Marantz appreciates more and more homes are using a TV for day-to-day viewing, plus installing a projector for ‘special event viewing’, such as movies and sports. Consequently its SR7002 features twin HDMI outs meaning switching between displays involves no crawling behind the equipment rack to plug and unplug leads, it merely involves the user pressing a single button on the *SR7002*’s supplied backlit learning remote control.
The SR7002 includes some extremely timely and useful additions to its SR7001 forebear. To get the best from digital music the SR7002 includes Marantz’s newly-developed M-DAX (Marantz Dynamic Audio eXpander) system which uses digital signal processing to improve the sound quality of compressed audio signals, boosting digital music and also enhancing sound from lower quality TV and radio.
The latest 1.3a HDMI specification is available via the *SR7002*’s suite of connectivity – four HDMI inputs and two HDMI outputs – so users can enjoy the full potential of the latest HD sources. SR7002-routed digital images in all rooms; the SR7002 can deliver signals to a second zone, in addition to the main viewing room and the price includes the RC101 ‘sub’ remote for just this purpose, make the most of full bandwidth, uncompressed digital video signal transmission, and to help boost non-HDMI transferred signals, the receiver includes up-conversion from analogue video signals to HDMI including interlaced to progressive conversion. Audio and video switching is also a potentially invaluable feature of this advanced, yet accessible, home cinema hub.
To further endear itself to the home, the SR7002 includes Audyssey’s MultEQ system. This Room Acoustic Calibration auto set-up feature ensures great sound for the entire audience, plus brings a very easy set-up process. All Marantz asks is that the user invests around 15 minutes to ‘hit the correct buttons’ – which, in return for many years of music and movie brilliance, seems a good deal.