Last month, Marantz announced the SR5011 network A/V receiver, an update to last year’s SR5010 model. Now the company is following suit with another refresh of an earlier model, but this one packs some serious power.
While the SR5011 was a relatively minor upgrade aside from a few key features aimed at custom installers, Marantz’s new SR6011 network A/V receiver offers much more than last year’s SR6010. The previous model offered 7.2 channels, while the SR6011 is a 9.2-channel monster featuring nine independent power amps offering 110 watts per channel — plenty of power to fill even large rooms.
The SR6011 offers a total of eight HDMI inputs, including one on the front of the receiver. Each input supports HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2, and 4K/60Hz video passthrough including HDR (High Dynamic Range), 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, 21:9 video, 3D, and BT.2020. In case your TV or source devices don’t offer upscaling, the receiver even features a built-in upscaler, bringing standard and HD content up to 4K resolution.
Of course, in a receiver, the quality of the audio is really what matters. In addition to 9.2-channel surround sound, the SR6011 also features support for 3D surround sound, with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X included right out of the box. Dolby Atmos is supported in 5.1.4 or 7.1.2 configurations, and with an external amplifier, a 7.1.4 configuration becomes available as well. The receiver also supports hi-res audio in FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, and WAV formats, as well as DSD (2.8/5.6MHz).
Connectivity is covered by Bluetooth, as well as built-in 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band Wi-Fi, including AirPlay and playback from NAS (network attached storage) devices. A number of streaming services are also supported out of the box, including Spotify Connect and Pandora, as well as internet radio and SiriusXM.
This model is meant to be used by both advanced users and those who would rather not dive in to all the details, with the color-coded speaker terminals, built-in Setup Assistant, and Audyssey MultEQ room calibration making life easy for the latter. In addition to the included remote, the Marantz 2016 AVR Remote app adds another control option, available for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire devices.
For custom installers, an 11.2 channel pre-out section, RS232 port, and IP control, as well as support for Crestron Connected device management, make complex setups possible. A second HDMI output makes adding a second TV or projector to your setup a simple thing. The SR2011 supports ISF video calibration, and is ready for professional calibration of TVs or projectors for those who take their picture quality seriously.
The Marantz SR6011 is expected to ship in September, and will retail for $1,400. For more information on all of the features packed into this receiver, see the company’s website.
