Customer Ratings & Reviews

I'm a hardcore cinephile, and it is my main type of entertainment for both movies and TV shows. I was interested in this product because I've been wanting to take my sound to the next level. As I already have a modern premium TV. Previously, I had a receiver that was out of date from around 2007. I then upgraded to a wireless Atmos system but then was very curious about how that would compare to a wired system. Unfortunately, my wired system is still limited to 5.1; however, I do plan on upgrading in the future to have full Dolby Atmos support, which this supports. This is an absolute monster of a receiver that you can plug a crazy amount of devices into at the same time while somehow still being essentially plug and play. You're not having to constantly go through all kinds of different settings every time you want to watch something. It allows me to listen at a lot more reasonable levels to not disrupt the rest of the household, which I greatly appreciate, making it an easy recommend for me. PROS: - As mentioned in the cons, setup is involved. However, Marantz does a wonderful job at walking you through everything that needs to happen on your TV screen, along with the testing along the way, which makes it so even a newbie can do it without any problems. You don't need to download a user manual or do anything extra. You just need to have it plugged into your TV with power, and then it'll walk you through everything. - One of my main concerns from the previous receiver was how complicated it was to get anything to work. It was a nightmare. However, tech has come a long way, and since I've had this set up, it's essentially plug and play through a single eARC port on your TV. Thanks to HDMI CEC, I simply power on my Apple TV, and the receiver will automatically switch to that and start playing sound. I can increase or decrease volume with my Apple TV remote, and it automatically switches from stereo to Atmos to 5.1 without me having to do anything at all, which I love. Where on my old system I had to do all that manually with a ton of different remotes (gross). - The remote is very large, but you rarely have to use it. Mainly, I used it to easily switch between devices. Personally, I had it set up to my Apple TV, my 4K Blu-ray player, my PlayStation 5, and a laptop with ports left over. I found it easier just to use the buttons on the top of the remote to do those switches, but I could also still use my TV remote if that was easier. - The remote has pretty much all the buttons that you would want. Including an Info button to show exactly which speakers are working and what it is set as, which I love. A neat feature on the right side is a button to illuminate the backlighting on the remote when you’ve got the lights off. Which is a good quality of life feature. - The display on the receiver itself features the iconic Marantz "porthole" design, which is relatively basic and essentially tells you what source you're on, along with the overall volume. But that is what the info button or Marantz app is for. - I like that the receiver also has hidden buttons underneath a drop-down door on the front that you can plug things into and adjust settings with. - It did auto-calibrate my room. The built-in Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room calibration software used the included microphone to take measurements from several different seating positions, which then automatically calibrated the sound, and it did a great job at doing that. - Speaking of overall sound, my speakers are a bit old, and this system makes me want to buy bigger, more robust ones since it can easily power them. With that said, this system has never sounded better than it does now. - What I've found really interesting is that, in a lot of movies or TV, music or action sequences can be dramatically louder than talking. While that is still the case here (due to their poor mixing), it is greatly minimized thanks to features like Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. I can listen at a lot lower volumes while still getting good dialogue clarity and separation, along with having good bass and other sounds (without making my entire household hear everything that I'm watching). - At the same time, the dynamic range of this thing is incredible. You can crank this bad boy up, and it really delivers a lot of emotion and subtlety that a lot of other sound systems just don't give you. You can feel the bass, hear the different environmental cues, hear dialogue easily, and really get into and enjoy the media that you're watching. Of course, watching on a 4K Blu-ray is going to be dramatically better than watching over streaming, but I found both to be a very enjoyable experience that was superior to a typical soundbar, headset, or even a premium wireless speaker setup. Making me look forward to the next time I turn on my TV and watch something magical, which really shows off the upgraded DACs inside this unit. - During setup I didn't have my positives and negatives on all of my speakers correct, as I didn't mark them, but what was neat is that during the setup phase, it registered that polarity issue and told me to swap those. - The Marantz AVR Remote app is good and easy to navigate to make select changes and see what is currently being run (Atmos, 5.1, etc.). Additionally, there is an info key on the physical remote that does the same thing on your TV screen, which I greatly appreciate. - Words have failed to explain how many ins and outs this has, along with the ability to plug in four independent subwoofers—which is awesome because multiple subwoofers smooth out the bass response across every seat in the room and eliminate "dead zones." It's absolutely mind-blowing how much this product is capable of. It also comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It's an absolute technological marvel. - It does support the HEOS app, which allows for music streaming and also allows you to group multiple HEOS-enabled speakers or amplifiers together for synchronized playback throughout the home, if you're into that type of thing. - This does support 8K and 4K/120 Hz for both PS5 and a computer. Along with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which are great gaming features. So, plugging your gaming system into this makes you not lose or trade anything (big concern of mine). My TV is actually capable of 144 Hz, so I actually plugged my gaming laptop directly into the HDMI of my TV, but then I was still able to get my full sound system due to eARC, which was awesome. Overall, gaming is a real joy on this. I didn't notice any input latency or lag (which I'm highly sensitive too). - All six HDMI inputs support 4K video and, as mentioned, have all of the other premium features, such as VRR, 4K 120 Hz, etc., HDMI 2.1, 40 Gbps bandwidth, etc. This