The new Marantz Cinema 30 is the brand’s latest range-topping AV amplifier, and it flawlessly combines elegant styling with uncompromising engineering. Marantz has a long history of producing AV amplifiers and receivers that somehow sound more ‘musical’ than most of the competition, and this is in part thanks to its application of proprietary calibration and acoustic tuning to deliver a more nuanced sonic performance.
Marantz’s signature sound aspirations aside, the Cinema 30 boasts a redesigned chassis and a host of spatial audio features that are a match for any competing AV amplifier. The Cinema 30 has 11 channels of built-in amplification, and 13.4 channels of processing that supports every surround-sound format imaginable - including Dolby Atmos. There’s also a brace of room correction systems to optimise the audio and produce a cohesive soundstage.
Connectivity is impressive, including support for next-gen gaming, and there are numerous audiophile enhancements to keep the most demanding music fan happy. The Marantz works with all the main smart assistants, while the brand’s HEOS multiroom platform allows for the creation of a seamless system around the house. All of which should allow the Cinema 30 to deliver on its ambition of producing cinematic slam with musical subtlety.
Sound Quality
The Marantz Cinema 30 has some solid horsepower under its hood, with 11 channels of built-in Class AB amplification. However, while Marantz claims 140W per channel this number is based on running just two channels - when all 11 are being driven the actual output is lower. Having said that, this AV amplifier should have no problems handling larger rooms.
Marantz boosts the Cinema 30’s audiophile credentials by including a toroidal transformer-based power supply and HDAMs (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules). These use discretely mounted components rather than integrated circuits to increase the power of the amplifier while also lowering distortion. As a result, this machine has a clean and responsive overall delivery.
In addition, Marantz has a team of audio engineers – or, as the brand has christened them, ‘Sound Masters’ – who apply proprietary calibration and tuning tools to optimise the acoustics. It’s this tuning that distinguishes the brand’s amplifiers from the competition, giving them their trademark ‘musicality’ and ensuring the Cinema 30 can perform in both home cinema and hi-fi contexts.
The Cinema 30 supports every spatial audio format: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Pro, Auro-3D, and IMAX Enhanced, not to mention 360 Reality Audio and MPEG-H. There are only 11 onboard channels, but the processing can handle up to 13.4 with connections for four independent subwoofers. This allows you to run a maximum speaker configuration of 9.4.4 or 7.4.6 depending on preference.
In testing the Cinema 30 sounds fantastic, with its clarity and ability to retrieve fine details immediately apparent. Listening to the new Dolby Atmos mix of David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars reveals the stripped-down intimacy of the two tracks that bookend the album – Five Years and Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide. The overall soundstage is also cohesive and tonally balanced.
The electric abandon on Moonage Daydream and Suffragette City fills the entire three-dimensional space as the object-based mix makes this 50-year-old album sound like it was recorded yesterday. It’s as though the Spiders from Mars are in the room with you, with solid bass, driving drums and Mick Ronson’s majestic guitar howling like a caged animal begging to be set free.
The Cinema 30 offers a sonic presentation that’s refined, but also remains dynamic and responsive. To a certain extent I expect this, so what really interests me is whether the Marantz is able to keep pace with a no-holds-barred movie soundtrack such as Furiosa. This prequel’s Atmos mix is a non-stop sonic assault from start to finish, and this superb AV amplifier handles it with skill.
The aerial attack on the tanker by paragliding bikers affords plenty of opportunity to use the overheads, and here the sound design doesn’t disappoint. You’ll be ducking for cover as they swoop above while bombs and gunfire rain down. The Marantz places these effects precisely within three-dimensional space, moving them seamlessly from channel to channel while also delivering the dynamic score that propels the action like an unstoppable sonic rollercoaster.
It’s breathless stuff, but proves that while the Cinema 30 can handle music with finesse, it also has the power to give film soundtracks the necessary scale. This is perfectly demonstrated during the climactic battle in Civil War, as the Marantz moves bass from speaker to speaker in the array and reinforces the soundstage as a whole to create a realistic and visceral sound field.
As rocket launchers fire into the Lincoln Memorial the columns explode with a pleasing physicality, before tanks rumble up Pennsylvania Avenue and fire at the White House. The explosions and gunfire include bass so overwhelming you’ll end up with PTSD. It’s a thrilling sonic experience, and a reminder that despite the Cinema 30’s class it can still get down and dirty when needed.
Living with
The Marantz Cinema 30 sports a newly redesigned chassis that merges modern aesthetics with the brand’s trademark porthole display. The layout is symmetrical, with identical dials for input and volume on either side of a round display, along with a power button and headphone jack.
