The Official Marantz NR1607 Thread!

[solarrdadd]

Being so happy with the AV7702mkii pre-amp in my main HT system, I had to keep the good times rolling when I was ready for an upgrade in my bedroom a/v system. I picked this up today to upgrade my system from 5.1 to 5.1.2

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you, The Marantz NR1607 low profile a/v receiver!



it's a 7.2 receiver, here are some of the specs:

low profile chassis 4 1/8" high with feet
50wpc, individual support for two sub woofers
8 hdmi 2.2, 2.0, 4K inputs, one hdmi output, same spec's
Full 4K/UHD/HDR video support
Audyssey Laboratories' MultEQ with Dynamic EQ
Dolby ATMOS, DTS:X object based audio support for 5.1.2
Hi Rez audio 192/24 PCM, DSD single & double support via network or usb
Front L & R pre-outs, a 12v trigger for an external amp for 2 channel music
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Apple Airplay support
plus more!

i'll probably install it tomorrow, but, I will not have the ATMOS/DTS:X ceiling speakers installed yet nor will I run the calibration until that's done. I will use it in 5.1 mode un-calibrated.

it will be a welcome addition to my systems, I am proud to have stayed with Team Marantz. so impressed with my pre-amp from them, that I knew I would be loyal to this brand for quite some time to come.

you can expect my initial impressions either tomorrow or Tuesday. I will even throw a couple of pictures of the receiver in it's first and hopefully final resting place!

as always, I would love to hear from other people who own (or is thinking about owning )this receiver on what they think of it, good or bad. I want to hear from people who are thinking about getting it but have questions they want answered from actual users; hopefully we can help get those questions answered.

I do want everyone to be civil, this is not a whipping thread. I have no problem if you hate Marantz or just this particular piece of their gear but be respectful and don't bring the thread down with post after post about how much you hate the brand or this receiver.

I want everyone to feel welcome here and have a great time. I open the thread up to your posts. I will post regularly about my experiences with this receiver.

[Spire]

Was thinking about this model. I prefer the smaller size and the general look, but will most likely end up with the SR5010 later this week, partly for the extra headroom of the 100wpc. Also getting a pair of the B&W 683s2's. (Had a house fire last year, finally getting to replace things.)

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Spire

Was thinking about this model. I prefer the smaller size and the general look, but will most likely end up with the SR5010 later this week, partly for the extra headroom of the 100wpc. Also getting a pair of the B&W 683s2's. (Had a house fire last year, finally getting to replace things.)

you do realize you still could have gotten the 1607 and added a nice 2 channel amp to run those B&W's from. keep in mind, that 100wpc is based on 2 channels running, trust me it's less with multichannel duty. and so many folks believe the numbers are slightly fudged on the receivers spec sheets by most manufacturers. also, those B&W's have a sensitivity rating of 89dB spl. but, since insurance is paying for it (sorry about the house fire ) go for it!

I'm not running my front L & R with the receiver, I have a dedicated 2 channel amp to power those for 2 channel music at full range 2.0

best of luck with the SR5010.

[solarrdadd]

well, I have connected the receiver up into the bedroom system. it's only temporary as I learned something today. to compensate for it's low profile, the unit has extra depth and it couldn't fit in the cabinet with the cables in the back and whatnot.

I am going to remove a portion of the rear of my cabinet to allow the receiver go flush with the front of the cabinet. it will fit inside properly, but, most of the connector ends and will protrude through the back of the cabinet. this modification will also let more air flow through the compartment. in the bedroom I have an a/v cabinet with no front but the "nail on" back so I will get a nice bit of more air where the receiver is housed.

the receiver is warmer than my previous receiver (Onkyo tx-nr525) of course, that receiver was a full height sized receiver and there was more room for the heat to dissipate. mind you, the receiver isn't getting hot and I've had it running for several hours with the front L & R at full range to help "shake it down" during the break in phase. so far, it's just warm, but, again, mostly because it's almost 3" lower than my previous receiver.

I'm pleased to say that after several hours of non stop use it's doing just fine. the picture and the audio are amazing.