means that the specs on this guy are not going to be obsolete anytime soon and will continue to be able to be used for probably at least another 5 to 10 years, which makes this a wonderful investment. CONS: - Setup is involved, as you have to set up speakers, wire them, plug them in correctly, go through tweaking, etc. This probably took me about 45 minutes to an hour, despite already having my speakers mounted and cables routed. But I will say that the effort was worth it, and Marantz does a wonderful job at walking you through everything you need to do. - Near the end of setup, it did mention probably three to four different apps to download that could do different things (specifically the HEOS app, the Marantz AVR Remote app, Audyssey MultEQ Editor app, and Dirac Live) some which required payments to use. None of them were required, thankfully, but some of them are nice quality-of-life apps to make sure that you have the correct settings or that Atmos is enabled or something like that. Personally, I'm not a fan of having a million different apps for things and wish it was more consolidated. - If you have an much older TV that you’re plugging this into. Not all the features may work as well as it worked for me. As your TV needs to support eARC, HDMI CEC, and other features for it to be totally seamless. Which is probably most TV’s bought since like 2018 and onward. Essentially, if it supports HDR and is 4K you’re probably good. - It does not have or support Quick Media Switching (QMS). Which is a bummer, but an easy workaround is that the devices that you use most could be plugged into the HDMI of your TV, and then, again, using eARC would still provide premium sound. Granted most TV’s do not support QMS anyways.

Let me start out by saying that while I've always been a bit of an audiophile, and have had a surround sound theater system for decades, I've never actually pieced one together with high-end components. Definitely not with anything as sophisticated as this Marantz Cinema 50 S2. All of my previous systems were pretty much self-contained systems that didn't require too much advanced setup. So this review is not only for anyone interested in this Marantz AV Receiver, but most especially for those novices out there who maybe don't have a lot of experience with devices that have an almost overwhelming amount of connections, inputs and settings. If you think looking at the back panel is dizzying, wait until you see the manual! While I do wish there was a printed copy included in the box, I can see why Marantz made it available online only. It is a whopping 337 pages, all in english (not like other manuals that appear bigger from having a dozen different languages). I have to give it up to Marantz in regards to the manual. It's not just a plain pdf you have to scroll forever through, this one actually has buttons and tabs you can click on making it super easy to navigate. Plus anyone can download it, so if you're thinking about buying one of these, you can get the manual beforehand to look through. Initial setup isn't too bad at first. Just plug it in, screw on a couple antennas, and run an hdmi cable to your tv. This is where I got tripped up a little bit. I'm used to running all my connections to devices before first turning them on, so I did the same here, including all of my speakers. Trust me when I say, don't do that. Starting out with just a 5.1 speaker setup, I connected speakers to the wrong outputs, which is not hard to do when there are connections for 11 speakers! (not counting subwoofers). I learned the hard way that you should actually stop after connecting the receiver to your tv. From that point turn it on and just follow the onscreen setup. It's a lot more detailed than simply connecting it to wi-fi and checking for updates, it actually asks you about your speaker setup and walks you through what to hook up where. All of this is also in the online manual too of course. With all my speakers hooked up and inputs added from my gaming console and other devices, it was time to hear the fruits of my labor. I opened up a streaming app, played a movie, and it was sheer disappointment, but not in the receiver. I knew there would be some calibration and adjustments needed, especially given my 5.1 speakers were on the smaller side. Yet again, I made things a LOT harder on myself than they needed to be. I started looking up technical specs on my speakers and trying to manually adjust crossovers and levels and although I was seeing improvement, I couldn't quite get there. It was then that I finally setup the included mic and ran the Audyssey setup. After 8 rounds of weird noises coming out of the speakers and moving the mic around, I got a movie going again and I had a fully functioning surround sound system that sounded as perfect as it could get, being held back solely by the limitations of the small speakers I have. Another tip when running Audyssey, make sure you really do get the room as quiet as possible, and that includes your hvac system! The mic is so sensitive that the a/c coming out of my ceiling vent almost 8 feet above prevented it from registering the speaker sounds. TL;DR on the setup: just get it powered up and connected to your TV first and follow the on-screen setup instructions to get all your speakers and inputs connected. Then immediately run the Audyssey setup with mic to let it automatically configure all the settings and you're done. Now we're at the point I get to start enjoying this new setup, and by setup I mean this Marantz receiver, as everything else was the same. It was abundantly clear how much of an upgrade this was. I was getting sounds coming from places I wasn't used to, and the sound filled the room more than it ever has. Switching between inputs was a breeze. My TV remote controlled the volume and the most important functions of the receiver straight away, I never had to program anything at all. This was a big one honestly as my previous system required a second remote. Now I could put the Marantz remote away for probably 95% of the time. Even the video quality on my TV seems to be better too! I don't know how since I'm using all the same cables, but I swear it looks sharper and more vibrant. Physically, the receiver looks sleek and stylish in yet another upgrade over what I had before. I love the clean looking front and it just fills in my console so well. In addition to that, I was able to cut down on my cables behind everything making it easier to manage it all. This is what's crazy to me and why I'm in love with this receiver, I've barely tapped into all that it can do. I have dolby surround sound and even dolby atmos when using my gaming console, but it's still capable of so many other technologies. I have 5 speakers and this can handle 11. I only have 1 subwoofer and this allows for 4 of them. I