Marantz NR1403- User Review

First Look

Marantz NR1403 is a slim Av receiver, looks more like a CD or DVD player but performance wise it is near pro! This product comes from the Marantz slim line series and it has come after its 1402 brother with some more HDMI inputs and sheeding off some analogue ports, keeping the pace with the time. Now the HDMI ports have 3D porting capabilities. The 3.5 mm front auxillary input is replaced by a front HDMI input, which might be useful for some and but inconvenience for many!

Technical Aspects

Marantz NR1403 is complete 5.1 AV receiver. This receiver will fulfill all the common needs, one expect from a AVR. 5 HDMI inputs with 3D pass through is really a great inclusion for the coming days. Among these 5 HDMI inputs, one is provided in front for quick access is also a nice idea. Only if, they could retain the 3.5mm auxiliary port also!

Another great inclusion is proprietary M-X Port with optional receptacle. With this you can play streaming musing from your bluetooth devices.

Note You will get only one co axial and one optical digital input. By chance you need more than these, you will be disappointed.

The power output is little low at 50 watts per channel, but fairly good enough for the small satellites.

Bottom Line:

keeping in mind that, this is not one of the expensive models, it delivers all the functionalities, which an AVR is meant to. It delivers the quality of Marantz as well. You can control the modern apps of iOS and android, which is a bonus. Thremote is simple and a pleasure to handle. A slim instrument will fulfill most of your music and movie needs. now the choice is yours.  

Cambridge Azur 551R - User Review

The sound of movies has to be loud and the necessary speed and spice to let you feel the thrill of cinema, while the music sounds you want classy with finer resolution and smooth to your ears. Azur 551R is here to satisfy you in both this fronts.

First Look

Look wise Azur 551R has not changed much. it is same as all other models of cambridge, but who cares! let us see what it actually delivers.

Technical Aspects

Azur 551R  AV receiver is a 7.1 channel unit.

It is meant to deliver 60watts of power into seven 8ohm loudspeakers when all can be driven at the same time.

The Azur 551R is capable to handle an amazing range of frequency response from 10Hz and goes up to the 20kHz

In audio processing front, the Azur 551R is has Cirrus Logic DACs for all the channels of audio. The Cirrus Logic DAC also activated  when you will use the HDMI cable from your Blu-ray player to playback. In connectivity this Av receiver will give you all kinds of options.

Bottom Line

There is 3D pass-through, which means the AV receiver can handle 3D video. The Azur 551R can deliver 60watts of power into seven loudspeakers, and this does matter in ultimate sound reproduction and experiencing. The crisp and dynamic nature of the sound and host of connectivity options, this AV receiver is really a steal at the price it is selling.

Marantz AV- 8801 and MM-8077 pre-power AV receiver - User Review

First Look

This combo retained the legendary porthole design which has become an identity for Marantz. Build quality is very sturdy and heavy. The back panel is highly populated as expected.

Technical Aspects

The Marantz combination has two parts: The pre-section and the power section.

The pre section, AV-8801, is in reality the brain of this Marantz setup, armed with their most advanced multi-DSP audio processor. It features a wide range of surround sound decoding capabilities to support for  the latest high resolution audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. With 11.2 channels offerings, the AV- 8801 also delivers expanded multichannel decoding namely Audyssey DSX and DTS Neo X.This gives you giving you opportunity to add additional front height and width channels for a truly expansive and immersive surround sound experience.

The Marantz AV - 8801 is equipped with the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 automatic room measurement and correction capability. The unique feature about this version of the Audyssey is that it corrects the time domain of the setup as well, whereas most other versions corrects only for the frequency of the setup. So while setting up, you don’t have to manually enter the time delay for surround speakers (if required) - the software will do it for you.

Marantz has also included the highly successful Audyssey LFC (low-frequency containment) option. This feature (also present in many other AV receivers. This utility adjusts the bass response to minimise leakage of sound to adjacent rooms or apartments, while at the same time delivers a satisfying wide range of listening pleasure.

In the video department, apart from all possible connectivity, Marantz have also incorporated the ability to upscale SD and HD to ultra high definition (4K). Also, it can accept and pass-through 4K content, which does make sense if you have 4K or UltraHD displays with you but feeling bad as there are no 4k content in the market to play.

Let us now look into the MM 3077, the power section of the combo, it features Marantz’s unique current feedback discrete power amp is capable of extracting the maximum detail from latest high resolution audio formats. The powerful amp is capable of delivering a reasonable 150watts in each of the seven channels.

