After a delay of almost a year, Marantz is set to launch its high-end network music player, the NA-11S1, in Europe this Spring.
First seen at last year's Munich High End Show, the NA-11S1 was then expected in the shops later in 2012 with a €2999 (£2650) price-tag. However, at its conference in Spain a month or so later, Marantz announced the product was delayed, saying that it wanted to 'take a look at the market and make sure that when the product appears, it's fully up-to-date with current streaming trends.'
Now, however, the NA-11S1 has finally gone on sale in the States – and Marantz parent company D+M has confirmed it's coming to UK shops this Spring, at a price yet to be finalised.
All this and DSD, too
The NA-11S1 has support for sampling frequencies and bit depths up to 192kHz/24-bit, can also handle 2.8MHz and 5.6MHz DSD files over an asynchronous USB connection from a computer, and has built-in Apple AirPlay as well as a Type-A USB input on the front panel for memory devices and iOS portables.
Internet radio and streaming services such as Spotify and last.fm are supported via the Ethernet network connection, and the NA-11S1 can play MP3, Apple Lossless, WMA, AAC, WAV and Flac over a network.
Switchable digital filters are provided, the player using a high current DSD1792 audiophile DAC as well as Marantz-developed PEC777 digital signal processing and digital filter. The company says this uses a 'high-end algorithm previously used only in professional recording studios – we call it Marantz Musical Mastering.'
The NA-11S1 also functions as a DAC, with optical and electrical digital inputs and outputs, and incorporates many familiar Marantz design and tuning elements, such as copper plating for the chassis, a vibration-excluding 5mm-thick top cover, a generous toroidal transformer and the company's SA2 version of its Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Modules, or HDAMs.
Outputs are provide on both balanced XLRs and conventional phonos, there's a discrete headphone amp and the NA-11S1 can be controlled using the handset supplied or the Marantz control app for iOS or Android.
