Marantz NR1510 AVR Review

[PuX]

every single time I see a new receiver review, I expect it to be atrocious and I'm never wrong about that.

not sure what's the point, they never improve.

might as well measure soundbars. it's for people who simply don't care.

 

[Thomas_A]

The 60Hz and harmonics are also present in the measurements of the analog inputs.

What do you think of the 1 kHz overtones in Amirs and my measurements? They surely do not look like typical harmonic distortion. And disappears when disconnecting the laptop from mains.

 

[GXAlan]

every single time I see a new receiver review, I expect it to be atrocious and I'm never wrong about that.

not sure what's the point, they never improve.

There is a claim that the Marantz AV10 hits 106 dB SINAD at 4V out

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/official-2022-marantz-av-10-flagship-dirac-processor-owners-thread.3261194/post-62156154

 

[blueone]

Going to make a somewhat lukewarm defence of the 1510. I haven't actually used it, but I have the very similar 1608 from a few years ago. Not sure if the 1608 measures as badly (it uses a slightly beefier amplifier section and I believe a different DAC, so it could be different).

I wouldn't recommend building a high-end music system around these receivers. However, if you're looking for a receiver to use in a general purpose system, or a system that's primarily for movies and gaming, they're awesome. You get tonnes of HDMI inputs, really excellent video upscaling and lots of options, built-in room correction - the works - for under $1,000. In a situation where a bit of high-end roll-off and a moderate amount of distortion aren't going to trouble you (like movies and games), it's a really solid option.

It is a shame, though, that the unit performs this badly since we've seen many cheaper options put up much better numbers and it seems like mostly laziness on the part of Marantz engineers. It's also a shame that the preamp outputs on these units are so shoddy - I ended up upgrading my 1608 to a Denon 3700h because I was switching to using a separate power amplifier and the preouts on the 1608 just would not output a respectable signal level. The 15/16/17xx series, based on their size and feature set, would make for a really fantastic preamp if they just had decent DAC performance and could output at a reasonable level from their preouts.

I think people who are saying this unit is "garbage" and a "waste of money" are kind of missing the point, and not paying attention to the typical use scenario for a receiver like this. Yes the DAC and amplifier are disappointing and should be better, but people who are buying these are generally not buying them for a high-end music system. They're buying them to plug three game systems, a bluray player, and a streaming box into it and run an inexpensive 5.1 system for movies, games, and occasional music listening. For that use case, these small Marantz units are absolutely fine.

I agree. I use an NR1608 too, in our HT system, as what I call an "HDMI preamp". The video inputs go directly into the TV, and the TV feeds the Marantz via HDMI ARC. The Marantz outputs analog audio to an ATI stereo amp (which I use because I have it), which powers JBL L/R speakers, and an SVS SB1000PRO sub. It's not a big room, about 2500 cu-ft, and most of what we watch are drama shows and movies, and 75-80db average at the listening seats is about as loud as it gets. I tested the NR1608 amp channels, and audibly there's no difference I could discern from the ATI amp channels. I knew when I bought the Marantz I would probably be raising an eyebrow at measurements if I saw them, but sometimes an SINAD of 77db works good enough. Video sound is generally a realism train wreck anyway, and the most important audio attribute to us is speech intelligibility.

 

[SMc]

I'm happy to see this as I'd guess it isn't too different from my ancient NR1403. It's only been deployed in small rooms so I've been reasonably pleased although I have experimented with using an external amp for L/R. The HDMI output is dead so all the device switching happens at the tv which unfortunately doesn't pass multichannel. Audio is via the front analog input from an even older Yamaha preamp which seemed to sound better somehow. Maybe these measurements explain that!

 

[DMill]

Looks like I’m ordering the shrimp out of the display case at a Greek diner. Might pass On this one.

 

[KellenVancouver]

Hmmm it seemed to me that what Amir explained is the the ECO circuit is broken? I think when he turned it on it cut the power by 70 to 80%? If that is true then the ECO circuit is broken, or they have a product defect that is getting out the door in massive quantities.

Marantz has been contracting with China for manufacturing since at least 2005, and that has continued since acquisition by Sound United in 2017. Quality products can be made in China, but as ASR members have noted before the issue with Chinese products is consistency, and that consistency issue seems reflected in Spkrdctr's comment above. The lingering question is whether this tested Marantz unit was designed to perform poorly, or is this particular unit a victim of inconsistent Chinese manufacturing practices?

 

[DonR]

What do you think of the 1 kHz overtones in Amirs and my measurements? They surely do not look like typical harmonic distortion. And disappears when disconnecting the laptop from mains.

Grounding issues through the USB?

 

[norman bates]

I was loosley looking at the Marantz nr1200, same family but a stereo receiver, but I guess I will pass...............

