Marantz - CINEMA70S S2 50W 7.2 Channel A/V Home Theater Receiver - Black

[ Prior to Getting Started / Setting Up Your AVR ] - If not already an HEOS user (using HEOS with Denon and/or Marantz), prior to starting the receiver's setup process, I recommend installing the HEOS app on your smartphone and create an HEOS account through [Settings -- User icon on the top right] as the setup process will prompt you to log on to your HEOS account. (More about the HEOS app later in this review.) - The setup process includes connecting to your AVR to your home network, wirelessly or through Ethernet that is connected to a (wireless) router. - Connect an (4K or 8K-capable) HDMI cable from your the AVR to the TV as the TV is used as the User Interface (UI) for the initial setup. - Connect your speakers to the AVR. [ Setting Up Your Audio/Video Receiver for perfect video and audio sound ] Thanks to the visuals shown on the TV screen, the set-up was quick and easy. The speaker setup microphone (provided) is used to set up room calibration using Marantz's Audyssey for best sound, balance, and volume of each speaker and subwoofer (it automatically detects all connected speakers and subwoofers and also if all of them are phased correctly). The 7.1 speaker setup can be configured for Dolby Atmos or Surround Back Speakers (in addition to the regular surround sound speakers) for one zone, the main zone, or 5.1 for the main zone plus 2.0 sound for zone 2. Note: New for 2026, this AVR supports the use of the Dirac Live Room Correction, which license is available at a separate (and pretty steep) cost. According to the user manual, Dirac applies state-of-the-art, patented algorithms to analyze and digitally reduce room impact and enhance speaker performance. However, I found the provided Audyssey feature sufficient enough for my standard rectangular room layout. That said, there is an app (available for iPhone and Android), "Audyssey MultEQ Editor", which has been updated to support all Marantz (and Denon) 2026 AVRs. It provides advanced control of room correction features (not tested). Video setup was very easy as well. The preset HMDI input layout should work for most video enthusiasts just fine. Streaming boxes like Apple TV o, Roku, and Fire, are recognized automatically and use the Media Player input. A bit awkward were the video upscaling options, such as you can upconvert 1080p and 4K video sources 8K (but who has an 8K TV?) but upconverting DVD (480i), 720p, or 1080p to 4K is not an offered option. I do want to say, though, that this is not necessarily a show stopper because most newer 4K TVs can upscale these sources to 4K by themselves. My TCL-75 QM8K 4K TV integrated smoothly with eARC (enhanced ARC) and HDMI CEC control so that when I turn on the TV, the AVR turns on automatically to provide 5.1 sound through the AVR (and turns off when turning off the TV). Should you prefer to use your TV independently from the AVR to have sound through the TV, there is no need to enable HDMI CEC control. Then, once you turn on the AVR, the speaker output automatically moves over to the AVR. Initially, I was worried about the 50 watts per channel, but it wattage turned out fine and truly packs a punch with my Bowers & Wilkins speakers. The build quality and aesthetics are top-notch. The remote control is backlit (wow!) and the buttons are laid out logically. Part of the setup included an automated firmware update. [ Hi-Res Audio at its finest through speakers and (Bluetooth) headphones ] This deserves its on section in this review, because this AVR provides an amazing sound quality, especially when paired with Bowers & Wilkins speakers, for lossless and lossy audio sources. There is something special about what has been known for decades as the "Marantz Sound". The Cinema 70 does an amazing job decoding digital sources, and your ears will love hearing it as you can truly hear the difference when, for example, you listen to DSD content ("SACD") through the network, for example, DLNA (I set up my ASUS wireless router to provide Media (DLNA) Server and Samba services). This A/V receiver can play back lossy (e.g., MP3) and lossless media (e.g., FLAC & ALAC up to 192 kHz/24-bit, DSD-64 (2.8 MHz), DSD-128 (5.6 MHz), etc.) in 2-channel Stereo sound. It can play back multi-channel FLAC files too but only as 2-channel Stereo. (Multi-channel DSD files are not supported.) If you are an audio enthusiast like me, I'd recommend the following two DSD music for reference: - Forestare Baroque - 12-Guitar Ensemble (remastered in DXD and DSD 5.6 MHz / DSD-128 / 11,289 kbps) - Kenny G - Breathless (DSD 2.8 MHz / DSD-64 / 5,644 kbps) As some of the attached pictures show, the TV shows the