Marantz SR8012 11.2-Channel AV Receiver Review & Comments

If you look on the rear of an a/v receiver/amp. under the voltage it gives you the figure in watts of its total power consumption, divide this by the number of its channels and you'll get its maximum output in watts per channel (as near as makes no difference) at approximately 0.1% distortion.

Incidentally the SR8012 only has 70 watts more than my recently purchased 9.1 SR7011:rolleyes:
It's a good point to compare the sizes of the power supplies. But, not all of the power that gets drawn from the electric socket will be transferred into raw power for the speakers (inefficiency). Plus you have to take into account the power used by the AVR for the pre-amps and the video processing.

For this AVR a 780 watts power supply to drive all of that plus 11 speakers seems like some headroom may be lacking for soundtracks with a lot of dynamic peaks.
 
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Disappointed that my post been edited and the real power rating have been removed.

I had posted power ratings for the SR7011 as tested by another website, and this showed that the claimed power ratings for it were no where near the actual truth.

For anyone who wants to see them- please google '7011 test bench'

Until these companies get tested independently, not much point spending £2,700 on this amp in my opinion, better off getting a cheaper receiver and power amp(s) so you actually know the power is real.
 
Until these companies get tested independently, not much point spending £2,700 on this amp in my opinion, better off getting a cheaper receiver and power amp(s) so you actually know the power is real.
That defeats the purpose for a lot of buyers looking for a one box solution. Power ratings, at the end of the day, are only numbers. A proper demo will tell you whether you're happy with it or not.
 
Disappointed that my post been edited and the real power rating have been removed.

I had posted power ratings for the SR7011 as tested by another website, and this showed that the claimed power ratings for it were no where near the actual truth.

For anyone who wants to see them- please google '7011 test bench'

Until these companies get tested independently, not much point spending £2,700 on this amp in my opinion, better off getting a cheaper receiver and power amp(s) so you actually know the power is real.
That's weird, I link to the sound and vision bench tests quite often, I haven't checked back, but I wonder if all those links have been editied out?
 
Steve, thanks for the excellent review. I had decided to go for the AV8802A and MM8077, but after reading your review I'm considering to go for the SR8012. Wat do you think?
 
're the power output figures quoted above: For comparison, my AVC-A1XVA has a power consumption of 850W and a quoted 170W per ch. at 0.05% THD.
It's loud, even through my inefficient transmission line speakers.
 
It's a good point to compare the sizes of the power supplies. But, not all of the power that gets drawn from the electric socket will be transferred into raw power for the speakers (inefficiency). Plus you have to take into account the power used by the AVR for the pre-amps and the video processing.

For this AVR a 780 watts power supply to drive all of that plus 11 speakers seems like some headroom may be lacking for soundtracks with a lot of dynamic peaks.

Agree, that's why I slipped 'approximately' in,in the wrong place maybe also don't the capacitors help with high transients. the 7011 is 710 watts in comparison so for a flagship amp to add 2 more channels of amplification and only 70 watts more juice stinks of cost cutting (but not in retail pricing). I know the numbers aren't everything but this is a fair comparison/comment imo.
 
Disappointed that my post been edited and the real power rating have been removed.

I had posted power ratings for the SR7011 as tested by another website, and this showed that the claimed power ratings for it were no where near the actual truth.

For anyone who wants to see them- please google '7011 test bench'

Until these companies get tested independently, not much point spending £2,700 on this amp in my opinion, better off getting a cheaper receiver and power amp(s) so you actually know the power is real.

I hope that there's a misprint and their 7 channels driven figures should be 9 channels driven. By my amateur reckoning the 7011 'Should' give out around 75 watts nine channels driven, I stand to be corrected of course. Incidentally does the 120volt US power supply affect power output compared to the British 230/40 volt power supply?
 
That defeats the purpose for a lot of buyers looking for a one box solution. Power ratings, at the end of the day, are only numbers. A proper demo will tell you whether you're happy with it or not.

