I was born in 1975 and have always had a passion for music. So much so that my father, despite not having room for such a step, decided to buy a high-fidelity sound system. The only way to pay for it was in installments, something he did for the first time. The things a father does for his child’s happiness. This was back in 1991.
The system had a turntable, tuner, double cassette recorder and player, parametric equalizer, and integrated amplifier, along with a pair of monitor speakers. A few months later, we also got a CD player because we were at the height of the silver disc era. All were separate elements, all from the same Pioneer line.
Times have changed. Today, the vast majority of teenagers consume music through Bluetooth earphones. In the music consumption market, including teenagers and everyone else, only a minority ventures into high-fidelity, and of those, an increasingly smaller proportion has their system built out of separates.
In the world of hi-fi, there are two main approaches enthusiasts adopt to build their sound system: maximum simplification or dedicated component separation.
The most straightforward interpretation of the first type by Marantz is the Stereo 70s. In one box, we have 2.2-channel amplification with 75 Watts at 8 Ohms (with 2 pairs of speaker terminals) and up to 2 subwoofers, pre-amplification with 6 HDMI inputs (3 of them 8K + 1 HDMI Arc), 3 RCA analog inputs (with the possibility of connecting to a power amplifier), a phono stage for turntables with MM cartridge, optical digital input, USB-A, and FM/AM antenna input. The streaming module features an RJ45 socket and Wi-Fi, integrated HEOS app, plus Bluetooth and Airplay. This Marantz does everything except make coffee.
Now for the “MoustachesToys moment”: is there anything else needed?
The pleasure of enjoying music is like eating an immensely delicious cake. Aren’t we, and others of the same “audiophile breed,” just a stubborn bunch, almost fanatics, capable of accumulating a number of boxes just to get the cherry on top, which is the additional 1 to 10% of sound quality we can squeeze out of them?
Head-to-Head
It’s fashionable to produce reviews with comparisons. But those who seek MoustachesToys content are looking for something different, right? Right. So let’s take advantage of the presence of this Swiss Army knife from Marantz to do a head-to-head between the two sides of the Hi-Fi world barricade. Something a bit deeper.
To compete with the Swiss Army knife from Japan, I placed on the other side of the barricade the Pier Audio MS-480 SE, a hybrid integrated amplifier (tube pre-amplification and transistor power amplification) with 50 Watts per channel at 8 Ohms, compared to the 75W of the Stereo 70s. For streaming, I used the Volumio Primo. On both amplifiers, I used the resident turntable, the MoFi StudioDeck (connected directly to the Stereo 70s, and using the Rothwell Simplex external MM phono stage on the MS-480 SE). Both systems powered the B&W 607 S3.
For those interested, you can find the MoFi StudioDeck review here. Reviews for the 480 SE and the Primo are coming out in the following days, so I won’t go into great detail just yet.
The Marantz Stereo 70s is a perfect example of the approach geared towards maximum simplification. This compact device was designed to offer a complete solution, integrating multiple functions into a single chassis.
Everything is easy. The setup, the integration of all its functions. Even the sound signature is clearly tuned to please everyone. The comment I can make on this approach is to tell another story:
When I got my driver’s license, I was eager to buy a car. Before actually having the document in my hands, I prepared to buy my first car by purchasing every issue of car magazines until the deal was done. I almost created comparative tables in Excel. Every criteria was considered.
I concluded that the best compromise for a young single guy like me at the time would be a B-segment compact car. A semi-new one to try, the compromise between purchase value and maintenance costs. The conclusion I reached and the purchase I made? A 5-door Renault Clio with the lowest displacement available at the time, 1200cc.
From that moment, I desired other cars. I missed everything I associated with driving. The accounting compromise of the Excel tables turned out to be the worst strategy. I painted the bumpers to match the rest of the body. I installed sporty rims with wider tires, but nothing brought me the satisfaction I imagined I would find in other rides.
The Marantz could turn out to be for some what that 5-door 1200cc Clio was for me. For others, it could be the perfect compromise of all the features they pre-defined before purchasing. Not being the best, nor the worst in any aspect. Just the best compromise.
What does a room with a Stereo 70s sound like? It sounds good enough. I already know there will be rooms worldwide that sound better. what I am certain of? Those rooms probably cost more. I could take the approach of describing in detail what the Stereo 70s sounded like. I don’t think anyone will choose it for the way it sounds, just as I didn’t choose the 5-door Clio with 1200cc for the driving pleasure it could provide. I always aspired to drive other machines during the time it was with me. But it fulfilled everything I threw at it.
Did the Pier Audio MS-480 SE, with the Volumio Primo, sound better? They did. How did they sound? The best thing is to read their upcoming reviews to find out. The combination of the two costs twice as much as the Marantz, and did they sound better in the same proportion? Hell no!
