Running 2 XTZ A2 400's as monoblocks into a pair of Elac UF5 Towers, with a Pioneer SC81 as a preamp. I stream everything, with a Bluesound Node, and Nvidia Shield Pro. I also use a SVS PB1000. All my gear is budget, but I have accumulated some nice Audioquest cables that make this system punch a bit higher.The Elacs are rated as 4 ohm, but they have been described to be closer to 6 ohm. Using the XTZ's as monoblocks to bring a bit more power. I would estimate they go 600 watts into 6ohms. There is a bit of a jump using them as monoblocks. I'm in Florida so I appreciate how cool they run, and that I don't throw out my back moving them. I also prefer a little brighter and more detailed sound rather than warmer. I also use toslink from the Bluesound into some IFi doodads that help with jitter and bring me a very black background. I should also say I mainly use this system for 2 chan music, 2 chan home theater is secondary. Forget what people say about streaming, my jaw drops at times with how good things can sound.
I totally agree with your assessment, I drive my infinity reference speakers with class d crown amps and i love the sharp analytical sound with lots top end details for 2ch and HT at moderate volume levels. At the end of the day it comes down to preference of the user.
As it is a $7000 home theater amp, I presume most people interested in the marantz would use it with some kind of decent eq/room correction. Would be interesting to know if room correction and manual tweaking would help with the top end roll off. BTW audiosciencereview has reviewed the a2-300 model of the xtz amp. Depending on the load, rather than a flat response it can have a slightly boosted response at the upper frequencies, hence why the top end sounds so different from the Marantz.
Xtz all day long. I have both brands and the fat sound of the marantz is really boring in the long run. When i switched to xtz it was like everything opened up! It became fun again
I think for $7K there are some better options with more power. Not saying this amplifier sounds bad but when you put that price tag out there you are inviting comparisons to higher end amps
There aren't any. Not in a single chassis. If you're silly enough to run that many separate amps then go for it. Also, there are plenty of actual experts who will tell you amplifiers don't sound different from one another when they're properly setup. @@ARMANDITOLEXUS
Intuitively, you want everything in one place and neat. The correct way is counterintuitive. You want your amps spread out and individual. Heat dissipation and replacement convenience.
Allegedly if we're going by this review then Marantz is nerfing the ice power like they do with their AVRs in which they add distortion with the slight hardware change cause it's what it's consumers supposedly want. Ice power isn't bleeding edge today, but XTZ is pretty much designed to spec of what ice power amps should perform like. It's no hypex or purifi, but it sounds like the Marantz is kinda a waste. Maybe someone will make measurements to confirm the subjective review later. For $8k you can get more channels and more power for less money from other class leading designs.
@@annenominous7220 it is true lol, marantz reps will tell you they have different caps than the Denon versions by design that Intentionally add measurable distortion cause that's what their buyers want
A300 XTZ would be enough for me. ( even 8 of them for this comparison) Im still looking for amps this size / quality with XLR inputs for 2ch or theater use. Nice to hear the details ( pun intended =) ) Thanks, Shane!
I'm going to be interested in your review of the Denon A1H, Denon's don't have that "warm" Marantz sound to them, it's also a class AB so maybe its a bit too much apples to oranges.
I tried the Xtz-A400 with my B&W 683s2 speakers, and while it doesn't sound bad for a D-class the measurements are a little exaggerated. My ten year old Marantz SR5007 sounds way better in every range, from the low end to the clear mids and high end. Xtz measures with 1 speaker driven and with impulse, so what I have been told by community members with the right experience and knowledge, the real measurements for A-300 would be around 50w in 8ohm 2channels driven and the A-400 would be approx 75W in 8ohm 2channels driven. The only reason to measure 1-channel in thd 1% is to fool buyers with higher wattage than it actually has.
I compared the XTZ 400 to a Marantz Sr6013 and the XTZ is so superior that’s it isn’t even close. We’re talking about several classes. With a Dynaudio Contour 30. Although the XTZ 400 only really starts shining when having two in mono.
Thanks! Amazing like always 👌👌🙏🏻 I recommend your channel to everyone Can you please name of few av receiver can play audiophile and high resolution music please . High end quality Not a lot Chanel but a lot quality I looking for my Martin Logan summit x and Bryston sst 4b ! I have few other speakers want to use and want capabilities Apple Music lossless by DAC or streamer !
