This was posted 5 years 8 months 15 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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Marantz NR1608 7.2 Channel Network AV Receiver $595 in-Store Only @ JB Hi-Fi

460

Description from JB Hi-Fi's website

Overview

A thrilling high-quality AV receiver occupying minimal space: that’s the NR1608. High current discrete power amplifi ers on all 7 channels deliver astonishing power and clarity, plus immersive 3D surround sound thanks to both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoders, yet at just a little more than 10 cm tall it’s slim enough to slip into any TV cabinet. It’s fully compatible with the latest HDMI and HDCP 2.2 specifi cations, including 4K video with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision compatibility. Bluetooth and AirPlay can stream music directly from portable devices, while HEOS wireless multi-room music integration allows the NR1608 to become part of a complete home-wide music system. Explore and play your own music library, online streaming music services and thousands of Internet radio stations, using the free HEOS app.

Key Features

. Slim Design 7.2 channel AV Receiver with 50W per channel (8 ohms)

. Built-in WiFi with 2.4GHz/5GHz dual band support & Bluetooth

. 4K/60 Hz full-rate pass-through

. HEOS Wireless Multiroom Audio Platform

. 8 HDMI inputs (incl. 1 front) with full HDCP 2.2 support

. Analogue to HDMI conversion and SD/HD to 4K Upscaling for legacy video sources

. Dolby Atmos (up to 5.1.2) and DTS:X

. Airplay/Internet Radio/Spotify Connect/Network Audio Streaming

Related Stores

JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi

closed Comments

  • +2

    That's a nice price, paid much more for my 1607 on release.

      • +11

        This is the dumbest argument.

        'this thing that is literally nothing like a phone is almost as expensive as a phone so therefore overpriced'.

      • -1

        So if you think about it … an average car is worth ~30 phones ($1000 each). I think that phones are way too expensive for the amount of technology and materials going into them.

        That should give you something to think about.

      • +1

        Hmm I don't know of any mobile phones that can provide amplification to 7 speakers. Goit.

        • -3

          Did you read the part in the parenthesis?

      • +3

        There would be over $300 in just transistors for the power amp if you were to buy them off the shelf. The electronics that go into these things aren't cheap.

        • -5

          False statements

      • +2

        the same purpose (apart from the amp)

        Oh great, so they're identical EXCEPT FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE.

        • -3

          Would you pay a grand for an amplifier? Maybe some would but that doesn't make it a fair price. These unit are highly overpriced

          • +2

            @[Deactivated]: Probably not, but I would spend $600, and I certainly wouldn't make that decision by comparing its price to that of a helicopter, aspirin, handbag, or MRI machine.

            What other DTS:X/Atmos 7.2 amplifier would you recommend?
            You may or may not be aware that some notable portion of the cost is licensing fees to DTS, Dolby, HDMI, etc. Going on element14 and buying 14 high power MOSFETS doesn't get you anywhere close to what you need to replace an AVR.

            • @abb: That has been discussed.

              • +3

                @[Deactivated]: Sorry, I didn't see the post where a much cheaper functional equivalent was discussed… ?

      • Wait… hold up… something ain't right

      • Writes "still very expensive"
        But Plus Votes.

        LOL

        • Haha, I know. People must have missed the point of the conversation. I do like a deal on AV receivers, I have a 5.1 system which I think was overpriced when I bought it but a deal is a deal and deserves an upvote.
          Thanks OP

      • +11

        Lol - what a bizarre random comment. What does a rPi and matlab have to do with home theatre amplification?

          • +7

            @[Deactivated]: Mate I know quite a bit about rPi and digital signal processing. I'm genuinely curious how you think an rPi with matlab will replace a home theatre amplifier.

            For a start, the rPi/matlab can't amplify (well not significantly), so unless you're proposing coupling with a power aplifier it makes no sense and is a random bizarre comment.

            If you ARE proposing an rPi/matlab (lol) + power amp combo, then it's hardly cost effective, or functional. I mean, c'mon man that's ridiculous.

            How do you propose to do hdmi switching on this device? how about numerous proprietary licensed audio formats? <shakes head>

              • +8

                @[Deactivated]: So you're saying that buying something that doesn't do the same job is cheaper? Like I can buy a pencil and it's cheaper than a home theatre receiver?

                I reiterate… bizarre and random.

                • -7

                  @lunchbox99: Dude, you understand comparison?
                  Yes, If I can buy a pen for 10c I won't buy a pencil for $1000
                  Also you don't put $100 extra on top of every unit for licensing. I don't think the final cost of these units barely exceeds $50 and I am being generous here. These units are ridiculously overpriced

                  • +1

                    @[Deactivated]: And one speaker can cost $2 and another $200,000.

