Marantz AV10 AV Processor Review

[juliangst]

As far as I know most of those home cinemas that use a single bass array have the entire back wall covered with at least 60-80cm deep insulation material (which theoretically equates to >60% absorption above 30Hz).
I don't have the space for that yet and because I only care about a single seat I only use a single sub and some diy bass traps for now.
I'm sure ART will be really effective to reduce specific resonances with the correct sub placement.

 

[exm]

You’ve left Emotiva off your very comprehensive list. In a call last week an Emotiva employee in the know told me “they expect to release their next generation (G4P) processors in January”. The pricing should be very reasonable at (approximately) 3, 4 and 5 thousand dollars for the XMC-2, RMC-1L and RMC-1. That’s direct pricing.

Russ

Don't see Lyngdorf either.

 

[Andrej]

My plan is to move to active speakers with both analog and digital inputs. I would, personally, prefer manufacturers to replace RCA analog outputs with digital outputs (where balanced outputs are also present, as with AV10), and let the active speakers do D/A conversion (rather than ADC+DAC). Balanced outputs could serve the needs of users who need analog outputs.
I am curious how many would like to see this change?
I do understand that it might be very hard to hear the difference between using the digital rather than the analog connection. Still it ought to provide higher SINAD to the power amps of the active speaker.

 

[juliangst]

I am curious how many would like to see this change?

Before that happens I rather want to see more budget AV Processors.
The pre outs of the Denon X3800h or Marantz Cinema 50 measure pretty well so why can't they just give us the same thing without the amps at a lower price? (probably not worth it for manufacturers because of too little demand)

I don't see fully digital preamps becoming more popular any time soon though. The amount of people with fully digital speakers for home theatre use is even lower than people with analog active speakers. Digital makes sense for larger installations with protocols like AES67 or Dante which some products like JBL and Storm already support.
What I would rather expect is the market moving towards completely wireless systems that would connect over WiSA or something similar.
B&O already does this with their TVs and beosound theatre soundbar which acts as the receiver that all speakers connect to.

 

[Andrej]

Before that happens I rather want to see more budget AV Processors.
The pre outs of the Denon X3800h or Marantz Cinema 50 measure pretty well so why can't they just give us the same thing without the amps at a lower price? (probably not worth it for manufacturers because of too little demand)

Or even cheaper then just cheaper, with just the digital outputs
Talk about low demand...making it a very expensive product

 

[IamJF]

My plan is to move to active speakers with both analog and digital inputs. I would, personally, prefer manufacturers to replace RCA analog outputs with digital outputs (where balanced outputs are also present, as with AV10), and let the active speakers do D/A conversion (rather than ADC+DAC). Balanced outputs could serve the needs of users who need analog outputs.
I am curious how many would like to see this change?
I do understand that it might be very hard to hear the difference between using the digital rather than the analog connection. Still it ought to provide higher SINAD to the power amps of the active speaker.

There are already the cinch outputs in this model - let us switch them to S/Pdif! Or just strip them (I mean in this price range?) and give us the channels as digital outputs.
In the pro world monitors with digital inputs are getting more popular at the moment - a set of KH150 and KH120 would be a great value Atmos system and will be found in many new built studios who more and more need to have an Atmos setup.

The first sub 10k preamp with digital outputs and Dirac ART will be on my shopping list right on top.

 

[alvigg]

Are there any threads with audyssey vs Dirac comparisons. I have an AV10 on order and wondering about whether it will be worth the Dirac upgrade with only one subwoofer - Bagend Infrasub 18.

 

[ban25]

Are there any threads with audyssey vs Dirac comparisons. I have an AV10 on order and wondering about whether it will be worth the Dirac upgrade with only one subwoofer - Bagend Infrasub 18.

If you're buying the AV10, you should invest in Dirac Live, DLBC (Single Sub), and eventually, ART. If you want to use Audyssey, you could get by with MultEQ-X for $200 (for the headroom expansion, ability to disable MRC, and filter designer). The results from MQX are solid.

But--and this is my observation--Audyssey is a dead-end technologically. Whatever deal they've done with D+M has left them under-invested and most of the key staff has long since departed. I can't imagine they sell too many copies of MQX for $200 a pop given that it's limited to D+M products, is Windows only, and provides relatively little beyond what's built-in already. My understanding is that the $20 mobile app is a D+M creation (publisher in the App Store is listed as "D+M Group"), so it's not clear Audyssey even gets a cut of that business, however meager it may be.

TL;DR: Dirac is under active development with frequent updates and new capabilities being introduced. It is multi-platform and has no vendor lock in. If you want something for the long haul, it is going to be your best bet.

 

[alvigg]

Thanks for the input, others are welcome to chime in. Can you even get MQX for the AV10?

 

[Newman]

Absolutely

 

[tjcinnamon]

Thanks for the input, others are welcome to chime in. Can you even get MQX for the AV10?

Yes, I’m a pretty big fan of MQX while using REW. You can import REW filters

 

[alvigg]

Thanks again, I should have the AV10 in a week for a 7.1.4 system.

 

[alvigg]

I think I am seeing the upgrade works with a computer. If so, is it Mac compatible?

 

[ban25]

I think I am seeing the upgrade works with a computer. If so, is it Mac compatible?

For Dirac, it is Mac compatible, but you will need a UMIK-1 USB microphone to use for measurements.

 

[IamJF]

For Dirac, it is Mac compatible, but you will need a UMIK-1 USB microphone to use for measurements.

It will work with any measurement microphone + audio interface, you can load correction curves. The UMIK is a cheap way to start.

 

[tjcinnamon]

Does anyone know how Dirac handles the LFE Distribution feature? LFE Distribution literally sends the LFE to the mains. I have ported mains with 2x10" drivers and ample power. So I can use them in that fashion (when I get an AV10).

Subwoofer Output AV 10

manuals.marantz.com

 

[ban25]

Does anyone know how Dirac handles the LFE Distribution feature? LFE Distribution literally sends the LFE to the mains. I have ported mains with 2x10" drivers and ample power. So I can use them in that fashion (when I get an AV10).

Subwoofer Output AV 10

manuals.marantz.com

Dirac is downstream of that, so it's likely completely unaware.

 

[tjcinnamon]

I guess if it plays the LFE signal during calibration then it will hear it on every sub out.

 

[ban25]

I guess if it plays the LFE signal during calibration then it will hear it on every sub out.

The calibration just runs a frequency sweep on each channel individually per measurement position. It's content agnostic, so it doesn't matter if, for instance, you are playing LFE content on your mains post-calibration.

 

[tjcinnamon]

The calibration just runs a frequency sweep on each channel individually per measurement position. It's content agnostic, so it doesn't matter if, for instance, you are playing LFE content on your mains post-calibration.

If there is LFE content on the mains post calibration then it will mess with the calibration because the phase won't be factored in. I think it has to play LFE during the calibration so the mains don't play. There is no crossover. Either way I'm getting the AVR (assuming it supports ART). Perhaps I can just use those mains ability to dig deep as ART support speakers.