I just upgraded my home theater system from a five year old HTIB. I picked up Orb Audio speakers (excellent little speakers, great price) and also the Marantz NR-1501.
I tried out three receivers before settling on the NR-1501. I first looked at the Denon 1910. It definitely sounded great, but was too tall for the space in my entertainment center.
I ended buying a Yamaha RX-V465 BL. I was disappointed with the clarity of the vocals during movies and TV, and even with adjustment the sound was very harsh and very directional. I took this back to best buy.
I listened to an Onkyo TX-SR507. This had decent sound quality, balanced, but not as smooth as the Denon. It also fit in my entertainment center, and the price was decent.
Finally I ended up checking out the NR1501. I thought it wouldn't sound particularly great due to the lower power (50W per channel), but apparently Marantz greatly underrates their equipment and cuts off the rating before any distortion occurs.
Whatever the reason, in any event, this receiver had the smoothest, cleanest and clearest sounding tone of all of them. I tried it side by side, with the same speakers in the store VS. the Denon and the Onkyo (forget the Yamaha, it sounded like garbage compared to all three) and was continually amazed by how rich and clear everything sounded.
I went with the Marantz--at 599.00 (current Amazon price) you can't even come close to this quality of sound. The volume can be so low that my wife can sleep with the door open, and you can still clearly discern the voices of people on TV when using the amp. Everything balances great. Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer sparkled with this setup (my two main reference CD's for sound).
To sum that up, get it. Unless you're dropping 1500 for a receiving I don't think you can beat the quality of this. As long as you have smaller speakers and reasonable sized room, this is the deal.Get more detail about Marantz NR1501 Slim Line Home Theater Receiver.
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