BYE Powered Speakers! STEREO 70s HERE! MARANTZ Stereo Receiver Review

Hmm, anyone have any thoughts on the Marantz 8K UHD AVR SR5015 instead, for an extra hundred dollars? It's discontinued now, but can still be got.

This vs powernode that has hdmi at a similar power

Andrew, you reviewed the NR1200 a few years ago. How would you compare it to the Stereo 70s?

Not sure if you give quick replies, but I have Kef Ls50 meta speakers and want to upgrade my amp from a NAD 338 to the Audio lab 700a is that a good fit

In terms of the demographic buying something like this product; I think that this product would be welcomed by customers looking for a traditional stereo setup with two speakers and possibly with one sub, that is used to rigging up a USB DAC to their phones as an analog input to their current preamp/amp setup, which is also used in tandem with their CD player and possibly phono. Consolidating this into one unit as opposed to buying a streamer or even those with a streamer as a separate component from their preamp/amp set-up would benefit from consolidating components into one centralized unit that can do it all (in terms of what I just describe anyhow) minus MQA rendering. Of course this is strictly that demographic that is only looking for two channel stereo audio playback. Being that there are eight HDMI connections and having an Arc capable HDMI, this further adds to that demographic to those looking to have a centralized device with their living room setup with their TV in mind. I do not see this demographic already not having a couple speakers in mind already and an existing setup with multiple components working together already. Possibly someone looking into getting into this hobby that is being diligent in looking at all the options and coming to the conclusion in a similar fashion with consolidated components in terms of functionality and value.

I'm sure there are plenty of demographics out there for this product but I am just thinking about the ones that would be marketed toward this product. I like the fact that Marantz's engineers have stayed true to that warm sound they are known for without compromising their quality of sound. No it's not a valve amp but I really wish that they would make a comeback in a way where the supply demand worked out to a much greater value where it's potential really lies when it comes to tube amplifiers but, we'll probably never get there unfortunately. Going off on a tangent here so I'll stop. I think I may buy this product myself and I really hope that the 75 watt rating at 8 ohms is conservative rather than liberal like a lot of manufacturers do with their marketing these days.

Hey Andrew, you guys going to get a review of the new Rotel RAS-5000? Could be a good competitor to the A-N2000 and the new Tecnics etc.

This unit have enough power to drive Dali Zensor 7? Do you think the sound will be great?

Thnx for you review

Where is the LOUDNESS knob???

im looking to jump into the hifi scene anyone know how the sterio 70 does at 4 ohms? ive been eyeing the JBL L52"s

The Cinema 70s is £200 cheaper than the Stereo 70 in the UK but I was still considering the Stereo. I think you just helped my make my mind up given what you said at the end. Thanks for your insight.

Really great vidéo thank you ! What do you think about this one with the audio monitor 100 bronze ?

I'm not interested in surround sound and have used AV receivers in stereo mode for years. The last set I bought was a Pioneer VSX model that I bought on sale because I wanted Airplay and I got some Polk RTI - A1's with it. I like it for music but I had a hard time getting dialogue to come through clearly when watching movies. I had the other channels shut off and switched as many sources as I could to PCM. I still regretted not picking up a center channel. Would a dedicated 2ch receiver like the stereo 70s or the older NR1200 improve dialogue or is a center channel the only way to go?

A fool and his money, soon parts.

Thank you for your quality work. I actually tested the Marantz Model 40n you mentioned and liked it a lot. You explain that the Stereo 70s is better built, sounds better, and is more refined, but it's 2.5 times more expensive. The Stereo 70s is less expensive and less bulky, which are advantages, but how much inferior is it? Compared to the demanding KEF LS50 Meta speakers, do you recommend the 40n, the 70s, or are both good choices for driving these speakers?"

It's not for me personally. But for $1000, that's one heck of a unit. And I think it would more than satisfy the majority of people. Plus it's a looker too. Good job Marantz. ✌️

I am getting the Denon x4800h and Cenima 50 for the exact same price thru my job, which would you recommend, I love the look of the Cenima 50, but the Denon offers more power. Based on which sounds better, will be my decider.

