-V495(10 years old) then to my new Onkyo Tx-SR604.

Marantz had the most easy audio setup as the speaker positioning does not seems to alter the sound output.

Yamaha is the worst, need to be very precise about the placement to get a acceptable listening output.

Onkyo needs the speakers to be facing the front on the same horizontal line across the speakers.

 

Whxx Lo Fi mag probably had lots of students on internship to review the stuffs.

Used to be this mag follower, the gave my first pair of speaker, a bookshelve KEF A120( i think) a 3 star, i bought it on budget and i like it as the music was fast and furious with pounding bass coming from an small bookshelve. That was when i am in the age of 16, then when i grow older like the age of 18, i bought the Wharfedale Valdus 400 (i am a budget guy, do not have a treated audio room, hence only go for budget setup) Which this mag says 3 star again. But i've heard it a though that its worth the money for the good bass extension, it really goes very low for a S$400 pair of floorstander.

Then my third pair of speakers, the current Diamond 8.4 from Wharfedale, i think they give it 5 star, this guy is really hard to drive, for it budget pricing, you actually need to have higher end amps to get juice out of it.

 

The 10+ yr old yammy can handle him, starts to go no control when volume at 10 o'clock position.

The marantz SR5200 had control on him on the highs and mid but not the low, no existence low extension to be heard.

The Onkyo TX-SR604 did the job slightly better, have everything there but still the bass extension is lacking at volume of 60

All above are base on my ears and in my humble HDB 4A square living room with no acoustic treatment.

All music are done on sound direct, pure direct mode and on the yammy no addition of Tone control.

CD player remains at Marantz CD6000OSA with a pair of belden interconnects(old already, can't remember lots of things)

 

Will be feeding this space when i've manage to have sometime with the amp this weekend....with 2 kids and 1 pregnant old hag at home, bascially i have no time of my own..... :'(

 

 

[deepakvali]

wah bro, you sounded couped up at home  ;)

 

anywya different pple have different sound expectations and one sounds will not suit all, thus i would say, disregard all these stars scheme, trust your eyes and ears

 

relak bro  ;)

[Jag]

Thats the service standard for certain types of consumer electronics. The less profit margin, the less service rendered. But hey, its our money, and we can chose who to buy from at our wish.

 

Wxxx Lo-fi magazine has never been on my "trust-worthy" list of magazines. Poor, amaeturish reviews that seduce the reader with lots of chim-chim poetic words that generally favour whichever brand pays more "advertising money" to the magazine. Never trust magazines blindly. Trust your ears, coz the person who is ultimately going to enjoy is not the reviewer living on the other side of the world; its you! :)

 

 

[IwishIwasToneDeaf]

Thats the service standard for certain types of consumer electronics. The less profit margin, the less service rendered. But hey, its our money, and we can chose who to buy from at our wish.

 

Wxxx Lo-fi magazine has never been on my "trust-worthy" list of magazines. Poor, amaeturish reviews that seduce the reader with lots of chim-chim poetic words that generally favour whichever brand pays more "advertising money" to the magazine. Never trust magazines blindly. Trust your ears, coz the person who is ultimately going to enjoy is not the reviewer living on the other side of the world; its you! :)

 

 

 

Place some on trust Xtremeplace too. I did.  ;)

[sAtAn_83]

Hi bro i tin u kena chop head liao lah still advertising for them. I cum across this amp at just 5oo++ at XXX audio & Video in adelphi also. Frankly speaking, i hang out a lot in adelphi n know most of them. they all seems very frendly persons except  the shop that u bought the amp. I had 1 bad encounter with them. When i was browsing for amp, i came to this shop and come across this malaysian bum who served me. He intro onkyo n tel mi all kind of rubbish. First , he tel mi all the wrong specs. secondly, he himself know nothing but keep boasting. in the end, i cant tahan him anymore n i say thanks den walk out but i heard he scolded mi in vulgar softly. This reali made mi hot. And this made mi never n ever to go there again. From my encounter, i not trying to to condem ppl going there but watch out for the one he maybe cursing u behind if u neva buy anyting....hehehe..

Cums to av receiver i still think denon is 1 of the best. currently the AVR-4306 i holding is excellent with my new speaker system audio made in denmark.....

[tinytok]

Its okie that i paid more but i paid it willingly.

Those 2 guys at audio act might not know their product well but they know how to serve customer in the first place.

If it is about the money i am going to paid, i would have listen to bought the SR3001 without listening to Onkyo.

And to me, considering that this amp had all the current processing functions and Audyssey2 EQ, it is very much well worth this price.

For Marantz with these functions, you have to go for SR6001 or the SR7001 which cost about 1.5 times the price of onkyo(i paid S$650).

I even saw a posting of S$399 at hardwarezone, but thats very much unbelievable.

 

I used to be very paranoid on if i got a good deal. But nowadays as long as i am happy and got the service i want, paying a bit more is okie but not to the extend of paying the full listed price.

Not that i am rich, in fact i am not, but learn to create a good purchasing experience for both the buyer and seller.

 

When i purchase my Marantz CD6000OSE, i know that shop next door quoted me very cheap but no stock.

