It makes sense comparing Marantz NR1504 vs Yamaha RX-V485 because they both are able to give some premium features.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 5.1. Regarding power, then NR1504 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/8, 60/6 when RX-V485 has a power of 80/8, 145/6. The THD is 0.08% for the NR1504 but 0.09% for the RX-V485.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for NR1504 and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485. Only the RX-V485 supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
Only the Yamaha RX-V485 can connect to the Internet via WI-FI. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Marantz NR1504 has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The NR1504 can work with the audio stream from Pandora, SiriusXM, and the RX-V485 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The RX-V485 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the NR1504. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V485.
The Marantz NR1504 has 6/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V485. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V485. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The NR1504 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the RX-V485. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. An ECO mode is only available for the RX-V485. Both NR1504 and RX-V485 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.