@@therealshanelee thank you for reply ! The range price $3k to $5k any reciver for Audiophile Or I need move to two channels system like some McIntosh amp and pre amp ?!
I wonder if their processors have the same lack of detail or “warmth”. I’m considering the Cinema 70 with an external amp, but don’t like a warm or dark sound.
I'm curious do you run all your surround speakers full range? I'm running my front Left & Right because I have Rel's high level cable connected to them. But I'm scared to run the rest of them lower than the recommended frequency range
Marantz sound isn't my taste. I'm not a fan of warm, forgiving sound... I like bright, crisp, detailed, robustly and 3d sound signature like that Sony that you reviewed!
Hello Shane lee, I’m curious about this review in regards of amps, if you have hi end speakers with a awesome pre pro how can the amp change the sound of your speakers signature. I thought that the amps are suppose to supply the power to the speakers and pre pro is suppose to eq the speakers to give the speakers a nice sound…..
I own Marantz amp. The MM8077, with the AV8805A pre-amp and I’m not that happy with it. So what do you think about a replacement for them. My speakers are B&W CM9s, that I want to replace also
Bought the xtz 400. Got another and more detailed sound. Even better soundstage out of my Lyngdorf 1120, who was pretty impressive even before the amp. This must be the amp of the year at its prizepoint!!! 😁😁
@@KamilWypior-dh6yo yes. Its a very good match. And the price is OK. Simple and elegant. I got a much smoother sound, that i really like! Im very happy with this purchase 😁😁 If you bay used, you can sell it for basicly the same price, like i did. But im keeping it 😁😁
The "Marantz sound" is most likely due to the HDAM modules, which actually add distortion and drop SNR. I like my sound true to the source. Marantz is a hard pass for me. Plus, I don't feel like waiting 2 years and praying they release DBLC for Dirac. After all, DBLC has only been out for several years now. 🙄 The irony of this review is Shane is comparing two amplifiers which color the sound. Most do not color the sound these days.
The Marantz is likely for very large home theaters we’re the sound needs to cover a large area without being to bright or dull at difference seating positions. At least that’s how my local imax sounds :)
I hooked the XTZ A2-300 up on my Perlisten R5M and it literally did it for me, for me a really good pairing. So next up I am going to try the A2-400, that I believe is going to be my sweetspot :). Really nice review and I liked it. Oh yes I stopped the video and couldnt stop looking at Gene, that picture in his glory days! MAN WHAT A HUNK!
Nice one Nimo! I started with A2-300 from a ADI2 DAC fed by a Wiim into a pair of Tannoy XT6F's and thought it sounded great until I swapped for A2-400 and now it sounds that bit better with more weight and authority, especially at low level listening. Very happy 🙏
I have Monolith amps and bought the AMP 10, but it only has 500W of max power. How in the world can you get 140W per channel at 16 channels driven? I'm thinking I'm gonna return the AMP 10 after your review. I don't want rolled off highs. That sucks!
@@therealshanelee yeah, probably. The cost is more than these two amps though, and it seems like a worse amp overall now that I've done the math. I dunno if I could tell the difference in sound, but I'd rather not deal with "could be bad".
1% thd is a lot of distortion, It must be audible.. I would like to know how much wattage the Xtx can produce under 0.1% distortion before I put it on a set of revealing speakers
I set my gain to 9 o’clock (equals 1% gain) and it even powers my Dynaudio contour 30 to insane levels (if you use them as mono blocks). This elevated the sound a lot in comparison to higher gain setting.
Another great review. I recently puchased a Marantz 8015 AV receiver, a flagship model. This is 22 years after purchasing a Yamaga DSP A1 vintage flagship receiver. I waited so long for different reasons, but I hope the wait paid off. I am pleased with what I am hearing thus far, I find the sound detailed enough and very dynamic but I absolutely agree the sounds feels perhaps a bit lacking in the upper ranges. But it also sounds fairly balanced, pleasant, rich in the midtones and fairly high resolving. Unfortunately, I cannot compare it to anything else directly; what comes close is the Denon 8500HA, which sells for 500 Euros more. I could still return the 8015 and get the 8500. Any ideas on what might be the better solution? I like how smooth the sound of the 8015 is at higher volume levels, detailed enough and without becoming overly aggressive. Perhaps this is different on the 8500, with more emphasis on effects rather than overall balance. I am slightly worried that less detailed sounding movies might be a bit dull on the Marantz.
