The two luxurious new wireless speakers, according to Marantz, have been "crafted for passionate, discerning listeners who demand both exceptional sound and timeless elegance".

StereoNET was fortunate to attend a pre-release preview event in Melbourne in October. Marantz firmly sets its sights on redefining and setting a new benchmark in the wireless speaker category, and they may well have achieved this target.

The embodiment of modern luxury statement audio, both Horizon and Grand Horizon elevate and seamlessly integrate the timeless elements of Marantz's design ethos into their design DNA, incorporating instantly recognisable elements such as the brand's iconic circular porthole motif. The porthole is reimagined as the core element of each speaker's unique circular form. Combined with carefully arranged lighting and elevated trim materials that highlight Marantz's characteristic architectural symmetry, the result is a tactile audio experience you can see, hear, and feel.

The finish, in just one word, is 'stunning'. Both Horizon and Grand Horizon use thoughtfully conceived materials throughout. Each model is wrapped in what the company refers to as Radiance 360-degree Seamless Ecofiber, a bespoke, sustainable fabric made from recycled ocean plastics. The three-colour fabrics have a glowing, luxurious feel thanks to embedded gold lurex elements, further enhancing the unique warmth of Marantz's design and sound. They catch the light and elegantly reflect it, much like a polished, precious gem. It's subtle but a nice touch.

Horizon and Grand Horizon will be available in classically dark Midnight Sky, subtly bright Moon Ray and iconically warm Marantz Champagne. Each is complemented by a beautifully finished natural marble base that is colour-matched to accentuate the elegance of each design. Marantz also offers a beautifully finished American walnut tripod floor stand as an optional accessory for the smaller Horizon model. Wall brackets will also be available for both models. 

Both Horizon and Grand Horizon are powerful single-speaker wireless solutions able to fill even substantial rooms with full-range sound. Each model is designed around a unique configuration of high-frequency and midrange drive units that radiate outwardly from a single central subwoofer, ensuring a spacious listening experience.

The sound from both models belies its modest size. The key to this powerful sound is the company's proprietary 'Rise' amplification, based around highly responsive and thermally efficient GaN FET technology and offering 310W of output in Horizon and 370W in Grand Horizon. This drives high-quality 'Gravity' drive units, featuring neodymium magnets "for the ultimate combination of accuracy, responsiveness and low distortion", according to the press release.

At the heart of Horizon is a 165mm (6.5in) subwoofer, which is complemented by two 25mm (1in) silk-dome tweeters and three 50mm (2in) full-range drive units. Grand Horizon, as the larger speaker in the line-up, scales that to a 200mm (8in) subwoofer, three 25mm (1in) tweeters and four 76mm (3in) midrange drive units.

Pushing boundaries further for this future-fi product, the sophisticated acoustic platform can be optimised to suit your mood and music using the powerful onboard Marantz Mirage DSP. Accessible via the HEOS app, the Mirage digital signal processing allows for a customisable listening experience, with selectable options that can tailor the sound's clarity, spaciousness and warmth to each user's tastes. There's even the option to select Sound Master mode, allowing listeners to experience the sound of Horizon or Grand Horizon exactly as Yoshinori Ogata, the Marantz Sound Master, intended it to be heard.

Did we mention the tech? Simply approach either product, and its unique onboard proximity sensors will magically bring the speaker to life. What Marantz refers to as AuraControl combines 100 carefully concealed LEDs with proximity and ambient light sensors to create a seamless symphony of light and sound. Just touch the illuminated ring around the central subwoofer to indicate your preferred volume and AuraControl will instantly bring the speaker up to the point you have chosen, clearly indicating the volume level with markings that reference the classic Marantz Star logo.

Built around the now well-refined HEOS wireless music platform, they can access music content from a wide range of supported streaming providers, including Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify and TIDAL, with more services planned to follow. Apple AirPlay2 and Bluetooth are also included, as well as inputs including analog, optical and even HDMI. You can also access music from locally connected USB-C music drives. Onboard Dolby decoding also ensures full compatibility with Dolby Atmos supplied via HDMI.

Horizon and Grand Horizon can join other HEOS-enabled products to create an extensive whole-home multi-room music system. Listeners can also choose to pair Horizons and Grand Horizons to create a substantial two-speaker system for the ultimate music-listening experience in large spaces. At the preview event, we were in awe of the room-filling sound, further reinforcing Marantz's claim to be setting "a new statement in wireless speaker design". However, stereo pairing functionality had not yet been implemented, so we can only wait with anticipation to hear that.

The Marantz Horizon (A$6000 RRP) and Marantz Grand Horizon (A$10,000 RRP) will be available from January 14th 2025. 

For more information visit Marantz