Under the umbrella of D & M Holding, Marantz flourishes magnificently. The traditional brand is profoundly benefiting from shared resources, especially in the software sector, but stands out from its sister brand, Denon, through its own polls, its own technologies and, above all, other program priorities.
Precursor AV8801: edge full with technique
At the very bottom, Marantz relies on slimline receivers and at the upper end puts a tempting combination of pre-amplifier and final amplifier exactly in the gap between the receiver flagship AVR-4520 and the high-resolution second-party solution
AV8801: Network function
As a result, the product designers do not only close a gap in their own home, they also attract the attention of everyone who does not have enough flexibility and performance for a receiver but who do not want to invest in an exorbitantly expensive high-end solution. A total price of more than 5,000 euros, which is not a special offer designed for a lion's share, is for most of a bar money. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find anything comparable across the market.
Power stage MM8077: Setup
The fact that not only a receiver has been distributed on two housings, one gets drastically already in the preliminary stage. Although the outsourcing of the power amplifier saves a lot of space just because of the heat sinks associated with it, aside from the power supply, the AV8801 does not have a single free angle.
Hearing test
This is mainly due to a specialty of this precursor. Marantz has always talked about the fact that the usual integrated circuits have been replaced by discrete ones in their own devices as far as possible in the sound-relevant areas. But in the AV8801 the developers went a step further. At the front, a bank of 13 Hyperdynamic Amplifier Modules (HDAM) is installed on a metal pedestal to give each of the 11.2 channels a special boost.
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In contrast to the usual ICs, the modules, carefully separated from the channels and discretely constructed, can properly supply power to effectively drive the power amplifier. This is also a plus when someone tries to position the amplifier away from the preamp to achieve short speaker cables and the accompanying increased control of the individual chassis. Then, quite quickly, a few meters of cable between preamp and end amplifiers come together.
In this case it is also advantageous that owners of Marantz amplifiers can choose between RCA and XLR connections. The latter are particularly immune to interference. As usual at Marantz in the upscale price class, the solid chassis was coated with a copper layer to improve the irradiance. The engineers were able to find improvements in mass routing and power supply with the aim of improving the noise margin compared to the AV7701 predecessor.
Another dynamic increase compared to conventional multichannel DACs is the use of seven D / A-walks of the type Burr-Brown 1795, because each module is only responsible for two channels. The team of sound guru Ken Ishiwata has also optimized the bass management for a better transition between satellites and the subwoofer.
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In addition, the new Bass Sync prevents time delays between full-range channels and the LFE channel for low-frequency effects. Here Marantz discovered deviations of several milliseconds in attempts with many music tracks of DVDs and Blu-rays.
If you do not want to get stuck in the living room with network cables, you will find a fourfold Ethernet switch that connects the AV8801 to the network hub for other devices, such as Blu-ray players, on the streaming and Internet radio-compatible preamp power. As in the top receivers of D & M, there is full 4K compatibility: Ultra-HD video signals are not only looped through, but the AV8801 scales even standard video to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels.
Compared to the immense possibilities of the preamplifier, the 7-channel power amplifier acts as an archaic power amp, which holds 2 x 164 watts at 8 ohms and 2 x 265 watts at 4 ohms at the solid, gold-plated loudspeaker clamps. In surround it is 5 x 136/201 watts at 4/8 ohm.
Cleanliness has priority
The MM8077 also received a clever feature: in order to prevent its owner from being disturbed by fan noises, his discretely constructed amplifiers were arranged around a cooling chute behind the front panel. In order to protect the electronics against the annoyance caused by the magnetic strayers of the powerful ring core transformer, it has been encapsulated, in addition to its conventional conventional core core cable construction.
Even if it is not as much to say about the amp as about the high-tech preamp, in the hearing test, he could fully convince. In the individual view of the two components, it was apparent that the thick chunk was responsible for a particularly impressive strength of the Marantz team: Whether with films or with music CDs fed, the combi solved the lowest octaves with a precision and a draft, Which is unrivaled in this area.
The trick with the stick
Compared to expensive AV receivers, the remarkable plus of contour and emphasis in the low bass not only can be heard but also felt. The MM8077 also showed this feature in conjunction with other preamplifiers, while the AV8801 does not have other special effects in the lowest low-frequency regions.
Both partners have a superior neutrality combined with the highest level of cleanliness, which makes them an excellent team. These two components are in the background to the programs they play.
They can be listened to for hours on end without being subjected to manipulative manipulations of sound colors or the impression of space. It is also not often the case that a vote meets the requirements of film freaks and classical-style audiophiles alike.
Conclusion
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The image was convincing in both stereo and surround mode, where a precise location of phantom sound sources was possible.
Is there so much light also a little shade? Yes, but the emphasis is on little. The prelude is not a definite dynamics miracle and the sound colors with the final quartet melt. As a result, the combination that is otherwise superior in all respects is subject to the price-comparable Arcam receiver AV888 and the more expensive Brits
Nearly all AV control centers with USB port require FAT16 / FAT32 formatting. This Windows format can also be created or read on a Mac. It is still problematic, however, because the AV8801 reacts allergically to the invisible desktop files like most other preamplifiers, the computers with OS X on the memory sticks.
Marantz not only displays this data, which confuses the user. It also tries to play the alias files of the tracks, resulting in error messages. Mac users need to look carefully: aliases can be recognized by the underline in the filename - do not select!
Seen in terms of sound, the MM8077 is the Primus inter pares, which makes it an absolute surfer for 2,000 euros. But the AV8801 preamp is also hard to beat.
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