album cover, title information, played song length, and, wow, the quality of the audio source, for example, DSD 5.6 MHz (DSD128), FLAC 192 kbps/24-bit. If you play back MP3 files, it shows its audio quality also, for example, 256 kbps. Thanks to Marantz's M-DAX feature, (Marantz Dynamic Audio Expander, when enabled, lossy material can sound better as M-DAX attempts to restore high-frequency signals and bass characteristics that are lost during audio compression. There are 4 M-DAX settings: (1) "High" for 64 kbps or lower sources; (2) "Medium" for 96 kbps or lower sources; (3) "Low" for 96 kbps or higher sources; and (4) "Off" when you are usually listening to lossless files or CDs. This receiver also supports Bluetooth, both, receiver and sender. When set up to act as a Bluetooth sender ("Listening to audio on Bluetooth headphones"), you have a choice to run this connection with or without speakers. As for me, I truly enjoy listening music and TV programming using my Bowers & Wilkens Px7 S3 Headphones without disturbing anyone else in the house (which is with speakers turned off). Note: Apple Airplay support is provided so you can play songs from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. [ Commanding the AVR and receiving visual information ] There are at least four ways to command the Cinema 70 AVR: - Of course, the AVR itself through its buttons and dials as well as the back-lit Remote Control; uses your TV as the UI. - The Marantz AVR Remote app; gives you full control of this unit as well as access to its setup menu for detailed adjustments - The HEOS app to explore, browse, and play music from your own music library or from many online streaming music services - The receiver's Web site (Yes, the AVR has a built-in web server!) The 4-line porthole UI and what it is displays could be more informative and is barely readable from across the room. Typically, the 1st Line is used to show whether or not Zone 2 is turned on. The 4th line informs when Sleep mode is engaged. Lines 2 and 3 show the source (e.g., Blu-ray) and Volume indicator (when using the FM radio, lines 2 and 3 who preset number and Frequency; line 1 shows Tuned and Stereo broadcast information). It would be helpful if it could show number of input and output channels, but it does not. However, this information is at least displayed on your TV after you press the "Info" button. When playing movies, lines 2 and 3 show the decoder being used (for example, DD+DSurr (Dolby Digital + Dolby Surround), or Atmos, DTS, etc. [ HEOS - Home Entertainment Operating System), Marantz's wireless multi-room audio and whole-home streaming platform ] The HEOS app is your "Go-To" app for all your music sources. It needs a little getting used to, even though it was redesigned not too long ago, but eventually, you get the hang of it. Basically, the home screen layout consists of "Home" (to select music track and/or music stations / services from music sources, such as Qobuz, Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn (free Internet Radio), Music Servers (e.g., DLNA), etc.), "Rooms" (to select a room and/or a device), and "Search" (to search for the music or video you wish to play). "Now Playing" shows the audio file being played back or streamed. You can group as many devices and/or rooms to one room if you want to listen to the same music in multiple rooms. HEOS "Search" with Qobuz works flawlessly and so does playing back music from DLNA servers. The "HEOS Favorites" that you defined in the app also show through the AVR's HEOS source (which comprises of (1) TuneIn Internet Radio, (2) HEOS Favorites, (3) Music Servers, and (4) USB Music. [ AM / FM Radio Tuner ] The Cinema 70 comes with an AM/FM Tuner for radio broadcast enthusiasts. FM and AM antennas are supplied and connect easily. Sadly, though, there is no support for HD Radio (Hybrid Digital Radio), which is a higher resolution service widely available in the United States. Denon and Marantz decided to discontinue HD Radio support more than six years ago. TuneIn Internet Radio might somewhat fill the gap, however, the sound quality is poor (most times, the quality is below 128 kbps; however, the "M-DAX" feature as discussed above, when enabled, improves the sound audibly). [ Verdict ] I highly recommend the Marantz Cinema 70s Series 2 Audio/Video Receiver (AVR) for its capabilities and aesthetics/design providing your expectations match its power output of 7 x 50 Watts per channel which suffices small to midsize rooms. 5 stars out of 5 stars. For larger rooms, especially open concept rooms, you might want to consider Marantz's larger brothers, such as the Cinema 60 (7 x 100 Wats per channel) or Cinema 50 (9 x 110 Watts).

