Marantz NR1605

[bengl3rt]

This receiver just came out and seems like very capable/great value from Marantz:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_642NR1605/Marantz-NR1605.html

They promise 50wpc into 8 ohms, but there is also a mysterious 'front bi-amp' mode they recommend using to improve 2ch listening.

Do you guys think this would be an ok "starter amp" for a set of Sierra Towers? It has pre outs so I could eventually use it to drive a much more powerful amp... but can I get by on 50wpc for now?

[bengl3rt]

Calculating from the stated anechoic sensitivity of 89dB @ 2.83v / 1 meter (aka 89dB @ 2w/1m for a ~4ohm speaker)

91db = 4w
93db = 8w
95db = 16w
97db = 32w
99db = 64w

So if we assume that my room is not anechoic, and the mysterious "front bi-amp mode" actually produces a little more than 50wpc @ 8ohms (perhaps ~70wpc @ 4 ohms?) I should be ok to crack 100db @ 1m. Which sounds like plenty in my little living room...

[rsmt2000]

For what its worth, I drive my Towers and Horizon RAAL with a Marantz 1603 w/50 watts per channel. For normal listening to music in a small living area in a town home it is more than adequate. Dave confirmed that it is fine on a certain occasion.

Oddly when I tried to play movies I feel that it is lacking the power some times. You might find the same unit much cheaper on accessories4lessDOTcom. They say its refurbished but most often its not.

-Ron

[bengl3rt]

Oddly when I tried to play movies I feel that it is lacking the power some times. You might find the same unit much cheaper on accessories4lessDOTcom. They say its refurbished but most often its not.


Interesting, I wonder if it's fine for driving just the towers when you're listening to music, but when it has to drive the center as well for movies it gets overwhelmed?

[rsmt2000]

Interesting, I wonder if it's fine for driving just the towers when you're listening to music, but when it has to drive the center as well for movies it gets overwhelmed?

I recently added a center. The issue with movies was existing even without a center. It just that I have to push the volume high up to reach the same decibels ( to my ears )

Ron

[Beave]

Just a note of observation: I like the look and feel of the Marantz slim-line receivers more than their full-size lineup, but keep in mind that the slime-line models basically are making you pay extra for less. I only recommend them if you *really* need the slim-line chassis.

Denon and Marantz are owned/operated by the same management, and their receivers share a significant portion of their internal designs. The Marantz line generally has nicer front-panel cosmetics than the equivalent Denons, but they cost more and often have fewer features.

For example, compare the Marantz NR1605 with the Denon AVR-X2000 (or the newer AVR-X2100). The Denon is bigger, but for the same (or even less money) you get more power and a better version of Audyssey with the Denon. So with the Marantz you're paying more for the cosmetics. Most of their circuitry is similar (if not the same), so there's no performance advantage to the Marantz at all (in fact quite the opposite).

As for the bi-amping option, it won't do much of anything except appeal to those who think bi-amping gives more power. It doesn't -- or does only a tiny bit, which wouldn't be audible or worth bothering with at all.

[bengl3rt]

In fact it's true - at just over 4" tall the Marantz is one of the few integrated amplifiers that fits where I need it to fit.

The other one I was looking at was the Creek Evolution 50A, but that does quite a bit less for quite a bit more $$ and would require other outboard boxes like a DAC to work well in my system. It is indeed worth a premium to me to have as many features as the Marantz has crammed into such a small box.

Luckily it has a pre out so a more powerful separate amp can be added at a later date if needed.

[rsmt2000]

And I am not a big fan of their porthole display (aka lack of display on the device itself) for their regular models. Only the slimline receivers have display on the device which obviates having a GUI connected to change any settings etc in AUDIO ONLY set up.

If size is not a priority I agree that Denon receivers are more value for money and great in terms of features too..

[Beave]

In fact it's true - at just over 4" tall the Marantz is one of the few integrated amplifiers that fits where I need it to fit.

The other one I was looking at was the Creek Evolution 50A, but that does quite a bit less for quite a bit more $$ and would require other outboard boxes like a DAC to work well in my system. It is indeed worth a premium to me to have as many features as the Marantz has crammed into such a small box.

Luckily it has a pre out so a more powerful separate amp can be added at a later date if needed.

The NR1605 makes perfect sense then. Just remember that modern AVRs need lots of "breathing room" (ie, ventilation) because they're a bit under-designed in terms of heat-sinking ability. You need at least a couple inches clearance on top AND on the sides. Otherwise it might get too hot, even at moderate listening levels, and go into shutdown mode.

Obviously a separate amp would negate some of that concern, but not all of it - because a fair amount of the heat generated comes from the audio/video processing chips.

[bengl3rt]

Per an email from DaveF (after I shared that my Sierra-1s were very happy on 75wpc):

"Our Sierra Towers are quite a bit more efficient than our Sierra-1. 75 watts into the Sierra-1 is equivalent to only 26 watts into the Towers. With 50 watts into the towers, you will be able to reach volume levels twice as loud as with the 75 watts into the Sierra-1. So, in other words, yes -- absolutely -- 50 watts into our Sierra Towers is plenty :)"