✅ *🛒HERE: **bit.ly/3y4rfAq**, **bit.ly/3RTvlTb* 🚨 *CORRECTION: I mistakenly say in this video that the Marantz Cinema 60 receiver will ALSO get DIRAC. This is not accurate and I apologize for the mistake.* ✅ *CLICK ❤THANKS to highlight your question &/or support the channel!* ✅ *If it’s in the video, it’s in the desx ☝CLICK “SHOW MORE”* ✅ *RULES: Please be respectful. NO outside links, email addresses, etc.*
@@zachariahadams I hate when I make 'em, though there appeared to be conflicting info regarding the DIRAC roll-out. In the spirit of full transparency, sometimes getting "firm" or "precise" answers from the manufacturer is a bit like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. All that said, the mistake was still made and it's on me to be better next time.
I have de Denon 6700H for 2 years now, would be a better deal if I change? I’m running a 11 channel Dolby Atmos system and also have another system for music.
Kristi, thank you for sharing your story and for always having an additional fresh take on these reviews...we’ve found that my wife usually agrees with your preferences and we both enjoy your perspective.
Good morning guys, thanks for the review. I would have loved to see dirac out of the box, manufacturers are famous for promising a feature in the future, and then it being underwhelming, buggy or late to get to the general public when (if) it ever happens. Not saying that marantz will do that, but i ddint think yamaha would either... I think its more visually appealing than the previous marantz receivers, but i also find i dont care too much visually about an AVR since its generally mounted in a cabinet or rack in my experience. Its not an Integrated Amplifier which i would expect to be "on display" more often. Also i have found that my Onkyo RZ-50 has more than enough power to run a home theater without external amplification.. My Emotiva A2 is just sitting next to my cabinet not plugged in and i couldnt be happier. Given that the Onkyo is 1000$ cheaper and has Dirac out of the box i cant see the reason to buy the marantz for 40% more. The onkyo is beautiful in its own right with the stout feet, taller chassis, and the clean front with the door shut. With the door open there are a ton of buttons, a great screen for making adjustments and they STILL have a great app and tons of power and preouts. Selling my Onkyo RZ50 for this never even crossed my mind, and I certainly wouldnt do it without dirac being released and there being a few months of stability under its belt.
I would 100% urge you (or anyone) NOT to sell their RZ50 in favor of the Cinema 50. Tonally there is a difference, and while I subjectively prefer the sound of the Marantz to the Onkyo, it is not a night and day difference and thus I am not ditching my RZ50 either. Plus as you point out, it's fully realized now whereas we have to wait and see with the Cinema 50.
I've just bought the Cinema 50 and pairing it with a Monitor Audio 7.1.2 speaker system and a Samsung 85" Qled TV, as I'm a longterm MARANTZ user and like their products sound and quality. Regarding the omission of DIRAC I view this a a win-win. I get some new tech to play with at Xmas which will be lovely and then in 3 months I get the DIRAC firmware upgrade so it will be like having new kit again
I have Monitor Audio Silver 200, recently at 5.0. My Cinema 50 arrived yesterday and I need to test it against my cca 4 years old Denon x3500h. As for the Dirac - while it might arrive in 2-3 months, it is going to be a paid and quite expensive feature, no? It will surely be interesting to compare it to the Audyssey paid app.
Hey Andrew and Kristi, love your reviews. I had a recent recommendation for KEF Q950 and Q650 speakers for my space along with 4 in ceiling speakers 2 for Atmos and 2 as rear surrounds. The consultant didn’t dial in a receiver though. I like the Cinema 50 but have seen several articles stating the 950s work better with 140-150 watts. Question is Onkyo RZ50 and a 2 channel amp or the Cinema 50 to get me going and an amp later if needed? (based on my current budget).
@@sidhuloveindia Hi I haven't really had time to set everything up yet. but so far it seems to be great. Stepping up from that Sony is massive. I'm getting the Samsung 65" S95B OLED 4K Smart TV coming in a few days. Can't wait to get everything up ang going. And I got the Polk R700 R400 the R200 and 4 of the R900. I'll get a high power 3 CH amp for the front 3.
Why does the Marantz look exactly (!) like the Denon AVR series in the back, seems like same technology... whitelable business from Denon with frontside customization for Marantz...but at higher prices... ?
nice review! I have an old denon avc-a11sr, could this marantz be a valid replacement or should I be on a high-end product to have the same quality in stereo reproduction?
Been considering upgrading from my SR7011, so appreciate the great and timely review. Didn’t hear you mention it, but any thoughts between this and the Anthem MRX series?
@@andrewrobinsonreviews thank you. Like what I’ve read about Anthem, but appreciate what you and Kristi are doing. Would prefer to support the brands that support y’all. Call me a fan. Marantz it shall be.
This seems like almost the perfect receiver as I am in the process of upgrading from very old equipment (Onkyo TXNR3007) and looking into going with a stand alone amp and maybe using an AVR as a pre-pro. I just can't get past that little display. If it wasn't for that I would have ordered this already. Do you have any other recommendations that might be on this level. I though about an Anthem MRX-720 but other than that I can't think of much better in the AVR category. Maybe I should just spend the extra money and make the jump to a real pre-pro like an AVM-70.
*I would like to further weigh in on the plastic vs metal thing. I know Marantz is saying metal design and if true, it is the among the most plastic feeling metal ever. It may be aluminum with a coating that is giving it a plastic like feel, I don't know, but when you run. your finger across the front of the Cinema 50 it feels like plastic. When you run your finger across the 40n, it's cool like metal. Perhaps I played it too fast and loose with the phrase "all plastic" but if you have both units next to each other as I do, there is no doubt which one is metal-metal and which one may be the cheapest metal available while still allowing one to say it's metal. Apologies to anyone who may be upset by my remarks. I stand by what I said though, in that the Cinema 50 is well made, it just isn't AS well made as the 40n. Oh, and while the Cinema 50 and 40n have largely the same remote, the 40n's remote is metal whereas the 50's is plastic.*
I was watching a different content creator's review of an avr and compared to a pro like Andrew Robinson the video was a joke. Andrew gotta say thanks for not wasting our time filming unboxing, going through on screen settings, and other nonsense. You get straight to the point and giving good information, but more importantly you keep the video engaging and entertaining.
If you guys could do us a favor, please like the video and share it with your friends if that feels right. The YT algo is being pretty fickle this morning. Thank you!
How big of a difference is this model when compared to cinema 60? Considering that I have a 7.1 setup(5.1.2) and the room size does not require additional 2 speakers? Specs wise this just have 10 watts more than the cinema 60 model.
Hello, would you please do a review for the Cinema 40? We know cinema 50 isn’t far off but we would like to see a comparison on the performance. I have not found a review for the Cinema 40 in depth
I have a Cinema 50 and I really enjoy it, however it should really say DIRAC '*'. Although is supports DIRAC, it obviously does not come with it, and for the price that DIRAC wants for the software (not to mention a microphone), it is hard to justify its cost, especially when Audessey's software upgrade is only $20. After running Audessey Muti EQ, and adjusting a couple of curves, I found it to work better than I expected, and now have little to no desire to shell out the money for DIRAC.
Andrew / Christi: Bought the Marantz Cinema 50 based on your review to replace my Marantz 5012. As my media room, has an odd HVAC intrusion, I can’t get proper atmos so I have to rely on speaker virtualization in the Marantz app. I must say I am quite impressed with it as it - significantly - opens the soundscape. A major upgrade to the my 5012. Indeed, I would call it much more sophisticated and the overall sound, to my ears, is delightful! As you said: “It is almost perfect”, and I would have to agree. Nothing is perfect in this world. For me, it just has to do what the engineers say it will do . . . and if it does (often it doesn’t, as you know) I am thrilled! Wow it actually works?! Really! Well the Cinema 50 does it for me and I couldn’t be happier!!!
Hey Andrew, great review! It would be cool to see you go back to this receiver now that Dirac has gone live. Also, it would really be cool if you could give an explanation of your manual setup approach with these receivers over Audyssey.
Yes, same here. On paper they look almost the same with the specs. The 3800 might even have a bit more power. Listening to the review and looking at specs its a bit hard to understand why C50 is a $1000 more.
Onkyo's RZ50 is tough to best when it comes to Value, and is much better suited for Beginners. (especially since they won't charge you for DIRAC Live) then again for people who can afford more, the Marantz may be the better brand in terms of critical Music listening. How big of a difference would you say is it in Music ? Really noticeable ? I like Warmer or Neutral to Warm tending sound.
The thing that burns me about DIRAC isn't that it's a later update, but that you have to pay for a license. They're selling this product with the DIRAC logo. I shouldn't have to buy separately what they're telling me I'm going to get. If it was a free update later, that's fine. Not great, but ok. But to have to buy a license as well, there is nothing about DIRAC that comes with the Cinema50 other than the capability to add it later. Other than that, it looks like the Cinema50 is a perfect fit for what I'm looking for, but that whole DIRAC issue is really bothering me. I can't decide if that's a deal breaker or not.
Nice but it should have a screen at least as large as a S22 or iPhone 14 max. You can get an android table with a 10" screen for $120 - that includes the battery and computer - an AV receiver in 2022 should have a better screen than your fridge.
Other than some potential interference issues with the onboard electronics, I don't see why these products continue to look like something from the 90's.
Did Marantz trip up w/o D I R A C at launch???? Does a bear 💩 in the woods?! Lol YOU BET they did, and should be DAMNDED ashamed of doing so! I STILL, $$Sadly, have my heart set on the 8015 because yes- at 70 years young, I 𝘿𝙊 WANT THE OVERKILL-I deserve it! But the costs on some of these are so prohibitive, it makes me wonder- just STAY WITH MY OL SONY ES V333 and shut the hell up, deal with some harshness on the top end….. Or LIVE MY LIFE, BLOW THE 💵$$$$💵 WAD AND JUST 𝙄𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙀 𝙈𝙔𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙁 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 ..𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙.... Gotta do it and DO IT THIS YEAR! Andrew, Thank You- Christie🌹- H E L P ME!!😉 Hey, you guys TOTALLY ROCK! I’ve been enjoying AND LEARNING FROM your channel IMMENSLY! I only wish I could have had the relationship in my marriage that you two exude- The closest thing my wife had always said when it came to my music were those three little words….. 𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉‼️🤣 Rock on folks! ❤️🎵🎼🎼💙
I'm a gamer and rarely a movie watcher but when I watch them, I really like to enjoy them. Is the Marantz 50 a balanced purchase for performance/cost? I plan to explore 7.2 (two subwoofers). Luckily I live in an apartment with really great concrete and neighbours can't hear anything on my current 2.1 system. I liked your video (I am subscribing) Cheers from Chile!
100% dead on again! This looks to be a Denon X3800H with better styling and Marantz' HDAM "richness/warmth". From my experience with the x3800h, everything you said, except for the "Marantz richness", matches up exactly. Im looking forward to your X3800H review to see how you compare the two. Its a great time to be in the market for a AVR! (minus the post pandemic prices, of course). Thanks for another great review! P.S. - Have you tried Audyssey MultEQ-X? I think you would really like it.
I can say personally that Marantz honors their warranty. I had a freak problem occur with my AV 7705. Couldnt be fixed. Marantz shipped me a new unit, and to my surprise, it was an AV 7706. Thanks to them for honoring their word.
I HATE the porthole screen on my Marantz. I dont know whats going on with my receiver AND I have to walk up to it to read the screen. Why did they even give us a remote if they want up to walk up to the AVR to see anything? If they want to keep the porthole look, why don't they make it bigger? If things don't change, I'm going back to Onkyo.
Hey Kx, I am a life long Onkyo fan as well as Marantz fan. I had the RZ50 and it was everything I could ask for, Including the awesome sound from DIRAC but it did have a display defect where there was NO DISPLAY at all (this happened 1 week or so into new ownership) so I returned it. So I was very sad to say the least as I love the RZ50 style, sound, power seamless integration with my home audio setup. BTW DIRAC was awesome. I currently have an old Marantz SR5011that is flawless. Only thing it has 7 channels where I need 9 plus 4 independent sub outlet, and that is where the 40 comes in. I also hate that SR5011 Porthole, but love the addition of the LCD readout under the flip panel of the 40 is a big part on my wanting the Cinema 40 (Besides fours subs, awesome looking copper screws and being made in Japan. So in short I want another RZ50 but cannot trust it due to the earlier mentioned fault and that it is 2 years old by now. I got the feeling a RZ51 or something is in the works....... Maybe Onkyo will up their game 1Q23 too compete with the new Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon models. IF Onkyo upgrades their current model in the next few months I may change my mind and go with Onkyo again.
@@aspjake123 I wanted the RZ50 when I bought my SR6015 last year but they were on backorder and the store did not know when they were coming in (over100 preorders). So I just bit the bullet and got the Marantz. I'm not blown away by it. The sound is ok and for some reason, the phono stage is really low, I have to crank it up to at least 70dbs to enjoy my my records ( I could always buy a phono amp but that would defeat the purpose of the avr). So I decided to see if the RZ is in stock now and yes they are. The store offered to credit me $1100 for my Marantz towards the RZ. I'm really tempted but to lose $1000 kinda hurts.
I've spent the last few days listening to my new CINEMA 50. Initial impressions are good. High quality construction. (Painted aluminum face plate, knobs, and doors, not brushed and anodized like most front face plates but not plastic either aside from the textured side accents.) The GUI is logically laid out and looks great though the Web UI is much faster for initial setup. The remote is high quality and well organized with good key feedback and clear markings. I was able to get an incredibly flat room response using the MultEQ iOS app. I followed the advice of many to spend the extra money for the app to access the curve editor. It was good advice. I find the sound without Audyssey room correction to be disappointing-somewhat dull with rolled off highs and a smallish soundstage. With Audyssey, the sound is transformed. It expands and snaps into focus. However, it is necessary to add back the bass punch that is lost during the room EQ. This is best accomplished using the app. Even after Audyssey, I find vocals to be a little recessed compared to what I'm used to. Fiona Apple usually sounds like she's standing in front of me during "The First Taste". Less so with the CINEMA 50. Overall though, my experience mirrors Andrew's. This is a great sounding receiver. For anyone who, like me, is new to Audyssey, Audioholics has a great, nearly two hour UA-cam webcast about best practices. The TLDR version: Start the adjustments from the app, not the receiver, or you won't be able to access them from the app later on. Take a minimum of five measurements, preferably eight. The first measurement is from ear height at the listening position. The seven subsequent measurements are also taken from ear height no more than 20" away. (The software will tell you 24".) Midrange compensation is an outdated setting that should be off. Dynamic Volume should be off. Dynamic LFC is just a high pass filter and should be off for best sound. Dynamic EQ should be off for the most neutral sound. (Your choice though.) It is usually best to limit Audyssey to the frequencies that are affected by the room. This is done in the app. The appropriate setting is almost always between 200-300 Hz. (As an aside, this is the reason you may not want to pay for a full range DIRAC Live upgrade.) Finally, after uploading the Audyssey correction from the app to the receiver using the Share button (iOS), set the MultEQ XT32 setting on the receiver to "Flat", not "Reference". My CINEMA 50 defaulted to Reference. On iOS, the MultEQ app saves the measurements and settings in a file that can be tweaked and re-uploaded. Better, you can copy the measurements file and create multiple Audyssey configurations that can be uploaded at any time to the receiver. The receiver has two Speaker presets allowing you to upload two different Audyssey curves to directly compare them. Theoretically, we will be able to load a DIRAC correction in one and an Audessey correction in the other at some point. Andrew may have mentioned this. It's been a few days since I listened to this review. It would be interesting to listen to the X3800H and hear what you're getting for the extra $800 beyond improved aesthetics. Side by side without room correction, I wonder if I wouldn't prefer the DENON's sound signature, though I find DENON receivers intolerably ugly so it was never an option for me.
I think the Denon X3800H is the main competitor, I get that it is old school looking. On the X3800H they changed out the DAC, which apparently isn't as good as the original 3700H but still has nice amplification. The 3800H has a lot of nice features though, for music you could run an external DAC. One question, on the Marantz Cinema 50, can you run just a couple of the channels (like left front and right front) in the Pre-Out, while all other channels run through the receiver? This feature is available on the Denon X3800H but was not available on the 3700. This is important if you want to use a separate stereo amp for stereo.
@@nafnaf0 The CINEMA 50 divides the speakers into three groups: front, center, surround. For each of the groups you can choose either "speakers + preout" or just "preout". I believe (though I haven't tried it) that you could configure this in multiple ways and store each of the different configs in different presets.
@@playcold32 #1. No. Dynamic EQ is a feature of Audyssey and requires it to be on. Is there a way to create an Audyssey preset w/ no adjustments as a work around? I'm not sure. As I've said earlier, I think the CINEMA 50 sounds awful w/o Audyssey so if Audyssey ever quits working the CINEMA 50 hits eBay the next day. #2. My previous receiver is an NAD T778, which also sounds fantastic-probably better than the CINEMA 50. The T778 sounded so good out of the box that I never even got around to trying Dirac. That said, I am reluctant to recommend the unit. I bought the T778 a year ago to replace a Yamaha RX-Z7 that worked flawlessly for 13 years. The T778 worked flawlessly for four months. Then it started malfunctioning and [long story short] NAD finally sent me a brand new replacement after making me wait without an AVR for *eight months*. It has been the worst customer service experience of my life, as much for the complete lack of concern and empathy on the part of NAD customer service as for the wait time. I have the new, factory sealed T778 sitting on the floor in my theater room. I can't decide whether to open it and do a comparison or just throw it on ebay and eliminate the chance of ever having to deal with NAD again. Based solely on sound quality, I strongly expect I would prefer the NAD and want to return the Marantz. That said, everything else about the Marantz is superior. The CINEMA 50 feels like a refined, fully finished component. The T778...well, let's just say that the remote has an "Audyssey" button on it but it doesn't have Audyssey. It has an "Enter" button that doesn't enter; it duplicates the functionality of the down arrow. And the right arrow button serves as both the right arrow and enter. Worse, the T778's expansion card is inexplicably glued into its slot, eliminating the one big advantage of its modular design. I could go on. Frankly, the only feature the T778 has that I miss on the CINEMA 50 is Center Spread.
Ya I bought the cinema 50..listened to the video..and took your advice..running 7.1.2... Thank you for taking the time to explain your setup. I am extremely happy with this reciever. I bought the app...cut off correction at 250...sounds great...I still might experiment some..buti can definitely be happy living with it now.
I have a Marantz SR6012 and have been wanting a pre-pro upgrade to the 7706 before replacing. AV10 is out of current budget and overkill for me. This looks interesting to replace mine and MiniDSP for my 3 subs. I am waiting however until reviews of Dirac and spatial bass with using multiple subs. As is I will stick with what I have Yes Marantz tripped up. If Dirac was available I would have upgraded. Now competitors like Emotiva have time to get their bleep together and me save more for other competitors. I think anyone in this price market is going to wait whether new purchase or upgrade existing. Why spend more on a competitor if Dirac makes a huge improvement? Why spend less on potential inferior product when Dirac is around the corner?
Nice update, especially for HDMI supporting complete 2.1 set and Dirac where's provided... Said that internally it's always same stuff, Dirac is not a game changer for me and I'd save money with old lineup, unless HDMI 2.1 is required for whole setup. I'd never give 8015 into for Cinema50...
For over 10 years I’ve been wanting to love a Marantz AVR, but I really REALLY hate that little port-hole display!! Nobody could possibly read that from their listening/viewing position.
I don’t love HEOS by any stretch, but I use it because I don’t know of any easier and better way to stream lossless audio from Amazon Music. If there is a way, please somebody tell me. I know there are options that add equipment and in turn cost money. As mediocre as HEOS is, it’s free with the receiver.
