Between the Marantz and the Anthem, it is a matter of taste and desired sonic signature. The Anthem is going to have much more resolution, attack and detail. The Marantz 8802a is an excellently designed platform with a massive main power supply and excellent localized power supply filter around all section of the DAC I/V board. Individual discrete analog output stages. However, the Marantz is voiced on the warm side, so it will be much warmer and slower than the Anthem. You're interpretation could be that the Marantz lacks excitement and slam. Alternatively, you could favor the Marantz for music because of the warm/thick tones. The Anthem could be seen as very bright (bordering on harsh) when compared to the Marantz.
For home theater movie excitement, I would choose Anthem over Marantz every time. However, if you liked the warm thick solid tones of music and horns, the Marantz would be better.