only have 3 input sources and can add 3 more, and that doesn't include the TV which goes through the eARC output. I'm not even sure how to use the TV2 or Zone2 output yet either. I've got the HEOS app and Marantz App to use with it and there's still more that I can get. This receiver has so much potential and adaptability that I could see this lasting the next 10 to 20 years for me without leaving me feeling like I need to upgrade. With a 337 page manual, I'm going to need some time to really get deep with this Marantz receiver. In the meantime it's left me wanting to upgrade the speakers and everything else around it, I'm just going to need to figure out how to fund this new obsession. I don't often get this excited over a piece of electronic equipment, but this Marantz Cinema 50 commands it. I thought I had a really good surround sound system, until this receiver showed up. Now I realize what I've been missing all these years. I would not only recommend it to basically everyone wanting a top-of-the-line theater setup, but also to the amateurs and inexperienced people out there. Most people think that you need a professional installer with something like this, and while that's probably a good idea still if you can afford it, you absolutely don't have to. You really can get it setup on your own and Marantz makes it easy to do so. I wasn't expecting that, which is most likely why I made it harder on myself to begin with. I had the belief it was going to be so much more complicated than it actually was. That's enough writing for now, it's time to load up a game and see how much that experience has improved now too.

The Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2 is the next generation of their award-winning home theater receiver lineup. The updated lineup introduces improvements to sound quality, connectivity, gaming, installation flexibility. As someone who values premium, home audio, I was blown away with the performance of the Cinema 50 Series 2 as this was my first experience with their lineup and certainly won’t be my last. IN THE BOX: - Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2 - Antenna’s - Power Cable - Wire Labels - Remote - Calibration Mic (25’+ Length) - Batteries/Manuals SETUP: The receiver arrives in a very premium packaging format with every item laid out elegantly. This has been redesigned from past products to reduce plastic and add recyclable paper protection. Upon taking it out of the box, you’re greeted with the receiver featuring the Marantz attractive and distinctive design language. Like many receivers with this many channels, it is large so make sure you have a suitable place for it whether that be within a TV stand, on a shelf, or within a dedicated AV rack in another room. The unit measures approximately 17.5” x 16” x 6.5”. Upon connecting all of the speaker wires, connecting HDMI eARC to the TV, and powering the unit on, you’re immediately greeted with a very premium setup screen that automatically detects which channels are connected. This is even before the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction is performed. My room features a 7.1 surround sound setup with Front (Left, Center, Right), Rear Surrounds, and Side Surrounds. The latter two are mounted in the ceiling. Performing the Audyssey room correction was very simple by plugging in the included microphone into the front of the receiver, following the instructions on screen, and moving the microphone to up to 8 different potential listening locations. You can choose to complete this process after at least 3 which saves time but may not get you the best quality that this receiver is capable of. This process is best done with a tripod but can be performed with the included cardboard stand as well. After completing this process, you can check the speaker level settings that the software chose for your setup and adjust these to your preference. It did a good job getting a baseline calibration but I found the center channel was a little low and the subwoofer output increased slightly (the calibration states to use 30% volume on the subwoofer itself for initial calibration). Upon plugging in an ethernet cable to the receiver, it immediately found our Buffalo hard drive on the network in which you are able to stream music files from. This process was quick and seamless. The receiver also supports wireless connectivity but this is a little clunky to setup but it did work after it was connected. If you’re into gaming, another sizable upgrade for Series 2 is the support for 1440p video pass-through together with AMD FreeSync. This helps deliver smoother gameplay and lower latency for gamers who desire high quality audio. SOUND: Upon running through the initial calibration, I chose to watch one of the favorite movies in which I have available on 4K Blu-ray, Tron Legacy. Even though my surround sound setup does not feature Atmos it was able to take advantage of the full Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio files and this experience did not disappoint! Only minutes into the movie, it was evident as to just how CLEAR the power behind the Cinema 50 Series 2 is. The upgraded 32-bit DAC is clearly offering some of the cleanest power I have ever experienced in home audio. Granted, this is coming from someone who upgraded an AVR from 2008 but it is still quite impressive to experience in person. The class A/B amp producing 110 watts per channel at 8 ohms or 150 watts at 6 ohms (capable of 4 ohm output also) is also no slouch as it is able to drive speakers efficiently. If you want to take the experience even further, this receiver supports Dirac Live. This is an additional license and requires additional setup. I was unable to test this service but it appears to be a straightforward process for those seeking the ultimate sound. Another useful feature for those looking to consolidate and control multiple devices within their home is HEOS. I don’t have more than one compatible device currently but I downloaded the app and tried the function with the receiver using a couple of the music streaming apps I currently have accounts for. It seemed to work well and I could see how it would appeal to those who have multiple devices looking for multi room control/sound. OVERALL: The Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2 is the most capable, well rounded receiver I have ever used. With the upgraded hardware and software from previous versions, it has the power and performance that would be expected in premium home audio equipment. From the guided setup process (for new users) to assignable, bi-amp outputs, and HEOS built in, this receiver should fit most setups very well. If you’re unsure about the number of powered channels needed in the future, the 11.4 channel processing abilities allow you to add a secondary amp to power additional channels if you expand past the 9 powered channels it already supports. I would highly recommend the Cinema 50 Series 2 to anyone looking for a high end receiver with great features, capability, and performance. Likes: - User Interface (On screen + Web Control 2.0) - Setup Process - POWERFUL, CLEAN Sound - Customization (11.4 Pre-Out Capable, Dirac Live, Assignable Outputs, Bi-Amp, etc.) - Future Proof (4K 120Hz, 8k 60Hz, 11.4 Channel Processing, etc.) - Design Dislikes: - No Backlit Remote

The Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2 is a robust AVR with endless ways to set up the system for the ultimate home theater experience. Pros: * Setup Process was seamless. * Audyssey setup (both good and bad, but more on that later) * Customizations for speaker setup (what is right for your listening space). * Sound is crystal clear. Cons: * Audyssey (a little funky) * Remote * HEOS Out of the box, the Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2 was well packed and easy to remove for setup. After removing my previous Marantz AVR from my shelving unit, I began connecting all the speakers. Note: If you are familiar with Home Theater (anything), the connections are self-explanatory. However, if you want assistance connecting your speakers, the on-screen Setup process is where the Cinema 50 Series 2 shines. As someone who had an old SR5011 Marantz AVR, this unit is more than plug-and-play; rather, you have an on-screen guide along the way. During the on-screen setup (once the unit was connected to my television), I immediately took advantage (recommended) of the eARC HDMI connectivity (again, recommended, especially if you are streaming through your television or other devices not directly connected to the Cinema 50). On-screen instructions walked you through the basic setup steps and some of the more difficult ones (speaker connections) with vivid videos (again, I can appreciate this as a consumer); you can skip some of these tutorials (if you are comfortable with connecting). After I connected (wirelessly) through my home network, it was time to use the included microphone and cardboard stand to run the Audyssey setup. During the Audyssey setup, again, the process was easy, as anyone who knows Home theater setups does: you place the microphone at a height at eight different listening positions, the speakers make noise, and the speakers calibrate (each of them). For me, I have a 5.2.3 setup, so the Audyssey setup took longer than usual (approximately one hour). After the Audyssey setup was complete, the receiver was ready to go (so to speak). I checked the speaker level settings and was a little surprised that my speakers were set (during the setup phase) to “full” (in other words, LFE bass sounds would play directly through each speaker, too). This is where the customization portion of updating your level and crossover frequencies comes into play. With the Audyssey setup, I had to retool the speaker levels (granted, the crossover frequencies were set correctly by the software). Additionally, I increased (slightly) the decibel level for the center channel. Again, the software and the provided microphone did a decent job during the setup phase. However, I would suggest any enthusaist to use DIRAC LIVE software (and a different microphone) for a more precise acoustical setup in your space (again, the software did a decent job). After the customization settings, it was time to test the receiver out. I popped one of my go-to films to test out the sound on the Cinema 50 Series 2, and that was Top Gun: Maverick. All I can say is, “wow.” Not only were my Atmos overhead speakers creating a soundscape that was clear (from above), but everything through my speakers was “clear.” By clear, I mean not “muddy” sounding at all. I did not opt to use the Cinema EQ or Dynamic Volume at all (I am not concerned about potential late-night noise from playing films). Simply put, as is (without going the DIRAC LIVE route yet), the Cinema Series 2 provided clear audio, intense sound, and bass (more on the tweaking I had to do later) that I never experienced before. After a few more sources (streaming television shows and live sports), I can conclude that the Cinema Series 2 provides the utmost clarity, even without the more in-depth room correction. Other (almost hidden) settings I found that improve clarity further were changing the 8 ohm (by default) dependence level to 4 ohm (if your speakers can produce at these levels). I found (with my connected amplifier) that this setting made my specific speaker setup sound clearer and cleaner. However, the Audyssey setup was a little tricky during the 4th and 6th listening position setup phase. Not only did I receive errors that the bass (again, I had three subwoofers connected to three of the four subwoofer connections) was undetectable. I had to use my SVS app to manually increase the decibel levels in each subwoofer and rerun the listening phase setups (thankfully, this made the subwoofers more “audible ”). I would keep that in mind when you are running the on-board Audyssey setup; you may run into “undetectable audio” nuances. Lastly, the speaker settings were a bit strange as well, but again, setting your own levels, frequencies, and crossovers is simple (honestly, slight changes to this make the speakers sound much better overall). Although the remote is fine overall, I would have liked it if Marantz provided a remote with backlighting capability. The last thing I wanted to test (which was brought to my attention during the initial setup phase of the Cinema 50) was the HEOS software. I installed the app and connected both Spotify and Amazon Music through the HEOS app. Although I only own one HEOS physical device (the Cinema 50), the idea of playing music through my home theater and controlling music from the app (wherever I am in the house) was easy. I did experience one instance of a “disconnection” to the Cinema 50 when I went upstairs in my house (with my phone), and the music stopped. To get the most out of this software, having multiple devices connected through the app and controlling them would be ideal. Again, a nice feature and function of the Cinema 50, but keep in mind that owning more devices to connect to (through the app) would heighten the functionality. Overall, the Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2 provides exceptional clarity for watching movies, sports, and live television. The onboarding/setup process is easy, interactive, and you are guided (properly) through it all. However, with some knowledge, you can fine-tune your speaker setup after the Audyssey setup (or further with DIRAC LIVE). There are plenty of connections (six total) that are all 4K pass-through capable, along with one HDMI eARC port. The Cinema 50 Series 2 should be a go-to AVR for any home theater enthusiast.