Bottom line:

Pros are: Directivity in sound, Ease of use, Convenient set up procedure.

Cons are: When you will compare  price and the quality of sound, you might be disheartened.

Cambridge Audio Azur 751R - User Review

Cambridge Audio has produced extremely cost effective audio products since last three years and most of them were vere popular . Let us see what Cambridge has offered in Azure 751R

First look

Surprisingly  This product is not bulky as expected it is slim yet sturdy. Though the front and back panels are full of switches and ports but they will not scare you.

Technical Aspects

To keep this gadget slim Cambridge has introduced a technology called X Tract, which combines radiator and fan to cool its massive transformer. Being small it has not reduced its connectivity. It has six HDMI inputs and two outputs (both ARC compliant). It is also equipped with three high definition  Capable component video­ ins and one out, one for second zone use. The regular connections like S-video and composite video also find their space surprisingly.  There is also a set of 7.1 outputs (with the option to run twin subs) to feed a separate amp. Though it has no Ethernet connection, but it is compensated by a back panel USB Type B port. It allows you to connect a Windows computer or Mac and play audio files with resolution of up to 24bits and 96kHz with the help of  an onboard digital to-analogue converter (up to 192kHz with a downloadable driver).

751R is capable of delivering at 120watts into 8Q with all seven channels, 170 into 8Q with two channels, and 200watts into 6Q with two channels driven.

Bottom line:

Cambridge Audio always prioritize  its top quality for audio performance over everything else and same trend is reflected  in the Cambridge Audio 751R. While it lacks a bit on the auto calibration front (bass correction) and also Ethernet connectivity, it more than compensate with its fabulous audio performance in this price-range. So if your priority is sound and you can live with without certain modern day features, then the 751R is definitely a good buy for you.

User Review of Marantz SR5006 7.1 AV receiver

First Look: 
The simplicity of the look and the connectivity ports at the rear panel is eye catching and very user friendly. The round display at the front panel gave it a unique look. Overall aesthetics will be appreciated by all.

Technical aspects: 
The Marantz SR5006 with 100Wx7.1 channel AV receiver comes with enough features, so that it can safely compete with other brands in this price range. It provides ample connectivity options with Six HDMI sources, two component video and three composite video inputs along with a USB and internet streaming (via the Ethernet port). Along with this, Apple's Airplay, support for all Apple products for streaming sound. Optionally one can use USB port and can purchase a Bluetooth adaptor that hooks up to the Marantz M Xport input. This receiver supports almost all the formats like, Dolby TrueHD to DTS HD master audio.Standard Dolby Pro Logic IIz and many other DSP presets are also there for rendering your two channel music to 7.1 or 5.1. As the display of the system is very small all controls are there through the OSD on you television screen. The SR5006 is also equipped with an Audyssey MultEQ-XT auto - setup method that can be applied with the help of the OSD. You have to use a microphone that comes along with the receiver, the SR5006 is smart enough to do acoustic calculations of your speaker setup and does all mathematics to make your entertainment system optimally tuned. The remote control is standard with lots of keys and buttons. Naturally buttons are smaller. Axis and range of response is not that great though.

User’s experience of Marantz SR5006 7.1 AV receiver: 
Be it the action movies, or the husky dialogues or, you are playing games with your PS3 the sound is crisp and very realistic. SR 5006 in fact looks and acts in nearly the same way as its high end big brothers.

Cambridge Azur 550C CD Player , Perreaux Eloquence 250i Amplifier and RBH 1044-SE Floor Standing Speakers a perfect trio of stereo system - Review

First look
The heaviest of the bunch has got to be the 250i amplifier, what with its thick metal exterior that's been sliced up along the sides to provide heat dissipation, very much like the tough NAD amplifiers. Weighing in at 25kgs, the simplicity with which this grey shaded amplifier carries itself is commendable. Finished with a black-oak wood grain, completes this dark setup, and with its side firing woofers, adds a great touch of out-of-the-box to the otherwise conventional setup.