Marantz is waiting for the brand new Spatial Dirac software to be completed by Dirac. If you only wanted the current NON Spatial version, the yes, It would have been included in the release of the Marantz 50.
@@minos64 During the press release of Dirac they mentioned the new version will be available on the new Marantz processors. Then during the Marantz release at Cedia that the units Dirac upgrade comes with the new Dirac version to be released. What’s very interesting is how MIMO Dirac approaches room correction very differently. Revolutionary!!!! All other room corrections will now be like the difference between SVHS and HDMI
Top shelf presentation guys, most enjoyable and informative, just brings a smile, many thanks. Can't wait for the next Denon review and maybe at some stage the Denon AVR-A1H 8K Receiver + DIRAC. 🎶
Hi Andrew, love all your reviews, just wondering when are you going to review the cinema 40? Really thinking about buying one, but been waiting for your review to get your thoughts :) Thanks Chris
I am wondering if Andrew could elaborate more on his selection of the cinema 50 over the rz50. They seem pretty evenly matched and have a big price difference. What about the cinema 50 performance was better? I am looking for a new reciever for a dedicated theater room for video games and movies. Is the sound quality really worth the $900 premium? Seems like the answer is yes but please elaborate 😊. Great video I love the detail and amazing production quality of your videos. Top notch!
Hi Andrew and Kristi, in the review you said that the sound between the Cinema 50 and SR8015 is close enough, but you said that the Cinema 50 has worse dynamics compared to x3800h, and in the SR8015 you said that you never heard better dynamics before in a receiver, so one key difference between the sound of the Cinema 50 and SR8015 is that the SR8015 has much better Dynamics?
I'm virtually already bent on getting the Cinema 40, which apparently is the Cinema 50 on roids, built in Japan instead of Vietnam, has video component input so can still hook up my beloved Wii, and slightly more juice and few other goodies. Can't wait to till their available with Durac!
Andrew is obviously much more qualified than I am, but unless you just have to have a Marantz, I wouldn’t get a Cinema 60. It won’t have Dirac support, it’s only 7 channels with no additional pre-outs, and the two sub channels are not independent. For the same money you can get the new Denon 3800h or the Onkyo RZ50 which is back in stock, and spec wise they are closer to the cinema 50. If you can afford to splurge for the 50, god bless and enjoy. Otherwise I’d get one of those 2. Actually I would love to see a comparison between the rz50 and the 3800h. They one up each other in different areas and I would have a hard time deciding between them. Also, I might be wrong, but from what I’m gathering, Dirac is going to be an "optional upgrade", meaning it’s going to cost money. That’s messed up if that’s the case. You can get $1000 receivers now that come with Dirac so I really hope this isn’t the case.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews thanks for the reply Andrew! So what does dirac support even mean then? Or do you need to use something like a minidsp to use dirac on most devices? And it's built in on these? It has to be something lol.
@@spizzlo I've owned multiple devices with DIRAC. There are different versions. The basic DIRAC Live version covers the frequency range that is affected by room interactions. Check for yourself on anything you're considering, but my impression is that this is usually included for free. This is definitely true of the NAD T778. The upgrade from the free version with limited frequency range to the version with full range is $99. DIRAC Bass Control would be even more though it is irrelevant for the T778. My understanding (from other commenters) is that Onkyo's RZ50 gives you the full range DIRAC Live free out of the box. I haven't confirmed this.
Hi Andrew, how are you? I´m Mario Diniz from Brazil. In beginning of january I'll visit my cousin in Orlando and I buying a receiver. I'm in doubt between the OnkyoTX rz50 and the Marantz cinema50, could you clear up a doubt for me to decide? I know that to be able to use Onkyo in the dolby atmos 7.2.4 configuration I need an amplifier such as Onkyo M-5010, Integra ADM-20.4, in the case of the Marantz cinema 50 receiver it would also be necessary an amplifier to use in the 7.2.4 configuration Dolby atmos? And finally, if there is a need to use the amplifier, these models Onkyo M-5010, Integra ADM-20.4, are compatible with the Marantz cinema 50.
It would be great if you could create a video of your setup when going via Audyssey and configuring it manually so I can compare. Also when you setup your Xbox do you have to turn on the amplifier in order for the Xbox to work? I was attempting to set mine up so I could play games on the Xbox One without needing the amp on for it to display the game
Marantz was having there 70th Anniversary promotion where you can trade in your old avr and get 20% off the purchase of a Marantz receiver. The promotion ended Nov. 10th. @@vladyslav1987
I want you to know I come to your channel for your cinematography. It can't be easy setting up and doing all of those B-roll shots to such a meticulous standard. But it sets your channel apart, I appreciate it and it's what I come for. If ever you're frustrated, or run into problems with the B-roll and think "does anyone even care?". Just wanted to let you know I care, I see, and I am grateful for it. That's all. P.S. Also for Kristi. She's great. You should marry her twice just to be sure she stays.
The cinema 60 will Not have Dirac. As far as I can tell. This makes me more mad than having to wait for it. I rock a 3.1 and don’t want to spend a fortune just to get decent sound and Dirac.
Which would you recommend between the Marantz SR7015 vs this Marantz Cinema 50? Both are around the same price for me and I'd previously been eyeing up the SR7015 and was waiting for a sale until Marantz announced and now released this Cinema series. I'll be using it for a 5.1.2 home theatre setup and from what you've mentioned in the review I think the Cinema 50 is best as it will hopefully come with this DIRAC software that the SR7015 won't get. Love the content Andrew and any additional advice would be greatly appreciated, cheers!
These damn reviews somehow put this invisible pressure on my arm to pull my wallet from thy pocket.... hahahaha.... Cheers.. Our drink this evening was the original James Bond Martini, known as the Vesper... :)
Like yourself and Kristi, I am NOT a fan of any company touting the feature set of their latest new product only to find that upon the new product’s release I can not access some of it’s much touted features until the company releases a future firmware update that will enable those hyped, but missing features. Making the whole matter of having to wait for a future firmware update to enable these features that were MIA when the product was released is that often, the manufacture can not even provide a specific date as to when they will be releasing the firmware update that will enable the full suite of features of their new product(s). This practice of companies releasing, what is essentially an unfinished product to market with the promise of unlocking all of the product’s advertised features with the vague promise of some kind of future update (be it firmware or something else) is an emerging trend that seemingly more and more manufactures of AV gear and other tech products are embracing. To all those manufactures out there who have embraced this trend, or who are contemplating adopting this practice for their new products, I have one word for you - STOP!
I’m really liking the new Marantz receivers I’m glad I held off and just upgraded my display first. In my case I’d need to go Cinema 40 to meet my needs and I’m probably going to get the soon to be released Denon X4800H instead as I can get that one for much cheaper than the Cinema 40. Marantz sure has nailed it again with a great line up though.
A little off topic, I purchased an NAD 700 on your recommendation, just like the Hersey IV’s I pulled the trigger on, again thanks to you. The NAD is for my wife in the living room. I came home tonight and discovered she had connected her iPod to the NAD via USB. Behold my amazement the NAD and BLUOS could control the iPod. It turned the iPod into a mini hard drive! Did you know it could do that! And it sounds like we are listening to the DAC in the 700, bypassing the iPod DAC. What a fantastic little perk to have!
I made the comment that I won't buy the new Marantz avr until it actually releases the "Dirac live" .I was actually chastised by a few people and one guy in particular said ,"avr manufacturers have to do what they say they will do"! Unquote! All I could do was laugh 😃. This guy I spoke of needs a history lesson for sure. Lol!
Correct. Not only do they not have to do anything, it could turn out that they are unable to include Dirac in a reasonable time at reasonable cost. Ask an engineer. Things can go wrong.
Seems that Cinema 60 wont come with Dirac live. Pity. Onkyo RZ50 might just be the winner. Would love the Marantz, just priced heavily where i live in the world.
Just got the Denon AVR-X3800H. Using an 11.1 configuration with a Yamaha Aventage 3030 for LCR and Zone 2. Would you consider spending $800 more for the Marantz Cinema 50 or the Denon AVR-X4800H a worthwhile investment?
Glad I managed to snag a Arcam AVR20 for 3100€, the Cinema lineup is just too expensive for what it offers. The X3800H seems like the sweet spot to me.
I might be in minority here and downvoted to oblivion, but the signature Marantz circle display is actually bothering me quite a bit. It is unique, but not very readable and not giving a lot of information.
Probably. I love it. Other brands are using big black screens that show simple info as well but clearly in a different way. When changing settings, an over display shows info on your tv with Marantz if you didn't know.
As cool as I think the design is, it is difficult to read at any reasonable distance. One of these days companies will catch up to what we’ve seen on our phones for the past 10 years. 😊
@18:19 what is going on with the HDMI standard? I keep seeing consumer products coming out with old HDMI ports! I know there is a licensing cost, but I’d be shocked if it’s exorbitantly expensive? I’ve seen $20k projectors that have older inputs that require chroma subsampling (video compression) for any frame rate above 24hz. Receivers are even worse, often only having 1-2 inputs of the most current HDMI standard. It seems fine at the time of purchase, but a few years later your having to upgrade perfectly good equipment because the sources have caught up. It seems like engineered obsolescence to me 🤷♂️
Nice review, Andrew and Kristi. I know that the "incompleteness" of releases these day is maddening, but I think they wanted to get this one out for the 2022 holiday buying season. I suspect that the lack of Dirac probably has something to do with a pending software release. Looking at the Dirac web site, there hasn't been a new download posted there since Spring of 2022. That suggests to me that a significant revision is in beta test right now. Dirac support will probably come in the first quarter of next year once that update is generally available.
Any plans for a Marantz CINEMA 40 Review? Should be finally available now :) Would like to hear/see the comparison against the Cinema 50 + Sony's new AVR lineup (specially against the Sony STR-AZ5000ES to make it fair)
It's not all plastic. I have one and its aluminum the entire top sides and bottom are metal, The center front plate, door and knobs are aluminum and the front side panels are made of polymer. It's typical for this level of product imo better then the last gen product thats for sure.