I almost jumped and hit the ceiling with joy! The Marantz Cinema 50 not only delivers an amazing home theater experience, but it also fixes many of the issues I had with my previous AVR. I could go on and on about this AVR, but I’ll simply share my personal experience with from A-Z below, starting with the unboxing and setup and continuing through my real-world audio and video experience. I have always been passionate about both movies and music and focused on quality because this how it makes feel happy. I have several media and gaming devices connected to my AVR, so having enough HDMI ports and the latest connectivity options was crucial to me. My home entertainment setup includes an LG OLED C6 65" TV, Apple TV 4K (3rd generation), Sony Ultra HD 4K media player, Sony Hi-Res Turntable, Fire TV 4K, Google TV Streamer 4K, Xbox Series X, and Atari 2600+. For my speaker setup, I have one center speaker, two height ceiling speakers with Dolby Atmos, two stand speakers, two surround speakers, two front speakers, and one subwoofer. With my old AVR, I constantly had to share two devices in one HDMI because it didn't have enough HDMI ports to handle my total devices. On top of that, its HDMI 2.1 connectivity didn't properly support 4K at 120Hz even though it is listed, which caused me problems with both video quality and audio. This state-of-the-art Marantz Cinema 50 solved these issues for me by giving me the enough connectivity and advanced and true technology that I was looking for. The moment I took the Marantz Cinema 50 out of the box, I realized the high-quality build of this AVR. It is solid, and the design is sophisticated and elegant. It has a premium look and feel, and honestly, I have nothing to complain about. It is literally a masterpiece that gave me everything and more than I needed. I feel like this AVR was built to make my entertainment setup frustration-free and take my entire experience to the next level. I loved the overall design of it, it has a premium and elegant look, with minimalist onboard controls that are hidden behind a collapsible front panel. It gives the receiver a clean, sleek look. In addition, the remote control is premium and solid, and I appreciate the attention to details. It has a side button which turns the remote’ backlight in a single press and stays for a few second and turns off “smart and neat”. Setup was straightforward. The on-screen guided instructions (step by step) made the entire process easy, and the simple and intuitive UI made that happen. The on-screen instructions helped me visually map the speaker wires, with audible confirmation sounds to ensure the speaker is in the right port and that it is working. As such, connecting the wrong wire is almost impossible with this smart and intuitive installation guidance. The last step was using the sound calibration microphone and its stand to calibrate the audio and optimize it the room. After this process, I was able to test the sound quality, and it was absolutely jaw-dropping. I was literally speechless and did not even know what to say. The sound quality was clear, and the spatial audio powered by Dolby Atmos completely blew me away. After using multiple AV receivers from different high-end brands throughout my life, I can honestly say that this Marantz Cinema 50 is my best AVR I have ever used. I'm impressed by its performance. It delivers breathtaking picture and audio quality, and it does not stop right there, it also provides convenient wireless and network streaming options such as AirPlay, Spotify, Google Cast, and other streaming services. This is a complete package. Based on my experience, it is difficult for me to think of something that this Marantz AVR does not have or does not offer. I enabled and tested the Dolby Vision on my Apple TV, which was something I had been unable to do on my previous system. Also, I wanted to see whether my TV would blink, and that issue was also fixed. The video quality is crystal clear, and the sound coming from my speakers is clear and immersive. I also appreciate the upgraded DACs, which help produce clear and detailed audio. This level of quality was consistently present across all the music genres I tested with; it is a highly satisfying device. In addition, HDMI eARC is another lifesaver that I really appreciate on this AVR. With CEC enabled on all my connected devices, I can control startup, shutdown, and audio volume easily and conveniently. I also love that when I press the Home button on any of my connected devices’ remotes, the Marantz AVR automatically responds and switches to that device. This works seamlessly across all of my connected devices. The Marantz Cinema 50 has 6 HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz. Gaming with my Xbox Series X has been a next-level experience smooth, lag-free. This is exactly the optimal experience that I was missing with my previous AVR. Streaming music on this AVR is also a blessing. The HEOS feature gives me the ability to stream music from different streaming services. Not to forget, the phono input included is another great feature to have. I have my Sony high-resolution turntable connected, and the music quality was also breathtaking. Personally, I feel that some AVRs are designed to focus primarily on one aspect, either music or video, but this Marantz Cinema 50 is a combination of both aspects. So, what makes this AVR special to me? It brings all of these audio and video features together and makes my entire entertainment experience more enjoyable. With its upgraded DACs, advanced room optimization, Dolby Vision and Atmos support, HDMI eARC, HDMI 2.1 connectivity, HEOS streaming, phono input, and immersive sound. I quickly fell in love with it and cannot go wrong with it.

