Overview
The Marantz NR1604 home cinema amplifier is a 7.1 slim model, UHD/4K compatible, AirPlay, DLNA, fully configurable and controllable with a tablet or smartphone. Slim and elegant, the Marantz NR1604 is equipped with quality components (discrete amplification) and therefore adopts the latest multimedia technologies. This latest generation 2013 model replaces the Marantz NR1603.
Don’t be fooled by the modest power announced by Marantz, the brand communicates on really useful watts, i.e. a power expressed from bass to treble, and not just at 1 kHz. Thus, the 7×50 watts delivered by the Marantz NR1604 are more than enough to add sound to a living room of 30 m². Capable of decoding DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, as well as all the multichannel formats specific to Blu-ray and DVD media, this integrated home cinema incorporates particularly efficient Audyssey sound processing processors. The Audyssey Dynamic Volume function allows you to listen to the most explosive film soundtracks at low levels and without disturbing those around you. To take advantage of all the musical details at low levels, the Dynamic EQ process modifies the staging of the sound planes, especially in the low frequencies. The Audyssey MultEQ auto-calibration system automatically adjusts the level and crossover frequencies of each speaker, using a supplied microphone.
On the connection side, the Marantz NR1604 has 7 HDMI 1.4 inputs compatible with 3D/1080p/4K, coupled with a scaler which provides scaling up to 4K format. The Ethernet network controller provides DLNA, AirPlay and Spotify compatibility. The AirPlay function allows music to be played from a computer equipped with iTunes and/or from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, through the local network. For this, the Marantz NR1604 must therefore be connected to a router or an ADSL box using an Ethernet cable. UPnP/DLNA support offers similar functionality as well as Internet radio playback, all from a wider range of devices: Android or Windows Mobile devices, but also computers and NAS. As for the USB port on the front, it allows you to connect an iPhone or iPad to listen to music. Also noteworthy is a zone 2 line audio output as well as a pre-out output to connect stereo power blocks for example.
Finally, Marantz has made a special effort on the ergonomics of the OSD menu of its amplifier, which is very user-friendly, and reinforced by the availability of a very good application for smartphones and tablets, which provides both amplifier configuration and streaming. music from the home network.
The Marantz NR1604 home cinema amplifier is therefore a truly complete amplifier, ideal for those looking for a compact but powerful device.