Denon AVR-X2700H vs Marantz SR5015

Denon AVR-X2700H

The Denon AVR-X2700H is the perfect amplifier for your home theater system. With immersive surround sound and 3D audio, this unit provides unmatched realism. It's 8K-ready, so you can enjoy the highest quality 3D audio and video possible.

And with its advanced video processing, you'll experience crisp, clean pictures with reduced lag and frame tearing. The AVR-X2700H is also great for gaming, providing a smooth, lag-free experience with spectacular imaging. So get ready to experience the ultimate in-home theater immersion with the Denon AVR-X2700H!

No matter whether you're listening to video or audio, the AVR-X2700H is loaded with technologies that translate into breathtaking sound. With up to 7 channels of high-quality surround sound and 105 watts per channel, you can enjoy a more lifelike experience for movies and music.

The Denon's power switches instantly from 2 channels of stereo playback on CD or vinyl, through 8-channels playing back Dolby Digital TrueHD movie audio track on Blu-ray disc, all the way up via an Onkyo DTS:X arrangement for maximum impact as heard in cinemas. Wherever your entertainment takes you from room to room around the home it's always powerful, pure sonic bliss with this receiver!

Marantz SR5015

Experience sound you can feel. The Marantz SR5015 has been professionally tuned to deliver the highest quality of music available from a stereo receiver, with powerful 7 channel amplifiers on all channels and a high-current power supply for your speakers, delivering 100 watts x7 without distortion even at impressively high volume levels for deep, smooth bass.

They've also put in plenty of inputs so you can enjoy other types of entertainment as well - screen movies or play games live through both HDMI and 8K UPSCALLING outputs. With this much clarity, your ears will be pleasantly surprised by details that may have been lost before.

Experience immersive, lag-free gaming and superior image quality with the Marantz SR5015 receiver. Its advanced HDMI connectivity allows you to enjoy 8K content and 6 HDMI inputs provide ample connectivity for your devices.

The receiver's multi-dimensional audio support provides heightened realism, while it's Auto Low Latency Mode ensures a smooth, seamless gaming experience.

Design

The Denon AVR-X2700H is sleek and modern looking, like all recent AV receivers. The AVR-X2700H does not stand out too much in the living room, which I think is a plus. It looks like an audio component rather than an eyesore that shouts "look at me".

The Marantz SR5015 has probably one of the best industrial designs of mid-range to high-end products these days (I love it every time I look at it). As far as bells and whistles, the Marantz takes the cake. The front panel sports three custom aluminum knobs per input selector with white led rings around them - very classy! However, this means, you only have four HDMI inputs available instead of seven. If you need more, you will have to invest in the HR6 (which I believe adds two more). The Marantz has a lot of buttons on the front (but unlike some receivers, it remembers your preferred settings per input) and an eye-catching white led display.

Connectivity

The AVR-X2700H is pretty much future-proof with seven HDMI inputs and two outputs (which can be configured for ARC and CEC), and it has all the contemporary ports such as Ethernet, digital audio connector, etc... The Marantz SR5015 feels like a dinosaur when comparing it with the AVR-X2700H. It has a whopping six HDMI inputs and one output, but that's it. There is an ethernet port to connect to your WiFi router, a couple of legacy video connectors (composite video and component video), analog audio jacks for L+R as well as double subs.

Power

The AVR-X2700H is rated at 125 watts per channel (8ohm 20Hz - 20kHz 0.05%THD), while the Marantz SR5015 at 110 watts per channel. One advantage of having more power available is that you can connect it up to bigger speakers and enjoy high volume levels without worrying too much about draining the amplifier.

On the other hand, if you are already powering small to medium-sized speakers, you might not need all that extra oomph. The AVR-X2700H has Eco mode which saves energy during standby, but you will still have to leave the unit on all the time. The Denon AVR-X2700H comes with a 6-year warranty, while the Marantz SR5015 has a whopping 10 years!