As a first-time Marantz buyer, I was excited to see what all the hype was about. Everywhere you look online…professional reviews, social media posts, A/V forums…they all give Marantz major props. So when it was time to upgrade my family room sound system to a more updated Atmos/DTS-X ready system, I decided I’d go all out and splurge on the Marantz Cinema 50 Series 2. This heavy beast of an AVR gave me all the flexibility I need for my new 5.1.2 speaker setup, while also powering my two outdoor patio speakers. 9 speakers, at the same time...all the speakers are powered from the AVR, no additional amps required. Setup was great: A huge improvement over my 10-year-old Pioneer AVR. There’s a smooth and attractive GUI that guides you every step of the way, including what speakers to plug in to what output, where the HDMI ins and outs go, setting up either a Wifi or ethernet network, and setting up HEOS. Park of the setup process involves using the including microphone and sonically mapping your room for proper gain settings on a per-speaker setting. This process takes a bit of time but really optimizes the system for your exact circumstances. It even shows you the exact distance from each speaker to where you had the microphone positioned. I have a long, narrow room with my primary seating position placed far back in the room. The AVR effectively boosted the output of the front speakers and lowered the oomph from the rear speakers (which are much closer to the couch). The results showed immediately, with everything feeling in-balance and centered. No speaker stands out over another…just balance. Speaking of balance, something I had read about Marantz products was their ability to really drive music sources. I can confirm that it does, in fact, make my music feel more alive than my older Pioneer (which was no slouch, btw). Using the built-in Heos music streaming (along with the Heos music streaming app), I was able to fire up my favorite Jason Aldean album using Spotify within minutes of setting up the receiver. The audio clarity was amazing. Each guitar string really hit, and the screech of the strings was evident when the players switched cords. Acoustic tracks were fantastically rich, and the vocals were somehow warmer than I was used to. What this all means, to me, is that the Marantz AVR is very capable of pushing very, very high-quality music through your speakers. In fact, it’s given me some thoughts about further upgrading my mid-range Polk setup. Watching movies with Atmos sound is a crazy upgrade. I decided to fire up the movie San Andreas to test out the Atmos capabilities. The results were nuts! The helicopter sounded like it was actually directly over my head. And anytime the ground cracked, I got chills from the surround effects coming from all angles. If you haven’t experienced Atmos sound, do yourself a favor and give it a shot. What an upgrade! A few notes that I found: I felt like the bass level from my subwoofer was too high using the AVR's calibration, so I lowered it from 0 to -0.5. I also used the AVR’s dialogue enhancer (set to medium) to, well, enhance dialogue. It works well. Video-wise, I feel like I’m all set for the future. The receiver accepts, and outputs, video at 8k if you have devices that support that resolution. I currently have an LG C5 OLED TV, so I’m limited to 4k (as are my input devices). But when the time comes for 8k devices, at least I know my AVR is ready for the signals. I’m currently using an Xfinity cable box, along with a Nvidia Shield TV and a PS5. All of my devices output 4k at 60hz, except the PS5 which pushes the refresh rate to 120hz. The AVR will output it all. The AVR also gives you the ability to upscale 1080p and 4k to 8k resolution. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that the Cinema 50 is an expensive AVR, and some will question the value. The way I see it: All AVR’s are expensive right now. Adding 9 or more amplified channels hikes that price even more. The Marantz’s higher quality amps, top-flight DACs and 8k-readiness pushed it over the edge for me. The 5-year warranty (two years longer than most AVRs) also provides a lot of peace-of-mind. In the end, it was worth the cost for me, and I highly recommend it for serious audio-video fans or those who need a powerful, flexible AV receiver.

