Marantz NR1603 question...

[JamoRoss]

Hello everyone,

I was in the market for an amlifier to drive 2 x Jamo Classic 6's and was going to go for the Marantz PM6004. However, I came across the NR1603 which has airplay and all that goodness built in.

HOWEVER, it is a 7.1 system... And I only need 4 output ports per speaker.

Is it possible to configure the audio routing so that it simply powers the two speakers to their full potential?

Any help is greatley appreciated. Many thanks.

 

[pmcl77]

Hi,

I've read an review of the NR1602 where 7-Channel ouput per Channel is below 20W, but in 2-channel it should be above 60W per channel. I think all AV Receivers route more power to the mains in 2-channel or vice versa just distribute available power to all used channels.

Hence the review said it's poor for (a big) Homecinema (especially without sub) but quite good in 2-channel mode. I am currently testing a NR1603 myself but can't hear much of a difference to my old Sony DA50ES receiver. I'm considering now to add a PM7003 as poweramp for the mains to my testsetup. I heard different opinions where people think it would not make much of a difference vs. adding such a poweramp also pimps the sound of a full size SR6006 for instance.

 

[bigboss]

Bear in mind that the Marantz PM6004 will be significantly superior to the AV receiver in performance. You can always add an AirPort Express to make it AirPlay compatible.