Technological aspects

Cambridge Audio Azur 550C CD Player
This CD player comes with Cambridge Audio's CD transport that is used only for audio rather than as a DVD-ROM as well which is the case with some of the other CD players out there. This is hooked up to a S3 Custom CD Servo that uses an all-new chipset and their latest version of double-sided surface-mount technology that keeps the signal paths within the CD player as short as possible. Shorter signal paths means low jitter means noise-free sound. It features the Wolfson WM8740 DAC, which has been used in other Azur players before, primarily because of its flawless 24blt/192kHz capabilities. As for the transport, it has been re-worked to make it even quieter and a bracing system that's been taken from their volume knob at dead centre to the left of which lies a blue-lit LED to display everything from volume to input to other menu functions, only adds to the remarkable authority the Perreaux radiates. Even the Perreaux sign of the audio waveform scribbled on the top panel seems like a symbol of power. As for the black finished aluminum cabinet of the Azur 550C CD player, it goes remarkably well with the dark 250i amplifier, especially when placed one on top of the other (the 250i should be down of course).For power, all Azur CD players use a toroidal transformer that keeps noise low and waveform distortion to a minimum.


Perreaux Eloquence 250i integrated Stereo Amplifier
Just by looking at the massive 250i and reading that it's the most powerful and most sophisticated amplifier Perreaux has to offer, you can be sure there's immense power pumping out of this guy; specifically, 250W at 8ohms and a whopping 500W at 4ohms. That's enough to drive any pair of speakers out there, especially when that power is distributed over 5Hz to 60 kHz at a damping factor of 800. This amplifier is no joke when it comes to its specification sheet and that balanced XLR input along with the RCA inputs on the back panel adds to the seriousness of it all. The left and right channels are divided up for maximum isolation for each of the two channels when it comes to individual amplification within the amplifier. It contains three separate transformers that feed four independent power supplies so as to provide even the most difficult of speaker loads clean and sufficient power to drive them. That along with various microprocessors at various stages of amplification, from volume and balance control to the more sophisticated functions, makes this one well-controlled amplifier. This is one of the few stereo amplifiers that have such an expansive amount of options on the controller. This is primarily because of the on-board microprocessor that has been given the duty to manage the amplifier's inputs, etc, via the menus. However, you can't quite see the little options if you're sitting even five feet away from the amplifier's LED screen, so the remote does become useless at this point. When it comes to volume changes and input selection, the remote comes in handy and the dB markings of the LED screen are large enough to be seen from even 10 feet away.

RBH 1044-SE Floor Standing Speakers
The 1044 is one of the few towers out there that has mounted its bass woofer to the side of the cabinet rather than keeping it front firing. The 10" aluminium cone subwoofer has been placed to the left of the tower while two 4" aluminum cone woofers and a 1" silk dome tweeter face the front under a tightly held grille. With these grills off, you're looking at shiny aluminum drivers that dazzle with silver, however, if s best to keep grilles on with towers in this price range as their crossovers have been adjusted keeping the grilles on. The subwoofer crossover happens at 100Hz. which is even lower than the maximum value of the variable crossover knobs on stand-alone subwoofers. With a 10" woofer, you can do that quite easily because these towers can go from 30Hz-20 kHz, which comes as no surprise. However you need a sturdy enough cabinet for bass as low as this, especially when you're driving the speakers with an amplifier equipped to deliver such a high damping factor. And the RBH has just that, with each of the cabinets made from MDF and weigh only a kilo more than the 25kg amplifier.

Blue Note Mini-Koala CD player (Now Goldenote) from italy and BG Radia Z-92 speakers from the US to the finest stereo combo - review

First look
Though not from the same manufacturer (not even from the same country), the Blue Note and the BG Radia units were both black in hue that gelled together very beautifully in terms of aesthetics. While the Z-92 is clad in a rusty old school black-ash finish, the Blue Note products are dressed in a mildly lustrous piano black finish on the front panels. With not many embellishments, except for the tiny silver switches, both these products display a minimalist design approach.

Technological aspects

Blue Note Mini Koala CD Player
Bearing the critical responsibility as the source in this system is the Mini Koala CD player, an entry level product from the renowned italian company, Biuenoten, now goldenote. it incorporates a drawer type transport designed to achieve a sturdy disc rotation mechanism. Assisting this system is the Mini Koala's special Electro-Power power supply system that is a self-adjusting power supply, which enables the player to reduce speed fluctuations (of the transport) lower than 0.0001% in any electrical system within 100 to 260 volts. For clocking purposes, it uses a proprietary Zero Clock mechanism, which makes sure that all the internal parts, mainly the transport and the DAC, are working in sync with each other so that there is practically no jitter. As for the DAC. it uses an original filter that allows the Mini Koala to reproduce a very wide bandwidth with very low signal compression.


