We questioned the strategy of Marantz delivering a
nearly $800 Bonus View Blu-ray player last fall, but it appears ready to settle things with customers who believe in its superior construction and components and want a few newer features (though access to streaming movie services is still missing) with two BD-Live compatible players on the way in August. Both support AVCHD, DivX, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD bitstreaming and more, with the BD7004 adding 7.1 analog outs, internal TrueHD and DTS-HD MA decoding, an Anchor Bay Reference Series video processor and additional reinforcement against vibrations. Look for the BD5004 (pictured above) for $549 and the BD7004 at $799. In the interests of matching equipment, announced along with the BD7004 in Japan is the 7.1 channel NR1501 amplifier due this month, supporting the latest HD audio formats in a 105mm x 367mm deep resin and fiber reinforced design for ¥60,000 ($635), check for additional pictures after the break.
BD7004:
NR1501:
posted Jul 15th 2009 7:49PM
Hello. Looking for some advice from you guys here. Basically, just wanted to know what your take is on this Marantz amp (NR1501)? Would you go for this unit? Or would you put in a few hundred more and get the Marantz SR6003? Or any other line, or brand for that matter? As for the BD player, would I be best to just get the OPPO BD player, or should I just go with the Marzants BD player too? And just so you know.. I am not a true audiophile here. I would just like something decent. I definitely don't want a Bose system or anything like that. I'm open to any/all suggestions. Thank you in advance.
Chris
Tough to beat the Oppo BDP-83. Marantz has a cult following like so many other companies, however; Oppo has a cult following, also. As a media player, the Oppo is the unit desired by most audio/videophiles because of the customer service, price and quality. Keep in mind that your other equipment has to be up to snuff in order to benefit from this players abilities. I.E. 1080P Monitor-pre-pro or receiver capable of decoding the newer CODEC's-7.1 speaker array, etc. One weak link in the chain and the chain will break; Regardless to the fact that the rest of the chain is made from titanium. Hope this helps you.
Did you just mention audiophile and Bose in the same paragraph. Wow, we have a long way to go with this one!
Thank you for the tip(s) TRT. & Yes Peabods, I did make that mistake and mentioned both in the same paragraph, but at least I know enough to know/understand why Bose is a terrible brand. I feel sorry for individuals that think differently & allow the marketing to impact their beliefs. So, I may still have a loooong way to go with all the other A/V tech, but I do know this much. Anyway, I suppose if all else fails, I can just get Bang & Olufsen products! :)
Bang and Olufsen is crap too. It's for people who value looks over quality. Go do some BASIC research before you get ripped off buying overpriced, overly pretty garbage.
I just upgraded all my home theatre equipment. Rotel rsx1550 recever, the pansonic g10, and i was either going to get the oppo bd or the marantz7004. i have always been a fan of marantz dvd players just because of how the audio sounds. i have had three of them. i chose the marantz 7004 because i like following post there is a following of people who like there gear. i really wanted to see the oppo but i didn't. my main reason was i got it from magnolia about two weeks ago they gave me no interest for 36 months to me that is a free bd dvd player and Marantz has a warranty for 3 years. if i went with oppo i would of paid it off right there. i'm very happy with the marantz 7004. what was cool is that this is the first player i did not have to go into menus. i think it was because i was using a 1.3 receiver and 1.3 bd player so it automatically goes to the settings that are preferred. watching knowing the movie with the new receiver and bd player and new plasma. my friends were amazed at how good it sound and the visuals. all my friends said my new stuff blows away my old stuff of course. my old stuff was the hitachi director series rear lcd. nakamichi av10 receiver. the only thing i using from my old stuff was my B&W speakers.
Nice players. Completely take a warm, steamy crap on that Samsung 4600.
I just hooked up a BD7004 here in our showroom, connected to a Marantz SR6003 and Atlantic Technology speakers. Short version: It ROCKS!
Longer version: Marantz has REALLY stepped up their game in the last couple years. From the moment you unbox the unit, you realize that you are in for a substantially different experience from your run-of-the-mill Samsung or LG.
