Marantz Cinema 40 Now Available

rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
Just happened to check out the Marantz web site today and found that for the Cinema 40, the "Coming Soon" button was now an "Add to Cart" button.

Got my order in! The web site though was very slow and flaking out on Safari. Firefox worked better.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Why did you settle on that unit? What did you end up paying?
 
rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
Why did you settle on that unit? What did you end up paying?
The choice of my next receiver came down to two: Marantz Cinema 40 and the Yamaha Aventage A8A. I briefly looked at the Arcam AV-21 and one of the Anthem models.

I had two must-haves which Marantz and Yamaha provided:
  • All seven HDMI inputs are 40 Gbps HDMI 2.1 with HDCP 2.3
  • Component video inputs.
I was turned off by the Arcam due to hearing about bugs (for that much higher price, I don't need to be dealing with bugs or goofy workarounds such as powering off things or unplugging/re-plugging). It lacked component video inputs for hooking up older equipment.

I ruled out the Anthem once I found that they were sticking with HDMI 2.0b. Thanks to Cos for revealing that this was incorrect. The Anthem still lacked the component video inputs though, so still had ruled that out.

The Marantz and Yamaha are within $50 of each other. But I prefered the Marantz for the following reasons:
  • The Marantz can be upgraded (paid) to have Dirac Live and potentially Dirac base management.
  • Audessey seems more well-received than YPAO.
  • It looks better (we're considering putting it outside the cabinet)
  • It's lighter (33 lbs vs around 50 lbs)
  • I like the remote better
 
Last edited:
Cos

Cos

Audioholic Samurai
Few corrections:

  • Anthem MRX 1140 8k Model does have HDMI 2.1 w/HDCP 2.3, at least from their own specifications data sheet on their website and the upgrade for my AVM 70 which is on order
  • Not sure if I would consider a lighter weight on an AVR a good thing necessarily. If you are comparing against the A8A Yamaha, it has more power and 11 channels vs 9, I would hope it would weigh more as they are both Class A/B amps (Anthem last 2 channels are class D on the 1140 8k)
  • I have owned many Marantz units and I would say the Yamaha remote was definitely better build quality. That being said, how often do you use your AVR remotes. Anthem remote is Junk, I don't use it.
I agree with you on:

  • Marantz looks better (though some people don't like the porthole, i do)
  • I personally love the Anthem look, but it is not all metal front like the Marantz.
  • I have never used YPAO, but I would want Dirac Live (A paid upgrade)

You may not need 11 channels so that is not a deal breaker, but I wouldn't throw the other 2 models out of bed quite yet.
 
rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
Few corrections:
  • Anthem MRX 1140 8k Model does have HDMI 2.1 w/HDCP 2.3, at least from their own specifications data sheet on their website and the upgrade for my AVM 70 which is on order
  • Not sure if I would consider a lighter weight on an AVR a good thing necessarily. If you are comparing against the A8A Yamaha, it has more power and 11 channels vs 9, I would hope it would weigh more as they are both Class A/B amps (Anthem last 2 channels are class D on the 1140 8k)
  • I have owned many Marantz units and I would say the Yamaha remote was definitely better build quality. That being said, how often do you use your AVR remotes. Anthem remote is Junk, I don't use it.
Ah, correct about the HDMI 2.1 on Anthem. I was looking at an older document. They still lack component video inputs though, but good to know more brands are squaring away the HDMI stuff.

I'll only ever have a 5.1 setup, so the 9 channels of amplification is a-ok.

For receiver remote use, we use it every day (component switching and volume control).
 
rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
Back to the Anthem HDMI specs... their literature is confusing. e.g. on their product data sheets such as for the MRX product line, it states "4:4:4 Subsampling @ 8K/60 Hz (18.2 Gbps)". Hopefully the bandwidth value is a typo/holdover from older documentation as that wouldn't support 4K/60 10-bit 4:4:4 or beyond. If they've limited their HDMI inputs to max out at 18.2 Gbps, then higher resolution and framerate signals would have to be compressed.

So for those considering Anthem, you should reach out to them to get clarification on their HDMI 2.1 "support".
 
rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
Got the Cinema 40 set up last night. That was by far the best setup experience on a receiver! Also, my subwoofer (B&W DB4S) got a serious boost after running the Audyssey setup (with my Pioneer SC-91, while the level that was measured during calibration was 75 dB, it just didn't seem to have much punch).