I've been using this Marantz Cinema 50 AVR with a 7.2.2 speaker setup, and overall, I've been very impressed with it. What I wanted from an AVR was something that could make movies feel exciting and immersive without simply making everything louder. This receiver does that very well. The biggest thing I've noticed is the sense of scale. With a good Dolby Atmos soundtrack, the sound doesn't just seem to come from the speakers. It feels like it's happening around and above you. The two overhead speakers in my 7.2.2 setup add a convincing sense of height, while the seven main channels create a wide soundstage that makes the room feel much larger. Action movies are where this really comes alive. Explosions have weight, effects move around the room naturally, and larger movie sequences have a real sense of excitement. At the same time, quieter scenes don't get lost. Dialogue is clear and focused, and the smaller background details help create the feeling that you're actually sitting inside the movie rather than just watching it on a screen. That's probably the best way I can describe the receiver. It brings some of the emotion, scale and excitement of the cinema into the home. A good soundtrack can completely change the feeling of the room, and this receiver gives my speakers the processing and power to take advantage of that. The upgraded DACs are another welcome improvement. Music sounds clean and detailed, with good separation between instruments, and movie soundtracks have plenty of clarity even when there's a lot happening at once. Listening to music on it coming from a good source brings out things in songs you may have never noticed before. The room correction features are particularly important in a system like mine because getting nine speakers and two subwoofers working together properly isn't something you want to do entirely by ear. Audyssey MultEQ XT32 gives you a good way to measure the room and optimize the system, and this receiver also gives you the option of moving to Dirac Live if you want to take the calibration further. Having those options makes the receiver much more flexible, especially for someone who enjoys experimenting with their system and getting the best possible performance from the room. I did have one frustrating experience with Audyssey during setup. It reported that some of my speakers were out of phase, even though I checked the connections and verified that the speakers were wired correctly and actually were in phase. So I wouldn't blindly assume that every warning from the setup process means there's a problem with your system. In my case, the speakers were fine. Once I got past that, the room correction did a good job of bringing everything together. Dolby Atmos is a big part of why I chose this receiver. With the 7.2.2 configuration, the overhead effects add another layer to the presentation. Sounds can move above the listening position, and the combination of the height channels and surround speakers makes the entire soundstage feel more three-dimensional. HDMI eARC is also important for a modern setup. It makes connecting the receiver to the TV straightforward and allows audio from TV apps and other sources to be sent back to the AVR without having to run everything through another device. The Cinema 50 also has the HDMI connectivity and video features I'd expect from a current home theater receiver, so it should remain useful as the rest of the system evolves. Having HEOS built in is another feature I use and appreciate. It means the receiver isn't just the something I turn on for movie night. It can also be a central part of my music system. Streaming music directly through the receiver is convenient, and HEOS gives you the ability to connect it with other compatible products for multi-room listening. It's a nice feature to have when you want to use the system for everyday music rather than firing up the entire home theater every time you want to listen to something. The only minor complaints I have would be that remote could be more responsive. I occasionally find that button presses aren't registered as quickly as I'd like, which can be a little annoying when you're trying to adjust the volume or change a setting. It's certainly not enough to outweigh the performance of the receiver, but it's one area where I'd like to see some improvement and I'm sure could be addressed through an over the air update. Also the Audyssey setup phase issue was frustrating during initial setup, although it ultimately wasn't a problem with my speakers and I've had the same “error” warnings with other receivers so it's probably due to the room environment and not the receivers. Overall, after getting everything set up, the Cinema 50 has been a very enjoyable receiver. The combination of Dolby Atmos, the upgraded DACs, advanced room optimization, and HEOS gives it a lot of capability, but what matters most to me is how it actually makes movies feel. With my 7.2.2 system, it creates a big, immersive soundstage and does an excellent job of bringing the emotion and excitement of a movie theater into the home. When the soundtrack calls for subtlety, it can be detailed and controlled. When it calls for scale, it has the ability to make the entire room come alive. And that's probably the best compliment I can give it.

Looking for an upscale high end A/V Home theater receiver or you have an older one that you're looking to upgrade to get the latest support you can get in a receiver? Look no further! With nine channels of amplification built in, the Cinema 50 S2 is particularly well suited to a 5.2.4 Atmos system right out of the box. If you later want to expand to 7.2.4, its 11.4-channel processing lets you do that by adding a 2 channel external amplifier. So, this is ultimately why I'd look at this one in particular if you're looking to upgrade to or setup a 5.2.4 system or even 7.2.4. This is the right unit to be looking at, especially if like me you want a system that's good for home theater but also audio. It's also the perfect unit to start out with if you're considering "building out" your high end system as it serves as the "core" of your entire system. I'd say don't cut corners and just go for this one and then upgrade by adding nicer/more speakers later. Coming from a Denon system, I have mine setup as 5.2.4 with multiple subs and I've been seriously blown away by the sound that this thing puts out. The bass is deep and controlled while providing both a wide sound stage for movies and a solid sound for music that I just love. I haven't setup Dirac but am looking at that feature closely as a possible future upgrade. I'm also planning to upgrade my center speaker setup so I can take advantage of the Cinema 50 S2's center-channel bi-amp capability. Since so much movie dialogue and front-stage information comes through the center channel, it's another feature I'm looking forward to having as I continue building out the final "missing pieces" in my system, especially since my previous system didn't support center-channel bi-amping. This receiver has all of the things you'd expect to see in a high end receiver such as but not limited to: 9 amplified channels / 11.4-channel processing 4 independent subwoofer outputs Full pre-outs for adding external amplification later Dolby Atmos Expander (if you have the extra speakers) Center Bi-Amp Channel level monitoring Refined bass management and software features Audyssey XT32 and HEOS w/ Optional Dirac Live HDMI 8K/60 and 4K/120 support Upgraded DAC in the Series 2 Modern and distinctive look on your A/V shelf The Audyssey XT32 makes initial setup straightforward, while Dirac gives you a more advanced upgrade path to expand on later. I do really think HEOS, AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth/Network streaming are all things that make this receiver that much better in terms of how well it performs with music. Also, if you have an Xbox and are into gaming, the support this has for VRR, ALLM, 8K and 4K/120 all make that no issue at all and is where some receivers fall short. So far, I haven't experienced any HDMI, switching, software or stability issues at all. I don't have the prior version to compare the DAC directly, but coming from my Denon setup, there's simply no comparison in my system. The only thing that I wish was included in this system was the full Dirac support without additional cost or at a lower cost than what the licenses are. That said, it's not required to get great performance and is absolutely something that you can upgrade later. If you're putting together a higher-end home theater and also care about music, this is exactly the type of receiver I'd recommend looking at based on my experience so far. There's certainly nothing quite like firing it up and getting cinema-level sound right in your own home and even better, cranking up your favorite artists and getting a concert-like experience in your living room.

