Marantz - CINEMA50 S2 110W 9.4 Channel A/V Home Theater Receiver - Black

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 Previously, I had a receiver that was out of date from around 2007.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.

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'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.