Marantz AV8805A Review (AV Processor)

[Lero]

crazy money for crazy results *facepalm*

 

[respice finem]

...all the clever engineers left audio decades ago )or retired) and went to do more interesting things like video displays, software, robotics or AI…

I'm afraid so, at least most of them. Audio is not quite "the beees knees" any more.

 

[MC_RME]

I should note that the owner used a camera and found the ESS DAC chip in there and D&M confirmed to me that the "A" designation means it uses the updated ESS DAC chips.

'updated' ESS DAC? You mean just 'ESS DAC', right? And did I miss the ESS model number somewhere? Would be interested to know.

 

[respice finem]

Several German sites still state AK4490, I wonder if this is "copypasta" or do Marantz still have some left?
https://heimkino-partner.de/produkte/marantz-av8805a-13-2-kanal-vorverstaerker/
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Marantz+AV8805A+ak4490

 

[Maki]

God look at all those XLRs...

 

[respice finem]

Could European models (230V) measure differently? Assuming @amirm measured a model with 110V AC input. Probably it shouldn't make any difference but as it seems there are problems with engineering here so maybe even that could make a difference in their technical implementation.

Not very probable, considering what comes out of the PSU is the same DC. Interesting detail: I tried to spot if the PSU is universal 110-230V or not - there seems to be no mains voltage stated on the back panel.

 

[amirm]

Amir, is it possible to have a AV processor as good as decent topping DAC?

Yes and no. Yes in that if you don't use any processing then there is no reason the DAC in the AV processor could not work just as well.

No in that if you light up multiple pipelines like Room EQ, Dolby decoding, etc., then you need to allow headroom to make sure you don't have digital clipping. This will probably cost you up to 10 dB in dynamic range.

I see no excuse for high distortion levels though.

 

[amirm]

'updated' ESS DAC? You mean just 'ESS DAC', right? And did I miss the ESS model number somewhere? Would be interested to know.

Sorry, meant to say updated to use ESS DACs.

 

[amirm]

Several German sites still state AK4490, I wonder if this is "copypasta" or do Marantz still have some left?

D&M confirmed to me that if the letter "A" is in the model, then it is definitely using ESS DAC chips. So if they say otherwise, it is a mistake. This owner also used a camera and took a picture of the ESS DAC in the unit I tested.

 

[geoemm]

Would love to see the measurements of some Denon 1000 series

 

[Matias]

I was one wanting to upgrade to Marantz AV line and I am no more after the first reviews and confirmed by these last reviews. Still waiting for a decent mid priced AV processor. I guess I will spend the money elsewhere.

 

[respice finem]

I did, active studio monitors for decent stereo and a mini "no frills" home cinema for that 3D feeling... Works for me.

 

[TheWalkman]

After these recent Marantz reviews, I wouldn’t want to be on the Zoom call between the Product Manager and Engineering team Monday morning. Yikes!

(On second thought, if I were fluent in Japanese, perhaps I would.)

 

[respice finem]

After these recent Marantz reviews, I wouldn’t want to be on the Zoom call between the Product Manager and Engineering team Monday morning. Yikes!

(On second thought, if I were fluent in Japanese, perhaps I would.)

You mean like... https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=list+of+japanese+expletives

 

[Bear123]

Thanks. Looks like their name doesn't mean as much as it used to, as it appears to be all for show. So glad I went with the Denon.

Perhaps it was always just show….

 

[H-713]

Okay, IMO the performance is adequate (that is to say, below the audible level), but how come this thing (which doesn't have power amplifiers in it) seems to be the same (or almost the same) size as their AV receivers with 10 channels of amplification in them???

 

[multisport4me]

Several German sites still state AK4490, I wonder if this is "copypasta" or do Marantz still have some left?
https://heimkino-partner.de/produkte/marantz-av8805a-13-2-kanal-vorverstaerker/
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=Marantz+AV8805A+ak4490

Likely a cut & paste mistake. Unless they had some inventory of 8805's over there to deal with and decided to merely upgrade the HDMI boards in the 8805's they had in stock, slap some stickers on them, and call them 8805A?

 

[multisport4me]

So now the big question for me is - what do I buy for $4-$5k? It seems like everything has issues. RMC1, Lyngdorf (which I won't spend $15k on), Monoprice, etc. all have issues. I really like XLR's out but there is just nothing in this price range without issues. So far now I guess I'll stick with a 6700 that I know has the AKMs until somebody finally builds a benchmark AV processor.

 

[MacCali]

Hmmmm, I am fairly confused with all these AVR reviews. I own the 7013, and I got it for a price so low it's not even funny. And it was basically new, just open box/customer return. The unit has no issues that are audible to me when I watch movies. I cant quite understand what I am missing based on poor measurements when it's not audio that I am listening to. Yes we realize movies do have music, but honestly it sounds really good to me. Would love to understand what I am losing.. Not to even upgrade, just to get a better grip on all of this.

Then again, this is my first AVR ever and that is probably the reason why.

 

[sarumbear]

... if you light up multiple pipelines like Room EQ, Dolby decoding, etc., then you need to allow headroom to make sure you don't have digital clipping. This will probably cost you up to 10 dB in dynamic range.

Assuming the process is done in the digital domain why would a DSP clip the signal? Couldn't you use the calculations at a much higher bit than the input bit depth? For instance, would a 32-bit floating point DSP clip a 20-bit signal while processing surround sound? A convolution reverb in a DAW does pretty complex processing and even working at 192kHz 24-bit, internal clipping is never an issue.