I would like to weigh in on the plastic vs metal thing. I know Marantz is saying metal design, and well, if true, it is the most "plastic feeling" metal ever. It may be aluminum with a coating that is giving it a plasticy feel, I don't know, but when you run. your finger across the front of the Cinema 50 it feels like plastic. When you run your finger across the 40n, it's cool like metal. Perhaps I played it too fast and loose with the phrase "all plastic" but if you have both units next to each other, there is no doubt which one is metal-metal and which one may be the cheapest metal available while still allowing one to say it's metal. Apologies to anyone who may be upset by my remarks. I stand by what I said though, in that the Cinema 50 is well made, it just isn't AS WELL MADE as the 40n. Oh, and while the Cinema 50 and 40n have largely the same remote, the 40n's remote is metal whereas the 50's is plastic.
It is interesting that your experience with the Yamaha RX-A8A has been so different from mine. The build quality on mine was impeccable. I was an early adopter of the unit so I received mine prior to yours. Perhaps quality control was better on these earlier units prior to the Covid buying craze and chip shortages. As far as the promised 8K support with VRR and ALLM firmware 1.73 will give the unit those features. I have not seen DIRAC support and you are right YPAO is not all that. I wound up re-calibrating everything by ear after running it. In my room, it did a terrible job at adjusting the bass levels. As far as recommending the unit after living with mine for nearly a year. If you want an AVR that is one of the best for movie watching Yamaha makes a good choice. For music I like the Anthem and Marantz AVRs better. If you looking for 8K gaming with VRR support. I think it wise to shop around and compare your options. The thing I hate most about owning Yamaha is you are an UN-paid beta tester for an receiver that now cost $3549.95. I find that their patches and updates have been coming out way too slow for an expensive flagship product. Which IMHO puts a lot of egg on the face of Yamaha. That being said, you are lucky indeed if you are able to get a hold of one. So they must be doing enough things right. Even with all of Yamaha's failings at providing timely customer support, whenever a dealer manages to get a shipment in, they usually are immediately sold out.
Planning to buy a new AV receiver within the next month or two and am struggling between Cinema 50 and Denon X4800. Denon is comparable in power and features with the Cinema 40, but is the Marantz brand and quality worth paying same price for slightly less capable receiver?
Hi Andrew, I'm a big fan of Anthem and in the market to update my AVM 30 ... the fan in the AVM 70 is a turn off and the awkward on screen set up is not fun. Will you review the Cinema 40 soon? I think it may the the way to go ...
I was waiting on this review to buy the Cinema 50 and finally have mine set up with KEF R3s. Yup - def takes a little bit of juice to wake things up. Music sounds flat at a volume of "58" but then at 62 it just opens up and sounds amazing.
You should get an SPL meter (or APP) to learn what "volume" level that really is in your room so you know for future reference when you experiment or change equipment. Unless you've "recalibrated" the receiver to accurately reflect the SPL in your room, 58 could be 70dB or it could be 40. Just a fun experiment you may want to try out. Thanks for watching!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Yeah, great advice. I don't really know what type of dBs I'm pushing. I'm looking forward to the DIRAC update cause these KEF R3s sound a bit bright to me (I've pointed them almost straight into the room to be about 30 deg off axis to roll off the highs a bit). HeOS is janky as hell. And HDMI CEC is a major joke (full disclosure, I'm a coauthor of the Blu-ray disc spec so I have some background in AV technical specifications and, more importantly, validation/testing). I turned on my C50, it turns on my Nvidia Shield, turns on my LG OLED . .. then turns on my PS5 (Why?!). THEN, everything turns back off . . . one by one. THEN it all comes back on again! There is no testing with some of these groups. When I ran a studio tech team (at a company with a mouse as a mascot) my team was in charge of writing the 3D Blu-ray spec. We put in the spec that you MUST pass a verification disc my team wrote. I had them write a disc that tested EVERY SINGLE FEATURE in the spec and produced a pass or fail log. If you failed any of the 30 tests, you did not get that blu-ray logo. HDMI folks need to invest in the testing verification part cause it's a joke. Also, mentioned to Kristi before - love your video work. Love the beautiful pans across a speaker where the grill magically appears. Beautiful stuff.
4 subs give you better sound balance across the room, and at more listening positions if set up properly. They are not for loudness and give more headroom. Even two is better than one.if set up properly (phase, and timing)
@@nebtheweb8885 ok then you talking about what....1000 square feet room? your sound wave at 250 and lower is so big that you don't really have / need directionality with subs. i will grant you the two sub argument with regards to headroom but unless you have a hanger as a home theater room then 4 is overkill.
@@diekeyserDirectivity still happens because of room modes. One ear can hear the bass even 12db+ louder than other! It will sound awful if you have square room and only one sub.
Andrew, I'll answer your question with two questions. Didn't we learn anything from Yamaha 2020 about promised upcoming features? Didn't we all agree let's evaluate equipment on what they can do today and not on features promised to arrive in the future? I'm with Kristi...WTF! But I'm bias with an Onkyo TX-RZ50 sitting in my house that already had Dirac Live out of the box. Meanwhile, CINEMA 50 owners will likely wait until 2023 or 2024 before they get Dirac. No thanks Marantz!
Sound United has gone on record as saying DIRAC will come to the 50 in Q1 of 2023. Like I say in the video, if it doesn't people have EVERY RIGHT to be mad as hell. The RZ50 may not have quite the same tonality of the Marantz, but it is the more fleshed out product TODAY for sure! I still love it.
My Cinema50 turned out to be DOA. The rear right height channel kept hissing and popping afte the amp is powered on. Sent it back. Should I get another Cinema50 or go for the Denon X4800H which costs a few bucks more? As for sonic character, I like my old Onkyo TX-RZ800 better than the Cinema50. Speakers used: Polk R700 +R350C + R100 + 2pairs R900 & SVS Micro3000.
You didn't buy a bad or the wrong receiver. We still have ours and love it! While there is a tonal difference between the Cinema 50 and RZ50, when it comes to performance per dollar, the RZ50 STILL cannot be beat!
I've had my RZ50 for nearly a year. If, and only if, there is Dirac Live Bass Control on the new Marantz AVRs since they have independent sub outputs would I even bother considering an upgrade. The price for performance on the Onkyo is insane.
@@doug6357 Your gonna laugh, I put my Monolith THX Ultra 12" sub on a furniture dolly so that I can make adjustments easier. (it's a hundred pounds) The bass control you speak of sounds great! Although, SVS subs have an app so you can adjust them with your cell phone, that would probably be the best.
Can u do comparable sound diff between cinema 50 and cinema 60 with separate amps like the Emotiva XPA I'd like to see if there is a diff in sound with the 50 and 60 cinema
✅ *🛒HERE: **bit.ly/3y4rfAq**, **bit.ly/3RTvlTb*
🚨 *CORRECTION: I mistakenly say in this video that the Marantz Cinema 60 receiver will ALSO get DIRAC. This is not accurate and I apologize for the mistake.*
✅ *CLICK ❤THANKS to highlight your question &/or support the channel!*
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@@zachariahadams I hate when I make 'em, though there appeared to be conflicting info regarding the DIRAC roll-out. In the spirit of full transparency, sometimes getting "firm" or "precise" answers from the manufacturer is a bit like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. All that said, the mistake was still made and it's on me to be better next time.
So this Marantz can be sound good with klipsch? I like the high of klipsch afraid to lose that,
@@thiagodelgado3128 yes
Hey just Sorry ask again, What misses to be perfect? Almost perfect cause of the performance or cause the MISSING Dirac?
I have de Denon 6700H for 2 years now, would be a better deal if I change? I’m running a 11 channel Dolby Atmos system and also have another system for music.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you again for all the ❤ you've shared with me regarding the loss of my grandmother. It's meant so much to me. 🙏
❤
I've been out of pocket lately (VA stuff)...and I also send my condolences and prayers you you and your family 👪 🙏 ❤
Kristi, thank you for sharing your story and for always having an additional fresh take on these reviews...we’ve found that my wife usually agrees with your preferences and we both enjoy your perspective.
🙏🏼
❤
Good morning guys, thanks for the review.
I would have loved to see dirac out of the box, manufacturers are famous for promising a feature in the future, and then it being underwhelming, buggy or late to get to the general public when (if) it ever happens. Not saying that marantz will do that, but i ddint think yamaha would either...
I think its more visually appealing than the previous marantz receivers, but i also find i dont care too much visually about an AVR since its generally mounted in a cabinet or rack in my experience. Its not an Integrated Amplifier which i would expect to be "on display" more often.
Also i have found that my Onkyo RZ-50 has more than enough power to run a home theater without external amplification.. My Emotiva A2 is just sitting next to my cabinet not plugged in and i couldnt be happier. Given that the Onkyo is 1000$ cheaper and has Dirac out of the box i cant see the reason to buy the marantz for 40% more. The onkyo is beautiful in its own right with the stout feet, taller chassis, and the clean front with the door shut. With the door open there are a ton of buttons, a great screen for making adjustments and they STILL have a great app and tons of power and preouts. Selling my Onkyo RZ50 for this never even crossed my mind, and I certainly wouldnt do it without dirac being released and there being a few months of stability under its belt.
I would 100% urge you (or anyone) NOT to sell their RZ50 in favor of the Cinema 50. Tonally there is a difference, and while I subjectively prefer the sound of the Marantz to the Onkyo, it is not a night and day difference and thus I am not ditching my RZ50 either. Plus as you point out, it's fully realized now whereas we have to wait and see with the Cinema 50.
