Everything is getting smaller these days, and that’s finally playing over in the HiFi space, as Marantz shows in a “slimline” receiver.
Home theatre and HiFi gear can feel like a bit of a stalwart in the technology world. No matter how often we write about the latest amp or the newest bit of HiFi gear, a glance at the size of the technology can make you feel it’s not changing enough.
Big amps, big sound, and changes to support 4K conversion and multiroom technology are all consistent, but that “big amp” size doesn’t appear to be changing at all. You’re still going to want a reasonable bit of room in order to place a home theatre or HiFi amp, because they take up a reasonable bit of space.
Marantz looks to be changing things though. You might want to add a “finally” in there, as this technology needs a fair amount of space, but Marantz is putting it on a diet in 2020.
The company has launched Slimline AV receivers, whereby its traditional receiver technology is effectively seeing its height cut in half, though with similar high end tech.
The range includes the two channel NR1200 with support for five 4K HDMI ports, plus support for WiFi, Bluetooth, and AirPlay 2, and connection to Denon’s multiroom technology “HEOS”, handy if you have a HEOS system or compatible speakers.
Available for $1299, the NR1200 is Marantz’s only 2-channel slimline receiver, with the remaining models focused on the home theatre.
At $1099, there’s the 5.2 NR1510, which provides Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support in a smaller body, as well as WiFi, Bluetooth, and voice control via either Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri.
Meanwhile, there’s a 7.2 option in the Marantz NR1710, which retails for $300 more at $1399, and ups the technology to support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, though we suspect it’s a virtualised version, as this model doesn’t seem to have support for the extra top channels 3D surround systems require. However Marantz has upgraded the HDMI input selection on the NR1710, offering a grand total of eight ports.
Availability for the Marantz Slimline AV models is now, found across Australia at select retailers.