 

[restorer-john]

Marantz has been contracting with China for manufacturing since at least 2005, and that has continued since acquisition by Sound United in 2017. Quality products can be made in China, but as ASR members have noted before the issue with Chinese products is consistency, and that consistency issue seems reflected in Spkrdctr's comment above. The lingering question is whether this tested Marantz unit was designed to perform poorly, or is this particular unit a victim of inconsistent Chinese manufacturing practices?

Don't blame the Chinese. This is made in Vietnam in the Anam (Korean) factory.

Here:

Marantz SR7015 8K AVR Review

This is not good for the price. Couple of questions: 1-How much would SINAD improve (or would it?) if a proper filter was allowed as an option? SINAD value used is the one from the Dashboard that has a 22.4 kHz filtering for measurements. In other words, it already has the filtering that AVR...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[bogart]

No big surprises here. I had an ancestor, the NR1605, from the slimline series. I wasn’t ever very happy with the sound from a home theater setup I used it in, but I’ve learned since then it was probably my speakers

The unit I owned was a refurb/b-stock, consistent with some earlier posts mentions. It wasn’t terribly expensive and it was very functional for what I paid. However, it is my only audio item that fully broke on me. I gave it away to someone who repaired it, and he reports it is working well for a kitchen system.

All in all, it’s fine. The volume control had nicer feel than my Denon though!

 

[TonyJZX]

you can made out the "MADE IN VIETNAM" in Amir's rear panel pic

as stated before..., if Korea decides to make a new factory in Vietnam then really a lot of the components still come from China and its basically a China factory vs. a Vietnam factory... in a similar way how Teslas are made in Shanghai and Dresden and Fremont and for the most part, are largely comparable with some noted differences.

To go further I have seen a fair few Made In Japan Marantz units also kick the bucket in unexpected ways.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Marantz has been contracting with China for manufacturing since at least 2005, and that has continued since acquisition by Sound United in 2017. Quality products can be made in China, but as ASR members have noted before the issue with Chinese products is consistency, and that consistency issue seems reflected in Spkrdctr's comment above. The lingering question is whether this tested Marantz unit was designed to perform poorly, or is this particular unit a victim of inconsistent Chinese manufacturing practices?

Denon is also made in China or Vietnam by the same company and their products consistently outclass all other 'name brand' hi-fi and home theatre products. The difference is in the design, not in the execution.

Where a product has made has zero bearing on its quality or durability. What matters is how it's designed/engineered, and the attention to detail and quality control of the people who are building it. You can get garbage design and QC in the US or Germany and world-class design and QC in China or Bangladesh or Vietnam.

The problem with Marantz units consistently measuring worse than their Denon counterparts is entirely down to engineering.

 

[norman bates]

honestly, quality can be done anywhere, you just need more sets of eyes inspection and higher standards.

 

[DonR]

I think the problem with products like these lies in the restrictions placed on costs. They are designed to be cheap to produce and "good enough". Shame that Marantz is trading off its decades-old reputation for sonic quality yet producing such poor measuring products. I enjoyed my 1501 but as I said it was no audiophile-grade instrument.

 

[pablolie]

I'd like to see some of their new stereo integrated amps reviewed. AVR stuff seems to always measure horribly unless you spend an ungawdful amount of money to get your surround fix without sonic penalties. And since I am not an V guy in AV it's wasted on me. I have never owned Marantz but always thought of them as a competent brand, so this is a bit worrisome, but hey and again - it's AV...

 

[Marc v E]

I'd like to see some of their new stereo integrated amps reviewed. AVR stuff seems to always measure horribly unless you spend an ungawdful amount of money to get your surround fix without sonic penalties. And since I am not an V guy in AV it's wasted on me. I have never owned Marantz but always thought of them as a competent brand, so this is a bit worrisome, but hey and again - it's AV...

Hmmm lets see: https://www.stereophile.com/content/marantz-model-40n-integrated-amplifier-measurements

No, still the same. Btw I liked Marantz too, had a few cd players from them.

This is the model 30 with hypex amplifiers. Oddly, it measures pretty poorly again.

Marantz Model 30 integrated amplifier Measurements

Sidebar 4: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Based on the measurement of the dac of the NR1510, it looks like the dac filter, or lack of it, was a concious design. One that took some effort too. Iirc HDAM, a Marantz technology, introduced noise and distortion too.

Given that they're part of a consortium that does produce competent designs (Denon 3700) my best guess is they deliberately introduce distortion in their Marantz products to differentiate them. Much like guitar amps that have a certain signature sound.

 

[Thomas_A]

Grounding issues through the USB?

Perhaps. So while SNR is 110 dB we don’t know what the real THD is yet.

 

[TonyJZX]

it looks like marantz have canned all their older reference series inc. separates and integrateds

i would assume these *should* be up to peoples' expectations and they should measure ok.

realistically to me i think the target audience for the NR and SR series are fine with the way they are

 

[Thomas_A]

@amirm : it would be nice if you can comment on the THD issue. I can see that the 1 kHz component disappears when I measure using laptop on battery. I am not convinced that your results represent the THD+noise figures when in practical use.