Being an avid audiophile for the past 30+ years coupled with being an owner and fan of Marantz home theatre products, I am always thrilled to find out what they have in store for their next generation products. I have owned and used high-end stereo receivers, several Marantz, as well as external amplifiers to power our home theatre speakers in all the homes we have lived in over that time and truly understand why the AV stereo receiver/amplifier is the centerpiece of any home theatre experience therefore I have always chose to ensure I am powering our high-end speakers with the proper power in order to immerse yourself into what you’re listening to or watching. Last year I upgraded our living room theatre with a higher-end Marantz receiver; now it was time to update our outdated receiver in our upstairs loft which is a bit smaller and closed off therefore we didn’t need as much power. The latest Marantz Cinema 70S Series 2 caught my eye because of obviously being a fan of the brand but also that it gives me many of the latest and greatest technological advances in home theatres but at a more affordable price point which is perfect for the setup we have in that room that isn’t used as often. After a relatively quick and easy set up out of the box, linking to my pre-existing smart phone application and, of course, a software update, I was ready to give the Cinema 70S a spin. My first step, as should yours, is to ensure the receiver was made aware of what speakers are plugged in and where they are situated in the room; that’s where the included Audyssey microphone and cardboard stand comes into play. The on-screen display walks you through the process of placing the microphone in your room in comparison to where the user would be seated and the sounds your speakers make measure the distance to that location, so you hear the sound as it’s meant to be heard. After the speaker set-up and Audyssey sound test were complete, I was ready to rock-and-roll, so to speak, therefore I first tested out the sound from my vinyl record player. The music was very crisp and clear and the power from the amplifier was nearly perfect for the set up I have. Although I’m sure my speakers could handle much more power, they didn’t need to for that small of an area as it would be overkill. After rocking out a bit, which I’m sure ages me, I switched over to AAA gaming to see what it sounded like amid an epic and immersive first-person shooter. Again, I was impressed by the amount of power the Cinema 70S produced considering it’s about half the size of my other receivers. The same went for the movies I tested it out on. With only 50 watts per channel compared to the 125 watts I was previously used to (clearly overkill), the Cinema 70S Series 2 was not designed to power large speaker systems in large rooms but is perfect for small to medium-sized spaces providing more than enough clean amplification to create an engaging and immersive experience. Video support is equally impressive, with six HDMI inputs, including support for 8K video and eARC connectivity, gamers, like myself, will appreciate modern HDMI 2.1 features such as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), helping reduce lag and improve overall responsiveness. Regarding network streaming, the HEOS built-in remains one of the receiver's most valuable features. It provides access to popular streaming services and enables seamless multi-room audio throughout the home. AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, Spotify Connect, and other wireless options ensure the Cinema 70S Series 2 integrates easily into virtually any modern entertainment ecosystem. Overall, the Marantz Cinema 70S proves that a full-featured home theater receiver does not have to dominate your entertainment cabinet. It features Dolby Atmos support, an upgraded 32-bit DAC, HEOS multi-room streaming, and 8K HDMI capability catering to users who want premium performance without the bulk of a traditional AV receiver which is one of its biggest selling points and strengths because of how small the chassis is measuring about four inches tall. It fit much more comfortably into the space where I had my older, larger receiver which was crammed in there and would sometime overheat because there wasn’t enough room for the heat to dissipate. Even with the smaller chassis, it still capitalizes on Marantz’s signature front panel display, high-quality remote control, and premium feel. I would definitely recommend the latest Marantz Cinema 70S to anyone in the market for a high-quality receiver for medium to small home theatre builds.

