Marantz HD-AMP1 – Marantz has built on the success of its HD-DAC1 with an all-new integrated – and it’s a real star, says James Parker Once upon a time, you could survey the shelves in your local high street hi-fi shop and choose between any one of a dozen or more amplifiers from the big … Read more
Marantz has revamped its NR slimline flagship AVR to impressive effect, reports Steve May. Read our MARANTZ NR1608 Review. Better than before With Dolby Atmos spreading from BD to mainstream entertainment, interest in immersive 3D audio looks set to explode. Even those who have long resisted the charms of an AV receiver might well find … Read more
David Price lounges around to the soothing sound of Ming Da’s new Piccolo integrated valve amplifier Remember the seventies? Early on in that decade we saw a wave of new Japanese products begin to appear in the shops and on our roads. The result was that by the end of the decade, Honda, Datsun, Sony … Read more
Producing a test report on a “flagship” A/V receiver is always a bit of a high-wire act. On one hand, the receiver represents the top of the line: Maximum power, maximum features, and maximum performance are all expected—and generally delivered. On the other hand, cruiser-class designs rarely offer much of real importance that a model … Read more
Arcam’s C49/P49 pre-power amplifier combination is an unsung hero of the affordable high end, says David Price In hi-fi’s glory days back in the late seventies, it felt like there were more preamp/power amplifier combinations around than there were people to buy them. Arcam has always been a purveyor of fine integrated amps. The C49 … Read more
Is nine the new seven? I’m talking about amp channels. Not long ago, nine-channel receivers were rare and supported relatively exotic surround modes that few people used. But Dolby Atmos bids to change the status quo by adding two to four height channels. A seven-channel receiver can support two height channels. A nine-channel receiver can … Read more
Dedicated home cinema owners can’t live without their AVR. These metal slabs perform much of the grunt work when it comes to putting movies on screen and through your speakers, and – in our convergent era – tackle music streaming and home networking, too. But as our source gear and desired formats change, AVRs need … Read more
With its smart design, Denon’s AV receiver looks ready for business – and Danny Phillips discovers it has the features and performance skills to woo him too The price tag suggests Denon’s latest entry-level AV receiver should be a no-frills affair, but that’s not the case. This is a budget feature-seeker’s dream, with more badges … Read more
TIME ON TEST: Two years REVIEWER: Richard Stevenson Table of ContentsAV INFOWhat’s good about it?What’s not so good about it?Should I buy it?Verdict AV INFO PRODUCT: Atmos/DTS:X AV processor POSITION: Marantz’s flagship model PEERS: Arcam AV860; Anthem MRX 1120 [rh_get_post_thumbnails video=1 height=200 justify=1] [sc name=”Youtube”] TWO YEARS AGO, the ‘A’ suffix variant brought Marantz’s flagship … Read more
Multichannel power amps are expensive, right? Emotiva is changing that with its A-700, says Ed Selley. Read our EMOTIVA BASX A-700 Review. [wpsm_toplist] In the last few years, the one-box AVR has almost completely replaced the more specialist processor/power amp combination at all but the loftiest price points. The greater convenience of a single chassis … Read more
Denon has invited all 3D audio formats to an AV party – plus Richard Stevenson. Read our DENON AVR-X6400H Review. Evolution, not revolution, is a good way of describing Denon’s AVR-X6400H. This AV receiver takes last year’s very fine AVR-X6300H, adds a few features, sprinkles in some new components and ices the cake with Auro3D … Read more
Richard Stevenson finds out if Yamaha’s top-flight AVR is ready to fend off the 11-channel competition. Read our YAMAHA RX-A3070 Review. [wpsm_toplist] [rh_get_post_thumbnails video=1 height=200 justify=1] Yamaha’s Aventage RX-A3070 AV receiver has recently been reduced to a very appealing, almost two-thirds the price of its RX-A3060 forebear – and less than half the price of … Read more