Blue Note (Goldenote) S-l Signature Integrated Amplifier
Next in line is the S-l integrated amplifier, also an entry level product that incorporates a special proprietary amplification design called Mirror-Amp design. It works very similarly to the balanced circuit designs, where you have a mirror signal generated to eliminate any noise by using the common mode rejection method. For power supply in the S-l, they have used two different custom made transformers. The transformers are dedicated to the audio signal, while an internal galvanlcally insulated power section controls all the functions that could adversely affect the sound of the amplifier, such as the motorlzed volume control, checking relays, power 'On' LED light besides the micro-chip used for some electro-mechanical functions.

BG Radia Z-92 Floor Standing Speakers
The highlight of the Z-92 (Just like all other BG Radia speakers) is the coaxially-mounted mid and high frequency planar ribbon drivers. Planar drivers have inherited the benefits of a faster response time than any other loudspeaker driver technology available till date. But the trick is that they have used these planar drivers even for the mids section, which makes it even more alive for the listener. The planar speakers enables the speaker to have an unprecedented transient response and dispersion for the mids, which form the core of any genre of music. The rapid transient response and a wide dispersion throw results in a sound that is detailed and crystal clear. And to complement this clarity in the mids and the highs, they have the twin 6.5" black aluminum cone woofers featuring double-gap motors and neodymium magnets. The two drivers promise excellent dynamics with a tight, clean bass response.
For the speaker connectors, they have used high quality gold plated brass insulated with Teflon washers and bolts that carry the pristine signal to the next component in line, the BG Radia Z-92 speakers.

Review of of floor standing speakers the Aviano 8 and Cambridge CD-player 550C and amplifier 550A

The floor standing speakers the Aviano 8 and Cambridge CD-player 550C and amplifier 550A may be the right combination of speakers. CD player and the amplifier you are searching for! Let see the details of each.

The Cambridge Audio 550C and 550A both follow the same pattern as their other siblings with freshly brushed aluminum fascias and svelte designs. They are equally graceful and elegant as most of their European companions. But considering their build quality, all your expectations of grace and elegance will vanish as you behold these mighty products. Each plate of the chassis is accurately aligned to each other, blending seamlessly as one. The same is the case with the MS Aviano 8s that grabs your attention with its strong cabinet structure. You only need to lift it once to be assured of the integrity of the speaker. Built similar to the Mezzo series, the major difference in the Aviano 8 is its straight line structure as opposed to the curved cabinets of the Mezzo. Everything else including the real wood finish available in walnut and black options and the brushed baffle remains the same as the Mezzos.

Technological aspects

Cambridge Audio 550C CD Player
Both the CD player and amplifier are from the third generation of products that we have seen coming from the Cambridge factory. After having spent a lot of time and money on research and development, they have managed to devise an entirely new in-house designed servo solution in the form of S3 Custom CD Servo, which finds its way in the 550C. A CD servo is the unit in your CD player which is responsible for retrieving and interpreting all the information on your CDs. Simply put, it is the nervous system of your CD player. This new third generation servo from Cambridge employs an all-new chipset and ultra short signal paths. It provides the 550C an ability to recover all the digital information whilst maintaining extremely low jitter and eliminating digital noise that comes in the way of pure listening pleasure. Accompanying the servo is the newly designed transport from Cambridge which facilitates a quieter operation and a new bracket that guarantees solid rigidity while it holds the transport in the player. The usual high quality toroidal transformer that makes its way in all the Cambridge players is housed into the 550C as well, assuring lower noise.


Cambridge Audio 55OA integrated Amplifier
Belonging to the new 550 stereo series along with the 550C. the 550A also features a host of new developments and redesigns. The entire output stage has been redone to achieve a better bass response and wider dynamics. Signal protection is a major factor when it comes to amplifiers and Cambridge has decided to take even better care of it. They have incorporated their proprietary CAPS protection system which constantly monitors for overloads, faults and clipping whilst taking utmost care that there is no sound degradation at all.
Powering the entire assembly is Cambridge 's home spun toroidal transformer that has guaranteed an excellent efficiency and extremely low noise for all its life. For volume control they have used the new Alps volume pot (potentiometer) control that allows a smooth, linear functioning even at very low volume levels. They have complemented this with tone control knobs for you to tweak the sound output as per your liking. There are also some constructional changes like new audiophile grade polypropylene signal capacitors, gold-plated speaker outputs and custom-made electrolytic capacitors in critical positions, which were put together claim to effectively improve the sound quality.

