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Denon/Marantz - the end is near

So on the subject topic, was just getting ready to buy an extensive whole home system based heavily on denon, marantz, Polk and definitive tech kit. Not sure anyone can predict what’s going to happen with the brands. So Feeling the dilemma of buy it with the risk of obsolescence and no warranty vs wait and potentially have no choice but to go super expensive or dumb down to Sonos/soundbars heaven forbid!
Sound United is for sale, not going out of business! My far less famous 1st job went through at least 2 acquisitions while I was there and "shutting down" the business was never discussed. It's "business as usual" at these places until the new owner takes control after which they can:
  • Let the business groups operate as they've been doing.
  • Cut corners and start laying off staff.
  • Inject capital hoping for better market share
No one buys an entity thinking they're going to run it into the ground! It should be "business as usual" for us consumers but speculation threads like these do nothing but create confusion and delay!

If Masimo chooses to shut down Sound United, then it gets nothing in return for its investment!
 
$749 for the RZ50. They have gone for this price from authorized dealers from time to time

I am thinking of products like this:

MiniDSP could use stuff like that if they really wanted to…
Exactly, a Denon 3800 only runs you about 800 bucks currently here as well - these are very sweet deals and they can do so much more than a MiniDSP, while providing a much more sleek, all in one package. The Flex HT is certainly a great device and for some use cases it's a great solution but for the average home cinema owner, a complete AVR is a way better solution - even if you only use it as a processor.
 
So on the subject topic, was just getting ready to buy an extensive whole home system based heavily on denon, marantz, Polk and definitive tech kit. Not sure anyone can predict what’s going to happen with the brands. So Feeling the dilemma of buy it with the risk of obsolescence and no warranty vs wait and potentially have no choice but to go super expensive or dumb down to Sonos/soundbars heaven forbid!
I wouldn't be frightened to buy a Denon AVR right now, I just bought an 4800 as well ;) As @EWL5 just wrote, it's very unlikely that D&M really goes completely out of business/shuts down during the next few years (I can see them being in trouble long term though if they don't change their business strategy/ product lineup), someone will buy Sound United.

Even if they really did shut down, that would be an even bigger motivator to buy one right now - that's why I did it. Since with D&M out of business, that would leave you with very little choice for AVRs - although Pioneer/Onkyo was just saved, which is great news! but they currently don't have all the features I want in an AVR (especially the 4 independent sub outs, which is an amazing feature!).

Just make sure you buy it from a reputable dealer so they deal with the warranty claims should the company not exist anymore while you are experiencing a failure. All that being said, I have to admit that I wouldn't feel comfortable with buying a >5K A1H atm since I'd want such an expensive receiver to last me 10+ years and I'd want to get it repaired even if it broke 5 years down the road. Because even without any warranty still in place, that would still be viable on such an expensive AVR and you can't do that when the company doesn't exist anymore, meaning there are no spare parts available anymore. If my 4800 breaks in 4-5 years it would still be sad but it wouldn't be the end of the world since repairing a 5 year old 1300 bucks receiver probably wouldn't really be viable anyways because a repair can easily cost 200-300 bucks if it can't be done by yourself.
 
I wouldn't be frightened to buy a Denon AVR right now, I just bought an 4800 as well ;) As @EWL5 just wrote, it's very unlikely that D&M really goes completely out of business/shuts down during the next few years (I can see them being in trouble long term though if they don't change their business strategy/ product lineup), someone will buy Sound United.

Even if they really did shut down, that would be an even bigger motivator to buy one right now - that's why I did it. Since with D&M out of business, that would leave you with very little choice for AVRs - although Pioneer/Onkyo was just saved, which is great news! but they currently don't have all the features I want in an AVR (especially the 4 independent sub outs, which is an amazing feature!).

Just make sure you buy it from a reputable dealer so they deal with the warranty claims should the company not exist anymore while you are experiencing a failure. All that being said, I have to admit that I wouldn't feel comfortable with buying a >5K A1H atm since I'd want such an expensive receiver to last me 10+ years and I'd want to get it repaired even if it broke 5 years down the road. Because even without any warranty still in place, that would still be viable on such an expensive AVR and you can't do that when the company doesn't exist anymore, meaning there are no spare parts available anymore. If my 4800 breaks in 4-5 years it would still be sad but it wouldn't be the end of the world since repairing a 5 year old 1300 bucks receiver probably wouldn't really be viable anyways because a repair can easily cost 200-300 bucks if it can't be done by yourself.
Everybody decides for him/herself, isn't it?
I have the A1H for almost 2 years and I haven't regretted it's purchase once. But I'd choose the A10H though if it would have been available from the beginning,
 
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Everybody decides for himself, isn't it?
I have the A1H for almost 2 years and I haven't regretted it's purchase once. But I'd choose the A10H though if it would have been available from the beginning,
Indeed, how much you are willing to spend/risk is a very personal thing (and of course subject to how much budget is available to you in the first plac).

Yeah, money no object, the A10H would be very high on my list as well, mostly because it's quite a bit lighter than the humingously heavy A10H but still a very capable one box solution.
 
I bought the A1H just recently but only because I got it for the same price CAD as the Marantz Cinema 30 retails for here in Canada. Not that I need the channels, just wanted the original 70 pound beast I guess. Hope Denon lasts for a while. I bought 5 year warranty through my dealer so would be covered. If it quit and no parts I would get a credit for a new one.
 
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