Marantz have announced a new line up to their range with an all-in-one M-CR502 CD DAB receiver.
The M-CR502 CD DAB receiver retails for £499 and offers compact dimensions to fit into the dinkiest of spaces. And, yes, its chic aluminium cabinet – finished with a shiny black fascia – delivers one of hi-fi world’s cutest boxes.
Packing two mighty stereo amplifiers, each with 2 × 25W, the CR502 is able deliver a ‘chassis-defying’ 100 watts of music power. In stereo mode you can easily enjoy 2 × 50W of stable power, while audiophiles will no doubt enjoy the bi-amping possibilities of 4 × 25 watts, while multi-room fans should know this digital power can also be diverted to a pair stereo speakers located in an extra room. Add the subwoofer-out feature, and you realise the CR502 may be small, but its audio possibilities are huge.
On-board playback options include a high-quality CD drive – which will handle regular, as well as CDR/RW, and MP3 and WMA encoded compact discs – plus an all-important DAB/FM and AM tuner, complete with 50 presets. Additionally, the USB input allows music playback from music stored in a USBenabled digital music device, while the CR502 fascia also sports a handy aux-in. Round the unit’s rear you find a further selection of useful inputs and outputs. For the iPod, there’s a choice of either the Marantz IS201 or IS301 docks.
If your likely to use the CR502 in the bedroom, the clock and sleep functions should prove invaluable, and the headphone output means you can lay back and listen, while the rest of the house snoozes. Tone controls add further to system’s audio flexibility, and the detachable power cord means users are not limited to the length of the bundled Mains cable. And nicest of all, Marantz has ensured cables aren’t even visible when looking side on thanks to some clever cabinet construction.