We decided that we wanted to build a home theater in our basement so that we could host friends to watch movies or the big fight or the “big game” as they call it. The Marantz Cinema50 9.4 channel a/v receiver has truly taken are home theater to the next level. Unfortunately I didn’t get as much time with it as I would have liked due to my parents’ home experiencing a flooding in their basement that I had to address and took me 4+ weeks to try to tackle (if you’ve never had to deal with this I pray you never do and if you have had to then I share in your pain). Movies We have a laser projector and a 9.4 channel surround sound now thanks for this receiver. And my goodness doesn’t sound absolutely amazing. The system allowing me to tune it based on our basement was something I’ve never experienced before. I’ve never had anything this high-end as far as an A/V receiver goes. And holy moly am I absolutely stunned and floored, and just really over the moon with the quality of this. Everyone has been. From my in-laws to my significant other to my kids to our friends, everyone absolutely loves watching movies in our home theater now. Before it was kinda a well we like it, but we don’t love it and now literally the kids don’t want to go to the movies anymore, they want to have their friends over to watch movies at our house. Rating: 5/5 Music I was able to play some lossless music during the system and it sounded absolutely phenomenal. I have a hearing issue where until I get used to someone’s voice. It all sounds pretty muddied, but I was able to listen to some new music with the kids and everything was still a little muddy just for me, but for everybody else that sounded absolutely phenomenal and even to me it sounded better than normal. My other is a music teacher, as well as the Director of music at our church and she refuses to listen to music any other way except for the system now. I have a feeling I’m gonna have to get another one of these to have in our living room so that she can listen to it upstairs all the time too. The system is really woken up our speakers. Rating: 5/5 Conclusion If you have the money, and you probably do which is you’re looking at the system, then I cannot stress enough how absolutely great this is. It’s not gonna make crappy speakers sound great, but it is gonna make great speakers sound great. And it does that in spades. Rating: 10/10

Given the price tag and the Marantz name, I had lofty expectations for this new AVR. I have been historically quite picky when it comes to these devices. Too often they can be great for one aspect of their use and not so much for others. The AVR this is replacing, for instance, was very good for movies and game consoles, but was a bit disappointing for me for listening to music. The final push for me to upgrade came when I started getting back into vinyl records. The phono input on that AVR performed more poorly than the cheap Fosi Audio class D amplifier I ended up purchasing to make sure there wasn't something wrong with my turntable. The Cinema 50 Series 2, however, has been a performance beast no matter what I have thrown at it. Records, CDs (yes, I still play those), streaming audio, movies, console games, even DSD high-resolution audio files. Excellent for all. What struck me first was just the aesthetics. It is a really nice looking piece of kit and not something I'd want to hide in a cabinet. That's a first for me. Then there was the pure sound detail. The clarity is exceptional. What I found particularly of note is how great it handles the audio from my turntable. I have no real need for a dedicated phono amp anymore. The Cinema 50 Series 2 gives me everything I need. I have a 7.2 speaker setup and have always been a big fan of my speaker choices. This AVR somehow manages to make it sound like I upgraded everything including the speakers though. I played around with both Audyssey and Dirac Live for calibration and honestly, while Dirac Live was incredibly impressive, I don't know that it's worth the extra cash for me to continue with it beyond the trial. Audyssey MultEQ XT32 is more than enough. I get an added dimensionality to the sound that I didn't have before. Even when playing records which really left me shocked. HEOS is really cool, but as someone who is heavily invested in Apple's ecosystem already and has Airplay 2 devices in most rooms of the house plus an Apple Music subscription, I'll be sticking with that. I've seen people complain a bit about the remote, and yes, on a flagship device in this price range I'd say those complaints have a fair bit of validity. If I'm being honest though, Once I got the remote app installed, I barely touched the physical remote again. The bottom line is that I am extremely pleased with the Cinema 50 Series 2 and probably will be for quite some time. It has everything I want and more.