The System:
- Marantz Stereo 70s
- Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3
- Pier Audio MS-480 SE
- Volumio Primo
- MoFi StudioDeck
- Rothwell Simplex
- Ansuz (cablagem)
Specifications
Power Amplifier
- Number of Powered Channels
- 2
- Power Output (8 ohm, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, 0.08% 2ch Drive)
- 75 W
- Power Output (6 ohm, 1 kHz, 0.7% 2ch Drive)
- 100 W
- Power Output (6 ohm, 1 kHz, 10% 1ch Drive)
- 150 W
- Discrete Power Amplifier
- Yes
- Amplifier Topology
- Class A/B
Inputs Outputs
- HDMI In / Out
- 6 / 1
- Analog In / Fixed Level Out
- 3 in / out
- Phono (MM) In
- Yes
- Digital In: Optical / Coaxial
- 1 / 1
- Multi-Room Out: analog / digital
- 1 / 0
- Multichannel Preamp Out
- 2.2
- Subwoofer Out
- 2
- Number of Speaker Terminals
- 4
- Speaker A / B
- Yes
- USB Audio
- USB A (Host)
- AM/FM Tuner
- Yes
Multichannel Surround Technologies
- Max Number of Processing (Preamp) Channels
- 2,1
HDMI
- Total HDMI Inputs / No. Support 8K
- 6 / 3
- HDCP2.3 support
- Yes
- HDMI Outputs: Main / Zone
- 1 / 0
- HDMI Upscaling
- 1080P/4K to 8K
- Audio Return Channel
- ARC
- Video Dynamic Range
- HDR / HLG / Dolby Vision / HDR10+ / Dynamic HDR
- ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) Pass-through for gaming
- Yes
- Variable Refresh Rate / Quick Frame Transport
- Yes / Yes
- HDMI Pass-Through in Standby Mode
- Yes
Performance Technologies
- Pure Direct Mode
- Yes
- Gold Plated RCA Terminals
- Yes
- Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules (HDAM)
- Yes
Music File Support
- Lossy Formats
- MP3 / WMA / AAC
- Lossless formats
- FLAC HD 192/24 / WAV 192/24 / ALAC 192/24
- DSD Audio
- 2.8 MHz / 5.6MHz
- Gapless Playback
- FLAC, WAV ,ALAC ,DSD
- Compressed Audio Enhancer: MDAX2
- Yes
- Network Audio Sharing
- Yes
Streaming Services
- HEOS Multi-room and Streaming
- Yes
- AirPlay Audio Streaming
- AirPlay2
- Internet Radio
- TuneIn
- Spotify*
- Spotify Connect
- *availability of services might vary per region
- Other Streaming Services *
- Amazon Music HD/Amazon Music / TIDAL / Deezer / iHeart Radio / Napster / Soundcloud / Mood Mix
- *availability of services might vary per region
- Roon tested
- Yes
- Pandora
- Yes
- SiriusXM
- Yes
Network Connectivity
- Ethernet Ports
- Yes
- Bluetooth Re-transmit for Bluetooth headphones
- Yes (with volume control)
- Wi-Fi
- Yes
- Bluetooth
- Yes
Smart Home Integration and Control
- Voice Assistant Compatibility
- Alexa / Google Voice Assistant / Apple HomePod / JoshAi
- App for Smart Phones & Tablets (iOS & Android)
- Marantz AVR App
- HEOS Multi-Room Integrated
- Yes
- HEOS Link Compatibility: IR/ IP
- Yes / Yes
- Multi-Room zones
- 1
- Zone Audio Source: HDMI / Opt, Coax / Network, USB / Analog
- 2 Ch / 2Ch / Yes / Yes
- Zone Audio Output: Speaker / Preout
- No/Yes
- HDMI Diagnostics
- Yes
Others
- Front Display
- port hole OLED
- GUI Languages
- English, Spanish, French
- Setup Assistant
- Yes
- Smart Select on Remote
- Yes
- Firmware Update by Network / USB
- Yes / Yes
- ECO Mode
- Yes
- Auto Power off
- Yes
- Sleep Timer
- Yes
General
- System Remote Control
- RC-052SR
- Power Consumption in W
- 210
- Standby Consumption in W
- 0.2
- CEC Standby Consumption in W
- 0.5
- Network Standby Consumption in W
- Less than 2.0
- Maximum Dimensions
- 【 w/o Antenna :(W x D x H) in inches 】:
- 【 17.4 x 14.7 x 4.3 】
- What’s in the box
- Main unit, remote control, batteries, AM/FM antennas, wire labels, quick start guide, 2 External Detachable Antenna, AC cord
- UPC code
- 747192140267