I've just bought the Cinema 50 and pairing it with a Monitor Audio 7.1.2 speaker system and a Samsung 85" Qled TV, as I'm a longterm MARANTZ user and like their products sound and quality. Regarding the omission of DIRAC I view this a a win-win. I get some new tech to play with at Xmas which will be lovely and then in 3 months I get the DIRAC firmware upgrade so it will be like having new kit again
I have Monitor Audio Silver 200, recently at 5.0. My Cinema 50 arrived yesterday and I need to test it against my cca 4 years old Denon x3500h. As for the Dirac - while it might arrive in 2-3 months, it is going to be a paid and quite expensive feature, no? It will surely be interesting to compare it to the Audyssey paid app.
Hi, How do the monitor audio sound with the cinema 50 ?
Great episode. it's cool to see the Model30 look taking over. Nice video.
This looks like a beast AVR that can be used as a processor too.
It (like the 8015) makes for a GREAT processor!
I'm thinking the cinema 50 with couple of basx a1 would be perfect for a 7.4.4 setup driving the Polk Reserve series.
It would be killer!
Hey Andrew and Kristi, love your reviews. I had a recent recommendation for KEF Q950 and Q650 speakers for my space along with 4 in ceiling speakers 2 for Atmos and 2 as rear surrounds. The consultant didn’t dial in a receiver though. I like the Cinema 50 but have seen several articles stating the 950s work better with 140-150 watts. Question is Onkyo RZ50 and a 2 channel amp or the Cinema 50 to get me going and an amp later if needed? (based on my current budget).
Not having dirac from the start is not a dealbreaker because it will be added later on but would have been nice to have it from the start imo 🎉
I just received my CINEMA 50 yesterday still trying to set it up and so far, I love it. I am replacing my old Sony STR-DA7100ES.
How do u like it?
@@sidhuloveindia Hi I haven't really had time to set everything up yet. but so far it seems to be great. Stepping up from that Sony is massive. I'm getting the Samsung 65" S95B OLED 4K Smart TV coming in a few days. Can't wait to get everything up ang going. And I got the Polk R700 R400 the R200 and 4 of the R900. I'll get a high power 3 CH amp for the front 3.
Isn't DRAC a upgrade you must pay for on this ?
yup
Yes, there will be a fee associated with DIRAC which is common amongst products like this one.
Why does the Marantz look exactly (!) like the Denon AVR series in the back, seems like same technology... whitelable business from Denon with frontside customization for Marantz...but at higher prices... ?
Same company.
Denon bought out Marantz in 2002.
great review as always thank you.
Ug. I bought an 8015 last year. It never ends....
I wonder if they will make a Cinema 30...
nice review! I have an old denon avc-a11sr, could this marantz be a valid replacement or should I be on a high-end product to have the same quality in stereo reproduction?
What don’t you like about HEOS?
For listening to music, have you tried the Phono Input? If so, how good or bad is it - especially compared to Model 40n?
Been considering upgrading from my SR7011, so appreciate the great and timely review. Didn’t hear you mention it, but any thoughts between this and the Anthem MRX series?
I cannot comment on the Anthem products as I have not heard them and Anthem refuses to send gear to us for some dumb reason.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews thank you. Like what I’ve read about Anthem, but appreciate what you and Kristi are doing. Would prefer to support the brands that support y’all. Call me a fan. Marantz it shall be.
This seems like almost the perfect receiver as I am in the process of upgrading from very old equipment (Onkyo TXNR3007) and looking into going with a stand alone amp and maybe using an AVR as a pre-pro. I just can't get past that little display. If it wasn't for that I would have ordered this already. Do you have any other recommendations that might be on this level. I though about an Anthem MRX-720 but other than that I can't think of much better in the AVR category. Maybe I should just spend the extra money and make the jump to a real pre-pro like an AVM-70.
*I would like to further weigh in on the plastic vs metal thing. I know Marantz is saying metal design and if true, it is the among the most plastic feeling metal ever. It may be aluminum with a coating that is giving it a plastic like feel, I don't know, but when you run. your finger across the front of the Cinema 50 it feels like plastic. When you run your finger across the 40n, it's cool like metal. Perhaps I played it too fast and loose with the phrase "all plastic" but if you have both units next to each other as I do, there is no doubt which one is metal-metal and which one may be the cheapest metal available while still allowing one to say it's metal. Apologies to anyone who may be upset by my remarks. I stand by what I said though, in that the Cinema 50 is well made, it just isn't AS well made as the 40n. Oh, and while the Cinema 50 and 40n have largely the same remote, the 40n's remote is metal whereas the 50's is plastic.*
I was watching a different content creator's review of an avr and compared to a pro like Andrew Robinson the video was a joke. Andrew gotta say thanks for not wasting our time filming unboxing, going through on screen settings, and other nonsense. You get straight to the point and giving good information, but more importantly you keep the video engaging and entertaining.
If you guys could do us a favor, please like the video and share it with your friends if that feels right. The YT algo is being pretty fickle this morning. Thank you!
Yeah, they're shaking up the algorithm (again), so smashing the like button helps A LOT.
How big of a difference is this model when compared to cinema 60? Considering that I have a 7.1 setup(5.1.2) and the room size does not require additional 2 speakers?
Specs wise this just have 10 watts more than the cinema 60 model.
Hello, would you please do a review for the Cinema 40? We know cinema 50 isn’t far off but we would like to see a comparison on the performance. I have not found a review for the Cinema 40 in depth
This is my favorite channel yall a hero for this niche
I have a Cinema 50 and I really enjoy it, however it should really say DIRAC '*'. Although is supports DIRAC, it obviously does not come with it, and for the price that DIRAC wants for the software (not to mention a microphone), it is hard to justify its cost, especially when Audessey's software upgrade is only $20. After running Audessey Muti EQ, and adjusting a couple of curves, I found it to work better than I expected, and now have little to no desire to shell out the money for DIRAC.
Andrew / Christi: Bought the Marantz Cinema 50 based on your review to replace my Marantz 5012. As my media room, has an odd HVAC intrusion, I can’t get proper atmos so I have to rely on speaker virtualization in the Marantz app. I must say I am quite impressed with it as it - significantly - opens the soundscape. A major upgrade to the my 5012. Indeed, I would call it much more sophisticated and the overall sound, to my ears, is delightful! As you said: “It is almost perfect”, and I would have to agree. Nothing is perfect in this world. For me, it just has to do what the engineers say it will do . . . and if it does (often it doesn’t, as you know) I am thrilled! Wow it actually works?! Really! Well the Cinema 50 does it for me and I couldn’t be happier!!!
Hey Andrew, great review! It would be cool to see you go back to this receiver now that Dirac has gone live. Also, it would really be cool if you could give an explanation of your manual setup approach with these receivers over Audyssey.
This vs 8015 vs cinema 40 in terms of 2 channel audio quality
Really looking forward to your Denon 3800h review. I want to see how it compares to the Marantz cinema 50.
Yes, same here. On paper they look almost the same with the specs. The 3800 might even have a bit more power. Listening to the review and looking at specs its a bit hard to understand why C50 is a $1000 more.
What abou the new Denon 4800H compared to Marantz cinema 50 ?
Onkyo's RZ50 is tough to best when it comes to Value, and is much better suited for Beginners. (especially since they won't charge you for DIRAC Live)
then again for people who can afford more, the Marantz may be the better brand in terms of critical Music listening.
How big of a difference would you say is it in Music ? Really noticeable ? I like Warmer or Neutral to Warm tending sound.
Hi Andrew- when you review the Denon X1700H can you please compare the 2-Channel audio sound quality to the Marantz Cinema 50? Thx!
The thing that burns me about DIRAC isn't that it's a later update, but that you have to pay for a license. They're selling this product with the DIRAC logo. I shouldn't have to buy separately what they're telling me I'm going to get. If it was a free update later, that's fine. Not great, but ok. But to have to buy a license as well, there is nothing about DIRAC that comes with the Cinema50 other than the capability to add it later.
Other than that, it looks like the Cinema50 is a perfect fit for what I'm looking for, but that whole DIRAC issue is really bothering me. I can't decide if that's a deal breaker or not.
Dirac came to picture now. But prior to dirac also maranz did well. And audissy is also there. Heard it is updated I don't know. Got the Marantz50
The cinema 50 is now 1500euros, same as rz50, looks like a no brainer
Nice but it should have a screen at least as large as a S22 or iPhone 14 max. You can get an android table with a 10" screen for $120 - that includes the battery and computer - an AV receiver in 2022 should have a better screen than your fridge.
Other than some potential interference issues with the onboard electronics, I don't see why these products continue to look like something from the 90's.
Did Marantz trip up w/o
D I R A C at launch????
Does a bear 💩 in the woods?!
Lol YOU BET they did, and should be DAMNDED ashamed of doing so!
I STILL, $$Sadly, have my heart set on the 8015 because yes- at 70 years young, I 𝘿𝙊 WANT THE OVERKILL-I deserve it! But the costs on some of these are so prohibitive, it makes me wonder- just STAY WITH MY OL SONY ES V333 and shut the hell up, deal with some harshness on the top end…..
Or LIVE MY LIFE, BLOW THE 💵$$$$💵 WAD AND JUST
𝙄𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙀 𝙈𝙔𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙁 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 ..𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙀𝙎𝙄𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙....
Gotta do it and DO IT THIS YEAR! Andrew, Thank You-
Christie🌹- H E L P ME!!😉
Hey, you guys TOTALLY ROCK! I’ve been enjoying AND LEARNING FROM your channel IMMENSLY!
I only wish I could have had the relationship in my marriage that you two exude-
The closest thing my wife had always said when it came to my music were those three little words…..
𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙏 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉‼️🤣
Rock on folks! ❤️🎵🎼🎼💙
I'm a gamer and rarely a movie watcher but when I watch them, I really like to enjoy them. Is the Marantz 50 a balanced purchase for performance/cost? I plan to explore 7.2 (two subwoofers). Luckily I live in an apartment with really great concrete and neighbours can't hear anything on my current 2.1 system. I liked your video (I am subscribing) Cheers from Chile!