                    There's reasons for it… Bizarre.

                    And BS there is no way this costs them $50. Go look at consoles as a great example and they are more mass produced too…

                    • -2

                      @scuderiarmani: Interestingly enough I am talking from a technology and buyers point of view, some people are defending the multi billion dollars corporations. Dude, have you ever opened a speaker? Even if you use gold wires for lower impedance the difference cannot be that much.

                      I'm out, pay as much as you like. Actually I should say, sell as much as you like. You don't seem to be the buyer.

                      Even game consoles are slightly overpriced but did you compare game consoles to these? I am out

                      • +2

                        @[Deactivated]: Tap out bro.

                      • @[Deactivated]: LOL you are comparing a Rasberry Pi to a Marantz amp and you are acting all high and mighty to me?

                        Surely after all those negatives you'd just let it go…

                        I'm not a seller, I said it myself I purchased the previous model, I also had the 15 series version too… I actually love my high end audio. Unlike you I'm trying to be helpful here for people that are interested in such an item.

      • Is this IEEE compliant?

      • Audio is full of crazy things.

        People buy $2,000 DACs and rave about how much better it is than the $400 DAC they paid for which they also raved about sounding so much better than the $100 DAC they bought which you guessed it sounds like "night and day" compared to the $2 DAC in their computer motherboard.

        A DACs job is to simply convert digital signal, which is the same every time, into an analogue electrical signal. The technique was mastered many decades ago and almost every DAC is the same as any other DAC in that they sound identical when everything else is controlled.

        There are almost no poor DACs but the ones that exist are the only DACs that sound different to any other DAC.

        https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/high-end-pc-audio,3733-…

        • +1

          True but $600 is hardly high end audiophile stuff. It's stuff you find in JB HiFi and reasonable value for what it does.

  • very nice price indeed. $1300RRP and $900+ other stores.

    Can be updated to support Airplay 2 which might be handy for some people.

    • +4

      That's probably because they haven't updated their prices yet for the 1609 which was released late last year.

      There aren't a whole lot of functional differences between the 1608 and 1609 so if you don't need some of the 1609 features like the phono input and slightly updated codecs then this is effectively a half-price 1609.

      • +1

        Yeah probably. I see melbourne hifi have the 1608 for $940 and the 1609 for $950.

        Thanks for the heads up about the phono input. Saved me from an impulse buy that wouldn't exactly meet my needs.

        • JB currently has the 1609 for $909.

      • yes thanks for this input too, I need a photo input! so this one not be for me!

        • ~$100 would buy an external preamp equivalent to what's in the 1609 so you'd still be in front, but it takes the shine off the bargain a little. $700ish puts it within spitting distance of a Yamaha RX-V685 sale price, which is probably better all around unless you need the slimness of the marantz

  • Watts (per Channel) - 50
    .

    • +1

      50 watts per channel, with 2 channels driven (not all channels)

    • +5

      Slim line receivers have limitations.

      Regardless 50w Marantz >>>> 100w overrated power figure on a shit brand.

      • +4

        1000W PMPO baby!! Ahhh… the good old days.

        • +3

          LOL yes PMPO at 30% THD. :)

  • +1

    with 50 watts - can it drive speakers well? there are pre-out's for front left and rights - which is a good option.

    • +3

      Depends on the speakers but 50W is fine for most unless you like it stupidly loud.

      I like my music fairly loud and haven't had any problems with 45W Denon and 20W NAD stereo amps in the past. Even the 12W amp I currently have in a large kitchen/family room is fine 95% of the time.

    • +4

      Compared to your 10000 watt PMPO Sorny from Kogan…

      I have a 40wx2 Rotel amp that can shake the foundations of your house. And an older version of this with the same power output driving KEF floorstanders, which even when i have it as loud as I could ever want is barely at half power.

      It will drive your speakers just fine.

    • +4

      depends on the sensitivity of your speakers

      use this calc:
      https://mehlau.net/audio/spl/

      get the speaker sensitivity from your speaker manufacturer
      ie. my Voll B44 V2s are 84dB/w sensitivity

    • +1

      If you have most normal speakers it's fine. I've temporarily connected LS50 Kefs and they struggled as they are notoriously inefficient.

      With my Kf Q7s they are great…

  • Just a heads up, I bought a NR1609 recently ($883) and it failed completely after 2 weeks and has now been in the warranty repair shop for 2 months waiting on a part.

    YMMV - but this has been pretty inconvenient for me.

    • What happened? it just died?

      • +2

        wouldn't you be eligible for straight replacement for a new one.