Question since the cinema 70s is 50watt per channel can I use speakers of 100watt per unit?

This and the near-lookalike Cinema 70 look quite compelling for the price.

I have it with Klipsch RP-8000F and I love it!!!!!

Andrew have you ever reviewed ONKYO 3-way speakers I just left Japan and they sound amazing. I didn't even know they made speakers. Are they worth buying in your opinion?

Hello, Can You Make A Comparison Between Tube Amplifier VS Solid State Amplifier

Really enjoyed the video. But I have older the older Sony SS-F7000 speakers. Will this product work well with those or is there a better receiver recommendation. Thanks.

Andrew, thanks so much for your review (long time viewer)! I am looking to get this Stereo 70s ($1,600 AUD) with a pair of Q Acoustics 3030i bookshelves ($500AUD). I think this will be a neat package for our use - TV (30%) and streaming music (70%). My only anxiety is future proofing the system. If I upgrade the QA 3030s to something more high end, will the Stereo 70s still be powerful enough @75W per channel? thanks!

How does the Stereo 70 compare to the Emotiva TA-2?

Thank you for a review, as always a pleasure to watch and I'v learned a lot about audio, as a music lover myself. For a while I was looking for something to pair Klipsch RP600M IIs with decent power and audio quality and get TV hdmi arc, phono preamp, and Tidal streaming capability. Also my room is not ideal and I have pretty strict space where I could move the speakers, so I believe a room correction feature would be amazing. Stereo 70s sounds like almost perfect device, except room correction. Any recommendations with a budget up to 1.5k USD? Or mabye its worth to wait for some other models in near future..?

In a car putting power down refers to weight bias and traction, minimizing wheel spin.

Since this is intended for TV also, why can’t they include a center channel speaker out?

What's the difference between this and the NR1200?

Rotel has released the new RAS-5000. A streaming integrated amplifier and HDMI with e-ARC function. I can't wait to see your video guys 🙂

Is there sound quality difference on stereo listening between the stereo 70 and cinema 70?

Excuse me? I am a traditionalist and i very much DO understand digital connectivity, i just make an educated choice to not Participate in that realm because it is not up to my standards. I consider powered speakers a beginners domain (possibly a minimalist domain), a step on the way to moving up.
Good on Marantz but i am with Kristi on this one. Also i really do not need an all in one unit, i have dedicated two channel systems and an avr for visual. (granted, not my priority)

Looks to be the ideal av receiver to replace my soundbar, I was set on getting the marantz nr1200 but this new receiver from them defo looks to be the one I’m gonna go for.

The receiver will be powering a pair of Klipsch RP500m ii’s and I may also get a subwoofer further down the line.

Is there much difference between the nr1200 and the Stereo 70 when it comes to sound quality.

Excellent review!

I think many of us that buy powered speakers and studio monitors use them in a desktop setting and therefore if we were to use passives, we'd look for a desktop amp like the BlueSound PowerNode or MiniDSP SHD Power. I wish Marantz could create a desktop 2 channel integrated with Audyssey. Even the Stereo 70 is too large for desktop use.

Also, do the power requirements for integrated amps and receivers matter that much when we cross over to a sub at 80Hz? I'm guessing speakers then become dramatically easier to drive, right?

I'm not sure what you mean by powered speakers. Are you talking about the more common ones with an amp in one of the enclosures which is what it seems. The more expensive, hi fi active speakers that have an amp matched to each driver and the crossover at line level is what you should be comparing. Like for like, active speakers will beat the Stereo 70s driving passive speakers hands down when it comes to high fidelity.

Hey Andrew,
This may sound weird, but can you review the JBL Partybox Ultimate? It's basically a 3 way powered spreaker with bluetooth.
I really wanna know how does its sound quality compare to HiFi spreakers like the Polk R700.
Thanks.

The amplifier section of this is nothing like the PM6007, PM8006, PM40n, PM7000n, it is weaker. Just take a look inside, see the difference. The stamped heat sinks are a great clue.