Not many people can get a demo in their own home with their own speakers, and many buy un-demoed online. If an independent website such as AVForums tested them all, then it would help.

If this marantz is anywhere near its claimed 205w per channel, then they would frankly be happy for it to be tested as it will help sales.
 
're the power output figures quoted above: For comparison, my AVC-A1XVA has a power consumption of 850W and a quoted 170W per ch. at 0.05% THD.
It's loud, even through my inefficient transmission line speakers.

The big Denon has the big 1.2kv toroid transformer as well as two additional E-Core transformers from a Denon 2805 along with four big 80v capacitors (132,000uF total). It's not just the power consumption you have to take into consideration.

Be interesting to see what capacitors etc the Marantz has.
 
the vast majority of amps give inflated power ratings,if you need 205w per channel get a very large and expensive power amp,my 7011 currently runs 7 soon to be 9 channels and its plenty powerfull and punchy in my room,numbers aint everything.
 
Years ago Home Cinema Choice used to test the power ratings, they had what they called a 'firewall' test. I remember one test in particular when rating a THX certified receiver, it only just reached its rated power output with one channel driven! Think that's when I lost my last bit of faith in THX.
 
Power requirements seems to be a controversial subject on these forums.

One school of thought is that if you don't listen very loudly, and have speakers with a good sensitivity, then a few watts per speaker will be enough.

Another school of thought is that you need 20db of 'headroom' to deal with the dynamic peaks in movie and music soundtracks. So even if you are not listening very loudly, during an explosion, or some mad rock guitar riff, there is a momentary peak in audio that can be as much as 20db, and so you need an amp that is capable of delivering that peak power output, or else those split second moments of dynamic audio will not play back cleanly.

I am in the second camp, and I have personally found that since adding power amps to my front three speakers, audio sounds better and more dynamic. Both for movies in surround mode, and music in stereo mode.

I will say, however, that it does depend on the source. The power amps I am using have VU meters and clipping indicators. When watching TV (freeview) or standard dolby digital streaming for example, there is not a lot of dynamism. But, when watching a Blu Ray with a HD audio soundtrack, or even playing back a CD, the dynamism goes through the roof! The lights on the power amp are jumping all over the place and the overall impact and effects of the sound is quite astonishing. I would say, more astonishing, and more shock and awe, than before I added the power amps.
 
I wouldn't say it necessarily sounds 'better' than the X7200 because that can be very subjective but the SR8012 does sound a little warmer for want of a better word. Whether you like that is a matter of personal taste but I actually own an X7200 and I think it has a more muscular presence when it comes to movies but I'd give the SR8012 the edge when it comes to music.


I have a feeling the Denon sounds a bit more neutral from what you say, it's a tough choice choosing between the two. I always think a neutral sound makes more sense as it lets the listener hear what the audio track is meant to sound like rather adding something. When you say "muscular" do you mean the Denon has a heavier/thicker sound? Marantz sound is leaner? Which one has the tighter [more accurate/detailed] bass performance?
 
I have a feeling the Denon sounds a bit more neutral from what you say, it's a tough choice choosing between the two. I always think a neutral sound makes more sense as it lets the listener hear what the audio track is meant to sound like rather adding something. When you say "muscular" do you mean the Denon has a heavier/thicker sound? Marantz sound is leaner? Which one has the tighter [more accurate/detailed] bass performance?
The X7200 seems to have a bit more headroom and thus more dynamic range but in fairness to the SR8012, the Denon is only 9-channels so to run a full 7.1.4 setup you'll need to add an extra two channels. I use a separate power amp to run the front left and right channels.
 
The X7200 seems to have a bit more headroom and thus more dynamic range but in fairness to the SR8012, the Denon is only 9-channels so to run a full 7.1.4 setup you'll need to add an extra two channels. I use a separate power amp to run the front left and right channels.
Do any of these models have an audyssey flat [to use after calibration of course]setting so there is no high frequency roll off with movies?
 