100% dead on again! This looks to be a Denon X3800H with better styling and Marantz' HDAM "richness/warmth". From my experience with the x3800h, everything you said, except for the "Marantz richness", matches up exactly. Im looking forward to your X3800H review to see how you compare the two. Its a great time to be in the market for a AVR! (minus the post pandemic prices, of course). Thanks for another great review!
P.S. - Have you tried Audyssey MultEQ-X? I think you would really like it.
Speaking as someone in the firmware development industry. We don't know why the execs make these decisions either
😅
Would love it if you guys also did the AV10 review when it comes out and how standalone sounds vs Cinema 50/40. Thanks.
I can say personally that Marantz honors their warranty. I had a freak problem occur with my AV 7705. Couldnt be fixed. Marantz shipped me a new unit, and to my surprise, it was an AV 7706. Thanks to them for honoring their word.
THAT'S HUGE! Appreciate you sharing!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews 🎉
I HATE the porthole screen on my Marantz. I dont know whats going on with my receiver AND I have to walk up to it to read the screen. Why did they even give us a remote if they want up to walk up to the AVR to see anything? If they want to keep the porthole look, why don't they make it bigger? If things don't change, I'm going back to Onkyo.
Hey Kx, I am a life long Onkyo fan as well as Marantz fan. I had the RZ50 and it was everything I could ask for, Including the awesome sound from DIRAC but it did have a display defect where there was NO DISPLAY at all (this happened 1 week or so into new ownership) so I returned it. So I was very sad to say the least as I love the RZ50 style, sound, power seamless integration with my home audio setup. BTW DIRAC was awesome.
I currently have an old Marantz SR5011that is flawless. Only thing it has 7 channels where I need 9 plus 4 independent sub outlet, and that is where the 40 comes in.
I also hate that SR5011 Porthole, but love the addition of the LCD readout under the flip panel of the 40 is a big part on my wanting the Cinema 40 (Besides fours subs, awesome looking copper screws and being made in Japan.
So in short I want another RZ50 but cannot trust it due to the earlier mentioned fault and that it is 2 years old by now. I got the feeling a RZ51 or something is in the works....... Maybe Onkyo will up their game 1Q23 too compete with the new Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon models.
IF Onkyo upgrades their current model in the next few months I may change my mind and go with Onkyo again.
@@aspjake123 I wanted the RZ50 when I bought my SR6015 last year but they were on backorder and the store did not know when they were coming in (over100 preorders). So I just bit the bullet and got the Marantz. I'm not blown away by it. The sound is ok and for some reason, the phono stage is really low, I have to crank it up to at least 70dbs to enjoy my my records ( I could always buy a phono amp but that would defeat the purpose of the avr). So I decided to see if the RZ is in stock now and yes they are. The store offered to credit me $1100 for my Marantz towards the RZ. I'm really tempted but to lose $1000 kinda hurts.
I've spent the last few days listening to my new CINEMA 50. Initial impressions are good. High quality construction. (Painted aluminum face plate, knobs, and doors, not brushed and anodized like most front face plates but not plastic either aside from the textured side accents.) The GUI is logically laid out and looks great though the Web UI is much faster for initial setup. The remote is high quality and well organized with good key feedback and clear markings. I was able to get an incredibly flat room response using the MultEQ iOS app. I followed the advice of many to spend the extra money for the app to access the curve editor. It was good advice. I find the sound without Audyssey room correction to be disappointing-somewhat dull with rolled off highs and a smallish soundstage. With Audyssey, the sound is transformed. It expands and snaps into focus. However, it is necessary to add back the bass punch that is lost during the room EQ. This is best accomplished using the app. Even after Audyssey, I find vocals to be a little recessed compared to what I'm used to. Fiona Apple usually sounds like she's standing in front of me during "The First Taste". Less so with the CINEMA 50. Overall though, my experience mirrors Andrew's. This is a great sounding receiver.
For anyone who, like me, is new to Audyssey, Audioholics has a great, nearly two hour UA-cam webcast about best practices. The TLDR version: Start the adjustments from the app, not the receiver, or you won't be able to access them from the app later on. Take a minimum of five measurements, preferably eight. The first measurement is from ear height at the listening position. The seven subsequent measurements are also taken from ear height no more than 20" away. (The software will tell you 24".) Midrange compensation is an outdated setting that should be off. Dynamic Volume should be off. Dynamic LFC is just a high pass filter and should be off for best sound. Dynamic EQ should be off for the most neutral sound. (Your choice though.) It is usually best to limit Audyssey to the frequencies that are affected by the room. This is done in the app. The appropriate setting is almost always between 200-300 Hz. (As an aside, this is the reason you may not want to pay for a full range DIRAC Live upgrade.) Finally, after uploading the Audyssey correction from the app to the receiver using the Share button (iOS), set the MultEQ XT32 setting on the receiver to "Flat", not "Reference". My CINEMA 50 defaulted to Reference.
On iOS, the MultEQ app saves the measurements and settings in a file that can be tweaked and re-uploaded. Better, you can copy the measurements file and create multiple Audyssey configurations that can be uploaded at any time to the receiver. The receiver has two Speaker presets allowing you to upload two different Audyssey curves to directly compare them. Theoretically, we will be able to load a DIRAC correction in one and an Audessey correction in the other at some point. Andrew may have mentioned this. It's been a few days since I listened to this review.
It would be interesting to listen to the X3800H and hear what you're getting for the extra $800 beyond improved aesthetics. Side by side without room correction, I wonder if I wouldn't prefer the DENON's sound signature, though I find DENON receivers intolerably ugly so it was never an option for me.
I think the Denon X3800H is the main competitor, I get that it is old school looking. On the X3800H they changed out the DAC, which apparently isn't as good as the original 3700H but still has nice amplification. The 3800H has a lot of nice features though, for music you could run an external DAC. One question, on the Marantz Cinema 50, can you run just a couple of the channels (like left front and right front) in the Pre-Out, while all other channels run through the receiver? This feature is available on the Denon X3800H but was not available on the 3700. This is important if you want to use a separate stereo amp for stereo.
@@nafnaf0 The CINEMA 50 divides the speakers into three groups: front, center, surround. For each of the groups you can choose either "speakers + preout" or just "preout". I believe (though I haven't tried it) that you could configure this in multiple ways and store each of the different configs in different presets.
2 questions:
1. Can you turn ON Dynamic EQ while Audyssey is OFF?
2. What was your previous receiver and how does it compare to the marantz?
@@playcold32 #1. No. Dynamic EQ is a feature of Audyssey and requires it to be on. Is there a way to create an Audyssey preset w/ no adjustments as a work around? I'm not sure. As I've said earlier, I think the CINEMA 50 sounds awful w/o Audyssey so if Audyssey ever quits working the CINEMA 50 hits eBay the next day.
#2. My previous receiver is an NAD T778, which also sounds fantastic-probably better than the CINEMA 50. The T778 sounded so good out of the box that I never even got around to trying Dirac. That said, I am reluctant to recommend the unit. I bought the T778 a year ago to replace a Yamaha RX-Z7 that worked flawlessly for 13 years. The T778 worked flawlessly for four months. Then it started malfunctioning and [long story short] NAD finally sent me a brand new replacement after making me wait without an AVR for *eight months*. It has been the worst customer service experience of my life, as much for the complete lack of concern and empathy on the part of NAD customer service as for the wait time. I have the new, factory sealed T778 sitting on the floor in my theater room. I can't decide whether to open it and do a comparison or just throw it on ebay and eliminate the chance of ever having to deal with NAD again. Based solely on sound quality, I strongly expect I would prefer the NAD and want to return the Marantz.
That said, everything else about the Marantz is superior. The CINEMA 50 feels like a refined, fully finished component. The T778...well, let's just say that the remote has an "Audyssey" button on it but it doesn't have Audyssey. It has an "Enter" button that doesn't enter; it duplicates the functionality of the down arrow. And the right arrow button serves as both the right arrow and enter. Worse, the T778's expansion card is inexplicably glued into its slot, eliminating the one big advantage of its modular design. I could go on. Frankly, the only feature the T778 has that I miss on the CINEMA 50 is Center Spread.
Ya I bought the cinema 50..listened to the video..and took your advice..running 7.1.2...
Thank you for taking the time to explain your setup. I am extremely happy with this reciever. I bought the app...cut off correction at 250...sounds great...I still might experiment some..buti can definitely be happy living with it now.
I have a Marantz SR6012 and have been wanting a pre-pro upgrade to the 7706 before replacing. AV10 is out of current budget and overkill for me. This looks interesting to replace mine and MiniDSP for my 3 subs. I am waiting however until reviews of Dirac and spatial bass with using multiple subs. As is I will stick with what I have Yes Marantz tripped up. If Dirac was available I would have upgraded. Now competitors like Emotiva have time to get their bleep together and me save more for other competitors. I think anyone in this price market is going to wait whether new purchase or upgrade existing. Why spend more on a competitor if Dirac makes a huge improvement? Why spend less on potential inferior product when Dirac is around the corner?
Should we technically call this a "Receiver" given that it does not have a tuner built in?
Nice update, especially for HDMI supporting complete 2.1 set and Dirac where's provided... Said that internally it's always same stuff, Dirac is not a game changer for me and I'd save money with old lineup, unless HDMI 2.1 is required for whole setup.
I'd never give 8015 into for Cinema50...
For over 10 years I’ve been wanting to love a Marantz AVR, but I really REALLY hate that little port-hole display!! Nobody could possibly read that from their listening/viewing position.
On screen display…
I don’t love HEOS by any stretch, but I use it because I don’t know of any easier and better way to stream lossless audio from Amazon Music. If there is a way, please somebody tell me. I know there are options that add equipment and in turn cost money. As mediocre as HEOS is, it’s free with the receiver.
Marantz is waiting for the brand new Spatial Dirac software to be completed by Dirac. If you only wanted the current NON Spatial version, the yes, It would have been included in the release of the Marantz 50.
Someone else who gets it!