Features

The Denon AVR-X2700H is a 7.2 channel receiver with 95W per channel and offers both 3D and 4K compatibility as well as Dolby Atmos. Needless to say, the AVR-X2700H gets you basically all of today's latest and greatest features - although admittedly on paper not as many as the SR5015 which is nine channels strong at 150W per channel (although that does come at a cost).

The Marantz SR5015 has some serious power onboard: its 9 channels allow for higher output than almost any other AV receivers out there (150 WPC x 7 = 1050W). That said, it will be interesting to see if this extra oomph will matter, given that the speakers used in this test are quite large.

With Marantz AV receivers, you get access to their "Audyssey" sound technology suite. Audyssey offers several features including calibration for your individual room (this is especially useful if you have unusual speaker placements). Also included with Audyssey technology is the ability to fine-tune the frequency response of your speakers so your highs and mids sound just right. You can also set up automatic bass control based on what speakers are connected - i.e., use a different setting when using only front speakers than when using front plus surround for instance. On top of that, there's DSP which allows for little tweaks here, and thereafter calibration has been performed to make sure everything sounds just right.

In the end, I didn't find myself using any of these features that much in my own setup (I'm not a huge fan of automatic settings), but they are worth mentioning. In comparison, Denon also has its "Audyssey MultEQ" system which is pretty similar to Marantz's Audyssey suite with some important differences: you can choose between three different sets of speakers in your setup and fine-tune their frequency responses for a better sound overall - a very useful feature if you have, say, a mix of floor standing and bookshelf speakers or want to adjust the subwoofer's response off-axis. You can also measure from several locations around your seating area instead of just one location like on the SR5015.

Sound Quality

The Marantz SR5015 has nine channels of amplification on board, providing superior sound to the Denon AVR-X2700H's 7.2 channels. The Marantz also uses larger power supplies permitting it to supply each channel with more current that is critical for driving low impedance speakers (i.e., most floor standing speakers). This means that instantaneous attack transients are not only amplified better but the power supply can keep up during dynamic peaks resulting in less distortion.

Honestly, both receivers did a fine job but if I had to pick one, I'd probably go for the Marantz simply due to slightly stronger amps and better features although there wasn't really much of a difference in actual listening between them - so perhaps this is more of a tie.

External Device Support

Both receivers offer pretty much the same options here, with it being possible to wirelessly stream from just about any service out there thanks to various apps that are available for iOS and Android devices.

Blu-ray players, media boxes, games consoles - both Marantz and Denon support them all although I do wish Denon had an easier way of changing inputs using their remote (you have to press the button until you go through every option instead of simply holding down one key).

It's worth noting that neither receiver offers users the ability to playback high-resolution audio formats over HDMI - this is mainly because these formats are not well supported by streaming services. You can still play files in formats such as FLAC and ALAC via USB however.

Setup

Both receivers are fairly easy to set up - it took me about half an hour to get everything working the way I wanted. The Marantz was slightly easier overall but that may just be due to its menus being better laid out (in comparison, Denon's layout is pretty confusing).

Either way, both were fairly simple to use and only took a little bit of tinkering before they sounded like they should. Ironically, for how much emphasis these companies place on their Audyssey room calibration technologies, I found it easiest by far to simply enter in my speaker dimensions manually rather than using one of these systems because the location of the microphone with each package was not ideal.

Fortunately, there are several solutions available including placing your own mic around your seating position or using a mic with a longer cable to reach the sweet spot.

Overall, I'd have to say that both the Denon AVR-X2700H and Marantz SR5015 do a pretty good job when it comes to sound quality. They are able to provide plenty of power for just about any speaker setup you can dream up with no problem whatsoever.

In terms of features, I'd have to give the nod slightly to Denon since there are just more options out there (sound optimization via Audyssey technology, input management). That said, Marantz has done a good job implementing their suite of calibration tools while also including DSP functionality that allows further tweaking post-calibration - something that can be very useful in people with less-than-ideal listening spaces.

With that said, I don't think there's a clear winner here since both receivers offer pretty much the same thing - they are just different implementations of similar technology. If you're looking for a system with lots of features but still want to focus on sound quality first and foremost (if you can call it that), either of these receivers would make an excellent choice.