The new cosmetics are clean and elegant, with the logos on top of the unit and printed in a subdued grayish color instead of the garish gold on the front from years gone by. The one exception to this is a metallic Blu-Ray logo prominently placed on the left front. The unit is very attractive, with the slight curving of the front invoking a very contemporary look, while the size and weight of the unit gives it a re-assuring "high-end" feel. A welcome addition to the front panel from last year's BD-7003 are some basic transport controls, although I feel that the missing cursor and "enter" buttons are a glaring omission. Also on the front is an SD card slot.
I am really impressed with the back panel of the BD-7004. All connections are gold plated, which makes for a (theoretically) better electrical connection, and no corrosion. New this year is an RS-232 port and IR input for control and automation. In my demo system, I have the unit being controlled with the NetStreams video distribution system via IR. With the BD-7003 I had to use an IR flasher stuck to the front of the unit. While this worked ok, I found that using the direct IR input on the BD-7004 makes for much more reliable communication, and, of course, eliminating the IR flasher keeps the front panel looking clean.
Also new this year is an ethernet jack. This unit is fully BD-Live compatible, and includes the required 1Gb of storage needed for full functionality. In addition, firmware updates are available directly via the internet now. This is a huge improvement from the 7003! Unfortunately, firmware updates are now a regular thing, and having a quick, automatic way to update is an essential feature on any player now.
In addition to the v1.3 compliant HDMI port, Marantz has added a component video output (up to 1080i output). The unit is capable of simultaneous HDMI and component output, but only up to 1080i/60. If you select 1080p output for HDMI, you will be limited to 480p out via component. (note to Marantz: It would be very nice to have 1080p out via HDMI and 1080i out via component!) There is also a COMPOSITE video out (480i) in case you need it.
This unit will properly decode all formats of audio, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD-MA. You have the option of outputting native bitstream over HDMI, converting to Linear PCM over HDMI (for those with HDMI 1.1 on their AVR) and analog 7.1 (for those without HDMI). There is also a digital coax output which is limited to Dolby Digital or DTS, as well as a downmixed 2 channel analog output (nice if you need to distribute audio throughout the house).
For an audio test I popped in Iron Maiden's "Flight 666" Blu-Ray on the system. I found the soundstage very open and incredibly dynamic. Niko McBrain's pounding drums came through crisp and defined, while the hideously complex guitar riffs floating effortlessly from Murry, Smith, and Gers layer fluidly one atop another. I was able to close my eyes and "see" each one playing in front of me, with Bruce Dickenson belting out lyrics center stage. More than just loud, the sound was coherent and defined with good separation.
I also have the sound running 2-channel into the NetStreams distributed audio system, and playing back through Polk "IP-Ready" in-ceiling speakers (SC-80IPR) and the NetStreams SL-254 SpeakerLinx amp (4x25 watt, for the IP ready speakers). While in-ceiling speakers are, of course, a compromise, I found the 2-channel analog performance to be far above average as well, missing nothing of the nuance and detail that the multi-channel HDMI delivered.
Video performance did not fail to amaze either. Testing with Discovery's "Planet Earth", I found the color and sharpness to be much better than my own Playstation 3's performace, as well as besting the Samsung BDP-3600. I have no special calibration tools, unfortunately, but I can say the picture just has more "pop" to it than other players. The picture looks more three dimensional and more natural than other players I have used.
The unit is a bit more speedy powering up and loading the menus than last years model. However, it is still pokey compared to a Playstation or the newer Samsung and LG models. I didn't find the wait to be overly long, but still a bit on the slow side.
Finally, I would add that Marantz has an unheard of 3 year warranty! No other player I know of has more than a 1 year warranty. For Marantz to offer 3 full years of coverage speaks volumes for their build quality and construction, not to mention reflecting very well on the company itself!
Overall, I would say that Marantz has a real winner with this unit. Its performance is noticably better than entry level players, and it has the connectivity and control options to keep the custom installers happy. I would highly recommend this player to anyone looking for better than average performance!