        • I would think so, but that would require me to ship it to Melbourne from QLD - so I just took it to a local repairer. Didn't think it would be that long.

          • +3

            @McBanjo: You would be entitled for reimbursement of shipping costs if that was the concern, so I assume you mean because of the inconvenience and/or expected turnaround time, relative to what you thought would be quick and easy option of taking to local repairer.

            I would be contacting the retailer after 2 months and asking them to resolve the situation, probably by providing a replacement.

          • @McBanjo: Not sure why you got negged for that comment so I've unnegged it for you. I probably would have taken it in for repair too.

            • @watts: Yeah I was wondering the same, seemed a bit harsh. Being the first reply was hoping they didn't think the neg came from me (which it didn't)!

      • Audio stopped playing completely. Changed nothing and one day the audio just didn't work - tried all inputs, FM radio, etc. looked for shorted speaker cables, factory reset. Video worked okay though.

        Then after a few days the video signal died too, tried several HDMI cables and TVs/monitors.

        Repair shop confirmed the mainboard needed a replacement.

  • need a receiver for home cinema, but dont know much about them, anyone know how they compare to yamaha, my older yamaha doesnt have HDMI slots so wont
    got with the new tv.

    • This is a great little unit that does what 98% of people will ever need. Heaps of inputs, does 4K, networked, built-in streaming, atmos, good audio quality

      Some basic questions:
      - how many speakers do you have, or intend to have? This unit can support a combination of 7 speakers (for example: 5.1 surround + two atmos ceiling speakers) but can't do full-fruit atmos (eg: 5.x.4 or 7.x.2 and so on). If you'll never go beyond seven main+surround speakers then this limitation won't be a problem.
      - how big a room do you have? 50W per channel is, realistically, enough for most people, unless you have a massively large space to fill or play at reference volumes. However, the 1608/09 has front left/right preouts, so you can hook up an external power amp to them which would remove the biggest source of stress to the internal amps.
      - do you have a turntable? The 1608 doesn't have a dedicated phono input, although you could get an external phono amp and utilise one of the audio inputs (in fact,
      - are you running a projector? If so you'd likely want something that has 2 HDMI outputs, which this doesn't have.

      As you can see, unless you have very specific needs then this is a great piece of equipment for the price.

      • i have 5 speakers in ceiling in a new home build, so the 50 w will be fine. doubt i would go more than 2 more for atmos, although i didnt know you needed 7 for that. i see a few more receivers up on ozbargain now as well. but this one seems a good fit. Just running a 75 inch new samsung tv on it.

        how does this compare to Denon AVR-X1500H 7.2Ch AV Receiver $769.30 @ JB Hi-fi

        • +1

          The Marantz is better in my book

        • If you have the space to fit a traditional size unit go that. As you pay a premium to get a slimline and lose out on power output.

          However this is well priced for what it is… But so are many others often.

          • @scuderiarmani: have plenty of space, this seems to have everything i might want. although finding stock might be an issue

            • @blackwalnut: I'd get a bigger unit than… no reason to buy these then. The equivalent full size Marantz will have more power.

  • Nice Price

  • Hi Guys
    Is the output per channel is 50 or 90?

    Base on JB site, I can see it states differently under key features

    Key Features

    Slim Design 7.2 channel AV Receiver with 50W per channel (8 ohms)

    Then the next section key features

    Key Features
    7-channel discrete power amplifier, 90 W per channel

    I am not familiar with AV, so not sure do they suppose to mean different thing or just one of the line is incorrect

    Thanks!

    • +1

      According to Marantz website it is -

      50 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD, with 2 channels driven

      Number of Poweramps: 7
      Power Output (8 ohm, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.08% 2ch Drive): 50 W
      Power Output (6 ohm, 1 kHz, 0.7% 2ch Drive): 70 W
      Power Output (6 ohm, 1 kHz, 10% 1ch Drive): 100 W
      70% Guarantee

  • +2

    For those looking to get this for saving space…
    Note that these receives are generally longer than standard height receivers, so depending on your cabinet / AV unit, this slimline model might not be for you.

    I found that these slimline receivers won't fix in the IKEA low line AV units as they are too long. I ended up getting a Denon X1300W that was taller, but shorter which fit perfectly in the IKEA unit. It also had more wattage per channel.

    Just something to think about.

  • It’s fully compatible with the latest HDMI and HDCP 2.2 specifi cations
    4K/60 Hz full-rate pass-through

    Latest HDMI specifications are 4k/120 Hz, and every LG OLED releasing this year will support 4k/120 Hz.