Your 8015 is a rockstar. Don't overthink it. Everyone second guesses high end purchases. We in the audio world seem to do it to excess. I have the little brother to your 8015. And I won't let myself go there with the SR6015, and start wondering what if.
Shane, Gene @Audioholics also reviewed this amp 10 and has a high opinion of it. In some of the comments to his review, when asked why this huge difference in his opinion relative to yours, Gene mentions some issues with/low quality cables you used while testing the AMP 10 - or something to this extent where cables might have spoiled the evaluation. Do you mind you and Gene shed some light/clarification on this cable thing as related to your evaluation of marantz’s amp 10? If the cables you used were indeed problematic, maybe you would want to reevaluate this review? Thx
I cannot hear the difference so clearly with the YT compression. 1) Can you post the files somewhere for us to hear the S- vs SH- sound? 2) can you try DeltaWave to compare the two recordings? That corrects levels for you and might be cool to see why the S sounds different.
Question: Do people who are into the expensive Home Theater stuff never EQ their rooms? Do they just rely on different equipment to get the sound they want without adjusting any of that? That would be an absolute nightmare for me. I'm betting if you EQ'd the room to give it more high end, the Marantz would be perfectly fine. I understand it's a review and it should be noted that the Marantz has a rolled off top end over that li'l amp. But I don't think that's a reason to dismiss an entire piece of equipment.
I like to approach gear based only with what they can provide out of the box. If it had an adjustable eq I'd have used it. Otherwise I'd be talking about how great the Trinnov could have potentially made the Marantz sound, or maybe worse. So I take it out of the equation. This is what this amp does with the tools that are provided by that manufacturer.
Better to buy a product without that sound from the beginning rather then EQ 16 speakers because of the amp. Marantz AV7705 owner and looking for the AV10 so no hate on Marantz but would never buy receiver or this amp because of the sound.
@@therealshanelee Right, but you also said you wouldn't choose the Marantz (paraphrasing). I would only not choose something if it couldn't meet my needs using the tools I have... which I understand that it would be impractical for you to do in your review. I might have phrased it like "You'll need to EQ this one if you like a brighter sound, which may be a deal breaker for some of you. If you don't want to mess around with that, well you'll find this one lacking in the high end compared to this other amp" or something like that.
@@BigStreetCinema EQing doesn't take that long and plus... it's part of the fun. But on the whole I would agree with you... might as well get as close as possible to your starting point.
Hi Shane, thanks for all your reviews. I'm considering either four XTC 400's or one NAD M28 for my 7 base layer speakers to use with Anthem AVM 90. The NAD m28 is about twice the price for me. Since you have tested both the XTC and NAD, any comments highly appreciated. No speakers decided yet. Both music and movie sound quality is important ?
LOL when did you officially rollback to McIntosh multichannel. Do hear less tweeter hiss with Marantz AMP10 compared to McIntosh? The XTZ vs Marantz is not entirely accurate. The Marantz has a toroidal power supply in addition to hypex channels. Wow this is a solid negative review for the AMP10.
I have the XTZ A2-300A, two of them (for 4 towers). They sound amazing to me, and from what I understand, have the same sound as the A400, only less power 150W 8ohm/ 300W 4ohm. One could go for 3 A400, bridge them for LCR, and put A200's on the rest (A300 is about half of A400). And if you really like to tweak (I do🙊), one could put enough MiniDSP or similars, between preamp and amp, then go nuts in REW🙊
I have the av10 and I had to switch the dac filter from filter 1(marantz) to filter 2(clean). The dac 1 filter is too warm. It's like it adds a distortion to treble. It sounds good for music but for dialogue I hated it. Edit: you nailed how the dac 1 filter on the av10 sounds. APPLESH. 🍎 🍏 My ncore class d amps and my perlisten's want to be CLEAN
@Shane Lee and thank God they do! Setup-Audio-Dac Filter 1("choose this for traditional marantz sound") Filter 2("choose this for benchmarks and measurements")
Gene at Audioholics doesn't have the proper equipment to test the actual wattage output of the Marantz Amp10. You need an amplifier Dyno like the DAmore AD-1 Amp dyno to actually test the amplifiers output properly. Gene is guessing. The RUclips channel WILLISTON AUDIO LABS actually has an AD-1 AMP dyno and can test it correctly and accurately.
