Slim receivers always get the same objection from this forum, so let me get it out of the way: yes, 50 watts per channel into 8 ohms is modest. The AreaDVD test of the Cinema 70s Series 2 is fairly clear about where that leaves it. Smaller and mid-size living rooms are fine, very large rooms, sustained high levels and four-height Atmos layouts belong to the Cinema 50 Series 2.
What changed from the old 70s is mostly inside. There's a new 32-bit eight-channel DAC handling every channel at once, Audyssey MultEQ XT is still built in, and Dirac Live is now an upgrade path, at the usual extra licence cost. Seven amp channels and 7.2 processing means 5.1.2 Atmos or a regular 7.1. Six HDMI inputs, three of them 8K capable, with 1440p passthrough and FreeSync, which is the same gaming feature set Marantz rolled across the Series 2 range. Web Control 2.0, HDMI Diagnostics 2.0 and a channel level monitor round it out, and LE Audio plus Atmos Music over AirPlay 2 are promised by firmware later.
German price is 1,100 euros, available from mid October in black or silver-gold. That makes the Dirac question the interesting one. By the time you add the licence you are close to the money where people start asking whether a full-height box makes more sense. My view is the 70s only earns its premium if the height is the constraint: a sideboard under a TV, a cabinet with a fixed slot, a partner who vetoes a black slab.
If your room has the space, a bigger receiver gives you more headroom for the same money. If it doesn't, buy the 70s and leave the Dirac licence for next year.
What changed from the old 70s is mostly inside. There's a new 32-bit eight-channel DAC handling every channel at once, Audyssey MultEQ XT is still built in, and Dirac Live is now an upgrade path, at the usual extra licence cost. Seven amp channels and 7.2 processing means 5.1.2 Atmos or a regular 7.1. Six HDMI inputs, three of them 8K capable, with 1440p passthrough and FreeSync, which is the same gaming feature set Marantz rolled across the Series 2 range. Web Control 2.0, HDMI Diagnostics 2.0 and a channel level monitor round it out, and LE Audio plus Atmos Music over AirPlay 2 are promised by firmware later.
German price is 1,100 euros, available from mid October in black or silver-gold. That makes the Dirac question the interesting one. By the time you add the licence you are close to the money where people start asking whether a full-height box makes more sense. My view is the 70s only earns its premium if the height is the constraint: a sideboard under a TV, a cabinet with a fixed slot, a partner who vetoes a black slab.
If your room has the space, a bigger receiver gives you more headroom for the same money. If it doesn't, buy the 70s and leave the Dirac licence for next year.