Your comparison at the end threw me. Cinema 70 vs Stereo 70. I priced them here in Switzerland and Cinema 70s were cheaper at US$739 vs Stereo 70s US$997. I run classic (aka old) B&W805 Matrix (1994) speakers. Help? Go the Cinema 70s or a different amp altogether? Great channel.

In theory, I'm team powered speakers for less clutter and ease of use with HDMI Arc. But... they usually don't compare to separate in terms of warranty. Something like the Marantz Stereo 70s and a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 100 7g is covered by a 5 year warranty. Powered speakers are usually around 2 year warranty, at least for the electronics. I budget for audio gear as a yearly rent and I ruthlessly divide the cost by the warranty length. If it lasts more than the warranty, it's bonus! It's pessimistic, but I can actually afford costlier systems that way when warranty is good!

This is pretty much the same amp/receiver as my NR1200, with a nice face lift plus 8K video?

Great review! First I’ve seen on the Stereo 70S. You stated you preferred the sound of the Yamaha 1000A, any thoughts on sound comparison to the 800A? Closer in price to the 70s.

I still definitely prefer a separate amp and passives. You can then upgrade either separately, obviously, and it should mean the speakers themselves can cost less with the same quality. That said, this unit is not for me - I already got the Cinema 70s which is much more like it for my hybrid home theater / music system. I might wind up with an external power amp for the front three. Honestly, I think it's time for some backlash against the powered speaker and soundbar movement.

I thought Marantz was going out of business ???

The back panel looks like my Denon DRA-800H. I love a nice Swiss Army knife receiver, yes, even the FM 📻.

I feel most if not all receiver manufacturers are either working on or missing the boat on making mid-level surround prepros for the influx of active speakers that's been coming out the last five years. Sure they all have high-end processors and mid-level AVRs today have pre-outs, but then you have several amplifiers sitting idle and basically waste.

On the other end of the spectrum we have systems like System Audios Silverback surround hub and the like that are also very upscale and to truly wireless.

A 9.2 processor for less than $2k that allows a customer to use active, bi-amped and internally DSP'ed speakers (which for me are THE key selling points for active speakers today) would be a way to stay relevant in a market which IS shifting more towards active speakers

I love Kristi, but I definitely agree with you, Andrew. The Stereo 70 is going to be a problem even with speakers that might be hard to drive , as I'm not sure Kristi is giving much thought about how valuable people craving power appreciate active preouts. Add to that the HDMI inputs, and I feel that the only thing Marantz could have and still SHOULD do is make the Stereo 70 and Cinema70, a dual mono, fully discrete, fully balanced design. At which point you'd have a "Hometheater-phile" product, which I feel would leave a lot of companies scrambling and pulling their proverbial hair out. Then you could offer them some KEEPS products. 😅

This is a fantastic product. Had it for a few months. This is more of a killer to AV receivers than it is to powered speakers. Truly has EVERYTHING the good AV receivers has minus the surround amplification. More and more people are not investing in 5 to 11 speakers. This is the product that is long over do. I bought an outboard amp because my towers needed more power but if you have no interest in surround sound and are going to drive book shelves then stereo 70 is obvious choice. Cinema 70 power too low. It will work with movies at 50 watts but for music not enough unless you have really easy to drive speakers. Great review andrew! I was waiting to hear your opinion on this. Thx!

Odd to leave out room correction.

It's definitely an interesting product as both of you are rightfully complaining about HDMI connectivity in Hifi. The Stereo 70 has 6 HDMI connections and 3 of those are HDMI 2.1 so it takes the crown in that regard. And it looks awesome in silver and is very small.

The issue with it is the Cinema 70 which also offers support for 5 more speakers and probably is more powerful in 2 channel and has room correction.

I recently had a Cinema 70 powered by a Marantz SR8002 and it was amazing but I returned it as they share the same remote frequency and it wasn't possible to control the volume 😀

But it was every bit as good as the 4800h with an external amp and easier to calibrate in my room without the Audyssey app. Lovely AVR especially with a BasX amp.