Congrats on making completely inaccurate statements; either due to ignorance or malice. Audio Precision are the most advanced audio analyzers on the planet and an Industry standard. It is much more accurate and capable than a simple Dyno test. I use the same test gear engineers use to design the equipment you enjoy. I run the same tests and confirm my results with the engineers that design the equipment you enjoy. I have the same electrical engineering degree that the designers of the equipment you enjoy.
I am shocked at the assurity of this ignorance. The number of inaccurate claims in a single post is pretty mind boggling. Guessing? How is he guessing? I get that you don’t know how amplifiers are actually measured by real engineers or know what the Audio Precision audio analyzers are. But guessing? You have seen his software screen shots in his reviews over the years. Have you not? He isn’t Trump, he didn’t use a sharpie to draw those graphs. They are actual measured data. The device you seem to have so much faith in is in fact the less accurate device. Substantially so. The amp dynos are extremely simple devices that basically just provide a readout of volts times amps. It’s not an audio analyzer, and so provides no real context for those results it provides. It’s distortion limits are way too high. We don’t define clipping at 1% or higher. We define it as typically more like .1% or we look at the actual knee of the power graph (which an AD-1 is too crude to produce) to identify the point where the amp starts clipping. It’s less than 1/10 the price of a Audio Precision for a reason. But my own Audio Analyzer is more accurate at 1/4th the price. With far greater precision and flexibility. The AD-1 is a toy that lets you measure massive amounts of power simply and easily. It’s not a useful engineering tool.
Hi Shane, great review. Have you heard the marantz av 10 processor yet ? If so what did you think. I'm on the market. So far... it looks like the anthem avm 90.
Dude. You are a beast! Honest, direct, and NOT a sycophant like so many others in this hobby.
Subscribed!
🍻
Running 2 XTZ A2 400's as monoblocks into a pair of Elac UF5 Towers, with a Pioneer SC81 as a preamp. I stream everything, with a Bluesound Node, and Nvidia Shield Pro. I also use a SVS PB1000. All my gear is budget, but I have accumulated some nice Audioquest cables that make this system punch a bit higher.The Elacs are rated as 4 ohm, but they have been described to be closer to 6 ohm. Using the XTZ's as monoblocks to bring a bit more power. I would estimate they go 600 watts into 6ohms. There is a bit of a jump using them as monoblocks. I'm in Florida so I appreciate how cool they run, and that I don't throw out my back moving them. I also prefer a little brighter and more detailed sound rather than warmer. I also use toslink from the Bluesound into some IFi doodads that help with jitter and bring me a very black background. I should also say I mainly use this system for 2 chan music, 2 chan home theater is secondary. Forget what people say about streaming, my jaw drops at times with how good things can sound.
Love you reviews buddy. Especially when you do testing in your phenomenal theater. Always thorough and informative. Excellent
👍👍
… and here I come, having a Marantz as Pre and 2x XTZ 400 as Power-Amps in Mono. Great synergy!
Hahaha i have a marantz sr6007 as a preamp and a xtz a2-300 as amp. And it is great!
Different type of review I just love how you doing your reviews just very informative and professional done thanks
🍻
I totally agree with your assessment, I drive my infinity reference speakers with class d crown amps and i love the sharp analytical sound with lots top end details for 2ch and HT at moderate volume levels. At the end of the day it comes down to
preference of the user.
That was fearlessly honest.
As it is a $7000 home theater amp, I presume most people interested in the marantz would use it with some kind of decent eq/room correction. Would be interesting to know if room correction and manual tweaking would help with the top end roll off. BTW audiosciencereview has reviewed the a2-300 model of the xtz amp. Depending on the load, rather than a flat response it can have a slightly boosted response at the upper frequencies, hence why the top end sounds so different from the Marantz.
Xtz all day long. I have both brands and the fat sound of the marantz is really boring in the long run. When i switched to xtz it was like everything opened up! It became fun again
I think for $7K there are some better options with more power. Not saying this amplifier sounds bad but when you put that price tag out there you are inviting comparisons to higher end amps
Like which ones???
There aren't any. Not in a single chassis. If you're silly enough to run that many separate amps then go for it. Also, there are plenty of actual experts who will tell you amplifiers don't sound different from one another when they're properly setup. @@ARMANDITOLEXUS
Intuitively, you want everything in one place and neat. The correct way is counterintuitive. You want your amps spread out and individual. Heat dissipation and replacement convenience.
XTZ EDGE A2-400 is the option for me. I only need 11 channels.
Run multiple amps in stead of all in 1 chassis?
.. I'd be down for that if I could find good ones with XLR inputs.