The textured and illuminated areas on the left and right jazz up the otherwise-minimalist styling. This faint white side lighting can be turned off for use in a darkened home cinema but adds a touch of class, as do the copper bolts on the sides and the similarly coloured panel at the rear.
The bottom half of the raised centre panel is a weighty drop-down flap, behind which you’ll find a full display, some controls, a USB port, and a jack for the setup microphone. The larger display is informative and easy to read, although there’s also an onscreen display rendering it largely redundant.
The Cinema 30 is manufactured in Marantz’s Shirakawa factory in Japan, and the build quality - all solid metal construction and copper-plated frame - is excellent. There’s a choice of matte black or silver-gold colours, both of which deliver a premium look befitting a flagship model.
At the rear are aerials for wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, along with seven HDMI 2.1 inputs and three outputs - two of which support 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz and one which also handles eARC. There’s a third HDMI output for a second zone, but this is limited to HDMI 2.0.
The Cinema 30 supports every version of HDR, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, along with a host of gaming features like VRR, ALLM and QFT. So, whether you’re a film fan, music lover or hardcore gamer, this highly capable and well-specified AV amplifier has you covered.
The controller is intuitive to use and includes a backlight, but there’s also voice interaction thanks to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri via AirPlay 2. The remote app is also excellent, and provides easy connection to the web interface for full access to the Cinema 30’s menu settings.
There’s also an app for the HEOS multiroom platform, which is effective at providing a cohesive system for all supporting Denon and Marantz devices - it allows you to listen to music throughout the house. The only downside is you have to run two separate apps on your smart device.
The Cinema 30 also has impressive hi-res audio capabilities, with file support up to 24bit/192kHz, plus it’s Roon tested and includes all the major music streamers. There’s no built-in AM/FM tuner, but if you want to listen to your favourite shows you can use Tune-In internet radio instead.
Installation is painless thanks to Marantz’s setup assistant, now with upgraded graphics and a user interface that’s a lot slicker. This takes you through the entire process and includes guides on attaching speakers and sources, and connecting to your wi-fi and running room correction.
There’s an extensive choice of speaker layouts, plus you can assign preamps per channel and set crossovers for each speaker individually. The ability to run up to four subwoofers helps with the room’s overall low frequency response, resulting in smoother and more even bass, plus there are directional settings and custom curves for each sub for even better low-end performance.
The Cinema 30 comes with Audyssey MultEQ XT room correction as standard, and this remains a simple-to-use and generally effective acoustic calibration system. However, there’s also the option of Dirac Live for an additional fee - it provides access to packages ranging from the limited bandwidth (20-500Hz) version to full bandwidth correction with bass control for all four subs.
The Cinema 30 can decode up to 13.4 if you add two extra channels of amplification, so anyone planning to utilise all those available channels has to choose between a 9.4.4 or 7.4.6 system. Personally, I find adding width channels really expands the front soundstage, whereas using six overheads seems to make less difference - so I’d go for a 9.4.4 configuration.
Conclusion
The Marantz Cinema 30 is every inch a flagship AV amplifier, with elegant design, extensive features, remarkable flexibility in setup and EQ, and superb audio quality that manages to sound detailed and nuanced with music while also retaining plenty of cinematic scale with movies.
It’s an impressive achievement that’s sure to put a smile on the face of anyone who values Marantz’s musicality but also seeks an AV amplifier that offers powerful and dynamic spatial audio. All of which makes the Cinema 30 ideal for anyone interested in films, music or gaming.
Listening Notes
Civil War (4K Disc)
Alex Garland’s dystopian take on the titular conflict is as challenging as its battle-hardened Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The Cinema 30 extensively uses every channel, enjoying massive amounts of dynamic range, and delivers subterranean levels of bass. By the time you reach the film’s climax you’ll find yourself as shell-shocked as the film’s photojournalists.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (4K Disc)
This stand-alone superhero sequel brought the DCEU to a close with a demo-worthy Atmos soundtrack that fully immerses you in its undersea world. The Cinema 30 creates a cohesive and tonally balanced environment, with sounds swooshing around and above you as super-powered submariners battle each other beneath the waves.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (4K Disc)
This revved-up prequel to Fury Road lacks Mad Max but makes up for that with explosive pedal-to-the-metal vehicular action. The Atmos soundtrack is a barnstorming sonic experience, and the Cinema 30 uses every channel to pummel you into submission, while effects are seamlessly steered around the soundstage with precision.
If you value Marantz’s rich heritage of producing AV amplifiers that retain their musicality while also handling complex spatial audio soundtracks, the Cinema 30 delivers enough power and multichannel prowess to delight film fans along with the subtlety admired by music lovers.