@@Wozzaatwozza Makes sense. Let's hope that's it and that there isn't some technical hurdle in the way as well.
oops I should have added: Yes and what if the new Dirac software is delayed? Don't think software projects aren't delayed!
This would make sense. But how do you know it, is this just your guess?
@@minos64 During the press release of Dirac they mentioned the new version will be available on the new Marantz processors. Then during the Marantz release at Cedia that the units Dirac upgrade comes with the new Dirac version to be released.
What’s very interesting is how MIMO Dirac approaches room correction very differently. Revolutionary!!!!
All other room corrections will now be like the difference between SVHS and HDMI
Top shelf presentation guys, most enjoyable and informative, just brings a smile, many thanks.
Can't wait for the next Denon review and maybe at some stage the Denon AVR-A1H 8K Receiver + DIRAC. 🎶
Hi Andrew, love all your reviews, just wondering when are you going to review the cinema 40?
Really thinking about buying one, but been waiting for your review to get your thoughts :)
Thanks Chris
I am wondering if Andrew could elaborate more on his selection of the cinema 50 over the rz50. They seem pretty evenly matched and have a big price difference. What about the cinema 50 performance was better? I am looking for a new reciever for a dedicated theater room for video games and movies. Is the sound quality really worth the $900 premium? Seems like the answer is yes but please elaborate 😊. Great video I love the detail and amazing production quality of your videos. Top notch!
Hi Andrew and Kristi, in the review you said that the sound between the Cinema 50 and SR8015 is close enough, but you said that the Cinema 50 has worse dynamics compared to x3800h, and in the SR8015 you said that you never heard better dynamics before in a receiver, so one key difference between the sound of the Cinema 50 and SR8015 is that the SR8015 has much better Dynamics?
I'm virtually already bent on getting the Cinema 40, which apparently is the Cinema 50 on roids, built in Japan instead of Vietnam, has video component input so can still hook up my beloved Wii, and slightly more juice and few other goodies. Can't wait to till their available with Durac!
I have the Marantz SR6015 and it has served me very well for almost 2 years. I see no need to upgrade. Thank you Andrew for all you do.
Cinema 40 is out! Curious how much better it is.
Please, can you review and compare the Arcam AVR31
How does this compare with the NADT778 for music? Also has Dirac actually now been made available for this? Thanks!
Question Is it possible to connect the Denafrips Ares II DAC to the Marantz Cinema 50 without using a computer? Thanks in advance
Andrew is obviously much more qualified than I am, but unless you just have to have a Marantz, I wouldn’t get a Cinema 60. It won’t have Dirac support, it’s only 7 channels with no additional pre-outs, and the two sub channels are not independent. For the same money you can get the new Denon 3800h or the Onkyo RZ50 which is back in stock, and spec wise they are closer to the cinema 50. If you can afford to splurge for the 50, god bless and enjoy. Otherwise I’d get one of those 2.
Actually I would love to see a comparison between the rz50 and the 3800h. They one up each other in different areas and I would have a hard time deciding between them.
Also, I might be wrong, but from what I’m gathering, Dirac is going to be an "optional upgrade", meaning it’s going to cost money. That’s messed up if that’s the case. You can get $1000 receivers now that come with Dirac so I really hope this isn’t the case.
DIRAC is an optional upgrade on most devices. This is fairly standard.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews thanks for the reply Andrew! So what does dirac support even mean then? Or do you need to use something like a minidsp to use dirac on most devices? And it's built in on these? It has to be something lol.
@@spizzlo I've owned multiple devices with DIRAC. There are different versions. The basic DIRAC Live version covers the frequency range that is affected by room interactions. Check for yourself on anything you're considering, but my impression is that this is usually included for free. This is definitely true of the NAD T778. The upgrade from the free version with limited frequency range to the version with full range is $99. DIRAC Bass Control would be even more though it is irrelevant for the T778. My understanding (from other commenters) is that Onkyo's RZ50 gives you the full range DIRAC Live free out of the box. I haven't confirmed this.
The RZ50 comes standard with DIRAC LIVE but not the full version of DIRAC. As with most products, the full version of DIRAC is an upgrade ($).
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thanks for the clarification.
Hi Andrew, how are you? I´m Mario Diniz from Brazil. In beginning of january I'll visit my cousin in Orlando and I buying a receiver.
I'm in doubt between the OnkyoTX rz50 and the Marantz cinema50, could you clear up a doubt for me to decide?
I know that to be able to use Onkyo in the dolby atmos 7.2.4 configuration I need an amplifier such as Onkyo M-5010, Integra ADM-20.4, in the case of the Marantz cinema 50 receiver it would also be necessary an amplifier to use in the 7.2.4 configuration Dolby atmos?
And finally, if there is a need to use the amplifier, these models Onkyo M-5010, Integra ADM-20.4, are compatible with the Marantz cinema 50.
It would be great if you could create a video of your setup when going via Audyssey and configuring it manually so I can compare.
Also when you setup your Xbox do you have to turn on the amplifier in order for the Xbox to work? I was attempting to set mine up so I could play games on the Xbox One without needing the amp on for it to display the game
Marantz has given its customers the middle finger for years. That’s the Sound United way.
Just ordered the Marantz Cinema 50 from Best Buy and saved $500 thru the Marantz promotion. Can't wait to get it and hook it up.
How?
Marantz was having there 70th Anniversary promotion where you can trade in your old avr and get 20% off the purchase of a Marantz receiver. The promotion ended Nov. 10th. @@vladyslav1987
I want you to know I come to your channel for your cinematography. It can't be easy setting up and doing all of those B-roll shots to such a meticulous standard. But it sets your channel apart, I appreciate it and it's what I come for. If ever you're frustrated, or run into problems with the B-roll and think "does anyone even care?". Just wanted to let you know I care, I see, and I am grateful for it.
That's all.
P.S. Also for Kristi. She's great. You should marry her twice just to be sure she stays.
😂 love this comment so much
@@KristiWright love what you do.
I was always impressed with how clean Andrew's videos are. Both in in B-roll, A-roll and.... Kristi-roll? 😁
Professionals top to bottom 👍
The cinema 60 will Not have Dirac. As far as I can tell. This makes me more mad than having to wait for it. I rock a 3.1 and don’t want to spend a fortune just to get decent sound and Dirac.
Confusing info surrounding that model for sure. Makes no sense not to offer it especially since you ultimately pay for the privilege.
Which would you recommend between the Marantz SR7015 vs this Marantz Cinema 50?
Both are around the same price for me and I'd previously been eyeing up the SR7015 and was waiting for a sale until Marantz announced and now released this Cinema series.
I'll be using it for a 5.1.2 home theatre setup and from what you've mentioned in the review I think the Cinema 50 is best as it will hopefully come with this DIRAC software that the SR7015 won't get.
Love the content Andrew and any additional advice would be greatly appreciated, cheers!
These damn reviews somehow put this invisible pressure on my arm to pull my wallet from thy pocket.... hahahaha.... Cheers.. Our drink this evening was the original James Bond Martini, known as the Vesper... :)
Appreciate your support ABX. I enjoyed a refreshing mix of Limoncello, Elderflower liquor and Prosecco at lunch today.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Well played Sir. Well played. :) Hope you both have a fantastic evening.
Like yourself and Kristi, I am NOT a fan of any company touting the feature set of their latest new product only to find that upon the new product’s release I can not access some of it’s much touted features until the company releases a future firmware update that will enable those hyped, but missing features.
Making the whole matter of having to wait for a future firmware update to enable these features that were MIA when the product was released is that often, the manufacture can not even provide a specific date as to when they will be releasing the firmware update that will enable the full suite of features of their new product(s).
This practice of companies releasing, what is essentially an unfinished product to market with the promise of unlocking all of the product’s advertised features with the vague promise of some kind of future update (be it firmware or something else) is an emerging trend that seemingly more and more manufactures of AV gear and other tech products are embracing.
To all those manufactures out there who have embraced this trend, or who are contemplating adopting this practice for their new products, I have one word for you - STOP!
I’m really liking the new Marantz receivers I’m glad I held off and just upgraded my display first. In my case I’d need to go Cinema 40 to meet my needs and I’m probably going to get the soon to be released Denon X4800H instead as I can get that one for much cheaper than the Cinema 40. Marantz sure has nailed it again with a great line up though.
A little off topic, I purchased an NAD 700 on your recommendation, just like the Hersey IV’s I pulled the trigger on, again thanks to you. The NAD is for my wife in the living room. I came home tonight and discovered she had connected her iPod to the NAD via USB. Behold my amazement the NAD and BLUOS could control the iPod. It turned the iPod into a mini hard drive! Did you know it could do that! And it sounds like we are listening to the DAC in the 700, bypassing the iPod DAC. What a fantastic little perk to have!
I made the comment that I won't buy the new Marantz avr until it actually releases the "Dirac live" .I was actually chastised by a few people and one guy in particular said ,"avr manufacturers have to do what they say they will do"! Unquote! All I could do was laugh 😃. This guy I spoke of needs a history lesson for sure. Lol!
Correct. Not only do they not have to do anything, it could turn out that they are unable to include Dirac in a reasonable time at reasonable cost. Ask an engineer. Things can go wrong.
Hopefully they come through with their promises. That said I don’t blame you for holding out until it’s released.
Seems that Cinema 60 wont come with Dirac live. Pity.
Onkyo RZ50 might just be the winner.
Would love the Marantz, just priced heavily where i live in the world.
eager to see a review of the Arendal 1961 towers!
Just got the Denon AVR-X3800H. Using an 11.1 configuration with a Yamaha Aventage 3030 for LCR and Zone 2. Would you consider spending $800 more for the Marantz Cinema 50 or the Denon AVR-X4800H a worthwhile investment?
Glad I managed to snag a Arcam AVR20 for 3100€, the Cinema lineup is just too expensive for what it offers.
The X3800H seems like the sweet spot to me.