Allegedly if we're going by this review then Marantz is nerfing the ice power like they do with their AVRs in which they add distortion with the slight hardware change cause it's what it's consumers supposedly want. Ice power isn't bleeding edge today, but XTZ is pretty much designed to spec of what ice power amps should perform like. It's no hypex or purifi, but it sounds like the Marantz is kinda a waste. Maybe someone will make measurements to confirm the subjective review later. For $8k you can get more channels and more power for less money from other class leading designs.
the above statment is grossly untrue. 200w x 16 for 8K is a bargain.
@@annenominous7220 it is true lol, marantz reps will tell you they have different caps than the Denon versions by design that Intentionally add measurable distortion cause that's what their buyers want
A300 XTZ would be enough for me. ( even 8 of them for this comparison)
Im still looking for amps this size / quality with XLR inputs for 2ch or theater use.
Nice to hear the details ( pun intended =) )
Thanks, Shane!
I'm going to be interested in your review of the Denon A1H, Denon's don't have that "warm" Marantz sound to them, it's also a class AB so maybe its a bit too much apples to oranges.
Stay tuned.
Another excellent review Shane, thanks. Will you ever review the Cinenova Grande 7 amplifier?
Hi shane. Possible to compare it with emotive xpa?
I tried the Xtz-A400 with my B&W 683s2 speakers, and while it doesn't sound bad for a D-class the measurements are a little exaggerated.
My ten year old Marantz SR5007 sounds way better in every range, from the low end to the clear mids and high end.
Xtz measures with 1 speaker driven and with impulse, so what I have been told by community members with the right experience and knowledge, the real measurements for A-300 would be around 50w in 8ohm 2channels driven and the A-400 would be approx 75W in 8ohm 2channels driven.
The only reason to measure 1-channel in thd 1% is to fool buyers with higher wattage than it actually has.
To correct myself, I meant A2-300 and A2-400 in my comment.
@naglfahr7778 wow you might as well get a Marantz NR1200 with tons of features as it has 75W per channel. if this is true?
I compared the XTZ 400 to a Marantz Sr6013 and the XTZ is so superior that’s it isn’t even close. We’re talking about several classes. With a Dynaudio Contour 30. Although the XTZ 400 only really starts shining when having two in mono.
Thanks!
Amazing like always 👌👌🙏🏻 I recommend your channel to everyone
Can you please name of few av receiver can play audiophile and high resolution music please . High end quality
Not a lot Chanel but a lot quality
I looking for my Martin Logan summit x and Bryston sst 4b ! I have few other speakers want to use and want capabilities Apple Music lossless by DAC or streamer !
Most AVR's will be play hires audio. Guess it depends how much you want to spend.
@@therealshanelee thank you for reply ! The range price $3k to $5k any reciver for Audiophile
Or I need move to two channels system like some McIntosh amp and pre amp ?!
I wonder if their processors have the same lack of detail or “warmth”. I’m considering the Cinema 70 with an external amp, but don’t like a warm or dark sound.
THANKS SHANE, MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS TO HELP OTHERS 👍💚💚💚
Love comparisons. Good job Shane
🍻
Lmao that Gene photo must be from a LOOOONG time ago 😂
Thanks for review
Thanks for running your tests full range! No one else does that. I run full range with REL so love the audiophile aspect of ur review
I'm curious do you run all your surround speakers full range? I'm running my front Left & Right because I have Rel's high level cable connected to them. But I'm scared to run the rest of them lower than the recommended frequency range
@@cainification I use a 5.5 Rel system so I run my surround full range. I have beefy amplifiers but it’s so much fun!
Marantz sound isn't my taste. I'm not a fan of warm, forgiving sound... I like bright, crisp, detailed, robustly and 3d sound signature like that Sony that you reviewed!
Hello Shane lee, I’m curious about this review in regards of amps, if you have hi end speakers with a awesome pre pro how can the amp change the sound of your speakers signature. I thought that the amps are suppose to supply the power to the speakers and pre pro is suppose to eq the speakers to give the speakers a nice sound…..
Any plans to review Arcams class G amps? I think it would be really interesting
Doubt it.
Shane, How do you compare to the NAD M28??
Was wondering the EXACT same thing more channels obviously on the Marantz
I have the Amp 10 for about 1 month and I still get a slight burning oder while using. Amp gets warm but that is to expected. is the oder normal?