Marantz is one of those companies that have been around for years and years and has become synonymous with great sound quality and rock solid build quality. The CINEMA70S continues in that well established tradition by delivering outstanding sound in an attractive chassis that screams elegance. I'm used to the high end sound and feel of Marantz products because I also have a AV7705 that I use in my main viewing area. The CINEMA70 is a perfect addition to my secondary system, which gets used for music, movies and Youtube videos. The 70S is a versatile 7.2 channel AVR. It's a very good place to start if you're building a home theater system and need a component that will grow with your theater. This AVR has everything you need today, and a lot of room to grow. For starters you have a seven channel amp that gives you 50W per channel, which is a perfect place to begin your home theater exploration or use in a smaller room. You get the front, center and surround jacks and you also get surround back jacks that can be used as just that, in a 7.1 system, or you can assign them to be front height channels, a ceiling mount pair (Atmos), or you can bi-amp your front speakers with these jacks or set up a zone 2. The speakers you currently have and the constraints of your room generally dictate how you set all of this up, but the point is, this AVR allows you to use it as you need to. Over the years I've bi-amped my front speakers and set up Atmos speakers. It was a big deal to set up the ceiling speakers and I never thought that I would go through all the trouble it took, but you never know what might grab your interest enough to do these things, so it's nice to know you can upgrade your sound in the future with the 70S. The 70S also has plenty of HDMI jacks to connect up to six different components. This doesn't even include the TV connection which is ARC/eARC compatible, and is capable of both 4K and 8K output. You also have a set of pre-out RCA jacks that include amplified subwoofer outputs. Use these to set up a zone 2 area where you have an additional amplifier or receiver. To round out the I/O, there's a a pair of assignable digital inputs, one RCA and one optical. A network jack is also included along with a DC trigger out (which is very helpful if you want to power on an additional amp in another room), a USB port and several sets of audio input RCA jacks. On the front panel, you'll notice two large knobs. The right one is your volume control and the left one is your input select. The circular display in the center generally shows the input you're on and the volume level. Buttons along the bottom offer selection of different sound and zone settings. There's also a USB-A port and a headphone jack on the front. If you're not used to setting up a home theater and dialing in each individual speaker level (or even if you are), there's both Audyssey and Dirac Live to make room calibration painless and automatic. The setup microphone for these is also included, along with the cardboard stands you need to place the mic at different listening positions in your room. If you already own a Marantz or Denon AVR, then you're likely familiar with their HEOS systems. HEOS is basically a streaming app that you can use on your phone or tablet to stream music from a huge number of streaming services. It also lets you go to streaming radio services. If you're like me and have a music collection on a NAS or computer, HEOS is also DLNA compatible and is truly one of the best music streaming apps I've ever used at home. HEOS makes a very good argument for buying a Marantz or Denon product all on it's own and once you've used it, you won't want to use anything else. If you have another HEOS enabled component, you can have them both play the same music in different rooms. The user interface is intuitive and helpful. If you turn on your TV while using it, you'll find you get an informative screen similar to what's on the app on your phone, where you can see the album cover art as well as the file name, the file type and the audio bitrate. Streaming from your NAS, HEOS also has gapless playback, which is what you need to enjoy an album the way it was meant to be heard, without any annoying forced gaps in between each track. This AVR has a crazy amount of features. Most of which you probably don't even realize your using, but the sound quality is fantastic. The number of ways you're able to use this AVR means that it will not only grow with your theater interests, but expose you to new and better ways of listening to music that you probably wouldn't know about otherwise. All that plus a five year warranty.

