How can it not be?
Just means smaller wattage output is OK, even with inefficient big "thirsty" speakers, since high SPL is not needed
-
Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!
Marantz M1 Streaming Amplifier Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
Just means smaller wattage output is OK, even with inefficient big "thirsty" speakers, since high SPL is not needed
Wild guess: the question was rhetorical.
runsWithStupid
Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2026
- Messages
- 10
- Likes
- 19
Gotta say after spending a couple of weeks with the M1, I like it a lot. Sounds good, I’ve never had the volume louder than 75db and never used anything other than Spotify connect. Someone would have to search my room to even find where it’s placed at.
I bought the M1 April 2025 and after having it as my main source of living room music for Tidal and Radio, I have a comment:
I thought a simple/expensive Marantz streaming device would be ideal. Saving cost on buttons, displays, and any external indication the device is working except an RGB LED. Less noise, more audio component quality?
The internal Wi-Fi chip keeps a tenuous connection. If you notice your LED indicator turns amber, it is likely due to a poor connection. (perhaps DHCP renewal or something). If you try to open your cell-phone app to control the M1 at this point, the app will hang. Power-cycling the M1 will reacquire a connection. I did this numerous times before deciding to run CAT6 from upstairs to the downstairs router. It is now good.
I've never used the buttons on the front and have only used the HEOS app. I am considering next a CD player with TOSLINK. The speakers are Klipsch RP-6000F that I bought on sale ($300ea), so, audio quality is surely limited by speakers.
I am ok with the HEOS app, it is adequate. When applying FW updates one gets a sense of impending doom although I've not had one fail. Perhaps the unreliable Wi-Fi made the process seem that way.
In all, I am left with the feeling of being limited despite that the M1 appears to work fine. Perhaps I am meant more for old school audio instead. I've never in the past had to troubleshoot audio devices. Next step, new speakers without going crazy.
I thought a simple/expensive Marantz streaming device would be ideal. Saving cost on buttons, displays, and any external indication the device is working except an RGB LED. Less noise, more audio component quality?
The internal Wi-Fi chip keeps a tenuous connection. If you notice your LED indicator turns amber, it is likely due to a poor connection. (perhaps DHCP renewal or something). If you try to open your cell-phone app to control the M1 at this point, the app will hang. Power-cycling the M1 will reacquire a connection. I did this numerous times before deciding to run CAT6 from upstairs to the downstairs router. It is now good.
I've never used the buttons on the front and have only used the HEOS app. I am considering next a CD player with TOSLINK. The speakers are Klipsch RP-6000F that I bought on sale ($300ea), so, audio quality is surely limited by speakers.
I am ok with the HEOS app, it is adequate. When applying FW updates one gets a sense of impending doom although I've not had one fail. Perhaps the unreliable Wi-Fi made the process seem that way.
In all, I am left with the feeling of being limited despite that the M1 appears to work fine. Perhaps I am meant more for old school audio instead. I've never in the past had to troubleshoot audio devices. Next step, new speakers without going crazy.
Accurate. My M1 behaved MUCH, MUCH better once I connected via Ethernet.I bought the M1 April 2025 and after having it as my main source of living room music for Tidal and Radio, I have a comment:
I thought a simple/expensive Marantz streaming device would be ideal. Saving cost on buttons, displays, and any external indication the device is working except an RGB LED. Less noise, more audio component quality?
The internal Wi-Fi chip keeps a tenuous connection. If you notice your LED indicator turns amber, it is likely due to a poor connection. (perhaps DHCP renewal or something). If you try to open your cell-phone app to control the M1 at this point, the app will hang. Power-cycling the M1 will reacquire a connection. I did this numerous times before deciding to run CAT6 from upstairs to the downstairs router. It is now good.
I've never used the buttons on the front and have only used the HEOS app. I am considering next a CD player with TOSLINK. The speakers are Klipsch RP-6000F that I bought on sale ($300ea), so, audio quality is surely limited by speakers.
I am ok with the HEOS app, it is adequate. When applying FW updates one gets a sense of impending doom although I've not had one fail. Perhaps the unreliable Wi-Fi made the process seem that way.
In all, I am left with the feeling of being limited despite that the M1 appears to work fine. Perhaps I am meant more for old school audio instead. I've never in the past had to troubleshoot audio devices. Next step, new speakers without going crazy.
I need an amp for a desktop setup and it will be connected via cable but even that requires their ****** HEOS app if I choose Marantz M1.
Which I do have for my Denon home 150 speaker which sometimes behaves weird but I don't know whether it's the app or the speakers itself.
Just a few days ago the speaker stopped working and the app couldn't find it. After 10 minutes of messing with the speaker and the app, the speakers started playing music again and I was able to see it in the app.