Better buy 2 NAD M28 instead Marantz AMP10? Or....
That'd be my choice.
I own Marantz amp. The MM8077, with the AV8805A pre-amp and I’m not that happy with it. So what do you think about a replacement for them. My speakers are B&W CM9s, that I want to replace also
NAD M28
Great review 💪🏼
Even if i got disappointed of the sound.
Marantz did say they got away of the Marantzsound a little bit but guess not enough.
Bought the xtz 400. Got another and more detailed sound. Even better soundstage out of my Lyngdorf 1120, who was pretty impressive even before the amp. This must be the amp of the year at its prizepoint!!! 😁😁
hey! i have also a tdai 1120. is the extra power from the xtz a2-400 significant recognizeable in your system with the tdai 1120? regards
@@KamilWypior-dh6yo yes. Its a very good match. And the price is OK. Simple and elegant. I got a much smoother sound, that i really like! Im very happy with this purchase 😁😁 If you bay used, you can sell it for basicly the same price, like i did. But im keeping it 😁😁
The "Marantz sound" is most likely due to the HDAM modules, which actually add distortion and drop SNR. I like my sound true to the source. Marantz is a hard pass for me. Plus, I don't feel like waiting 2 years and praying they release DBLC for Dirac. After all, DBLC has only been out for several years now. 🙄
The irony of this review is Shane is comparing two amplifiers which color the sound. Most do not color the sound these days.
Yesss, nice video
The Marantz is likely for very large home theaters we’re the sound needs to cover a large area without being to bright or dull at difference seating positions. At least that’s how my local imax sounds :)
I hooked the XTZ A2-300 up on my Perlisten R5M and it literally did it for me, for me a really good pairing. So next up I am going to try the A2-400, that I believe is going to be my sweetspot :).
Really nice review and I liked it.
Oh yes I stopped the video and couldnt stop looking at Gene, that picture in his glory days! MAN WHAT A HUNK!
😂😂
@@therealshanelee aaaand now I just ordered 2 A2-400 amps now :) I must try them out.
Nice one Nimo! I started with A2-300 from a ADI2 DAC fed by a Wiim into a pair of Tannoy XT6F's and thought it sounded great until I swapped for A2-400 and now it sounds that bit better with more weight and authority, especially at low level listening. Very happy 🙏
I have Monolith amps and bought the AMP 10, but it only has 500W of max power. How in the world can you get 140W per channel at 16 channels driven?
I'm thinking I'm gonna return the AMP 10 after your review. I don't want rolled off highs. That sucks!
Well you should try it with your speakers against the Monoprice and see which you like better before returning.
@@therealshanelee yeah, probably. The cost is more than these two amps though, and it seems like a worse amp overall now that I've done the math.
I dunno if I could tell the difference in sound, but I'd rather not deal with "could be bad".
Next time choose a pic of Gene where he had much longer hair. You didn't go back far enough. Reminds me of Mr Burns
😂
I am running Parasound A52’s, how does it compare to Parasound?
I love their amps.
1% thd is a lot of distortion, It must be audible.. I would like to know how much wattage the Xtx can produce under 0.1% distortion before I put it on a set of revealing speakers
Sometimes a little too much hot sauce can make a meal a whole lot better than following the recipe. How about just giving it a try first.
I still like to know how much clean power I can expect, I already own an ice power product, apples to apples comparison would be nice.
I set my gain to 9 o’clock (equals 1% gain) and it even powers my Dynaudio contour 30 to insane levels (if you use them as mono blocks). This elevated the sound a lot in comparison to higher gain setting.
Another great review. I recently puchased a Marantz 8015 AV receiver, a flagship model. This is 22 years after purchasing a Yamaga DSP A1 vintage flagship receiver. I waited so long for different reasons, but I hope the wait paid off. I am pleased with what I am hearing thus far, I find the sound detailed enough and very dynamic but I absolutely agree the sounds feels perhaps a bit lacking in the upper ranges. But it also sounds fairly balanced, pleasant, rich in the midtones and fairly high resolving. Unfortunately, I cannot compare it to anything else directly; what comes close is the Denon 8500HA, which sells for 500 Euros more. I could still return the 8015 and get the 8500. Any ideas on what might be the better solution? I like how smooth the sound of the 8015 is at higher volume levels, detailed enough and without becoming overly aggressive. Perhaps this is different on the 8500, with more emphasis on effects rather than overall balance. I am slightly worried that less detailed sounding movies might be a bit dull on the Marantz.
