AV Receivers

The NR1711 also has Roon Tested certification, if you're into that, plus legacy connections (component, analogue stereo, optical/coaxial digital audio, an MM phono input for vinyl fans), and an AM/FM tuner that I'll wager 98.7 per cent of buyers won't ever use.

Up For Fun
The sonic signature of the NR1711 is largely unchanged from its antecedents. It's warm, rather than clinically precise, and a tad less musical than (admittedly more expensive) higher-fi performers up the chain. Yet it's undeniably fun to listen to, and able to take complex multichannel mixes in its stride.

In fact, there's no new magic component or sonic glue in use here to fixate over. We're told some minor tuning has taken place, to mitigate the influence of the new HDMI board, and that's about as far as it goes.

But that's no bad thing. The NR1711 is a polished performer, capable of soaring highs and a tight, fast attack. At its best, and when not pushed overly hard, it'll keep pace with any lauded AV amp selling for several hundred quid more. It's intended for use in living room setups, not driving an IMAX. Stick to that and you'll be fine.

Where it naturally shines is with immersive music; I found Dolby Atmos tunes via Tidal grin-inducing. For a visceral musical experience, cue up Armin van Buren's Atmos remix of Balance. Opening track Sucker for Love is about sheer separation, the Marantz putting maximum distance between the centre speaker vocals and accompanying rear-channel piano. Your living room is suddenly Ibiza's largest disco.

Tonally this is also a lovely performer, as evidenced by the Dolby Atmos mix of John Williams Live in Vienna, with the Wiener Philharmoniker. Placing you centre-stage during Raider's March, instruments are as much delineated by their distinctive timbre as their spatial position.

The NR1711 does blockbusters well too. When Mysterio lands amid swirling green mist at the beginning of Spider-Man: Far From Home (4K Blu-ray), this receiver delivers a pressure wave that ripples through the room. Shock waves blast out from the front soundstage, and it's not just Nick Fury diving for cover. Marantz has nurtured the high-current discrete power amplifier section in these models over time, to a point where their transient delivery mimics workhorse AVRs costing considerably more.

Of course, it's not just scale and volume that impresses. Often the most immersive performance is told in small, subtle details. The Maiden demo for Resident Evil Village (PlayStation 5) has an eerie, unsettling multichannel soundmix. As you make your way from a dank, bloody cellar to creepy mansion, the NR1711 unnerves with perfectly placed clanking cell doors and worrisome thuds. When one of the ghoulish sisters whispered over my shoulder, my blood ran cold. Nicely played.

Purposeful Performer
When it comes to affordable, easy-to-integrate home cinema, the Marantz NR1711 has it nailed. It's well-specified, with copious wireless connectivity options and a few new tricks, not least provision of 4K 120fps support, and 8K where available, that will make it a tempting upgrade for existing owners of earlier NR models. Best of all, it performs far more purposefully than the slimline form factor might suggest.

HCC Verdict

Marantz NR1711

Price: £650
www.marantz.com

We say: This future-facing receiver is a fabulous lifestyle home theatre model, boasting an expansive feature spec and crowd-pleasing performance.

Overall: 5/5

Specifications

DOLBY ATMOS: Yes DTS:X: Yes IMAX ENHANCED: No MULTICHANNEL INPUT: No MULTICHANNEL PRE-OUT: No MULTICHANNEL OUTPUT (claimed): 7 x 50W (into 8 ohm) MULTIROOM: Yes. Second zone AV INPUTS: 3 x analogue; 2 x digital audio (1 x optical and 1 x coaxial) HDMI: Yes. 6 x inputs; 1 x output VIDEO UPSCALING: Yes, to 2160p DIMENSIONS: 440(w) x 376(d) x 105(h)mm WEIGHT: 8.3kg

FEATURES: Audyssey MultEQ XT; vinyl player phono stage (MM); Apple AirPlay 2; Amazon Alexa/Google Assistant support; HEOS multiroom compatible; DSD(2.8MHz/5.6MHz) plus FLAC, WAV & ALAC hi-res audio playback; Ethernet; dual-band Wi-Fi; dual subwoofer outputs; Bluetooth with headphone pairing; USB input; DTS Virtual: X; Dolby Height Virtualization; HDMI 2.1 input (x1)/output