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Versatility and flexibility make the Marantz SR8001 home cinema receiver the ideal installation (22/11/2006)

SR8001 - THX Select II certified, 7.1 home cinema receiver with two HDMI outputs £1,199.90

Designed with high-level custom installations in mind the Marantz SR8001 home cinema receiver not only delivers HDMI quality performance from a range of sources, but it can carry this out in to two separate locations, giving independent audio or video source selection and control in a second room as well as audio only in a third room.

Such versatility and flexibility comes via four HDMI inputs and two outputs delivering full bandwidth, uncompressed digital video signal transmission to two separate displays. There's also video and audio switching, upconversion from analogue video signals to HDMI including interlaced to progressive conversion.

The SR8001 also features multi room/multi source functionality, speaker A/B switching, two assignable DC triggers, two flasher inputs, a RS232c communication port, and an extensive array of both analog and digital connections. These include seven assignable digital inputs, four component inputs, and a multi room speaker and OSD output. With all this on board the SR8001 takes versatility to a new level.

As well as being THX Select II certified the SR8001 incorporates the most advanced 32-bit Digital Signal Processing circuitry, which decodes the latest generation of digital surround sound such as THX Surround EX, Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, DTS Neo:6, Circle Surround II, and Dolby Pro-Logic IIx. This provides uncompromised six, seven or eight channel playback of any multi-channel format, whether it's movie soundtracks or music, over the widest seating area.

But there's more to the SR8001 than mere technical trickery. It is, at its core, an exceptionally impressive amplifier and a clear example of benchmark engineering.

At its heart is a massive toroidal transformer allied to customized oversized filter capacitors, capable of delivering a conservatively estimated 900 Watts from its seven amplifiers for authoritative, effortless reproduction of movie soundtracks and music. The SR8001 features a range of proprietary Marantz sound enhancements such as an all Discrete Current Feedback amplifier circuit topology which makes the design insensitive to difficult loudspeaker loads. You'll also find high-grade components and audiophile-grade 24-bit/192kHz DACs on all channels.

All of the digital, analogue and control circuits are separated and extensively shielded in their own enclosures to prevent cross-talk and other unwanted interference. Independent power supplies for the FL display, audio and video sections secure maximum separation, clarity and dynamics. The SR8001 employs an ultra rigid, extensively braced and shielded chassis, to give the electronics the perfect foundation. Marantz has even designed a new intelligent cooling system and high efficiency heatsink.

And despite the deluge of technology the SR8001 is actually a doddle to use thanks to its intuitive operation and elegant backlit learning remote handset. Set-up couldn't be easier, either, with the SR8001 delivering the best sound for your room automatically, thanks to the Room Acoustic Calibration function with MultEQ by Audyssey.

This system - developed by a handful of audio experts at the University of Southern California including THX inventor Tom Holman - automatically determines how many loudspeakers are connected to the SR8001, whether they are connected in phase and whether they are satellites or subwoofers. When it has processed this the system then calibrates speaker level, size, and distance. The measurement for the optimum set-up will be done automatically on up to six listening positions to correct any room influence. The correction is applied by an equalizer in the frequency domain as well as in the time domain. The system compensates for more than one listening location at the same time, giving nearly every listener in the room a 'sweet spot' no matter where they're sitting. A dedicated high sensitive audio microphone is supplied.

www.marantz.com