Marantz is on a mission to reposition itself as a luxury hi-fi brand and is hoping its new Model 40n integrated amplifier will help drive the message home.
The Model 40n follows in the footsteps of the Model 30 launched back in 2020, but with one major difference. The 30 was purely a stereo amplifier, but its successor has streaming smarts built-in. The clue is the lower case 'n' which signifies it's more than happy to jump on your home network either wirelessly or via its Ethernet socket.
This functionality all comes courtesy of the built-in HEOS streaming platform which not only brings Spotify Connect, Amazon Music and Tidal to the party but also opens up your own digital music library with support for high-resolution audio to the tune of 24-bit/192kHz (PCM) and DSD up to 5.6MHz. Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth support are also included and you can even access the world of voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
But the connectivity doesn't stop there. You have a full assortment of analogue and digital connections to take advantage of too, including optical and coaxial digital, three analogue inputs, a moving magnet phono stage for your record player and an ARC-compatible HDMI input for hooking the Model 40n up to a 4K TV. There's even a dedicated subwoofer output for extra flexibility should your set-up demand it.
As far as actual amplification is concerned, the Marantz Model 40n uses a Class A/B design with a total output of 70 watts per channel. Internally, all manner of things have been done to reduce the effects of outside interference, from separating the power supply and audio circuits (pre/power stages, analogue and digital stages) with a heatsink, to using short signal paths and extra strong shielding to keep the signal as pure as possible for ultimate sound clarity.
The Marantz Model 40n will be available in either Marantz Black or Silver Gold finishes and will cost $2499 / £2199 / AU$4499 / €2499 when it goes on sale in March.
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