Your 8015 is a rockstar. Don't overthink it.
Everyone second guesses high end purchases. We in the audio world seem to do it to excess.
I have the little brother to your 8015. And I won't let myself go there with the SR6015, and start wondering what if.
Shane, Gene @Audioholics also reviewed this amp 10 and has a high opinion of it. In some of the comments to his review, when asked why this huge difference in his opinion relative to yours, Gene mentions some issues with/low quality cables you used while testing the AMP 10 - or something to this extent where cables might have spoiled the evaluation. Do you mind you and Gene shed some light/clarification on this cable thing as related to your evaluation of marantz’s amp 10? If the cables you used were indeed problematic, maybe you would want to reevaluate this review? Thx
I've got some pretty premium cables. Plus. I've got younger ears 😁
Hey Shane.. You tested a Rotel 1585 5 channel amp a while back.. How might that compare to these two.. Thanks
I really liked those amps. I owned them for quite some time.
How about a buckeye amp? Seems like a great buy…
Hi Shane, What glasses you rocking? Can you giving me the brand and model?
Warby Parker. They're discontinued now.
I cannot hear the difference so clearly with the YT compression.
1) Can you post the files somewhere for us to hear the S- vs SH- sound?
2) can you try DeltaWave to compare the two recordings? That corrects levels for you and might be cool to see why the S sounds different.
Question: Do people who are into the expensive Home Theater stuff never EQ their rooms? Do they just rely on different equipment to get the sound they want without adjusting any of that? That would be an absolute nightmare for me. I'm betting if you EQ'd the room to give it more high end, the Marantz would be perfectly fine. I understand it's a review and it should be noted that the Marantz has a rolled off top end over that li'l amp. But I don't think that's a reason to dismiss an entire piece of equipment.
I like to approach gear based only with what they can provide out of the box. If it had an adjustable eq I'd have used it. Otherwise I'd be talking about how great the Trinnov could have potentially made the Marantz sound, or maybe worse. So I take it out of the equation. This is what this amp does with the tools that are provided by that manufacturer.
Better to buy a product without that sound from the beginning rather then EQ 16 speakers because of the amp.
Marantz AV7705 owner and looking for the AV10 so no hate on Marantz but would never buy receiver or this amp because of the sound.
@@therealshanelee Right, but you also said you wouldn't choose the Marantz (paraphrasing). I would only not choose something if it couldn't meet my needs using the tools I have... which I understand that it would be impractical for you to do in your review. I might have phrased it like "You'll need to EQ this one if you like a brighter sound, which may be a deal breaker for some of you. If you don't want to mess around with that, well you'll find this one lacking in the high end compared to this other amp" or something like that.
@@BigStreetCinema EQing doesn't take that long and plus... it's part of the fun. But on the whole I would agree with you... might as well get as close as possible to your starting point.
@@GameSack yeah based on sound alone I wouldn't buy the Marantz. Just my subjective personal opinion of course.
Great pic of Gene.
That's the one he wanted me too use.
Awesome review Shane.
The comparison between the Marantz vs. McIntosh in the home theater cost wise what is the difference? $7K vs. $__K?
Nice job! 😎👍
Still waiting on the review on the PSA S2112M?
Good morning my beautiful people
Hi Shane, thanks for all your reviews. I'm considering either four XTC 400's or one NAD M28 for my 7 base layer speakers to use with Anthem AVM 90. The NAD m28 is about twice the price for me. Since you have tested both the XTC and NAD, any comments highly appreciated. No speakers decided yet. Both music and movie sound quality is important ?
I'd go NAD but like you said it does cost more.
I wonder how the outlaw amp sounds like.
Been a while since I've heard it.
Hi shane
have you ever done a review on the stillpoints
aperture 2?
Nice Amps!!!🔈🔉🔊
As always another stellar review!
Shane can you please drop that review for the AV10??
Thanks for the honest review.
How close is the marantz to the Mcintosh
This close 🙌
lol
LOL when did you officially rollback to McIntosh multichannel.
Do hear less tweeter hiss with Marantz AMP10 compared to McIntosh?
The XTZ vs Marantz is not entirely accurate. The Marantz has a toroidal power supply in addition to hypex channels. Wow this is a solid negative review for the AMP10.
Do you have a source for mention of hypex? I've only heard their guys say they use modified Ice edge modules.
Well, he is comparing it to McIntosh.😂😂😂
@@therealshanelee Agreed. Let me dig deeper.