I have loved sound my whole life, and it is a pleasure to adopt this product as the centerpiece of my home theater. This receiver is a subtle, refined piece of equipment that unassumingly lets the user know that it is in a class above everyday casual consumer electronics. Little touches, like the gold trim on the remote or the dynamic sensitivity of the volume knob, offer an elegance and thoughtfulness that make me smile. Setting up the device is not for the faint of heart. Like any high-end audio system, there are many parameters and options that must be dialed in appropriately to get the expected results for a particular setup. In the box was a detailed but relatively useless quick setup guide. I had to go online to get the detailed setup guide before I really felt like I understood what I was doing. But once I did, I was thoroughly impressed by the features. For one example, the internal amps can be set to work in quite a few different configurations depending on the loudspeakers’ needs. For example, I am only using 5.1, which leaves two “extra” amps. I can either double these up in the front to get extra power, or use them to bi-amp my main speakers. Physically connecting the system was pretty easy, once I figured out where to connect what. The speaker terminals are easy and smooth to operate with little issue getting the wires where they belong. On-screen setup instructions even show a diagram of the back panel with markings indicating how to connect everything based on the current settings. Very nice. Once installed in my room, this AVR looks beautiful. I especially love the sepia-tinted display and the diamond-patterned panels. The design is understated and looks great alongside just about any other equipment. Functionally, this AVR has a lot to offer. Plenty of settings to get exactly the sound desired. Audyssey setup took a few minutes but was easy to do with step-by-step on-screen instructions and microphone and stand included. Results were excellent. Additional configuration is available through paid apps if you really want granular control. Separate input selection for zone 2 audio (!). A couple features that seemed to be missing, that I kind of miss from my previous AVR—at least I have not discovered how to do this yet: (1) no way to manually adjust any settings—like individual speaker level, distance, etc.—after Audyssey auto-setup. One loudspeaker was a little bright after auto setup; since I couldn’t just turn it down, I re-did the Audyssey setup from a slightly different listening position. Still good results. (2) Evidently no surround synthesis options when listening from a stereo input. Perhaps a true audiophile wouldn’t want any synthetic sound, but sometimes it’s nice to have immersive sound when the input is a basic stereo source. The direct option will simply play the sound through front left/right loudspeakers. There is an option for multi-channel stereo which sends a combined signal to the center channel and has L/R surround speakers mirror the front LR channels, but it seems like that’s the extent of it. Most other surround receivers I’ve played with will have some sort of enhancement, be it based on Dolby or DTS or some proprietary algorithm. Oh well. Overall I am extremely happy with the performance of this piece of equipment. It’s beautiful and it sounds great. What more is there?

The Marantz Cinema 70S delivers an amazing and refined home theater experience that I didn't realize I was missing with my current JBL receiver. It combines a very nice sleek look, refined menus and UI with great sounding audio. This is an easy recommend for someone looking for a higher end home theater receiver. This is my first piece of Marantz sound gear and it won't be the last. The unboxing experience itself was extremely premium feeling. The unit is clean, with a unique modern look. The included remote is a nice touch with included backlighting especially for those late night experiences. The unit is slim in height, roughly 4.5in making it an easy fit into my entertainment stand. It would also fit nicely under a TV on a stand where other receivers would be too big. Setup was straightforward once I got past the initial learning curve with the included Audyssey microphone. The on screen interface is clean and logical, making it easy to adjust speaker distance, levels and room placement. The automatic calibration made a breeze to get through with the included microphone. The manual is really helpful if you're new to the process as well. Once configured, the system handles both 5.1 and 7.1 (or 5.1.2) without issues. The 50w per channel ratting was a little worrying at first, but given its Marantz I gave it a shot. In practice, that 50w keeps up well with my speakers for both movies and music. There was no noticeable distortion at higher listening levels like I had with my previous receiver. It also so loud that even in my loud music moods I don't turn it all the way up. The Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding are very nice for immersive sessions. Video and gaming features are strong here. Hooking it up via eARC was simple and the HDMI 2.1 support means it will play 4k/120hz and 8k if you have one of those TVs, on 3 of the six inputs while also supporting VRR and ALLM. It supports Dolby Vision as well as HDR10+ in passthrough cleanly. Overall this is a premium feeling product that punches above its modest power rating and slim form factor. The automatic calibration made is easy for a non audiophile to setup, and the slew of inputs and flexible channel support means it will work for almost any living room setup.