Hi all,

It's been a long time since I posted, but felt compelled to weigh in on some inconsistencies that are troubling. Before I go any further I want to say I totally accept it's the owners' site and they can report / omit whatever they like! It's just a hobby...

Given that this is AV Forums, and the A is for Audio, I'm disappointed at the perceived lack of importance given to the audio aspect of the AV receiver reviews.

Every review for a display component is comprehensive, objective, carried out against industry standards using calibrated kit by competent reviewers. We get graphs, charts, performance measurements etc., so how come we get short changed on the audio side?

It's all very well saying "use your ears: if it sounds loud enough, it is loud enough", but we wouldn't accept that level of subjectivity from a display review. "I watched some films and some telly, and it all looked fine to me - buy with confidence!" would NOT go down well with readers. Nor should it.

If a manufacturer states something in their specification, we should be reasonably confident of it. We know figures are inflated from real world performance, but it's like the emperor's new clothes: nobody's willing to speak up with evidence based on facts. As another poster noted, HCC used to do it, so it's possible. It's a credibility issue. I don't trust the manufacturer to be accurate, but AVForums could (should?) be highlighting the worst offenders for inflated claims, so we can make informed decisions about future purchases.

No-one should buy anything solely relying on charts and figures, but claimed output vs. real world performance is an important criterion to develop a shortlist. How closely (or not) the kit matches what is claimed for it goes to the heart of whether we should trust a manufacturer about any of their other claims. A manufacturer that deliberates omits this information sounds like they have something to hide. What else is deficient...?

So, my question is: why doesn't AVForums adopt the same objective testing rigour for the audio aspect of its reviews as it does for the video side?
 
Not many people can get a demo in their own home with their own speakers, and many buy un-demoed online. If an independent website such as AVForums tested them all, then it would help.

If this marantz is anywhere near its claimed 205w per channel, then they would frankly be happy for it to be tested as it will help sales.
I'm not too hung up about power ratings to be honest. We know that power ratings doesn't follow a linear relationship and you need 10 times the power for twice the loudness. So the difference between 100 Watts and 200 watts is marginal (less than 5%). A demo will tell how much headroom has the amplifier got.
 
Power requirements seems to be a controversial subject on these forums.

One school of thought is that if you don't listen very loudly, and have speakers with a good sensitivity, then a few watts per speaker will be enough.

Another school of thought is that you need 20db of 'headroom' to deal with the dynamic peaks in movie and music soundtracks. So even if you are not listening very loudly, during an explosion, or some mad rock guitar riff, there is a momentary peak in audio that can be as much as 20db, and so you need an amp that is capable of delivering that peak power output, or else those split second moments of dynamic audio will not play back cleanly.

I am in the second camp, and I have personally found that since adding power amps to my front three speakers, audio sounds better and more dynamic. Both for movies in surround mode, and music in stereo mode.

I will say, however, that it does depend on the source. The power amps I am using have VU meters and clipping indicators. When watching TV (freeview) or standard dolby digital streaming for example, there is not a lot of dynamism. But, when watching a Blu Ray with a HD audio soundtrack, or even playing back a CD, the dynamism goes through the roof! The lights on the power amp are jumping all over the place and the overall impact and effects of the sound is quite astonishing. I would say, more astonishing, and more shock and awe, than before I added the power amps.
what power amps are they? seem quite special...
 
until all of my equipment including receivers can do hdmi 2.1 its not even worth looking at for me :) ..that's likely to be next year or 2019 (roll on CES so i can find out if its sooner rather than later)
 
A demo will tell how much headroom has the amplifier got.
Only if listening in your room, with your speakers, after calibration and with your source material. And then again, if wanting to choose between a number of different AVR's, only if you can have them all in your room, at a similar time. As someone else pointed out, that isn't really feasible, so consumers do have to use faith when making some purchases, if the power ratings and specifications are not transparent and reliable.
 

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