Full list of what I love:
  • Minimalist design. We have it outside our cabinet so won't ever have heating issues and thus also don't need to complicate things with cooling fans. Really like that the front panel isn't plastered with logos from Dolby, DTS, etc. etc.
  • No issues at all driving the B&W 700 series 3 speakers (702 S3 mains, HTM71 S3 center, 702 S3 surrounds) 5.1 setup. While Audyssey had set the mains to "large", I've since changed that to "small" since I have a DB4S subwoofer. Audyssey selected 60 Hz as the crossover point for the speakers so will leave that for now. May adjust to 80 Hz later when I dive into the detailed Audyssey setup via the app. The receiver's power usage bar just barely goes above the half-way mark even when peaks during playback of movies hit 86 dB. I also have Eco mode turned completely off.
  • Doesn't run as hot as I thought it would. Though we haven't yet watched a complete movie at our preferred listening level. And really doesn't matter since it's outside our cabinet.
  • Input setup was awesome. Part of the on-screen (TV) guided setup was how to configure inputs. Super easy. And you can also use the component input for any of the 7 inputs. By default, the component video inputs are labeled as "Media Player", but we use that input for the Apple TV. Then put the original Wii on Aux 1 which uses component video and analog audio inputs.
  • Status and Info. Really nice to be able to see the exact details about what signals (e.g. 4K/24, 12-bit) out being output from source components and what the receiver is then outputting. The Pioneer lacked such details.
  • No issues in overlaying information on any resolution (480p from the Wii, HD or 4K). The prior Pioneer, while claimed to be "4K ready", could not overlay and info on top of any 4K picture. So once we moved to Apple TV 4K and a 4K Blu-ray player, doing things such as adjusting volume would not display the current volume setting overlay on the TV.
  • Individual button on the remote for all inputs. Huge win for convenience. Due to the Pioneer's half-baked HDMI inputs and strange remote, we had three inputs that ended up sharing the same physical button on the remote. You had to repeatedly press that button to cycle amongst the inputs. Doubly annoying since the Apple TV was one of the components to share that button and the TV couldn't overlay the "source" info on the TV when the Apple TV was selected. Now, we can switch to any of our inputs using a dedicated button on the Marantz remote.
  • 12 V trigger out was enabled by default to on all source components in the main zone. Not a huge deal, but on the prior Pioneer, it was off by default. I had to go in to each different input setting for all sources and enable the trigger. We use the trigger to power on/off the subwoofer.

Couple minor things I miss from the Pioneer SC-91
  • Speaker distances could be adjusted in increments of 1/2 inch. For the Cinema 40, you can use either increments of 1 foot, or 0.1 feet. While I didn't need the 1/2 inch resolution the Pioneer offerred, I wish that Marantz would have used an inch as the smaller incremental unit. No big deal; just need a calculator for converting inches to tenths of feet.
  • When you performed manual level adjustment on the SC-91, the receiver would set the master volume to its reference point before playing the pink noise. This was I believe -30dB. So easy to then dial up/down to achieve 75 dB output. On the Marantz, the pink noise is played at whatever level you have the current master volume at. The manual doesn't call out at all what you need to set the volume to before performing level adjustment. I was hoping to do a quick manual setting to get an initial setup and then run Audyssey later. However, I ended up running the full Audyssey calibration first. I'll be reaching out to their support to see what volume setting to use for manual adjustment.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Got the Cinema 40 set up last night. That was by far the best setup experience on a receiver! Also, my subwoofer (B&W DB4S) got a serious boost after running the Audyssey setup (with my Pioneer SC-91, while the level that was measured during calibration was 75 dB, it just didn't seem to have much punch).

Full list of what I love:
  • Minimalist design. We have it outside our cabinet so won't ever have heating issues and thus also don't need to complicate things with cooling fans. Really like that the front panel isn't plastered with logos from Dolby, DTS, etc. etc.
  • No issues at all driving the B&W 700 series 3 speakers (702 S3 mains, HTM71 S3 center, 702 S3 surrounds) 5.1 setup. While Audyssey had set the mains to "large", I've since changed that to "small" since I have a DB4S subwoofer. Audyssey selected 60 Hz as the crossover point for the speakers so will leave that for now. May adjust to 80 Hz later when I dive into the detailed Audyssey setup via the app. The receiver's power usage bar just barely goes above the half-way mark even when peaks during playback of movies hit 86 dB. I also have Eco mode turned completely off.
  • Doesn't run as hot as I thought it would. Though we haven't yet watched a complete movie at our preferred listening level. And really doesn't matter since it's outside our cabinet.
  • Input setup was awesome. Part of the on-screen (TV) guided setup was how to configure inputs. Super easy. And you can also use the component input for any of the 7 inputs. By default, the component video inputs are labeled as "Media Player", but we use that input for the Apple TV. Then put the original Wii on Aux 1 which uses component video and analog audio inputs.
  • Status and Info. Really nice to be able to see the exact details about what signals (e.g. 4K/24, 12-bit) out being output from source components and what the receiver is then outputting. The Pioneer lacked such details.
  • No issues in overlaying information on any resolution (480p from the Wii, HD or 4K). The prior Pioneer, while claimed to be "4K ready", could not overlay and info on top of any 4K picture. So once we moved to Apple TV 4K and a 4K Blu-ray player, doing things such as adjusting volume would not display the current volume setting overlay on the TV.
  • Individual button on the remote for all inputs. Huge win for convenience. Due to the Pioneer's half-baked HDMI inputs and strange remote, we had three inputs that ended up sharing the same physical button on the remote. You had to repeatedly press that button to cycle amongst the inputs. Doubly annoying since the Apple TV was one of the components to share that button and the TV couldn't overlay the "source" info on the TV when the Apple TV was selected. Now, we can switch to any of our inputs using a dedicated button on the Marantz remote.
  • 12 V trigger out was enabled by default to on all source components in the main zone. Not a huge deal, but on the prior Pioneer, it was off by default. I had to go in to each different input setting for all sources and enable the trigger. We use the trigger to power on/off the subwoofer.

