Mark Fleischmann

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AV Receiver Reviews
Marantz SR7011 A/V Receiver Review
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 28, 2017

Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $2,199

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Nine amp channels
HEOS multiroom compatibility
Audyssey, ISF, Control4, Crestron
Minus
No PC-friendly USB jack

THE VERDICT
The Marantz SR7011 is a state-of-the-art receiver with excellent room correction, fine overall sound, and the potential for HEOS multiroom extension.

The D+M Group was formed in 2002 with the merger of Denon and Marantz, each a powerhouse in A/V receivers and other audio categories. Through several changes of ownership, the two brands have remained distinct, with different cosmetic looks, slightly different feature sets, and slightly different voicings; each team has its own sound-tuning engineers and expert listeners. But as a reader once pointed out, popping the lid on comparably priced models from the two brands may reveal a close kinship in circuit layouts, suggesting certain economies of scale. And the new top-of-the-line AVR from Marantz further mimics its sister brand by adopting HEOS multiroom connectivity, a feature previously associated with Denon. Our review sample of the receiver arrived with Denon’s HEOS 7 and HEOS 1 speakers, and we put them through their paces together.

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AV Receiver Reviews
Marantz SR8002 A/V Receiver
Mark Fleischmann  |  Apr 14, 2008
Connected where it counts.

Marantz is a brand name. It was once an individual as well. What would Saul Marantz have made of the SR8002 A/V receiver? It bears little resemblance to the hi-fi products he hand-built in his home in Kew Gardens, New York, during the 1950s—or to the Japanese-made receivers that popularized component audio systems in the 1970s. Saul lived until 1997, so he was not unfamiliar with the concept of surround sound by the time he passed away—but his younger self would have been astonished to see 11 pairs of binding posts on the back of the SR8002. Not to mention some unfamiliar jacks labeled HDMI. What are those for?

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Audio Video News
Marantz to Sponsor Garrett Violin Tour
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 04, 2011
Marantz, celebrated by us for its surround receivers, will sponsor a concert tour by violinist David Garrett, a young crossover artist who has been known to perform Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." The tour will hit concert halls and theaters in 21 U.S. cities this month.

Corporate sponsorship of concert tours is not exactly new. Rock dinosaurs have been doing it for years. This arrangement is a good fit for both Marantz, as a company intimately involved in musical reproduction, and Garrett, with his rock star chic.

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CEDIA 2009
Marantz, Despite Absence, Makes Presence Felt
Mark Fleischmann  |  Aug 27, 2009
D&M Holdings will not be exhibiting at CEDIA this year. That means no Denon, no McIntosh, no Escient--and no Marantz. However, Marantz issued some new product announcements two weeks ago. The highlights include four new Blu-ray players. Two of them are full-fledged universal players with SACD and DVD-A, including the flagship UD9004, with Silicon Optic Realta video processing for $6000. Three new a/v receivers include the affordable NR-1501, a slimline product that delivers a pretty full feature set for $600. Step up to the SR5004 ($850) or SR6004 ($1250) for the height-enhanced Dolby Pro Logic IIz listening mode and an iPod-compatible USB jack. Some two-channel products were also introduced. See our news item on Denon's product announcements of a few months back.
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CES 2011
Marchon Shows Passive 3DTV Eyewear
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 06, 2011
As I type these words, I am staring through Flexon by Marchon eyeglass frames, so I was predisposed to find the company's 3DTV eyewear aesthetically pleasing. Marchon has a patent on technology for a side-to-side curve that allows the eye to move up to 30 degrees off center without geometric distortion, so these frames may be especially good for watching 3D on a big screen up close. Pricing starts at $40 and ranges up to $179 for the Lacoste version. There will also be Nike frames for $129-139. The pricier frames double as sunglasses that lighten or darken as needed.
Audio Video News
Marchon to Make 3D Glasses
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 16, 2010
Marchon Eyewear, famed for its Flexon frames, has licensed technology from RealID with the intent of making 3D glasses that also function as sunglasses.
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Mark Levinson Shows New Pre-Pro
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 08, 2008
The No. 502 is Mark Levinson's latest surround preamp-processor. The single-chassis design replaces the dual-chassis No. 40. It's HDMI 1.1 compliant, and doesn't handle the new lossless codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio), but that may not be a concern if your BD or HD DVD player passes a high-bit PCM signal. Pointed questions about the upgrade path went unanswered. The bleeding-edge Gennum 9351 video processors mustered a squeaky clean picture, with proprietary deinterlacing and edge correction and 1.6 gigaflops of processing power. Yes, 1080p and 24p are provided for. Along for the demo ride were the No. 433 three-channel amp, the No. 432 two-channel amp, and fabulous Revel Ultima2 speakers. Two years in development, the 502 will ship in the second quarter. Price: a mere 30 grand.
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CES 2017
MartinLogan Bar Does Play-fi Wireless
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 06, 2017
Super-versatile DTS Play-fi wireless connectivity is a highlight of one of MartinLogan's two new soundbars.

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Soundbar Reviews
MartinLogan Motion Vision Soundbar
Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 26, 2013

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
Price: $1,500 At A Glance: Three folded-diaphragm tweeters, four woofers • 5.1 Dolby Digital, DTS processing • Wide dispersion, limited dynamics

My system is perpetually a work in progress. The speaker stands are always serving new guests (with martinis). Surround receivers slide in and out of the rack’s guest-receiver berth to bedevil me with the GUI of the week. But once in a while, I can’t resist the temptation to yank every cable out of every back panel, throw them onto the middle of the floor, and marvel as the mountain of copper snakes gets higher and higher. Last year, my system spring cleaning yielded a record haul: More than half the cables I pulled out didn’t go back in.

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CES 2014
Maxell Brings Soundbars to U.S.
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 07, 2014
Having marketed soundbars for a couple of years in Europe, Maxell is bringing them to the United States. The top model is the SSB-4W ($299, shipping now), a console-type bar with SRS surround tech, HDMI times three, two bottom-firing woofers, and four smaller drivers across the front. Stop the servers: It has a fiberboard enclosure, as opposed to plastic. Could this be the ultimate killer budget bar? The USB port is also a charger.

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