Marantz Unveils Two New Reference-Quality Home Theater Components

Premium AV and Hi-Fi audio brand Marantz has today taken the wraps off a pair of new additions to its “reference-quality” component range in the shape of the AV 20 AV pre-amp and AMP 20 power amplifier.

Designed to join and complement the award-winning AV 10 pre-amp, AMP 10 power amp and CINEMA 30 AVR product family, the AV 20 and AMP 20 expand the variety of system configurations Marantz’s high-end product range can support. Both new units are manufactured at the brand’s premium factory, the Shirakawa Audio Works in Japan, and have been meticulously honed and refined by a Marantz Sound Master (a select group of experts within Marantz who are considered to have a particularly high level of listening expertise and judgment they can apply to tuning premium products).

The AV 20 and AMP 20 both sport the latest iteration of Marantz’s iconic “porthole display” design, together with selectable side illumination, applied to an uncompromising build quality based on a multi-layer, copper-heavy chassis. The new devices’ remote controls are made from aluminium, too, as well as offering button backlighting to make them easy to use in dark rooms. Let’s get next into the specifics of each model.

AV 20 Pre-Amp

The AV 20 carries the latest and most powerful Analog Devices SHARC Dual-core DSP chipset, partnered with uncompromising 32-bit two-channel DACs with dedicated jitter reduction.

This ensures that the AV 20 can precisely decode and process every possible form of incoming audio technology, including the most high-resolution stereo formats and every current form of immersive audio, including Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced, DTS:X Pro and AURO-3D.

The AV 20’s premium processing system has been combined with the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 advanced room optimization system, which automatically calibrates sound to take into account your sound system’s speaker sizes, speaker distances, level adjustment and many more factors besides. All with a focus, of course, on making sure the AV 20 is able to adapt its audio mastery to as wide a range of speakers and listening environments as possible.

Marantz has also equipped the AV 20 with Dirac Live Room Correction plus the Dirac Live Bass Control, enabling you to integrate up to four separated and fully optimized subwoofers into your sound system. Plus, for the first time in a Marantz product, the AV 20 will eventually (following an upcoming firmware update) carry the Dirac Live Active Room Treatment (ARC) technology that’s claimed to create an unprecedentedly cohesive and tonally consistent listening experience.

The AV 20 carries seven HDMI inputs all capable of supporting video feeds up to 8K/60Hz or 4K/120Hz, as well as multiple analog and digital inputs and an expansive range of custom installation-optimized features that enable it to adapt to pretty much any scale of set up, from relatively small media rooms to large home theater installations.

The AV 20’s discrete HDAM SA-3 preamplifier stage feeds up to 13.4 channels using either RCA or XLR outputs and, finally, the AV 20 supports the latest HEOS multi-room platform, making it as easy as possible to access content streamed through Roon, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth.

Finally, the AV 20 uses a fold-down front panel on its fascia to hide its relatively less-used controls, to retain that distinctive premium Marantz porthole look.

Summary of key features:

* SHARC dual-core DSP with 32-bit two-channel DACs

* Timeless design with the iconic Marantz porthole display and modern high-definition on-screen display

* 8K support for x7 HDMI inputs with x3 HDMI outputs

* Support for Dolby Atmos™, IMAX Enhanced™, DTS:X Pro™ and AURO 3D™

* Audyssey MultEQ XT32 advanced room optimization included, plus Dirac Live calibration, including Bass Control and Active Room Treatment options, available at extra cost

* Access to streaming services via HEOS®, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Qobuz Connect, Roon Ready, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth and more, all built-in

* 12 x 200W Power Amplifier, with bi-amping and 400W BTL mode available

AMP 20 Power Amplifier

The AMP 20 is configured to deliver up to 12 channels of power with 200W per channel (8ohms, 1kHz, THD 0.05% with two channels driven). It also allows users to reconfigure pairs of 200W amp channels into bridged-tied-load (BTL) outputs, delivering up to six channels of 400W if you’re lucky enough to have a speaker system that might benefit from that. Or you can opt to bi-amp up to six speakers, with both XLR and RCA inputs available.

Other examples of how the AMP 20 might be used are as a powerful amplifier upgrade for owners of Marantz’s CINEMA 30 AVR, or as a complement to AV 10 preamplifiers, where fewer channels of power are required. (Similarly, AV 20 buyers could, say, opt to buy the 16-channel AMP 10 Power Amplifier instead of the AMP 20 if they require more than the 12 channels of power offered by the AMP 20.)

The Marantz AV20 and AMP 20 are both available to buy from today from selected retailers, with each product available for $6,500 in the U.S., €5,500 in Europe and £4,750 in the U.K.

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