What was your memory of the Trinnov Class D vs the AMP10?
@@therealshanelee
Yes they use ICEedge nothing else
Is there an 11 channel version of this amp
No
Good review Shane. Toonbad xtz doesn't make a multi channel amp like the Marantz.
Having multiple monoblocks is still pretty cool.
I have the XTZ A2-300A, two of them (for 4 towers). They sound amazing to me, and from what I understand, have the same sound as the A400, only less power 150W 8ohm/ 300W 4ohm.
One could go for 3 A400, bridge them for LCR, and put A200's on the rest (A300 is about half of A400).
And if you really like to tweak (I do🙊), one could put enough MiniDSP or similars, between preamp and amp, then go nuts in REW🙊
I have the 300a powering my tweeters and two 400's powering the woofers.
@@therealshanelee
Nice🤘
Is there any sonically difference in the 300 and 400?
Yes. Big Time.
This took you 10hours to edit?!?!? 😂
Jk great video 💪🏼
You right. It was 5 😈
I have the av10 and I had to switch the dac filter from filter 1(marantz) to filter 2(clean). The dac 1 filter is too warm. It's like it adds a distortion to treble. It sounds good for music but for dialogue I hated it.
Edit: you nailed how the dac 1 filter on the av10 sounds. APPLESH. 🍎 🍏
My ncore class d amps and my perlisten's want to be CLEAN
Interesting. Didn't know they offered that as an option.
@Shane Lee and thank God they do!
Setup-Audio-Dac
Filter 1("choose this for traditional marantz sound")
Filter 2("choose this for benchmarks and measurements")
Poor Marantz, so watch AV processor to get for surroundsound and music that’s top notch it does anybody know
Feels like they put new faceplates on the same old gear and doubled the price.
I don't understand this video, I wanted a review of the marantz 16 channel amplifier, surely the marantz deserves a video on its own?
This is the review for both.
@@therealshanelee I think both deserve their own videos, thanks for the brief review though.
Pretty expensive for a Marantz
Oh dear, those ascendo are terrible.
What makes you say that?
Gene at Audioholics doesn't have the proper equipment to test the actual wattage output of the Marantz Amp10. You need an amplifier Dyno like the DAmore AD-1 Amp dyno to actually test the amplifiers output properly. Gene is guessing. The RUclips channel WILLISTON AUDIO LABS actually has an AD-1 AMP dyno and can test it correctly and accurately.
Congrats on making completely inaccurate statements; either due to ignorance or malice. Audio Precision are the most advanced audio analyzers on the planet and an Industry standard. It is much more accurate and capable than a simple Dyno test. I use the same test gear engineers use to design the equipment you enjoy. I run the same tests and confirm my results with the engineers that design the equipment you enjoy. I have the same electrical engineering degree that the designers of the equipment you enjoy.
Mic drop…
@@Audioholics Talk yo sh*t 🗣🗣🗣
I am shocked at the assurity of this ignorance. The number of inaccurate claims in a single post is pretty mind boggling.
Guessing? How is he guessing? I get that you don’t know how amplifiers are actually measured by real engineers or know what the Audio Precision audio analyzers are. But guessing? You have seen his software screen shots in his reviews over the years. Have you not? He isn’t Trump, he didn’t use a sharpie to draw those graphs. They are actual measured data.
The device you seem to have so much faith in is in fact the less accurate device. Substantially so. The amp dynos are extremely simple devices that basically just provide a readout of volts times amps. It’s not an audio analyzer, and so provides no real context for those results it provides.
It’s distortion limits are way too high. We don’t define clipping at 1% or higher. We define it as typically more like .1% or we look at the actual knee of the power graph (which an AD-1 is too crude to produce) to identify the point where the amp starts clipping.
It’s less than 1/10 the price of a Audio Precision for a reason. But my own Audio Analyzer is more accurate at 1/4th the price. With far greater precision and flexibility. The AD-1 is a toy that lets you measure massive amounts of power simply and easily. It’s not a useful engineering tool.
Please get this man a tube of Aloe Vera because he just got BURNT 🔥 😂
RUclips got 5.1 channels…not 2 channels
You'd still be 11 speakers short.
A Quiet Place 2*
Hi Shane, great review. Have you heard the marantz av 10 processor yet ? If so what did you think. I'm on the market. So far... it looks like the anthem avm 90.
Seems like a smart choice.