Marantz Multi Room Capability

[JohnOAS]

I'm attempting to help out a friend with a Marantz SR8500 receiver. If anyone here actually has one, with speakers in more than 1 room, I'd really appreciate your input on this one.

Essentially, when using a digital source (in this case a CD player with digital output), there is no audio output to the speakers in the second room. If an analog input for the source is used, it works fine. I can't imagine an amp with this sort of audio/video switching cabability wouldn't be capable of this simple feat.

He's gone back to his vendor (a generally reputable and audio specialist store, not a department store) and now the staff are claiming that this is "normal" and just how it works. I haven't had a chance to play with it myself (and I believe the vendor now has it), but the owner's a competent guy and unlikely to have stuffed it in any major way. I suspect one of the following:
1. This particular unit has a fault of some kind.
2. There is some subtle confguration item that needs to be fixed.

Can anyone help out here? I've read the audioholics review of the amp on this site, scoured the Marantz web site
and even gone through a pdf of the SR8500 user manual myself. Nowhere can I find refererence to the fact that multi-room sources have to be analog.

In fact, I keep reading references like:
"Marantz’ acclaimed multi-source, multi-zone capability."
"Multi-room/Multi-source Capability with Discrete Commands"
which only makes me think that the vendor's advice is a cop-out attempting to get my friend to grin and bear it because they either don't know how, or don't want to fix the problem.

 

[Takeereasy]

I hate to say it but nothing is wrong with the receiver. I own the 8400 and if the 8500 is the same then the multi room source has to be analog. Don't point the finger at just Marantz. I'm not aware of any receivers that operate differently. I'm sure they're out there, and I'm sure someone will point them out, but I doubt there will be many.

 

[j_garcia]

For nearly ALL receivers, additional zones must be stereo analog only. There are maybe one or two that are capable of digital in one other zone.

 

[jcPanny]

Zone 2 features

The receivers DSP and processing power is reserved for the main zone so it can decode Dolby Digital, etc. To decode a seperate digital input at the same time for Zone 2 would require a seperate DSP and additional circuitry. The zone 2 function is basically just redirecting on of the analog inputs to the zone 2 out and allowing you to adjust the volume level.

 

[JohnOAS]

The receivers DSP and processing power is reserved for the main zone so it can decode Dolby Digital, etc. To decode a seperate digital input at the same time for Zone 2 would require a seperate DSP and additional circuitry. The zone 2 function is basically just redirecting on of the analog inputs to the zone 2 out and allowing you to adjust the volume level.

Hmm, I've just scoured the manual again and found this in the fine print:

Notes for the Multi Room System
• The MULTI ROOM OUT (MULTI OUT/MULTI SPEAKER) has analog outputs.
This does not support digital input signals.
• If the Tuner (FM or AM) is active in the main room, you can not control any function of the tuner.
In this case, You must listen to the same station as the main room.

Very painful. It does make you wonder if this is going to change in the future. I would suggest that many people with mid to high end systems are in the situation where most, if not all, of their sources are digital. This makes the current multiroom offerings next to useless.

I appreciate that having multiple multiplexers makes the system more complex and expensive, but it would be nice to be able to at least listen to a single source (digital or analog) in both zones. I get the impression that this may be possible for stereo by turning off surround in the main room. I'll have to get in front of the gear myself and see what's happening.

Thanks to all for their input.

 

[j_garcia]

If you want to listen to a second source in analog, all you have to do is hook a given component up via analog to another open input. As long as you are playing something stereo, it will work fine. The Denon 5805 can do what you are asking, but it also isn't cheap...