Marantz’s new Dolby Atmos AV receiver combo can power the massively multi-channel home theater of your dreams
- The AV20 and AMP20 deliver 200W per channel, or 400W per channel to six channels
- Designed to work together but also compatible with other Marantz models
- $1,000 cheaper when bought together
As much as I love a good soundbar, my idea of home theater heaven features a high-end AV receiver – and Marantz’s new AV20 and AMP20 could be the soundtrack for the home setup of my dreams.
The AV20 and AMP20 are reference-quality home theater separates, and as you’ve probably deduced from the names, the AMP20 takes care of the amplification. And it’s a lot of amplification: 200W per channel over 12 channels, or 400W per channel to six.
Marantz AV20 and AMP20: key features and pricing
The AV20 and AMP20 can deliver a 13.4 channel surround system – so you’re probably talking about 9.4.4 channels in practice as the maximum Dolby Atmos configuration. While they’ve been made to work together, they can also be used separately – so for example, you can invest in the more powerful AMP10 and team it with the AV20.
They’re as good to look at as they are to hear: they have Marantz’s premium industrial design with its distinctive porthole display and I think they look spectacular.
The AV20 has Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room calibration and Dirac Live (that one’s an optional extra) with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, Auro-3D and IMAX Enhanced. There are seven HDMI 2.1 inputs and three HDMI outputs with 4K 120Hz and 8K 60Hz support.
Naturally it works with Marantz’s HEOS system for multi-room, and it also has AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and plain old Bluetooth.
The Marantz AV20 and AMP20 are priced identically at $6,000 / £4,750 (about AU$9,880) each. But if you buy both together you’ll get a big discount: together they’re $11,000 / £9,500 (about AU$19,849).
