Marantz is one of the most recognised brands in hi-fi and home cinema. The Japanese manufacturer has just launched their new reference home cinema amplifier, the Cinema 30.
This amplifier has been hinted at for a while, but now it has finally been officially launched and can be expected in stores from March. The announcement comes just days after Denon launched their latest home cinema amplifier, the AVC-6800H.
Marantz Cinema 30
We’ve already had very positive experiences with the components in the Cinema series, and now comes the largest integrated model to date. The flagship model Cinema 30 is located under the separate amplifier sets AV 10 and AMP 10. It will be available in black or “silver gold” finish with the same design language as the rest of the series – but the performance will be unrivalled, according to Marantz!
The Marantz Cinema 30 has a sumptuous amplifier section consisting of 11 amplifier channels mounted on a separate circuit board. The amplifier is built with a multi-layered chassis with extensive use of copper. The amplifier section is said to have been carefully fine-tuned by the audio specialists at Marantz Sound Master in Shirakawa, Japan, to ensure the best possible sound quality.
The elegant front cover has optional side lighting and the buttons are hidden behind a fold-down panel. The remote control is also made of aluminium with backlighting to ensure ease of use in the darkness of the cinema.
From 11.4 to 13.4 (!) channels
The processor section of the Marantz amplifier also has the capacity for up to 13.4 channels of preamp outputs, so those who wish can expand with additional amplifiers.
All digital and analogue signals pass through the Marantz HDAM SA-2 preamplifier stage to ensure the characteristic warm Marantz sound. musicality expected from all Marantz audio products.
The processor section utilises a SHARC dual DSP chip connected to advanced 32-bit ESS Sabre D/A converters with dedicated jitter reduction. The digital platform handles everything from high-resolution stereo to immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced, DTS:X Pro and Auro 3D.
Audyssey room correction – plus Dirac
To ensure the best possible results with a wide range of speakers and listening rooms, Cinema 30 is equipped with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction, which takes into account speaker sizes, speaker distances and level adjustment via the included microphone.
Cinema 30 also has the option of Dirac Live calibration, which is available via licence. This includes Dirac Live Bass Control, which allows you to integrate up to four independent subwoofers for the best possible bass reproduction in even the most challenging rooms.
On the connectivity side, the Cinema 30 has a total of 7 HDMI inputs with support for 8K/60 video, in addition to a range of digital and analogue inputs. Cinema 30 also supports the latest HEOS multi-room platform for access to a wide range of streaming services, as well as Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth.
Price and availability
The Marantz Cinema 30 will be available from March 2024. The price is listed at 4,500 euros.
“The Cinema 30 represents a statement of excellence for Marantz in the AVR category and is one of the most sophisticated designs the team has created in its 70-year history. I can’t wait to hear how it is received by our loyal customers and specialised reviewers,” says Dave Sheen, President of Luxury Performance Audio Group, Masimo Consumer.
Marantz CCinema 30 – highlights
- 11.4 separately amplified channels
- 140 W per channel
- Class A/B amplifier design
- 13.4 channel pre-out
- Symmetrical monolithic amplifiers
- 7/3 HDMI inputs/outputs, all inputs support 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz passthrough.
- Modern high-resolution graphical user interface for 4K/8K TVs
- Dolby Atmos
- DTS:X Pro
- IMAX Enhanced
- Auro 3D
- Audyssey MultEQ XT32
- Dirac Live upgradeable, including bass control
- Pre-amp mode for each channel, allowing for better customisation
- Toroidal transformer
- Marantz HDAM design
- Manufactured at Shirakawa Audio Works, Japan