Entered CNET Catalog: 05/22/2003
SKU: SR5300
Manufacturer: Marantz America Inc.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 04/11/2003
The nifty remote enables direct access to bass and treble controls, as well as most surround modes, so you don't have to toggle through an endless list of options to get the sound you want. This remote is easy to program; we had it controlling our TV and DVD player in just a few minutes.
Unusually, the SR5300's bass management doesn't provide adjustable crossover options, typically 80Hz, 100Hz, or 120Hz, when you select the Small speaker setting. That's too bad; we find that sort of adjustability useful for optimizing the sound of large, medium, or small satellite speakers. However, the SR5300's SACD/DVD-Audio analog input levels can be individually tweaked (most receivers have fixed levels), which might come in handy with some players.
Measuring a reasonable 17.3 inches wide and 16.75 inches deep, this 28.4-pound receiver should be a comfortable fit for most cabinets or shelves. The SR5300 delivers 90 watts into each of its six main channels, as well as Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES Discrete processing for appropriately encoded DVDs. You also get a choice of three processors that produce surround sound from standard stereo sources: Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS Neo:6, and SRS Labs' new Circle Surround II (more on that in the Performance section).
Golden-eared owners will welcome the Direct function; it ekes out the best possible sound from music and home-theater sources. The SR5300 also has a full set of preamp outputs so you can add a separate power amplifier.
We also liked the unusually logical layout of the SR5300's back panel. You're a lot less likely to mix up what goes where when hooking up this receiver. Digital connections are plentiful; you get five inputs (two optical and three coaxial) and two outputs (one optical and one coaxial). Gamers and video-camera fans will appreciate the full set of front-panel A/V jacks.
Unlike most receivers in its price range, the SR5300 doesn't include component-video switching. That is, you can't use it to switch between two component-video sources, such as a DVD player and an HDTV receiver. But if your HDTV has more than one component input--or if you don't own an HDTV at all--you're less likely to miss this feature.
Marantz's three-year warranty is more generous than the typical one- or two-year policy. Our listening sessions proved the SR5300 to be a solid performer. On the Trio Jeepy CD by Branford Marsalis, there's a swinging duet between Marsalis's sax and Milt Hinton's big, fat stand-up bass. The musical interplay is so exquisitely woven that it's easy to forget you're hearing just the two men. It's a tough test of a receiver's musicality, and the Marantz's finely wrought sound was remarkable; more run-of-the-mill receivers dilute the magic of this piece.
We next experimented with the various surround modes and were quite impressed with the SR5300's Circle Surround. It was more enveloping and natural-sounding than Dolby Pro Logic II or DTS Neo:6.
In fact, we were having such a good time listening to music that we kept putting off the home-theater portion of the review. The SR5300 delivered every last bit of performance from the Doors' excellent Live in Detroit CD--well, almost every last bit. This receiver mutes the first fraction of a second of a CD when it commences play, and the same thing happened whenever we skipped ahead DVD chapters. In fairness, this sort of glitch is hardly unique to the SR5300.
Home-theater performance was also top-notch. The SR5300's power reserves never faltered when we cranked the Lord of the Rings DVD. With One Hour Photo, a decidedly quirky psychological thriller about a whacked-out photo-service guy (Robin Williams), we were struck by the film's textured and nuanced soundtrack. Next, we watched an old favorite, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and marveled at the SR5300's flawless delivery of ambience and depth in Count Dracula's castle. Sure, we could complain that the SR5300 revealed the brightness of this DVD, but the receiver's HT-EQ circuit tamed some of the harshness.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3
User Rating: 
10/10
Just get one!
Pros: Excellent all round, music and AV Amp. Even for the discerning audiophile.
Cons: Too inexpensive. It makes you feel as though there should be something wrong with it. But there isn't.
Review:
User Rating: 
8/10
Great AV Pre-Amp / Amp
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Review:
I have a friend who bought a marantz sr5200 based on its review; he said he was delighted with it. (until he heard my sr5300) When I found out Marantz were coming out with a higher spec'd version, the sr5300, I was first in line. I had to wait awhile but was delighted with my purchase. I was glad to see that the remote control had improved. I did not like the remote that came with the sr5200 at all. The pre-amp stage is fantastic in the 5300, (primarily why I bought it). This unit will be "hard to get" once people realise-what a bargin it is! Plenty of features... the only thing left that I wanted was a firmware upgrade facility but that's just asking too much for the money. I use a custom built separate 1.5 KW (RMS) Power Amp (6 x 255W), but I would be happy with the sr5300 power handling for a couple of channels. The only person that is unhappy with it, is my mate who had the earlier model, and wished he had this one. ( he has sold his unit since)
User Rating: 8/10
Extremely Musical! Very good HT!
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Review:
This receiver replaced the JVC that I have had for 2 years. The Marantz sounds 400% better in Stereo; it's clean, warm and smooth. I was considering Denon 1803, Onkyo SR600, Yamaha V730 and Kenwood 6070THX. Denon and Onkyo sounds really good but not as good as Marantz in stereo music. For DVD, the Denon lacks explosive bass especially in DD/DTS mode, so as the Kenwood. Try putting on Lord of the Rings I with the opening battle scene; pay attention to the deep blast (bass) manifested by the destruction of Sauron, and you?ll see what I mean. The Denon and Kenwood both inferior to the other three. Marantz, Onkyo and Yamaha are neck to neck. The Yamaha is being the most aggressive (very bright and forward sounding, great for movie but way too bright and sometimes tiring for classical music) but it lacks the musical smoothness of Marantz and Onkyo. I choose Marantz over Onkyo just because Marantz is just a tiny bit smoother and warmer than Onkyo. So, here is my ranking: Marantz, Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha and Kenwood. It is based on a 60% music/ 40% movie split. If one watches DVD exclusively, consider the Yamaha.