I tested tracks from a variety of 2 channel music to include, single (64) and double (128) DSD files, 192/24 FLAC & WAV, iTunes and MP3 256-320kbps and everything played perfectly, no problems and sounded great.

this receiver does have the same unfortunate limitation as other Marantz products of 2015-2016 in that it cannot play from large external USB HD's. I was unable to play music from a USB HD. I am not sure but I suspect it's an issue of the apparent rigidity of the fat32 format requirement and it's 32gb limitations.
I am disappointed that Marantz has chosen to go with fat 32 and not set up their systems to recognize NTFS like many other a/v receivers or players do. I have an a/v drive connected to my Oppo 105 (NTFS) and I had one connected to my old Onkyo 525 (NTFS) both are 1.5 to 2tb drives and both worked perfectly. perhaps one day they will give a firmware update to support NTFS.

with all that said, it's a small price to pay and can be resolved with either a 32gb USB memory stick or a NAS connected in your network that the receiver can see.

I also have a better more stable SiriusXM app built into the Marantz than the one that was in my Onkyo, it kept locking the receiver up at any given moment. the one on the Marantz is great.

I did sample 5.1 DTS-HD-MA & Dolby TrueHD movies on Blu-ray and they both looked and sounded amazing with the Marantz.

Blu-ray audio also sounds amazing as does SACD/DSD discs.

I have not yet installed my .2 speakers for ATMOS/DTS:X so I will not comment on it's capabilities yet. I hope to have that done in a couple of weeks. what I'm hoping to do tomorrow is to get the rear panel modified for the receiver to fit properly, also, if possible, get the 2 channel amp connected to the unit. i'll be using the 2 channel amp to power my front L & R so that I can have the power to drive them as full range without taxing the receiver. it's important to me for 2 channel (2.0) music. I have a pair of Vintage Polk Audio Monitor 10a speakers (Peerless Tweeters) and they sound amazing for music. a nice feature is the receiver has a built in 12v trigger that will turn the external amp on and off when the receiver turns on and off!

again, so far, so good. i'll keep you guys posted as I get this receiver settled in and really put it through it's paces.

[Spire]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

you do realize you still could have gotten the 1607 and added a nice 2 channel amp to run those B&W's from. keep in mind, that 100wpc is based on 2 channels running, trust me it's less with multichannel duty. and so many folks believe the numbers are slightly fudged on the receivers spec sheets by most manufacturers. also, those B&W's have a sensitivity rating of 89dB spl. but, since insurance is paying for it (sorry about the house fire ) go for it!

I'm not running my front L & R with the receiver, I have a dedicated 2 channel amp to power those for 2 channel music at full range 2.0

best of luck with the SR5010.

Yeah, i'm just using it as a 2 ch stereo amp at the moment. Went for a receiver instead of an integrated because of all the inputs, outputs, features, and for use with a tv in a few months. I wasnt aware some (all?) receivers only put out the rated power with fewer channels, I'll have to look into that. I know all about number fudging though in the PA sound world, lol, not as much in the consumer/hi-fi world (whatever you may call it).

Have you used the bluetooth feature yet? I was trying it out and so far, compared another Sony receiver I was using, the Marantz sounds awful. I'll have to look into how it works compared to the Sony. With the Sony it was almost as if I plugged the headphone jack from my phone into the receiver, whatever was played with my phone went straight to the receiver. With the Marantz theres a second or two delay between pressing play and it registering on my PHONE. So I'm not quite sure whats going on there...

[Spire]

Not intending to hijack your thread!

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Spire

Yeah, i'm just using it as a 2 ch stereo amp at the moment. Went for a receiver instead of an integrated because of all the inputs, outputs, features, and for use with a tv in a few months. I wasnt aware some (all?) receivers only put out the rated power with fewer channels, I'll have to look into that. I know all about number fudging though in the PA sound world, lol, not as much in the consumer/hi-fi world (whatever you may call it).

Have you used the bluetooth feature yet? I was trying it out and so far, compared another Sony receiver I was using, the Marantz sounds awful. I'll have to look into how it works compared to the Sony. With the Sony it was almost as if I plugged the headphone jack from my phone into the receiver, whatever was played with my phone went straight to the receiver. With the Marantz theres a second or two delay between pressing play and it registering on my PHONE. So I'm not quite sure whats going on there...

that my friend, is an industry (secret) fact; do your research. that is why for my main HT, i have complete seperates. i also have a 2 channel amp to drive my big front L & R so i don't have to worry about receiver power for music. i run my front L & R full range 2.0, again, not having to worry about power.

as for the streaming, i only stream things to my pre-amps or receiver via my cat6 gigabit wired network. i only stream Wi-Fi to my ipad or iphone in the house. i have never used Bluetooth for anything (except for an earpiece for my phone) so i can't speak to it. my music in the house is on a NAS so it's streamed through my network.

perhaps someone that has the model receiver you have and uses Bluetooth can help you out with it. if your really concerned, you should do a google about the model receiver you have and include Bluetooth streaming troubles in the search parameter.

as for the Bluetooth, I'd be too afraid the audio gods would come and take me in my sleep if i was streaming Bluetooth music to a pair of B&W 683s2's. j/k of course!

best of luck, i hope you get your question answered and possibly your issue resolved. you know, you can always start a thread about it.

