When Marantz upgrades something, they certainly do it the right way. The company just announced the AV7702mkII A/V Network Preamp/Processor, an update to last year's AV7702.
The AV7702mkII (Mark 2) can support all of the A/V goodies you'd possibly want for your home theater. Out of the box, it will support 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 Dolby Atmos configurations for fully immersive surround sound. However, there are options to upgrade the machine for Auro-3D and the Auromatic upmixer up to 10.1 channels via a paid software upgrade. Marantz also plans to add DTS:X support through a firmware update very soon.
The audio section allows for the passing of the signal to 11.2-channel XLS or 13.2-channel RCA pre-outs, for connection to external power amps. And those amp are required, people: this is not an all-in-one receiver. It even has a dedicated pre-amplifier board with HDAM and a power supply, ELNA capacitors for high-resolution audio, and built-in 192kHz/32-bit D/A converters.
On the video side, this home theater component has HDMI 2.0a compatibility with High Dynamic Range (HDR) support, BT.2020 pass-through, and HDCP 2.2 compatibility on all HDMI inputs and outputs. That basically means that the AV7702mkII was made to be paired with a variety of 4K components, such as 4K TVs, as well as 4K set-top boxes and Ultra HD Blu-ray players (when those are actually available).
Thanks to WiFi, Bluetooth and AirPlay capabilities, the AV7702mkII can deliver Spotify Connect, Pandora, SiriusXM, web radio, and more. (Just know that subscriptions and/or fees may apply.) Other features include 3D support, Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume, Audyssey MultEQ XT32, eight HDMI inputs, three HDMI outputs, and a phono input. This pre-pro is also ISF- and Crestron Connected-certified, with options for Zone 3 audio. Also worth mentioning is that the AV7702mkII works with the Marantz Remote app, so you can control it from your iOS or Android phone or tablet.
The pre/pro can be paired with any power amplifiers, however the company recommends connecting it to one or more of their MM series power ams. These include the MM8077 7-channel Power Amplifier ($2,399), the MM7055 5-channel Power Amplifier ($1,199), or the MM7025 2-channel Power Amplifier ($799).
All of the power amps are available now. However, Marantz plans to start selling the AV7702mkII A/V Network Pre-processor sometime in October, priced at $2,199.
Where to Buy:
