I find auditioning electronics to be extremely difficult. Unless you hear something specifically objectionable, you have no idea how it is going to sound. I think my dealer has the Anthem gear hooked up to B&W speakers. I might as well not listen at all for all that is going to tell me about how it will sound on my system.

Imahawki,

I guess I'm lucky enough to have a dealer that will move things around for me to be able to audition the combo I want. That, and my GET dealer also carries both Anthem and Marantz. While not as valuable, you should be able to gain some meaningful insight as long as your auditioning on good speakers. There will certainly be differences but I'd be more concerned with auditioning an Anthem unit on a pair of $300 low end/low-fi towers. B&W should be revealing enough to point out strengths and weaknesses but it is certainly not an apples to apples comparison. Or maybe it's like comparing a Granny Smith to a Golden Delicious... In either case, it's certainly worth a listen. I doubt you will find the Anthem a step down.

Cheers,

T Cobe

T Cobe wrote: Imahawki,

I guess I'm lucky enough to have a dealer that will move things around for me to be able to audition the combo I want. That, and my GET dealer also carries both Anthem and Marantz. While not as valuable, you should be able to gain some meaningful insight as long as your auditioning on good speakers. There will certainly be differences but I'd be more concerned with auditioning an Anthem unit on a pair of $300 low end/low-fi towers. B&W should be revealing enough to point out strengths and weaknesses but it is certainly not an apples to apples comparison. Or maybe it's like comparing a Granny Smith to a Golden Delicious... In either case, it's certainly worth a listen. I doubt you will find the Anthem a step down.

Cheers,

T Cobe

I'm not sure if my dealer would move gear or not. I guess my gut says no, but I have spent over $10k there so maybe. Honestly I'd be more interested in a decent home audition / return policy. I may inquire more along those lines.

T Cobe,

I recently upgraded from a Denon X4000 to a Marantz 7702 paired with an Outlaw Audio 7700. I'm not positive how significant the sonic differences are between the new Marantz 7702mkII and last year's 7702, but I'm am more than pleased with this set up for home theatre. The Denon X4000's implementation of Audyssey room correction did not play well with my Triton 1 towers. Things didn't sound great and I ended up turning it off. The Marantz 7702 is a different situation, I'm thrilled with how things sound and the improvement has been significant. My GET speakers have really opened up with this new setup and I couldn't be happier.

I would seem to think that the 7702mkII would make your home theater very happy and save you some coin vs the other options you are considering.

Please do share your thoughts when you get a chance to demo the Anthem vs the Marantz processors at your local dealer. I was also a little bit skeptical when I saw the price drop in their processor. You can't go from $6500 to $3000 without sacrificing something, and it's not likely company profits are what's being sacrificed here

On a side note, how do you like your Aon speakers for your surrounds? I need to get surrounds to pair with my Triton 1's & SuperCenter XXL and have no idea which direction to go. I'm fearful the SuperSat 3's will be too small sounding and the Aon speakers will look awkward wall mounted in my living room. Are you happy with our Aon surrounds? Have you compared them with SuperSat 3's? I'd be pleased to hear that GET has plans in 2016 to introduce a compact loudspeaker to specifically pair with Triton 1's for surround sound applications.

Cheers,
John

John,

Thanks for the feedback and first hand account on the SQ of the 7702. I think the MKII is only slightly different from an audio standpoint but likely not enough to hear in a blind test. Your feedback on Audessey is very interesting. I was at a local Magnolia store a couple weeks ago looking for some AudioQuest bananas and was looking at the Marantz units. The salesman told me something to the effect of the Marantz Audessey implementation being a few years ahead of other Audessey equipped units. I thought this odd and dismissed the comment. Your findings make me wonder if he actually knew what he was saying. That's unusual in a B€$+ B~¥!

The cost savings on the 7702 combined with all the features make it an attractive solution. I'd really like a few more reviews and internal pictures on-line. Do you have any amplifier hum, speaker hiss, turn-on pops, or any other possible complaints? Those are some of the issues I'm looking to rule out during an audition.

Regarding the Aons, they are hands down the best bookshelf speakers I have had. If I had a medium to small sized room, I'd employ a surround system with 5 of them and a sub. Between their musical nature and frequency handling capabilities, I think they are a great speaker. Their placement flexibility makes them even more ideal as a surround speaker. It really comes down to what you have room to accommodate. If you can implement a floor standing speaker, the T7s may be a better option as Wayne recently discussed. If you have or plan to implement Atmos, you will want the surrounds at ear level. Right now I have my Aons at the rear surround position in the back of my room. I'm still debating my final selection for my regular surround speakers. I waffle between the Aons, T7s, and now the T3+.

Members have said great things about the SuperSats but I have not used them. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of lifestyle speakers but that is a personal preference and not based on fact or experience. If SuperSats are the best solution, I would feel confident purchasing the GETs. I'm sure they are an extremely close tonal match. The SuperSat 50s and 60s would be my preference and I have contemplated using them for rear surrounds and moving my Aons forward.

As always, it's best to audition the speakers first hand. Let us know what you settle in on and how it sounds. Happy hunting!

Cheers,

T Cobe

John welcome here and thanks for your comments and feedback! It sounds like you have great ears, and
that your comments are right on.
Imahawki, I am shocked that you spent $10K with a dealer and he is not willing to move some equipment around
for you to get a good audition. Yes, in home is better.
My money would be on Marantz as a great option for the money.
Aons are wonderful speakers! Yes, I would recommend T 7s above the Aons for surrounds (on a budget), but the Aons would
be my second choice.
LOTS of great choices out there, but all of those choices are better with GEt speakers. IMHO.
Happy listening,
God Bless,
Wayne