[folivier]

My Marantz AV surround receiver SR4300 just blew up. Driving today had classic vinyl on xm on dish playing, not loud so we could talk. Heard a loud thump/pop and no mo' music.
Oh well guess it's time to get another one.
I'd like one more compact and with a remote.
Any suggestions? Don't want to spend too much maybe $100-200.

[bikestuff]

Forest,

Be sure to check your speaker wires. I have had similar thing happen, when my speaker wires got shorted.

Sorry you let the "magic smoke" out of your receiver.

bill

[folivier]

Yes, I found out long ago that electronics work on either smoke or sparks. Let either one out of the box and it don't work no more!

[folivier]

Never mind. I unplugged it then when I plugged it back in it works now.
We were on a pretty bumpy road when it shut down, maybe the bumps did it.

[Land Yacht]

I still have the original Marantz SR4300 and 42” TV Monitor. My Marantz is on its last leg and I would like to update both the Marantz and TV. Newell is recommending a Marantz 1508 and a LG TV. The TV monitor is too heavy for me to remove by myself, and looking at current TV sizes, I am thinking the bevel around the TV is going to need to be modified, so I am considering buying the Marantz 1508 myself and letting Newell install a new TV.

Questions:
1. With smart TV’s, is the Marantz still necessary?
2. What about the integration of dash radio? mine could use an upgrade as well.
3. What have others done to upgrade?

[bikestuff]

Man, Mike that is a whole can of worms...let me see if I can help. (The rest is rambly, but one persons opinion)

TV...If you carefully measure the size of the opening, you may be able to find a TV that is similar in size and aspect ratio. (I was able to find a Samsung that fit almost exactly). About LG vs Samsung vs Vizio vs all other brands. I believe that Samsung makes the best bang for the buck right now. (IMHO) I also would get a 4K TV even if you don’t have 4K content. The latest 4K TVs are really, really good. Be prepared to have to add a panel to move the TV forward closer to the bezel to get a finished look. The old TVs were thick and the new ones thin, so they sit farther back away from the flip up bezel. If you add a piece of wood (or thick spacers) on back to push the TV forward, it will look better.

The receiver is what connects the speakers to the source content. Even with smart TVs they don’t have the ability to drive multiple external speakers so you are forced to use an amp to be able the use the surround speakers in your coach.

The relay thingys that switch the speakers between the dash radio and the TV are a problematic mess. In my case they will drop out and not send any sound the speakers until I turn up the sound and then they work and I ended up with ears blasted with loud sounds.

At the end of the day the first thing to do if figure out your sources. Do you watch DVDs? Have Apple TV / Roku/ Google Streaming devices? Do you have hi-def satellite sources? If you do and want to use the surround sound tracks on these sources you are forced to use a receiver. Denon makes a bunch of nice 4K compatible receivers (like the AVR-S920). Plug your sources into the receiver and the the output to your speakers and TV.

Although I have not done it (yet), I plan on installing a pair of nice speakers into the dash which will simply be used by the dash radio. Thereby eliminating the speaker relay switch. I like the idea of a simple setup that just works. Eliminating the speaker relay switch removes something that has proven to be problematic and will makes things simpler.

TLR (too long didn’t read). Find a 4K TV that fits, buy a new receiver that will fit on the shelf and has a minimum of 4K video pass thru. Add separate speakers for the dash radio. Use the existing speakers with your amp.

[Fulltiming]

Bill gives excellent advice. Yes, you will need a good receiver to power the multiple speakers in your coach. Finding a unit that is close to the size of the existing receiver is the best alternative. All of the mainstream receivers will provide good service Marantz, Denon, Anthem, Yamaha, Sony all make good receivers. I find Onkyo receivers deliver vocals that are a little muddy but others really like them. The 4K advice is very good. I have Sharp and Sony TV's in my coach and Sharp, LG and Samsung TV at home. I have been happy with all of them. Bill's advice on dimensions and spacers is also to be followed unless you wish to make or have made a custom front cover.

[encantotom]

on mine i replaced the 42 inch original very heavy plasma monitor with a lg 42 inch. it was very simple and at least on mine only required some spacers and mounted into the origianl opening with no issues.

receivers are like brands of cars. lately i have been preferring denon and have just bought a avrx3400h for my cabin and have one in my shop mancave home theatre as well.

the marantz was a close second for me. they are made by the same parent company as denon and have alot of similarities and are known to be not as bright as the denon...

i buy alot of my audio gear at http://www.safeandsoundhq.com if you call in you will get a better price than on their web site.

but....that all said, newell used many different systems for mounting the front tvs. mine is a angle iron fram that swings up and was easy to mount a new tv to. others i have seen are not as simple

tom

[Chester Stone]

    I found a 42" Panasonic that fit perfectly when I removed the old tube TV and the door.  Filled the upper space with a center speaker to go along with the new Sony amp.  Installed a heavy duty wall mounting bracket to provide easy access behind the Panasonic.  Photo attached.

[Roger 1]

Ok looked everywhere can't find the switch that switches from stereo to tv speakers.