The Denon X3700H is on sale for only $1200 right now. Worth considering the older model, same power output
@@nafnaf0 - That sale price is nearly the same original launch price. They jacked up the price from $1,200 to $1,600 last year.
Hi! Great review as always. I bought the 7015 two weeks ago. Hopefully i will not regret the decision to not wait for the cinema 50 or 40 :)
I might be in minority here and downvoted to oblivion, but the signature Marantz circle display is actually bothering me quite a bit. It is unique, but not very readable and not giving a lot of information.
Probably. I love it. Other brands are using big black screens that show simple info as well but clearly in a different way. When changing settings, an over display shows info on your tv with Marantz if you didn't know.
As cool as I think the design is, it is difficult to read at any reasonable distance. One of these days companies will catch up to what we’ve seen on our phones for the past 10 years. 😊
The Cinema 40 has a second display
@18:19 what is going on with the HDMI standard? I keep seeing consumer products coming out with old HDMI ports! I know there is a licensing cost, but I’d be shocked if it’s exorbitantly expensive? I’ve seen $20k projectors that have older inputs that require chroma subsampling (video compression) for any frame rate above 24hz. Receivers are even worse, often only having 1-2 inputs of the most current HDMI standard. It seems fine at the time of purchase, but a few years later your having to upgrade perfectly good equipment because the sources have caught up. It seems like engineered obsolescence to me 🤷♂️
Hey Andrew. Which one, Arendal 1723 or Polk R700?
Nope, not giving that info away until the Arendal review coming up.
Nice review, Andrew and Kristi. I know that the "incompleteness" of releases these day is maddening, but I think they wanted to get this one out for the 2022 holiday buying season. I suspect that the lack of Dirac probably has something to do with a pending software release. Looking at the Dirac web site, there hasn't been a new download posted there since Spring of 2022. That suggests to me that a significant revision is in beta test right now. Dirac support will probably come in the first quarter of next year once that update is generally available.
It’s a 70% guarantee for 5 channels only. Not the full 9 channels.
Any plans for a Marantz CINEMA 40 Review? Should be finally available now :)
Would like to hear/see the comparison against the Cinema 50 + Sony's new AVR lineup (specially against the Sony STR-AZ5000ES to make it fair)
The fact that at it's price it's made of mostly plastic and that little display is really disappointing to me.
It's not all plastic. I have one and its aluminum the entire top sides and bottom are metal, The center front plate, door and knobs are aluminum and the front side panels are made of polymer. It's typical for this level of product imo better then the last gen product thats for sure.
I would like to weigh in on the plastic vs metal thing. I know Marantz is saying metal design, and well, if true, it is the most "plastic feeling" metal ever. It may be aluminum with a coating that is giving it a plasticy feel, I don't know, but when you run. your finger across the front of the Cinema 50 it feels like plastic. When you run your finger across the 40n, it's cool like metal. Perhaps I played it too fast and loose with the phrase "all plastic" but if you have both units next to each other, there is no doubt which one is metal-metal and which one may be the cheapest metal available while still allowing one to say it's metal. Apologies to anyone who may be upset by my remarks. I stand by what I said though, in that the Cinema 50 is well made, it just isn't AS WELL MADE as the 40n. Oh, and while the Cinema 50 and 40n have largely the same remote, the 40n's remote is metal whereas the 50's is plastic.
It is interesting that your experience with the Yamaha RX-A8A has been so different from mine. The build quality on mine was impeccable. I was an early adopter of the unit so I received mine prior to yours. Perhaps quality control was better on these earlier units prior to the Covid buying craze and chip shortages. As far as the promised 8K support with VRR and ALLM firmware 1.73 will give the unit those features. I have not seen DIRAC support and you are right YPAO is not all that. I wound up re-calibrating everything by ear after running it. In my room, it did a terrible job at adjusting the bass levels. As far as recommending the unit after living with mine for nearly a year. If you want an AVR that is one of the best for movie watching Yamaha makes a good choice. For music I like the Anthem and Marantz AVRs better. If you looking for 8K gaming with VRR support. I think it wise to shop around and compare your options. The thing I hate most about owning Yamaha is you are an UN-paid beta tester for an receiver that now cost $3549.95. I find that their patches and updates have been coming out way too slow for an expensive flagship product. Which IMHO puts a lot of egg on the face of Yamaha. That being said, you are lucky indeed if you are able to get a hold of one. So they must be doing enough things right. Even with all of Yamaha's failings at providing timely customer support, whenever a dealer manages to get a shipment in, they usually are immediately sold out.
Planning to buy a new AV receiver within the next month or two and am struggling between Cinema 50 and Denon X4800. Denon is comparable in power and features with the Cinema 40, but is the Marantz brand and quality worth paying same price for slightly less capable receiver?
How does it compare to arcam avr20 or 21?
Great video...put aside the features...how about sound quality difference between like 6015 or 3700 and cinema 50?
After watching your review the other day I ended up buying the Marantz Cinema 50
Nice!!
Well, feedback please! How do you like it?
Hi Andrew, I'm a big fan of Anthem and in the market to update my AVM 30 ... the fan in the AVM 70 is a turn off and the awkward on screen set up is not fun. Will you review the Cinema 40 soon? I think it may the the way to go ...
I was waiting on this review to buy the Cinema 50 and finally have mine set up with KEF R3s. Yup - def takes a little bit of juice to wake things up. Music sounds flat at a volume of "58" but then at 62 it just opens up and sounds amazing.
You should get an SPL meter (or APP) to learn what "volume" level that really is in your room so you know for future reference when you experiment or change equipment. Unless you've "recalibrated" the receiver to accurately reflect the SPL in your room, 58 could be 70dB or it could be 40. Just a fun experiment you may want to try out. Thanks for watching!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Yeah, great advice. I don't really know what type of dBs I'm pushing. I'm looking forward to the DIRAC update cause these KEF R3s sound a bit bright to me (I've pointed them almost straight into the room to be about 30 deg off axis to roll off the highs a bit).
HeOS is janky as hell. And HDMI CEC is a major joke (full disclosure, I'm a coauthor of the Blu-ray disc spec so I have some background in AV technical specifications and, more importantly, validation/testing). I turned on my C50, it turns on my Nvidia Shield, turns on my LG OLED . .. then turns on my PS5 (Why?!). THEN, everything turns back off . . . one by one. THEN it all comes back on again!
There is no testing with some of these groups. When I ran a studio tech team (at a company with a mouse as a mascot) my team was in charge of writing the 3D Blu-ray spec. We put in the spec that you MUST pass a verification disc my team wrote. I had them write a disc that tested EVERY SINGLE FEATURE in the spec and produced a pass or fail log. If you failed any of the 30 tests, you did not get that blu-ray logo. HDMI folks need to invest in the testing verification part cause it's a joke.
Also, mentioned to Kristi before - love your video work. Love the beautiful pans across a speaker where the grill magically appears. Beautiful stuff.
Love Yamaha's, but they need to get with the program.. they are falling behind fast.. no DIRAC, no IMAX, etc
hold on....why in the ass do you need 4 SUBS!
Some people are just crazy that way. 4 is overkill for sure.
4 subs give you better sound balance across the room, and at more listening positions if set up properly. They are not for loudness and give more headroom. Even two is better than one.if set up properly (phase, and timing)
@@nebtheweb8885 ok then you talking about what....1000 square feet room? your sound wave at 250 and lower is so big that you don't really have / need directionality with subs. i will grant you the two sub argument with regards to headroom but unless you have a hanger as a home theater room then 4 is overkill.
@@paulorr9262It isn't.
@@diekeyserDirectivity still happens because of room modes. One ear can hear the bass even 12db+ louder than other! It will sound awful if you have square room and only one sub.
Andrew, I'll answer your question with two questions. Didn't we learn anything from Yamaha 2020 about promised upcoming features? Didn't we all agree let's evaluate equipment on what they can do today and not on features promised to arrive in the future? I'm with Kristi...WTF! But I'm bias with an Onkyo TX-RZ50 sitting in my house that already had Dirac Live out of the box. Meanwhile, CINEMA 50 owners will likely wait until 2023 or 2024 before they get Dirac. No thanks Marantz!
Sound United has gone on record as saying DIRAC will come to the 50 in Q1 of 2023. Like I say in the video, if it doesn't people have EVERY RIGHT to be mad as hell. The RZ50 may not have quite the same tonality of the Marantz, but it is the more fleshed out product TODAY for sure! I still love it.
What about the cinema 40??
My Cinema50 turned out to be DOA. The rear right height channel kept hissing and popping afte the amp is powered on. Sent it back. Should I get another Cinema50 or go for the Denon X4800H which costs a few bucks more? As for sonic character, I like my old Onkyo TX-RZ800 better than the Cinema50.
Speakers used: Polk R700 +R350C + R100 + 2pairs R900 & SVS Micro3000.
I would try the Denon
Well Darn I just bought the Onkyo RZ50 can`t keep up with these receivers !!
Keep the RZ50! I bought mine about 6 months ago, after watching their glowing review, and I'm very happy with it.
You didn't buy a bad or the wrong receiver. We still have ours and love it! While there is a tonal difference between the Cinema 50 and RZ50, when it comes to performance per dollar, the RZ50 STILL cannot be beat!
I've had my RZ50 for nearly a year. If, and only if, there is Dirac Live Bass Control on the new Marantz AVRs since they have independent sub outputs would I even bother considering an upgrade. The price for performance on the Onkyo is insane.
@@doug6357 Your gonna laugh, I put my Monolith THX Ultra 12" sub on a furniture dolly so that I can make adjustments easier. (it's a hundred pounds)
The bass control you speak of sounds great!
Although, SVS subs have an app so you can adjust them with your cell phone, that would probably be the best.
@@doug6357 Thanks! I didn't know about that.
Can u do comparable sound diff between cinema 50 and cinema 60 with separate amps like the Emotiva XPA
I'd like to see if there is a diff in sound with the 50 and 60 cinema
Thanks for the great content. 👍🏻
Thanks for tuning in!