Marantz struck gold when it launched the Cinema 30, a premium Dolby Atmos-touting AVR that looks as good as it sounds.
While we acknowledged in our full review that it is a pricey piece of home cinema equipment, we couldn't resist its smooth, rich, and powerful cinematic sound, which is why it found its way onto our best AV receivers list and earned a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award.
Thankfully, our sticking point regarding the price of this home cinema amp has been addressed, as it's just seen a major discount at Peter Tyson, which drops the price from £3999 to £3499.
We deemed the Cinema 30 to be an AVR of "rare ability", due to its sensational cinematic sound. Rich, punchy, dynamic, detailed; this AVR has it all, and it's the perfect amplifier to take your home cinema to the next level if you've been thinking of upgrading.
With 11 channels of amplification and a claimed 140W of power when two channels are driven, the Cinema 30 can easily drive a 7.2.2 channel Dolby Atmos system. DTS:X and Auro-3D are also on board, and you can easily configure and calibrate your system with the included Audyssey microphone.
And it's the perfect hub for all of your connected devices, thanks to its seven HDMI 2.1 inputs, all of which support up to 4K/120Hz or 8K/60Hz with VRR, ALLM and QMS. HDR is also supported in all of the major formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG.
Wireless streaming is also a key component of this AVR, with a wide range of services supported. Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Amazon Music HD, and HEOS are all available, allowing you to beam music directly to the amplifier from a smartphone or tablet.
We also have to give Marantz credit for how this AVR looks. Available in two finishes – Black and Silver Gold – the Cinema 30 is a handsome piece of home cinema kit, with Marantz's iconic circular display up front and sleek accent lighting which accentuates the textured metal finish; this AVR is easily the best-looking home cinema amplifier that we've tested.
Having all of these features and good looks to match is all well and good, but sound performance is paramount. Thankfully, the Cinema 30 delivers a smooth and refined sound that can balance huge scale and control without breaking a sweat.
This AVR has earned its spot as our reference amplifier in our AV testing room, which should serve as a testament to its performance. I've been using it to test the capabilities of the latest speaker packages from Fyne and KEF, so keep your eyes peeled for reviews of those 5.1 speaker systems coming soon.
The on-screen setup menus and easy calibration have made this process refreshingly simple, and its reference-worthy sound has ensured that these speakers are performing at their very best.
If you've been considering an AVR upgrade for your home cinema setup, the Marantz Cinema 30 is simply the best around. While it costs quite a lot more than our current pick for the best AV receiver – that being the Sony TA-AN1000 – its stellar sound (and looks) make it a worthy consideration if you have extra cash to spend.
This deal at Peter Tyson will, of course, soften the blow to your wallet, and we assure you that you won't regret the purchase once you hear it in action.
MORE:
Read our full Maratnz Cinema 30 review
Here are the reference home cinema products we use every single day
