If you want every component in your large home theater system to maximize its audio capabilities, you need to save up about $1,000 for a capable home theater receiver. But purchasing the best home theater receiver for your needs isn’t as simple as getting the one that looks the nicest after checking the price tag. While there are several brands including Marantz that build fantastic AV receivers, you should still know exactly what you are paying for and that applies too for nice high-end home theater receiver like the Marantz SR6007.
Design
The design of the Marantz SR6007 is definitely eye-catching because it does not feature the usual rectangular display that virtually every other home theater receiver has. Marantz took the odd approach of making the display circular where you can see a small status of the player. The size of the display resembles the size of the input selector and volume knobs on the sides of the front panel but it shouldn’t be a huge deal considering the fact that you can see and do more from the GUI menu. Called the “Star and Circle Porthole Display” design, this is something that you will like if you want a minimal home theater receiver or hate if you want something traditional. But what matters most is that the front panel has a brushed aluminum finish which looks great and makes the Marantz SR6007 durable.
For a home theater receiver that is priced over $1,000, the rest of the front panel is surprisingly minimal. Other than the row of buttons for controlling the AV receiver, there is only a phones jack, HDMI port and USB port. But if you lift the panel on the bottom, you will also see aux input and setup mic. This is a rather clever way to minimize clutter while keeping the most frequently used ports easily accessible.
The back of the SR6007 shows off a very organized array of connections. There are 5 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs shown along with groups of other terminals that are all properly labeled so you can easily find them. All of the terminals are gold-plated to ensure good connectivity.
Below is the back panel layout. Click on image to enlarge for a clearer view.
Marantz SR6007 Back Panel
Features
The Marantz SR6007 is a 110-watt 7.2-channel home theater receiver which means that you can really crank up the volume level and enjoy studio-quality sound. But it isn’t just the specifications that power this home theater receiver as this component features some technologies by Audyssey. The most basic technology that is present across all present Marantz models is the Audyssey MultEQ XT which offers 8-point calibration so your speakers are properly configured regardless of the position of the speakers and size or shape of the room. It is possible to get good audio quality right out of the box since the Audyssey Dynamic EQ does the work in optimizing various aspects of the sound such as the bass. Surround sound is also more emphasized thanks to the Audyssey DSX technology which is a technology that is absent from cheaper Marantz home theater receivers.
The SR6007 can provide the necessary surround sound enhancements to just about any component including 3D Blu-ray players since the HDMI ports support 3D pass-through. Being a 2012 home theater receiver, the Marantz SR6007 is ready to handle all of the modern audio formats including Dolby TrueHD, Pro Logic IIz , Digital and Digital Plus along with DTS HD Master Audio, ES Discrete/Matrix, HD High Resolution and Neo:6, 96/24.
To keep up with future technologies, the SR6007 is also capable of handling displays and projectors with 4K resolution. This means that you can hook up a 4K display and use the upscaling features of the Marantz SR6007 so the image looks really good on the massive screen.
If you have a small home theater system, the Marantz SR6007 can still be useful because it can send audio signals to two sources simultaneously. These signals can be different as well so you can output different playlists to these sources or you can watch TV while the other system in the other room connected to the AV receiver can continue to play music. Combined with the powerful specifications of the SR6007, each source should get equal treatment in sound improvements.
While the Marantz SR6007 is a home theater receiver targeted towards enthusiasts, Marantz didn’t sacrifice the usability of the component. Getting started is actually very simple because there is a “Setup Assistant” feature which guides you through a rich interface where you can complete the installation process in just a few steps. Learning the remote control is also easy because the design and layout of the buttons doesn’t look so intimidating. But if you want something that is even easier to use, you can use the Marantz Remote app which is free download for iOS and Android users. This puts a graphical interface on your touchscreen phone or tablet to make it even easier to tinker with the AV receiver wirelessly. All that is required is to prepare your SR6007 for networking by making use of the Ethernet port.
When connected to wireless router, the Marantz SR6007 automatically becomes capable in receiving streams from iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. This home theater receiver supports AirPlay so iOS users really get the biggest benefit out of the networking features. Android users cannot take advantage but you can always purchase a separate Bluetooth adapter for the SR6007. Fortunately, the things that any user can access are the online services. Using Pandora, Sirius XM and vTuner integrate well with the home theater receiver and you can stream other music and photos to the Marantz SR6007 from a computer since it is DLNA 1.5 compliant.
Bottom Line
If you compare the specifications of the Marantz SR6007 with the Marantz SR5007 which costs $350 less, you will notice a lot of similarities from the appearance to the multi-room and networking features. However, the higher watts per channel make a huge difference along with the available 2 HDMI outputs and gold-plated terminals. You basically get some of the premium without the high price tag that the flagship Marantz SR7007 commands.
Update: There is a newer model > Marantz SR6012