Marantz SR4400

"The Marantz SR4400 receiver offers an outstanding combination of home theater performance features and value. It's the ultimate choice for a wide variety of high-performance, 6.1-channel home theater systems, offering compatibility with Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS-ES discrete decoding. In audio only mode, the source direct function is extremely efficient for detailed musical reproduction, enhanced by 192kHz/24-bit audio D/A conversion. With Dolby Digital and DTS, you will be stepping up into the world of 5.1 channel surround, the surround format found on DVD movie discs. And DTS-ES further enhances your surround experience by adding a rear-center speaker to the standard 5.1 channel surround mix, providing 6.1 playback. Only certain discs have this seventh channel of audio-discs marked with ""THX Surround EX"" or ""DTS-ES"". Adding the center rear channel adds richness and depth to the playback of any movie. If you are upgrading your system from an older Pro Logic surround system, or if you have a large library of movies on videotape, this receiver is a great option. Pro Logic II takes movies with original Pro Logic four-channel surround and up converts it to 5 channels, by taking the mono rear channel and splitting it into a two-channel stereo mix. When considering a new receiver, power is a major concern. 80 watts x 6 is a solid level of power. It is enough to power high-quality speaker systems and sound good in larger rooms. One thing to remember about power ratings is that they dont always tell the whole story. Ratings can be exaggerated, and often are by lower-end electronics manufacturers. Marantz receivers have ""high current"" power, which can actually be more powerful, and sound better, than cheaper receivers that have the same power rating. Features: Dolby Digital EX Pro Logic II DTS-ES SRS Circle Surround 6.1 80 watts x 6 channel powe