Marantz NR1403 & NR1603 Slimline A/V Recievers Preview

It would be easy to dismiss Marantz's slimline offerings as lightweight if they came from a different company. But they come from Marantz which has a pedigree as long as our collective arms. We know that they care about their receiver offerings and about how they perform. So, thin case or not, the guts are sure to be quality.

A smaller case on a receiver has a lot of advantages. First, it allows for placement in furniture that was designed by people that think BOSE is the only name in speakers. It allows more space in your rack for other gear and it often pleases the spouse that is less understanding of home theater equipment.

The NR1403 Slimline receiver from Marantz is their entry level offering. It sports five channels of amplifications at 50 watts each. Each of these channels feature discrete amplification which means you'll have no problem driving reasonably efficient speakers with good distortion free sound quality. The receiver weighs in at 18 pounds and just a bit over 4" tall.

The Marantz sports an impressive array of inputs including six HDMI inputs (one front mounted), a single digital audio input of each type, and a few analogue audio inputs. There is no component video on board and no analogue video to HDMI upconversion (meaning you'll have to connect a composite video output if you use any of the three composite video inputs). There are five-way binding post for each of the five channels and a support for all the high-definition audio codecs.

The Marantz NR1403 has an on-screen setup and display for new users and, impressively, sports Audyssey MultEQ room correction. The HDMI inputs all support 3D and Audio Return Channel. Marantz has included front left and right outputs for adding an additional amp (a pretty interesting feature at this price point). The price is the real story here. At $400, the Marantz NR1403 has just about everything a new buyer could want. With one of the better Audyssey solutions on board, discrete amplification, and support of external amplification, this is a receiver that you may never want to get rid of because it will always have a place in your home.

If you are looking for something a bit more powerful and with a lot more features, Marantz has also released the NR1603. Sporting the same 50 watts per channel, the NR1603 adds two channels for a total of seven. It still clocks in at 18 pounds and has the same case, still has six HDMI inputs and one output, and still had one each optical/coaxial digital audio input, but don't let those similarities confuse you - this is much more powerful receiver.

The Marantz adds one very important and popular feature - streaming. The rear mounted Ethernet connection allows not only local streaming (dlna 1.5 certified) but wireless streaming from your iOS device or iTunes via Apple's AirPlay. It also has access to Internet Radio, Pandora, and more. This alone (along with the additional channels or amplification) would be enough to justify a price increase but Marantz didn't stop there.

The NR1603 has a front mounted USB port that allows streaming from most devices and supports iPod Digital Direct for improved sound quality from any iPhone, iPad, or iPod. There are now two component video inputs and one output as well as analogue video to HDMI upconversion. The same pre-outs are on board (2.1) but the additional channels (seven sets of five-way binding posts) can be assigned to front height channels via Dolby's ProLogic IIz. The NR1603 has an improved GUI with richer graphics, multi-platform support, and an enhanced feature set for faster browsing. Lastly, the NR1603 supports a second zone of audio through the internal amps.

Conclusion

The Marantz NR1403 is a bare bones receiver with some of the best bones we've ever seen. With discrete amplification, tons of HDMI inputs, and Audyssey MultEQ, it is a new buyer's dream at $400. But if you want more, Marantz has it with the NR1603. Adding video upconversion, two channels of amplification, a second zone, Apple AirPlay and other streaming options, you are getting a lot for your additional $250. Add to that the attractive slimline case and you've got a product that will be turning heads not only of first time buyers but those that are looking for a second (or third) receiver.

For more information please visit www.marantz.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.