Marantz7005 or Denon AVP for movies only-

The AVP has better EQ but the Marantz AV8801 might be the best option.

Thanks kal. Again from a sound perspective on movies do you think there will be a noticeable improvement over the 7005. I am running a full 7.4 active ATC system if it matters

Hard for me to say since I have never used the 7005. On
paper, I thought it had serious limitations on the day it was
released. However, I do see at least three advantages which
should have important impact on the sound:
1. The 7005 cannot do HD decoding and Audyssey EQ
simultaneously and the 8801 can.
2. The 7005 does only Audyssey MultEQ XT and the 8801 does
MultEQ XT32.
3. The 7005 will not accept DSD (from HDMI or USB) and the
8801 will.

Kr4, good points, the Marantz 8801 would be the best option as Denon does not make anything in current processors these days.

Although I guess an option with Denon would be the AVR 4520i, which can do everything on your list as it is the receiver version of the Marantz 8801, and 1100 less.

Are we talking pre/pro? If so can you explain item number one above? Didn't you review the AV7005? Confused. Thx in advance.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-47

So if I was to be able to pick up a used AVP for the same price as the 8801 would you still go with the 8801 -again just want the best sound for movies- thanks

I'd go with the Marantz if only for the new purchase warranty
and the likelihood of current updates.

Besides, whatever sonic differences there are among any of the
mentioned processors, they are truly minor compared to the
differences among speakers, rooms and configurations. It is
hard to go really wrong here if you get the features you want.