Marantz AV 20 AV Processor Review

Touted as its finest AV products to date, Marantz’s AV 20 and matching AMP 20 are statement pieces to be sure. With 13.4 channels of processing and 16 channels of 200W power, respectively, the pair can drive all but the most ambitious home cinemas. Now, two years on from their respective launches, they continue to evolve, with firmware updates bringing powerful additions like Dirac Live Bass Control – and more recently, Dirac ART has been added. With the potential to fix in-room bass response, it’s arguably one of the most revolutionary products since object-based sound.

As ambitious as this duo may be, many home cinema owners don’t need the higher channel counts, so enter the AV 20 13.4 channel processor and matching 200W, 12-channel AMP 20 power amplifier. Like the AV 10, the AV 20 shares the same design philosophy. Apart from minor internal differences to accommodate its price point, much of what we said of the AV 10 is true of the AV 20. Final voicing was done by Marantz’s Sound Master, Yoshinori Ogata, who set out to achieve an expansive soundstage and a high level of focus, with fast, tight bass.

The AV 20 decodes all formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, Auro-3D, IMAX Enhanced, and MPEG-H Audio. Other lossless formats include FLAC, FLAC HD 24/192, and ALAC. WAV up to 24/192 and DSD audio streaming are also supported, as is Amazon, Tidal, Deezer, Napster, Soundcloud and Qobuz. It’s also compatible with HEOS products. Both Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and Dirac Live, in all their flavours, are offered, but unlike the former, which is included free of charge, the latter is an optional paid upgrade.

Up close

The AV 20 sports the same two-tone finish as the AV 10, namely a matt black aluminium faceplate offset against textured grey. However, thanks to the sideways placement of the capacitors and two fewer HDAM boards, it’s shallower than its counterpart. It also features Marantz’s distinctive porthole display, and save for power and input selector dials, all controls are tucked behind a metal door. This opens to reveal a larger, more informative LCD screen showing the source, sound format, and the number of speakers in use.

The rear of the AV 20 houses both balanced and unbalanced pre-outs, seven HDMI inputs (8K HDCP 2.3) and three HDMI outputs (also 8K), including Zone 2. There are four independent subwoofer outputs, the fourth of which can be used for tactile transducers. Unlike standard subwoofer outputs, the tactile transducer has its own set of controls and bypasses both Audyssey and Dirac. Other inputs include two coaxial and optical digital inputs, six analogue inputs, dual multi-room analogue inputs, a USB audio input, an Ethernet connection, two 12V DC outputs, an IR input, twin AMP Control inputs, a moving magnet phono input, plus remote-control inputs and outputs, and an RS232C connection. The AV 20 supports wireless and Bluetooth control through mountable rabbit ear antennae.

Getting Going

Marantz components are at the head of the class in terms of usability. Connect the AV20 to your display, power it on, and it’ll guide you through the setup process for connecting speakers and components. That said, the GUI would benefit from more guidance on connecting amplifiers.

The setup process also includes a crash course on running Audyssey, though it’s a bare-bones approach to room correction. For those willing to learn, there’s an abundance of other, better options available, like Audyssey’s MultEQ app, which is available through Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store. This provides significantly more control, including the ability to create custom room curves. If you find app-based solutions clumsy, Audyssey X PC software is also available, at an extra charge and adds yet more control, including custom filters.

Should you want to go down an entirely different path, you can pay for Dirac Live, Dirac Live Bass Control or Dirac ART. Despite its potential, the latter should be approached with caution, as it can damage speakers if not correctly implemented. So, unless you’re willing to dive down the rabbit hole yourself, hire a professional to calibrate your AV 20.

For this review, the AV 20 was connected to a Marantz AMP20, driving VAF Signature i91 front and centre speakers, plus six VAF i90s as surround and Atmos speakers, and two Ascendo 16” Active Sealed subwoofers, rounding out a 5.2.4 layout. The fourth subwoofer output was connected to a Crowson D-501 Tactile Motion Amplifier, in turn connected to dual Shadow-8 Dual Motion Actuators placed at the primary listening position. Video sources comprised an OPPO UDP-203 and Apple TV, connected directly to a Lumagen Radiance Pro 5348, with a Sony VPL-XW5100ES projecting images onto a Severtson 100” Cinegray 16.9 screen. Video sources comprised an OPPO UDP-203 and Apple TV, connected directly to a Lumagen Radiance Pro 5348, with a Sony VPL-XW5000ES projecting images onto a Severtson 100” Cinegray 16.9 screen.

Sound and Vision

The AV 20 creates a super spacious soundscape with great height and width. It has a transparent nature, with outstanding dialogue reproduction, and is capable of jolting the viewer with lightning-fast, powerful dynamics that are gone as quickly as they arrive.

Breakdown delivers an effective Dolby Atmos soundtrack for its age, which underpins the suspense in this taut thriller. From the get-go, the Marantz lets me know it’s firmly in control, as sound emanates from behind and in between the speakers with near pinpoint precision. The AV 20 delivers a transparent, relaxed feel that’s very easy to listen to, but don’t let that fool you – while it’s deathly quiet one moment, it can spring into action in a heartbeat, using all the speakers at its disposal to great effect. The passing of a nearby truck on the desert highway was delivered with enough energy to make me wince, for example.

The AV 20, coupled with Dirac ART, steers effects precisely around the listening area. As Amy catches a ride to a nearby dinner, the departing truck creates a gust of wind. It starts at the front right of the room, then moves to the left, down the left side of the room, and exits the room to the rear right. Impressive, to say the least!

The more recent Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One allows the Marantz to show what it’s capable of with a modern Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Having grown accustomed to both its easy-going character and transparency, I was able to glean new details from this familiar film. Not only does it excel with fine detail, but it also takes the clarity of vocals in my system to an entirely different level. Conversations between the Russian submariners were crystal-clear, producing the best dialogue I’ve heard in my home cinema, regardless of price.

ART’s contribution is all the more apparent in the sandstorm. I’m accustomed to this scene creating a maelstrom in my cinema courtesy of my Denon AVC-A1H and Dirac Live Bass Control. What I’m not accustomed to is the level of impact and precision with which bass is delivered. It exhibits a degree of tonality, tightness, and downright impact that I usually associate with better-engineered cinema rooms.

It Chapter Two is a sonic tour de force, with its Atmos soundtrack offering a sonic smorgasbord for the AV 20, from subtle creaks and moans you’d expect to explosive dynamics. It created an unsettling Halloween experience, the detail-laden soundstage and crisp dialogue drawing you in before delivering scary moments with a sonic barrage that’s an assault on the senses. Dynamics are lightning-fast, with enough force to keep the heart rate elevated for some time, and are also not only heard but felt at the other end of the house.

The Verdict

It has been some time since I reviewed the AV10, but my conclusions about the AV 20 are much the same. This is a powerful AV component capable of producing a spacious sound field with lightning-fast dynamics. Its natural pairing is, of course, the matching AMP 20, but feel free to go on your own adventure with amplification. The AV 20 also provides a gateway to Dirac ART, a significant revelation in its own right. Coupled with the AV 20, it produced the tightest, cleanest, and most impactful bass I’ve ever experienced in my home cinema, no less.

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