Fred Manteghian

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Oh Marantz, why do you put so much goodness in your receivers? 125 watt discrete amplifiers – seven of 'em, 4 HDMI inputs and <i>2</i> HDMI outputs (take that "ed"), 3 coaxial and 3 optical digital inputs, Dolby Digital True HD and Dolby Digital Plus decoding, DTS Master Audio decoding, AM/FM/HD radio, XM HD radio. Featuring HDMI 1.3 inputs and outputs, the receiver will repeat out 1080p source signals to the display with no signal loss, as well upconvert composite, s-video and component video to HDMI. Also, the receiver has a case of the massive Toroidal Transformers, which will only hurt your neighbors when you crank things up. I guess with all this goodness, they forgot the phono stage.

Standing next to the Devin Zell is the CLX. Introduced just a few months ago to great fanfare (and apparently a great meal at<i>Le Bernardin</i> where chef Eric Ripert is also a Martin Logan fan), the CLX features a "triple stator, double diaphragm, low frequency panel" that means the descent-I subwoofer to the right will only be needed for movies. Yeah, that's right, this baby is definitely reviewable! $20,000 to $30,000 a pair, depending on finish. They're showing it at a nearby hotel, so I'll try to check it out on Saturday.

The new Feature center channel features 150 watts of power for its midrange stator, dual 5-1/4" woofers and single center tweeter. Price will be about $1,500, but nothing firm yet. Also self powered, are the two Clarity speakers flanking the Feature. These include dual 6-1/2" woofers to supplement the electrostatic panel (about a year old, the Purity go for the very reasonable sum of $2,000 / pr.).