An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Marantz NR1509 vs Denon AVR-S740H comparison definitely makes sense.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Marantz NR1509 has 5.2 versus 7.2 for Denon AVR-S740H. Regarding power, then NR1509 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/8, 60/6 when AVR-S740H has a power of 75/8, 110/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for NR1509 and 192 KHz/32-bit for the AVR-S740H. None of the models support Bi-amping. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The NR1509 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and the AVR-S740H can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud.
These units support HDR technology. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both competitors are not able to scale the HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Marantz NR1509 has 7/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/1 HDMI connectors of the Denon AVR-S740H. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. Supported voice control technologies are identical - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both NR1509 and AVR-S740H can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the AVR-S740H has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the AVR-S740H.