Marantz Model 30 Integrated Amp & SACD 30N Streaming SACD Player Review & Comments

[Jaded1]

Thanks for the review @Ed Selley

Does the streamer fully unfold and render MQA because at that price for a network streamer it should be a must have IMO.

 

[Ed Selley]

Does the streamer fully unfold and render MQA

No.

because at that price for a network streamer it should be a must have IMO.

Outside of Tidal, MQA has no cut through because it's an answer to a question that nobody asked. I have to say that my review policy as to it's inclusion is to note it if it's there and be unconcerned if it isn't. The only caveat to this being that HEOS doesn't natively support Qobuz which is a shame.

 

[Baobr]

Can't see too much appeal in the streaming part of this device.... there's no Quboz embedded,it has Tidal,no mqa rendering but we're lead to believe Tidal is going mqa only!

 

[TB Rich]

A bit of positive support for it from me, as I think they look brilliant and the amp will undoubtedly be on my audition list when the time comes for an upgrade.
Items like the M33 don't especially interest me quite the same, they don't seem to resonate Hifi to me, but rather technology. Pure analogue amps like this Model 30 are something that don't really date the same, and I also really like the fact there's no DAC in it. Again for my use case I like to swap kit occasionally and having been well and truly won over by Schiit's Multibit DACs I don't want to 'waste' money on my next amp having one built in I won't use.

 

[Steven]

@Ed Selley, Denon DCD-A110 SACD player review?

 

[gibbsy]

@Ed Selley, Denon DCD-A110 SACD player review?

I don't think the DCD 2500 NE has been reviewed on which the the A110 is based either,

 

[retrouk]

Excellent review Ed as always. Just wondering though with regards to Class D and why Marantz has chosen to go down this route as their flagship PM-10/ PM KI Ruby is also Class D. There seems to be lots of conflicting information on the Web with regards to whether using Class D has a detrimental effect on sound quality when compared with a Class A/B amplifier which is how Marantz used to make their Reference/Premium range of amplifiers. Having said that I'm sure that Ken Ishiwata and his team knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to use Class D in their high end amplifiers. Just to add that I own the Marantz PM14 S1 SE/SA14 S1 SE combination and I absolutely love the sound. I think my amplifier is a Class A/B design. It would be interesting to compare the sound from my system to the Model 30 and other Marantz Class D amplifiers to see if one can hear any difference.

 

[ozzzy189]

I think mine is class A/D but I could be wrong.