However, city electronics at SLS let me try on CD5000, CD7000SE(i think) and in the end i settle for CD6000OSE for about S$60 more than the shop that quoted me very cheap but no stock. In this case, i am again happy to pay cos all the demos given to me.

 

Or Maybe i am a big carrot waiting to be chop however, some just did not have the chance even i went onto their choping board. Too bad i guess.  ::)

 

 

Hi bro i tin u kena chop head liao lah still advertising for them. I cum across this amp at just 5oo++ at XXX audio & Video in adelphi also. Frankly speaking, i hang out a lot in adelphi n know most of them. they all seems very frendly persons except  the shop that u bought the amp. I had 1 bad encounter with them. When i was browsing for amp, i came to this shop and come across this malaysian bum who served me. He intro onkyo n tel mi all kind of rubbish. First , he tel mi all the wrong specs. secondly, he himself know nothing but keep boasting. in the end, i cant tahan him anymore n i say thanks den walk out but i heard he scolded mi in vulgar softly. This reali made mi hot. And this made mi never n ever to go there again. From my encounter, i not trying to to condem ppl going there but watch out for the one he maybe cursing u behind if u neva buy anyting....hehehe..

Cums to av receiver i still think denon is 1 of the best. currently the AVR-4306 i holding is excellent with my new speaker system audio made in denmark.....

[IwishIwasToneDeaf]

Great spirit Tinytok!

 

I know of a friend who would for example test at KEC because they provide great service and allows long demos. But after which, he would "shop-hop" to another and buys it at a cheaper price!

 

I simply detest such behavior! You're not rewarding the salesperson for providing good service at all. What a cheapskate!  >:(

[dbchoong]

Yeah, I don't like shops that quote a low price only to tell you "No stock!". :(

[darkeststar]

Yeah, I don't like shops that quote a low price only to tell you "No stock!". :(

 

i really hate it when they do this. i rather pay a bit more.

[yellowhandman]

Great spirit Tinytok!

 

I know of a friend who would for example test at KEC because they provide great service and allows long demos. But after which, he would "shop-hop" to another and buys it at a cheaper price!

 

I simply detest such behavior! You're not rewarding the salesperson for providing good service at all. What a cheapskate!  >:(

 

i completely agree. good service will only exist if it is isn't taken for granted, and it is rewarded as it deserves to be.

 

also, knowing that hi-fi is a lifelong addiction, i think it's more important to build a good relationship with a shop you can trust, rather than jump around. it's like being a drug addict - you want to buy from a regular drug dealer who will give you the real stuff, instead of going to the cheapest dealer who will sell you talcum powder and laugh at you when you die.

 

;D just kidding about the buying drugs part...just being drama lah...

 

[armoury]

i completely agree. good service will only exist if it is isn't taken for granted, and it is rewarded as it deserves to be.

 

also, knowing that hi-fi is a lifelong addiction, i think it's more important to build a good relationship with a shop you can trust, rather than jump around.

Absolutely agree.  I've bought almost all my major purchases from or through KEC, even my plasma, which they don't supply directly but I am assuming they get a cut somehow, as long as the price was reasonable enough.  And if anything, since I can't be bothered with (and don't trust) SLS stores, KEC is often the cheapest in Adelphi anyway.

 

So I guess in return, Clarence has done me quite a number of favours, which I'd consider in many instances well above and beyond ordinary good customer service -- indeed it's exceptional.  Having said that, I haven't bought anything from him for a while, so I might not be entirely in his good books anymore, but hey, I'm happy with my setup, and the next upgrade item, a hi-def player, is awaiting the resolution of the danged format war and until then I'm not getting involved.

[petetherock]

Its very Singaporean to pay peanuts and expect gold nuggets.

We need to expect good service and pay for it.

As bro Jag, yellowhand and deaf said, everyone has to earn a living and we should reward good service.

EG I got to certain shops I am happy with, even if they cost a bit more.

There is a thread in echoloft about good shops and dealers, thats one good way to show appreciation for good dealers.

 

At the same time, please go and buy at the shop which spends time on you, rather than high-tail out and get elsewhere when the first shop spent so much time on you

 

Don't be a bird and just go - 'cheap' 'cheap'

 

(funny  I wrote a post about this but it didn't show anymore)

[tinytok]

Had been listening to it for the past few nites.

 

Tonite it took 15 mins or so to get into condition.

 

Onkyo SR604 in Pure direct mode volume at 40.

Marantz 6000OSE

Belden Interconnect

QED silver annniversary 25

 

Listen with ambien noise from various aquarium pumps and fan blowing on my left year.

No Room Treatment, typical old HDB 4A square living Room with sofas on the right and where i am sitting.

Table behind softa i and sitting.

On the right there's an wooden Religion Altar.

 

Used Cai Qin, Jin Sang Zhi gold disc, track 1 to 5

Dynamics is there

instrument separation is there

Presentation is laid back.

Bass is not tight enough although better than Marantz SR5200

Voice is not magnetic or sexy enough.

Not warm enough compared to Marantz SR5200

 

OMG, sound changes as i am typing this....30 minutes into the music, but i got to go Zzzzzzzzzzz....

 

Update again when i can have a longer listening hours.