Is Marantz dead?

[RUSHTK]

I have been reading different threads here and there and Marantz doesn't seem to give everyone the warm fuzzy anymore. i was going to purchase a Cinema 60 7.2 but am now unsure. does anyone have user experience with it? Thanks

 

[GXAlan]

They are pricey compared to their closest Denon competitors at full price but you can get some great deals. You get the best HDMI CEC in the business and it is up to you if the Cinema 60 fits your cosmetic preferences over the similar Denon’s.

 

[EWL5]

I believe nearly all their products measure "ruler flat" for FR so that characteristic warm "Marantz Sound" is largely gone! Sole exception might be the Marantz AV10 where it is "on" by default.

Denon AVR-X4800H AVR Review

looking to put in the extra for the x4800 over the x3800 but... non engineer here. unable to understand graphs and data. could someone please explain in layman terms how the x4800 with the same low quality DACs as the x3800 is Recommended where as the x3800 in Not Recommended...? thanks...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Doodski]

Marantz uses coloring circuitry to get a sound. They even post images of the circuitry and PCB cards that plug into receptacles in the amps, receivers and surround sound pre-amps. One card for each channel or one card for stereo maybe.

 

[JeffS7444]

I own an older Marantz NR1608 and like it alright. Not aware of any other company offering compact AVRs.

Impression upon reading Marantz Cinema 60 specs: Nope. Too much emphasis on items that really don't matter, like copper plating, and "Master Sound Tuning", while they've omitted the more advanced Audyssey XT 32 room-correction in favor of cheaper Audyssey XT. Same kind of money in a Denon-branded receiver will get you XT 32.

 

[mhardy6647]

I mean...Saul Marantz is.
Dead, that is

 

[RUSHTK]

I mean...Saul Marantz is.
Dead, that is

 

[RUSHTK]

I have a series of Marantz available to me through the military exchange and am researching some of them. I just dropped 20k on daughters wedding so I'm looking for a nice 5.1 or 2 that can also handle my records...yes I am old. I have infinity rs5001 for my vinyl.

 

[Doodski]

infinity rs5001

Cool speakers. I used to sell Infinity RS through to the Kappa 9 and one beta model. They sounded good for me because I love a sharp strong top end frequency response.

 

[JeffS7444]

If it's gotta be Marantz, I see that Cinema 50 is equipped with Audyssey XT32, but the $$ jump is substantial.

 

[peng]

Marantz uses coloring circuitry to get a sound. They even post images of the circuitry and PCB cards that plug into receptacles in the amps, receivers and surround sound pre-amps. One card for each channel or one card for stereo maybe.

I don't think they did, those HDAM modules are discrete opamps, transparent, not for coloration. They use the slow roll off dac filters that rolls off from about 10 kHz, but that will have effects on digital inputs and for contents with sampling rate at 44.1 and 48 kHz, otherwise no effects. Bottom line, their marketing info has little credibility.

 

[peng]

I have a series of Marantz available to me through the military exchange and am researching some of them. I just dropped 20k on daughters wedding so I'm looking for a nice 5.1 or 2 that can also handle my records...yes I am old. I have infinity rs5001 for my vinyl.

If you don't mind the looks, the X3800H is a great value, follow by the X4800H. They will sound the same as the Cinema 50 and 40 in blind listening, the Cinema 60 is extremely overpriced, even when compared with the Cinema 70.

 

[Galliardist]

Marantz uses coloring circuitry to get a sound. They even post images of the circuitry and PCB cards that plug into receptacles in the amps, receivers and surround sound pre-amps. One card for each channel or one card for stereo maybe.

Marantz have a dual personality. They are stuck with trying to compete both on general excellence, which comes out in the very expensive items (disclaimer - I own the reference stereo amp and CD player) and with the "Marantz sound" idea which leads to those discrete HDAM boards, which have had their day, even if it ever was their day. So you get well built products that can measure from poor into at least into the very good section of the SINAD chart, with limited features, good build quality and a decent dealer network for support in some countries at leat.

It strikes me with Marantz, almost, that they seem to design superb products and then put them through that tuning process that probably makes them both worse measuring, and more expensive: that they are stuck with historical design briefs for their main product ranges: and it's so frustrating.

It's time that they tore up that brand book and started again with excellence at the top of the list. Just swap in good opamps for those HDAM boards as a first step...

 

[Southpaw99]

I have been reading different threads here and there and Marantz doesn't seem to give everyone the warm fuzzy anymore. i was going to purchase a Cinema 60 7.2 but am now unsure. does anyone have user experience with it? Thanks

Not sure why all the negativity towards the brand in this forum. Not saying you should buy the cinema 60. There have been plenty of people who buy a denon, return it bc they didn’t like the sound, buy a marantz and love it. Don’t pay retail. Find a custom install dealer. Units can be had for much less than retail. Good luck.

 

[kyuu]

Don’t pay retail. Find a custom install dealer. Units can be had for much less than retail. Good luck.

I see this bandied about a lot. How do you find a custom installer to sell you gear at below retail without also paying for the custom install? Are people really getting AVRs and speakers at seriously below retail by just asking custom installers for it?

 

[GXAlan]

I see this bandied about a lot. How do you find a custom installer to sell you gear at below retail without also paying for the custom install? Are people really getting AVRs and speakers at seriously below retail by just asking custom installers for it?

If you are in the U.S., reach out to safe and sound…

 

[Southpaw99]

I see this bandied about a lot. How do you find a custom installer to sell you gear at below retail without also paying for the custom install? Are people really getting AVRs and speakers at seriously below retail by just asking custom installers for it?

Submit a post on here or on AVS of what you’re looking for in either the speaker or AVR/processor theads. Many times a dealer will DM you. Cleveland plasma is a dealer that’s on AVS and has great pricing on gear. There’s other ways too. You can buy the model from the prior year when the new ones come out. Many times the incremental features are not worth the added cost of a current model. You can also buy a refurbished unit but I’m not a huge fan of that. Many haven’t had a problem doing it though.

 

[Roland68]

I have been reading different threads here and there and Marantz doesn't seem to give everyone the warm fuzzy anymore. i was going to purchase a Cinema 60 7.2 but am now unsure. does anyone have user experience with it? Thanks

Marantz is no longer Marantz, Denon is no longer Denon, and Heco is no longer Heco.
But the list is much longer.

When companies are sold and controlled from outside, development resources are merged and downsized, etc., the soul of the company is usually lost. But that is the case everywhere, not just in the audio sector.

 

[Southpaw99]

Marantz have a dual personality. They are stuck with trying to compete both on general excellence, which comes out in the very expensive items (disclaimer - I own the reference stereo amp and CD player) and with the "Marantz sound" idea which leads to those discrete HDAM boards, which have had their day, even if it ever was their day. So you get well built products that can measure from poor into at least into the very good section of the SINAD chart, with limited features, good build quality and a decent dealer network for support in some countries at leat.

It strikes me with Marantz, almost, that they seem to design superb products and then put them through that tuning process that probably makes them both worse measuring, and more expensive: that they are stuck with historical design briefs for their main product ranges: and it's so frustrating.

It's time that they tore up that brand book and started again with excellence at the top of the list. Just swap in good opamps for those HDAM boards as a first step...

Only “very good” Sinad? The AV10 has the highest Sinad of any processor ever made. The 8015 was excellent and the cinema 30 is supposedly right there with the AV10 so it will likely measure as the highest AVR ever made as well.

 

[PHD]

Marantz sounds "warmer" only in Pure Direct mode. Once you run Audyssey, it will sound just like your averaged Denon, except for the placebo effect since you paid extra $...