Marantz NR1501 Slimline AV Receiver Review

[admin]

Of late I've been giving a lot of overviews (both in person and via the Audioholics website) about the role of the AV receiver in today's home theater. In particular, I am impressed with how products such as the Marantz NR1501 are able to produce so much functionality in a small package and how well it integrates into todays' aesthetics-driven homes. The $599 NR1501 receiver is Marantz' "Slimline" model which packs most of the functions of a full-size receiver into a smaller chassis. Their claim is that the unit is just as good as a full-sized receiver, but made for those living in apartments, dorms, or other space-restricted areas where a smaller overall unit is desirable.


Discuss "Marantz NR1501 Slimline AV Receiver Review" here. Read the article.

[anamorphic96]

Great review Clint. This was a receiver I was very curious about. I had a feeling it was more powerful than the specs would suggest.

Did you spend any time with the MRAC system. I'm a little curious as to how accurate it is and how the EQ portion performed.

[ohio]

I'm surprised that about 2 years after JVC released the RX-D702 and D402 slimline receivers with Faroudja DCDi chips, the big competitors still haven't stepped to the plate with anything of better value. Chips have advanced far too quickly (and prices dropped too drastically) for those two to still be on forefront of video out of a slimline box.

The Marantz sure seems nicer on the audio side, but it doesn't take up any space to put a decent video processor in these chassis. I guess I should be thankful I don't have a good excuse to replace my 402.

[ohio]

Bumping this, as I jynxed myself and now I do need to replace my D402. The subwoofer output no longer works, even after an attempted warranty repair.

I live in a small (450 sq ft) city studio, so I don't need power. Given my space constraints and neighbors, I've given up on big speakers and critical listening - I'm using a JMlab 5.1 mini-speaker system and mostly play straight from the iPod (can't remember the last time I even turned my SACD player on). I basically want another receiver like this JVC - decent HDMI and upconversion capabilities. Simplicity of cabling and operation are key.

When I move to a larger place, I'll get back to my old setup (top shelf receiver, real speakers, and a 110" projector). In the meantime, is there anything on the market that's an improvement on a NOS D402?

[tkundhi]

ohio, I've had a NR1501 for 2 years and am extremely happy with it. The shallow depth was my main reason for purchasing it. I needed an A/V receiver to fit into a shallow TV cabinet. I'm driving a set of B&W 601s & CC6 for the fronts and a Velodyne sub. No rears currently. I need to pick a a set of small LM1s for the rear.

On the video side I'm switching Satellite (HDMI), DVD (Component), iPhone (Component) to a Plasma via a single HDMI.

The system is great for the space and price. FYI, $599 will get you a MR1601 now. You can still pickup used NR1501 for a lot less.

t.