The speaker is connected via aux 3.5 mm connector and still gets disconnected for no reason.
This is why I would like to get something like Rotel DX5 but unfortunately that amp delivers only 2x25W in 8 ohms.
Which I do have for my Denon home 150 speaker which sometimes behaves weird but I don't know whether it's the app or the speakers itself.
Just a few days ago the speaker stopped working and the app couldn't find it. After 10 minutes of messing with the speaker and the app, the speakers started playing music again and I was able to see it in the app.
The speaker is connected via aux 3.5 mm connector and still gets disconnected for no reason.
This is why I would like to get something like Rotel DX5 but unfortunately that amp delivers only 2x25W in 8 ohms.
I'm not convinced that an Aiyima A80 wouldn't do everything you need if you're considering the DX5, while providing substantially more power. And if you wanted to go yet another step farther and get built in Roon Readiness as well as AirPlay and QPlay (whatever that is), maybe consider the new FiiO Air Amp. In my opinion, if you don't need DIRAC Live or ARC support, FiiO Air Amp should be a better choice than even Marantz M1 in terms of reliability and performance. Air Amp and A80 should both be performant enough to be fully transparent, both being TPA3225 implementations with good PFFB circuits. Air Amp even has Bluetooth input as well as a USB port to attach storage and play your local library (as the M1 does), and even a 10-band PEQ.
The thing is, my SMSL died and this time I want something better than SMSL, Aiyima, Topping etc.
Plus I'll be upgrading my speakers to MA Silver 50s, B&W 707 or something similar that's a bit brighter than Q Acoustics 3010i I have now.
I also checked Eversolo Play and Wiim ultra but Marantz M1 sounds better. I just hate the fact that I need their app to set it up and control it.
I'd get Rotel DX5 but it's impossible to find small bookshelves with 90db+ sensitivity.
Take a look at FiiO Air Amp, or JadeAudio Level 1. FiiO gear is solid. Eversolo Play lacks PFFB, so high frequency response varies with load. WiiM Amp Ultra is an excellent unit, just expensive and proven to be transparent and well-performing, so why do you believe that M1 sounds better?
Because Marantz M1 sounds better. There's a few videos on Youtube comparing the 3 plus reviews on Reddit.
This guy has all 3 and listen what he has to say
And here you can hear it yourself if you have decent headphones.
I don't want Jade Level 1 because that's Fiio's budget line and I want something better.
Eversolo Play actually sounds quite good but after zero customer support from SMSL when my amp died, I don't want to deal with Chinese anymore. Especially not when paying that much.
Last edited:
So your reasoning is subjective feedback.
This is Audio Science Review. We only look at objective material.
Agreed, but there are tons of those videos on Youtube, after watching a few of Mr. Robinson's I don't want to waste time on such videos, won't even click on it unless I was looking for some entertainment (get some laughs). We cannot convince people who believe in and value such subjective reviews though, for whatever reasons they just believe, and don't seem to even bother trying some objective listening such as single blind, level matching etc.
Roland68
Master Contributor
That has nothing to do with the number of participants.
Unless you define exactly what "sounds better" means, it is always just a matter of preference, regardless of whether there are 3 participants or 3,000.
Yes of course. But as you move from "I think it sounds better" to larger numbers of participants repetitively and consistently maintaining high statistical significance
It becomes more accurate to state that objectivity is increasing.
And it becomes worth investigating more systematically WHY it sounds better, what are the objective factors - hopefully measurable - contributing to that crowd-sourced result.
It becomes more accurate to state that objectivity is increasing.
And it becomes worth investigating more systematically WHY it sounds better, what are the objective factors - hopefully measurable - contributing to that crowd-sourced result.
I am not really sure if you are kidding or if you are serious. "you can hear it yourself if you have decent headphones"??
Of course it sounds “good.” Most amplifiers do, provided they’re not defective. The real question is: Is it worth the price premium over objectively better-performing amplifiers of the same type that cost only half as much?
The problem is group think and expectation bias, both work against your really good point otherwise. Easy to find example if you frequent the AVS forum where there are huge threads of people posting their subjective measurements that sometimes tended to converge, yet has no credibility is you read carefully and realize how subjective all of those obviously were. Still, I agreed to a point, but not the last part, that is about "..more accurate..., that might be true in some isolated case for whatever reasons.
Even "more accurate" is just looking for words and analogies really, as always with bloomy sound descriptions because we lack specialised vocabulary.
The reference is missing, the original isn't there for comparison. Therefore you logically can't judge accuracy accurately and it becomes meaningless as a descriptor.
Similar threads
- Poll
- Poll
- Poll