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

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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
@Ed Selley, Denon DCD-A110 SACD player review?
 
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.
 
I think mine is class A/D but I could be wrong.
 
I own the SACD 30n. To me worth every penny, top notch CD player, streamer and Dac, this unit does not use a traditional dac , it uses Marantz's own design by Ken Ishiwata, converting all inputs from pcm to dsd, using 2 clocks 44.1 and 48khz. that converted dsd file is sent to the hdam output board for processing, the sound is just clean wonderful sounding music no matter the source. Build quality is outstanding on this unit, The oled screen is just stunning , I can read it across the other side of my room, nice big lettering I could hardly lift the thing from the box it weighs like an amp would, people will be surprised at the build quality of this unit I was !! I knew it would be good but away beyond my expectations, the remote control is even better quality than my KI ruby remote and that is superb , it is heavy and top half is metal build everything feels and sounds top notch, the sound from networking is really good, I use tidal via audirvana and the sound is just superb, you have digital outs being optical and coaxial as well as 2 optical, usb, coaxial inputs , fixed or variable rca out, the Heos app works very well, you have access to most of the music streaming services, the tune in radio is very good , the best sound quality is of course from sacd, just top notch, big upfront presentation, the standard cd sound is also top notch to my ears, with superb clarity and dynamics, it sounds sublime through my KI Ruby amp and my Tannoy D700 speakers, I can highly recommend if you want an all in one solution.
IMG_2886.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I have an enquiry for my father in-law. Can a CD or SACD be played remotely and wirelessly played and controlled in another room via HEOS?

They have had a combination Bluesound and Roksan Attessa and Roksan CD transport installed, but couldn't stream a CD across to the Bluesound speakers. Got a refund to back to square one.
 
Been looking at the reviews of this (the amp) and I like what I'm hearing and have one eye on it as a future upgrade. However I really love the sound of my PM KI Pearl lite (now rebranded as the PM8006) and I am wondering how much of any upgrade it would be. Anybody compared both and able to comment?

I'm also thinking that I could use the pearl as a power amp and use the 30 as the music amp. Would that work even better still?
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom