hey ricracer,
i am one of those who sold my marantz. in fact i bought a pristine pre owned marantz sr 4500 then re sold it a week later. fortunately, my reason for selling is NOT on account of bad performance.
on one hand, i realized that indeed i was not into home theater. i had a denon for my room so i wanted a pure audio setup in my listening area where i keep tube amp. it would be a luxury to use the marantz in the bedroom.
on the other hand, i thought it best to sell the marantz over the denon since i would get my full money back.
the marantz was good as cash!!! since you just put it in the ads and maybe 20 people call you. people reserve it without even asking for the last price. to think i was selling at 12k, not 8k. (lucky guy who bought the 8k must have been very good in his past life and is reaping the rewards in this life hehe)
so since i wanted to get new speaker wiring and interconnects, i could shop around for items on pinoy knowiing that my marantz would sell at a price i expect it, rather than finding myself selling it down.
i think it is a testament to:
a) marantz's great value and musicality (frankly, i was seduced by the pre outs at that pricepoint - incomparable)
b) many members' preference for a musical avr. i guess it makes perfect sense that if you plan to listen and watch, might as well the BETTER of both worlds.
all in all, i think the reason marantzs get sold left and right is it holds its value very well so its the the perfect candidate to sell when you need funds for upgrades.
whip