    • Yeah, video sources are rarely even 60hz though (mostly 24fps), and even modern consoles are 60fps max if you're lucky. If you're going to hook up a PC for gaming you might hit 120hz but have to be a beast GPU to pump 120hz at 4k. So no real benefit to running the screen at 120 over 60hz just for the sake of it?

      • I do GPU interpolation up to 60hz with 4k and once I get a new LG OLED TV will be boosting that to 120hz so I'm keeping an eye out for a well priced AVR with support for that. Also do 4k gaming and looking forward to getting some new GPUs and doing it at 120fps.

        Even for people who aren't going to be doing 120hz 4k, they still shouldn't be advertising it as compatible with the latest HDMI specs as HDMI 2.1 was released in 2017, which this doesn't support.

        I'm sure people also won't want to lose dynamic HDR, eARC, Automatic Low Latency Mode, Quick Media Switching, Quick Frame Transport and Variable Refresh Rates (especially those last 4 if they're gamers) on their new TV's due to the AVR falsely advertising itself as being compatible with the latest specs. It stopped being compatible with the latest specs about 6 months after it was released.

  • +1

    This looks like a great amp for the price. It's got dolby vision AND dolby atmos which is important.

  • Im looking for 9.2 or higher but that's a damn good deal

  • I only need a 5.1 set up for use with a Cambridge Audio Minx speaker system/sub.

    This or the Pioneer VSX-S520? It needs to fit in a besta cabinet.

  • I was interested in this before, but I read in some places that this thing is very seriously underpowered for just about any speakers.

    • +1

      I have an earlier generation of the same product, with same power output. "Seriously underpowered for just about any speakers" is a gross exaggeration. Some speakers may vary a bit, and some people may have preference for extremely loud, but it's relatively rare that 50W is insufficient. I suggest finding somewhere you can listen to it or something of the same output.

    • It is underpowered for anything other than smaller 2 way bookshelf speakers.

      I had this unit, driving 5.1 setup with Paradigm monitor 7 front floor standing speakers, and I was pushing 75% on volume knob to get average volume out of the speakers in a small room, and not much more when pushed to 90%

      Replaced my unit with Denon x3500h, better now, with 50-60% volume, and volume increasing more dramatically past that.

  • Anyone aware of which stores have stock? Can't order online.

    • +1

      Sold over everywhere in Sydney, JB are so uselss. Spent over 30 mins on hold to different stores. Went into Westfield stores was told JB no longer sells any AV it's all gone soundbars. When I told him weird your website is full of AV Amps he was like WHICH ONES!!??? douchebags.

      • They really should rename the shop to "JB Technology (except HiFi)". The AVR section is pretty sad these days, if you can find it.

  • Looking to set this up with Projector, Surround sound, Home theatre set-up. Will it work? Anyone else use it for the same purpose?

    • +1

      If the room is small (4x5m max) and using only sensitive bookshelf size speakers, yes.

      If you'll be using inefficient 3 way or more floor speaks, forget it.

      • +1

        It seems you're implying smaller speakers are more efficient/sensitive than bigger ones, which is generally not the case.
        eg. B&W. 683 (Big 3 way floor stander) = 90dB spl v's 686 (Small 2 way bookshelf) = 84dB spl.

        Fair comment about efficiency being important anyway, but don't want anyone to get the wrong idea regarding speakers size.

  • i am currently have 7.2 speakers so how can I set it up with this receiver to work as dolby atmos?
    I know I have to use 2 speakers as atmost so it would be 5.1.2?
    I have 2 subwoofers so can I set Dolby Atmos as 5.2.2?

    • If you already have 7 speakers (FL,FR,C,RL,RR,SL,SR) and want to add height/ceiling speakers, this is not the unit for you.

  • Fark, paid that for the 1508 just last month…. hurts man.

    • Yeah that sucks, but since it's the same price unless you actually 'need' the features of the 1608 it's not big deal. Since you bought the 1508 I can only assume you don't need the extra features. Better than having paid $300+ more for the 1608.

      feel better?

      • A little, but I could have biamped with this one. Couldn't justify the price difference.

        • +1

          Bi-amping is a wank anyway. I tried it once and decided the extra speaker wire was more useful sitting idle in a drawer.

  • Good luck finding stock, unavailable most places I checked in Sydney.

  • 8 hdmi inputs…..this is what I need

    -psx classic/snes mini
    -xbox one x
    -ps4 pro
    -apple tv
    -ps3
    -xbox 360
    -wii u
    -bluray player

  • Nice deal, I was stoked getting a NR1607 from Amazon UK for $587 2 years ago. Still adequate for my needs so won't be upgrading, but this price for local stock is even better!

  • Page is gone from JB Website now as well.

  • +2

    She's dead Jim

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