Marantz has introduced its new reference design for its CINEMA series of high-performance home theatre AVRs – the CINEMA 30.
CINEMA 30 represents the pinnacle of Marantz’s approach to AVR design. According to the maker, in every regard, this no-holds-barred flagship model distils all the timeless yet progressive design, unrivalled performance and technological excellence of Marantz’s product philosophy into one outstanding component.
Available in black or silver-gold finishes, CINEMA 30 incorporates the latest generation of Marantz’s porthole display combined with new industrial design language with a multi-layer chassis incorporating extensive use of copper. Its elegant fascia features selectable side illumination; a fold-down front panel conceals functions when not in use, creating a clean aesthetic not typically associated with AVRs, says Marantz. Furthermore, the retailer claims that the aluminium remote control has been considered carefully and features backlighting to ensure an effortless user experience in darkened rooms.
Clean, low-distortion power
At its core, CINEMA 30 is built around a symmetrical, monolithic amplifier. The amplifier channel is mounted on a separate PCB opposite the power supplies, delivering clean and instantaneous low-distortion power. 11 channels of onboard amplification ensure sufficient output to support a wide range of potential speaker configurations for all forms of immersive audio. The 13.4-channel onboard processing with selectable pre-amp mode allows the additional external power amplifier to suit the largest of dedicated home theatre environments.
According to Marantz, all aspects of the power amplification, power supply and signal path have been carefully honed by the Marantz Sound Master, based in Shirakawa, Japan, to ensure the best possible sound quality with all source components and all audio modes. All digital and analogue signals pass through the Marantz HDAM SA-2 pre-amplifier stage to ensure the characteristic warmth and musicality expected from any Marantz audio product.
The CINEMA 30 deploys the latest Analog Devices SHARC dual DSP chipset coupled to 32-bit ESS Sabre DACs with dedicated jitter reduction. The result, according to the maker, is a powerful digital platform able to precisely decode and accurately process all forms of incoming audio, from high-resolution stereo to the latest forms of immersive audio, including Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced, DTS:X Pro and Auro 3D.
CINEMA 30 teams that capability with Audyssey MultEQ XT32 advanced room optimisation, based on automatic calibration of speaker sizes, speaker distances, level adjustment and more, all enabled by an included microphone, says Marantz.
Dirac Live calibration is optionally available and includes Dirac Live Bass Control, allowing fully optimised low-frequency integration for up to four independent subwoofers.
CINEMA 30 scales to meet an extensive range of system configurations now and in the future. Each of its seven HDMI inputs can support 8K video and its brand-new high-resolution user interface makes setup and customisation seamless. Multiple analogue and digital inputs, coupled with a range of custom installation optimised features means it can be adapted to suit customer use cases from intimate media rooms through to large, dedicated home theatres.
Naturally, CINEMA 30 also supports the latest HEOS whole-home multi-room platform providing access to a broad range of streaming service content, all integrated into one user experience, says Marantz. Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth complement HEOS to ensure access to the broadest possible range of mobile devices and use cases. Finally, CINEMA 30 can be integrated with your choice of Alexa, Google or HomePod Voice Assistant.
The new Marantz CINEMA 30 is available from Mid-March with a five-year warranty for £4000 on the Marantz website and from selected retailers.