Couple minor things I miss from the Pioneer SC-91
  • Speaker distances could be adjusted in increments of 1/2 inch. For the Cinema 40, you can use either increments of 1 foot, or 0.1 feet. While I didn't need the 1/2 inch resolution the Pioneer offerred, I wish that Marantz would have used an inch as the smaller incremental unit. No big deal; just need a calculator for converting inches to tenths of feet.
  • When you performed manual level adjustment on the SC-91, the receiver would set the master volume to its reference point before playing the pink noise. This was I believe -30dB. So easy to then dial up/down to achieve 75 dB output. On the Marantz, the pink noise is played at whatever level you have the current master volume at. The manual doesn't call out at all what you need to set the volume to before performing level adjustment. I was hoping to do a quick manual setting to get an initial setup and then run Audyssey later. However, I ended up running the full Audyssey calibration first. I'll be reaching out to their support to see what volume setting to use for manual adjustment.
Congrats!

FWIW it's not Audyssey recommending the crossover, that's Marantz's decision (Audyssey generally recommends an 80hz starting point when using a sub, speakers set to small).

Metric system would have been nice to adopt in the US :).

You need to turn the volume up to reference level ("0" on the relative scale) for the avr to provide the test tones to measure at 75dB....
 
rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
Metric system would have been nice to adopt in the US :).
It's not about metric vs imperial. This is a weird mixing of the two. Since the unit is using imperial measurments, it should be using inches as the smaller increment and not tenths of feet.

You need to turn the volume up to reference level ("0" on the relative scale) for the avr to provide the test tones to measure at 75dB....
But what is that? The receiver has two different scales you can use. One being 0 to 98 and the other being -79.5 dB to -18.0 dB. Where 0 (reference level) sits on either scale is unknown/undocumented. Hence me reaching out to support to find out.
 
P

PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
But what is that? The receiver has two different scales you can use. One being 0 to 98 and the other being -79.5 dB to -18.0 dB. Where 0 (reference level) sits on either scale is unknown/undocumented. Hence me reaching out to support to find out.
True enough, though for someone willing to spend serious money on the C40, he/she should know after running autosetup, 0 would represent reference level at the mmp. Not everyone can afford C40 or even C50, so you are right, many (or most) users of the lower models who likely not know this, without going for the manual.

On the metric/imperial thing, I thought it is selectable but I can no longer verify it as my Denon and Marantz are gone. Did you search through the manual to confirm that it is imperial only?
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
It's not about metric vs imperial. This is a weird mixing of the two. Since the unit is using imperial measurments, it should be using inches as the smaller increment and not tenths of feet.



But what is that? The receiver has two different scales you can use. One being 0 to 98 and the other being -79.5 dB to -18.0 dB. Where 0 (reference level) sits on either scale is unknown/undocumented. Hence me reaching out to support to find out.
I just meant I wish we had converted so we don't have the ridiculous english system...but a tenth of a foot works for me, even have a tape measure that does that :)

You listed above the absolute scale first, the relative scale second. Reference level on the relative scale is "0", on the absolute scale reference is 80, altho they specify using the relative scale. https://support.marantz.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/136/~/relative-and-absolute-volume-ranges

ps last I used it in my Denon, I could choose metric or english
 
rsharp

rsharp

Audioholic
True enough, though for someone willing to spend serious money on the C40, he/she should know after running autosetup, 0 would represent reference level at the mmp. Not everyone can afford C40 or even C50, so you are right, many (or most) users of the lower models who likely not know this, without going for the manual.

On the metric/imperial thing, I thought it is selectable but I can no longer verify it as my Denon and Marantz are gone. Did you search through the manual to confirm that it is imperial only?
Ok, this was a poor misreading of the manual on my part. Unfortunately, the use of a hyphen instead of a connecting word "to" led me to see the upper range's value as "- 18 dB" (negative) instead of reading that as "... to positive 18 dB".

The manual has no reference to "metric" or "imperial". Note that this is a minor issue. I can convert from inches to tenths of feet. Just wish that the unit would have used inches instead alongside the feet values. Then bonus points for offering metric for those that would prefer that.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Ok, this was a poor misreading of the manual on my part. Unfortunately, the use of a hyphen instead of a connecting word "to" led me to see the upper range's value as "- 18 dB" (negative) instead of reading that as "... to positive 18 dB".

The manual has no reference to "metric" or "imperial". Note that this is a minor issue. I can convert from inches to tenths of feet. Just wish that the unit would have used inches instead alongside the feet values. Then bonus points for offering metric for those that would prefer that.
FWIW in my Denon (generally same menus as Marantz) if I go to the manual speaker setup for distances and highlight the unit I can change from feet to meters, and choose either .1 m or .01 m as the step, but only 1 ft or .1 ft....curious choice of step increments compared to each other.
 
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