Mordaunt-Short Aviano 8 Floorstandlng Speaker!
Aviano is the latest range of speakers from MS that promises to be a culmination of all the technical advancements and developments that they have managed to devise until now. The Aviano series incorporate MS's latest CPC (Continuous Profile Cone) aluminum driver, which has been revised for the third time. The lightweight aluminum cone ensures a controlled movement of the driver with extremely low distortion. The tweeter unit for the Aviano borrows influences from the company's flagship speaker, the Performance series. It utilizes a high temperature voice coil with liquid cooling and damping or controlled high frequency performance and amazing detail. The Aviano 8 incorporates one such tweeter coupled with 3 CPC drivers. Binding all of them together is the purist crossover design that uses premium grade components and is mounted in a special way that isolates it from the entire assembly. This helps the unit minimize any distortion and achieve linearity in the signal flow. For the cabinet, they have used the best of both the worlds — the curved baffle from the Mezzo series and the straight cabinet from the Avant series.

Review of Cambridge Azur series 840E Preamplifier and 840W Power amplifier

First Look
You will love at first sight the rounded edged aluminum chassis the Azurs come housed in. Pointless to say, when you're talking power amplifiers, you're talking heavy and the same holds true for the 840W. But it looks spectacular with an uncomplicated power button and a couple of little dots for the bluish LEDs across the front panel marking the output speaker settings. The top sides of the chassis have wide gaps in it for heat dispersal, but laid out keeping equilibrium in mind so that overall aesthetics of the power amplifier aren't compromised. As for the 840E, its size and weight is a lot lesser than the 840W, and the front panel has a lot more things on it, but not to a congested look. A big bluish LED sits at the centre, with little input buttons lined across both sides of it. The trademark volume knob is on the right-most side with the power button on the other extreme. It is definitely an aesthetic masterpiece that would fit as well in your living room.

Technological aspects
Since this is the highest range of audio amplifier you're going to get from the Azur series as far as amplification is concerned, we're talking of classy and knowing Cambridge Audio, efficient technology as well. Taking the 840W Power amplifier can be bi-amped or bridged-mono, depending on what you'd like to use it as, a single power amplifier that amplifies the highs and lows individually or as a mono block. With 840E you're getting 200-watts pumped through your speakers in totality, but divided Individually between tweeter and the woofer. On the other hand, the 840W converts into 500-watt mono block, which needs to be coupled with another 840W for stereo amplification. All this can be done with a little tweaking of some switches and connections.


The 840W comes with Class XD technology, a type of amplification-technology that switches from Class A to Class B amplification; as the levels are increased through Crossover Displacement.

This reduces levels of distortion radically when compared to Class AB amplification because it is delivering the sound pure Class B technology with the help of an jumbo toroidal transformer with a silicon-steel screen! That explains the weight.

The 840E has some very exciting features inside of it as well. Starting with the cleverly named Terrapin Modules, rather than going in for the conventional op-amps (operational amps) for the low level gain stages, Cambridge Audio had been developing these ten-pin (that's why the Terra-' in Terrapin Modules) low-noise, low-distortion amplifier modules as an independent project. These, as Cambridge-Audio claims will outperform the standard op-amps. This technology couples well with the Class XD rating of the power-amplifier as far as low-level amplification is concerned, as it is a critical level for any amplifier to function in.
Along with this, the 840E has an individual collection of relays and resistors positioned along each channel to perk up the stereo division and imaging performance. At the same time, the volume and balance control are done with a stylish resistor ladder and relay-based attenuator that provides a 1dB incremental volume modification, positioning Mute or the 0 value of the volume knob way down at -95dB. So you're cranking up the volume knob quite-a-ways up before in fact getting the sensible listening level you need.

Like the majority Cambridge Audio controllers, this smooth silver remote resembles the apparatus it is built to control beautifully. The ergonomics of the round buttons could have been better with ease in the controls. As far as range goes, you can function with this remote from any corner of the room, with the gentle most touch of the buttons.

Bottom line
Staying true to the Azur series, the 840E and the 840W are a remarkable pair to listen to. The price is high because of the hi-end technology, but the pair comes housing sure makes it sensible. From an flawless imaging performance to an almost over-the-top sonic display of low-level amplification, they are truly the flagship amplifiers of Cambridge Audio and surely they hold the flag high enough to take on the audiophile-grade competitors across the globe.