Only a couple hours ago (in response to your other thread
here) I watched a little review of that Marantz NR1605 "slim" receiver at
C|Net. It received high praise. Back in the early 70's when I was really into audio reproduction electronics, Marantz was considered a top-tier "audiophile" quality product maker. But like many manufactures, tried to live off their name and past laurels they really got cheap (or maybe just the rest of the world caught up and zipped past). But in recent years, they've made a significant improvements are worth considering again.
As I answered in your other thread, you have to go by
your ears! And by the way, please don't ask the same questions in multiple threads. That is not considered proper forum etiquette.
Today's speakers tend to be much more efficient than those made years ago. This means they can easily be pushed to reference levels with much less power.
It really depends on the model - or at least series of receivers (and speakers you are driving). I compared a lot of receivers before settling down with my Onkyo, including Yamahas, Denon, Marantz and more. And in my price range, the Onkyo won out.
I really like Onkyo's auto speaker calibration system (Audyssey). It worked great. And when compared to my handy-dandy
Radio Shack SPL meter, it was spot on.
My only complaint with my Onkyo is the HDMI 1.9 support. I hate it. It works great once it all
finally syncs up. For example, when switching back and forth to or from Blu-ray or Roku to the cable/DVR box, it can take 10 - 15 seconds before it all syncs up properly and the right display appears on the TV and right audio source plays through the speakers. I've seen this with other brands so I know it is an HDMI thing and not a brand thing.
I almost wish my 7 year old Onkyo would die so I had an excuse to buy a new receiver with current HDMI standards.