[solarrdadd]

so, the 1607 is in place and so far I'm loving it. I am taking advantage of as many of it's feature sets as I can. I have the front L & R being powered via pre-outs to an Emotiva UPA-2 external amp 125wpcc @ 8ohms with Audioquest Evergreen RCA interconnects. I play my stereo music in 2.0, I also run the front L & R full range and with the amp, it can power it down as low as the speakers can handle it.

I'm also (ordered and am waiting their arrival) going with bluejeanscable.com's premium certified HDMI cables. I went with them in the HT setup and I'm very happy with them, so, I am mirroring my hdmi/interconnect choices into the bedroom. I expect to have the hdmi cables later this week and installed this weekend.

to make up for height, the receiver has more depth than my onkyo that was there before. I didn't want it to hang out of the front so, I did remove the back of my a/v cabinet to accomidate the speaker cable connectors and hdmi connectors too. also, the powersupply in the amp section of the 1607 does get warm, to very warm, (could be considered hot depending on how hard your driving it and where the receiver is situated i.e. fully open shelf or enclosed cabinet. so, the removal of the rear backing solved both issues. it now gets plenty of air so, temperature is not an issue and I can keep it flush with the shelf on the front.

here is a quick shot of the bedroom components in the a/v rack in the bedroom. yeah, that's my Polk Audio Monitor 5A center channel sitting on top of angled vibration isolator pads and my Disney/Marvel infinity figures on the a/v cabinet top!

1607 in rack.jpg

i'll keep you guys posted with it after I get the hdim cables installed. so far, this thing is a Boss!

[Nielsb90]

Hi there! I currently own a Pioneer VSX-1018AH receiver but I'm honestly tired of it. Doesn't look too good, and after 6 years I STILL haven't figured out how to fully control it! Besides, the pre-out for the center channel is loose so I use an amplifier only for stereo.

There is an NR1603 for sale near my home and I'm thinking about getting it! I would be using an Emotiva UPA-2 to drive my front speakers - do you think the Marantz can compete with the Pioneer in terms of sound? I don't play that loud and as I said earlier I hardly know how to control the monster (there are soooooo many settings for surround etc.) I would use it mostly for movies and some vinyl.

There is also an SR6006 for sale for slightly more but it is far away. That thing looks absolutely beautiful and powerful but I am afraid it is too complicated? Do you think it would be noticeably better than the NR1603? Would you say that this line is easy to set up and use, and do Marantz always use the same interface?

Sorry about all my questions and about hijacking your thread!

[bansuri]

While the receiver NR1606 claims 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD, with 2 channels driven, yesterday, watched 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi in my 5.1.2 set up with Zensor 7 as fronts, Zensor Vokal as center, Zensor 3 as surrounds (instead of earlier Polk 110b) and JBL control one at Top Middle Position (with SVS PB1000 sub)

I did not hear any distortion (i'm not audiophile) nor my receiver was Hot (it wasn't even warm) after the completion of the movie. My listening audio volume is generally at 40db to 45db dial (with 0-98 scale) which itself seems reasonable sound for me to fill my wide space hall.

People who listen to reasonable sound can go for this receiver without any doubt, unless they are specific about 5.1.4 or audyssey xt and above

[solarrdadd]

according to my tracking, my HDMI cables were delivered today, so, i'll have them when I get home and may install them tonight or tomorrow night.

[solarrdadd]

so, far, this thing just works right! I've run it at least 4 out of every 7 days of the week for at least 5hrs each of those nights and it's been incident free.

I'm currently listening to EW Radio/EW live on SiriusXM as they are streaming live radio from SDCC 2016 and the interviews with casts of many movies and tv shows as well as fans and simple commentary on what's going on is absolutely great and it sounds amazing too!

all of the hdmi cables from blujeanscable.com have been installed and as before with my HT system, I am very happy with those cables. the 2 channel external amp for my front L & R (which I'm running full range as they are big speakers with large woofers) sound amazing in all of this.

I'm still a couple of good weeks away from being able to get the 2 "Top Middle" speakers mounted and wired for ATMOS/DTS:X and I do so look forward to this.

well, back to SDCC 2016.

[solarrdadd]

I did finally get around to installing the .2 'Top Middle' speakers on the bedroom ceiling; Got them wired too.

[Show spoiler]image.jpg

They sound good too. I tested some game of thrones S4 on them and there was some great moments to be had. I will wait for a nice cool (or should I say not so hot & humid) Saturday and I'll run the calibration program to finalize things.

So far, so good. I'll keep you guys posted.

[solarrdadd]

the top middle ATMOS/DTS:X speakers shown above, are mounted 4' from the fronts and 5' from the surrounds. the surrounds are mounted on the back wall of the bedroom on the wall the bed sits against. thanks to the mounts I used on the ceiling, I have the speakers pitched at 45 degrees aimed at the listening position which is seated next to the head of the bed area or laying down in bed towards the pillows. I get good upper layer & lower layer sound when sitting or laying down.

I'm using a pair of Axiom QS4 surround speakers on that wall and they are omnipole speakers with dual woofers and dual tweeters. the woofers are mounted on the top & bottom and fire in those directions. the tweeters are on 45 degree angled sections of the fronts and fire outwards and they create a huge surround field. they are perfect on that back wall sine the room design didn't allow me to put them low on the side walls.

the ceiling speakers are that extra pair of Polk Audio OWM-3 speakers and mounts I got from amazon that are multi-articulating.

[solarrdadd]

I got my message from my network connected receiver tonight for the update and I did it and it took about 10-15 minutes. I now have DTS:X/Neural:X capability (along with ATMOS/DSU) in the bedroom for my 5.1.2 system.

i'll test it with a DTS:X movie either tonight or tomorrow. i'll test Neural:X with a DTS:HD:MA too!

[solarrdadd]

also fixed during yesterdays firmware update, the Pandora log-in issue now resolved!





to be clear, that gif was for Pandora, they caused the problem, not Marantz! other models of Marantz gear that are still affected will have the firmware correction next month or so. such is the case for my pre-amp the AV7702mkii.

f'ing Panzydora!

[figrin_dan]

Have you had any problems switching audio from the Oppo? I have an Oppo 80 running a Marantz NR1501 and often when selecting extras with differing audio I get either no sound or very loud pink noise. Also a couple of times during loud scenes in Star Wars the Marantz shut down.

Also what volume setting do you use? Mina is always 40-45 which seems too high (I think mine only goes up to 63)

Sorry for the random questions, I've never spotted another Oppo/Marantz combo owner!

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by figrin_dan

Have you had any problems switching audio from the Oppo? I have an Oppo 80 running a Marantz NR1501 and often when selecting extras with differing audio I get either no sound or very loud pink noise. Also a couple of times during loud scenes in Star Wars the Marantz shut down.

Sorry for the random questions, I've never spotted another Oppo/Marantz combo owner!

there are plenty of oppo/Marantz owners, trust me! as for issues, I don't use an oppo 80 nor the 1501 and I don't listen to movies or music very loud either.

it sounds like to me (because you gave so little info) that you are blasting the receiver beyond it's power output capabilities and/or you have it in a location that it's not getting a lot of cool air to cool itself or a combination of both and extended use.

so far with either of my Marantz's listed in my sig, neither have shut down with either my oppo 93 or my 105D.

at any rate, please try to find a 1501 thread or look for the "Marantz owners" thread and post there. this thread is for the 1607. sorry I couldn't help you. I don't want my thread to get too far off topic.

best of luck to you and I do hope you get your issue answered or at least put you in the right direction to get it answered.

[solarrdadd]

I just ordered a pair of Polk OWM5's for the bedroom to replace the pair of OWM3's currently in use for ATMOS/DTS:X. I'm too use to the overall louder more forceful volume and larger surface area coverage of the 5's that I have in my main HT setup.

I had the 3's as extras, but, I knew it would be a matter of time before I had to change them out to the 5's. the change I know will seriously enhance my 5.1.2 movie/tv audio experience! they did when I switched to them in the main HT and I'm rocking 7.1.4 there! going from a single 4.5" woofer to dual 4.5" woofers for the height/ceiling channel makes a world of difference and a big ass world at that!

i'll have them by Friday next week and it's a simple change out thanks to the mounting I've used. i'll be sure and keep you guys posted.

[solarrdadd]

I got the OWM5's and will replace the 3's with them tomorrow and report back.