Marantz CINEMA Series 2 Adds New DACs, Dirac Support and Smarter Dolby Atmos
Marantz has refreshed the center of its home-theater lineup with three CINEMA Series 2 AV receivers: the CINEMA 50 Series 2, CINEMA 60 Series 2 and slimline CINEMA 70s Series 2. All three retain the channel counts and rated amplifier power of the models they replace, but gain a new digital-audio platform, broader room-correction options and a collection of genuinely useful setup, gaming and troubleshooting features.
The U.S. prices are $3,000 for the CINEMA 50 Series 2, $2,000 for the CINEMA 60 Series 2 and $1,500 for the CINEMA 70s Series 2. That is a $200 increase at each level compared with the outgoing models’ current Marantz list prices.
What is new across CINEMA Series 2?
The headline audio change is a new 32-bit, eight-channel DAC architecture across the three receivers. Marantz says the updated conversion stage improves precision, imaging, dynamics and surround coherence. The company’s product pages are more restrained, describing better clarity, resolution and dynamic range.
A different DAC can be part of a better-sounding receiver, but chip architecture alone does not establish an audible upgrade. Power-supply design, analog output stages, clocking, filtering and the quality of the room calibration all matter. We will need measurements and controlled listening before assigning a sonic value to the change.
Room correction is potentially the more important development. Audyssey remains standard: the CINEMA 50 Series 2 uses MultEQ XT32, while the CINEMA 60 and 70s use MultEQ. All three are also compatible with optional Dirac Live room correction. The outgoing CINEMA 50 offered Dirac upgradability, but extending the option to the less expensive CINEMA 60 and slimline 70s makes the platform more flexible for buyers willing to purchase the appropriate license.
Marantz has also added 1440p video pass-through and AMD FreeSync compatibility. Those features are aimed squarely at gaming PCs and consoles, filling the gap between 1080p and 4K while reducing visible tearing with compatible hardware. The existing 4K/120Hz and 8K capabilities remain.
Web Control 2.0 provides browser-based configuration from a phone, tablet or computer. HDMI Diagnostics 2.0 is intended to make connection problems easier to identify, while input-channel and amplifier-load monitoring provide a clearer view of what the receiver is receiving and how its amplifier channels are being used. These sound like installer features, but anyone who has lost an evening to an HDMI handshake problem may disagree.
Bluetooth LE Audio is planned through a future firmware update. Its lower-latency connection should be particularly helpful with compatible wireless headphones.
CINEMA 50 Series 2 gets the exclusive tricks
The CINEMA 50 Series 2 remains the most capable of the three. It has nine amplified channels rated at 110 watts per channel, 11.4-channel processing and preamp outputs, six 8K HDMI inputs and four subwoofer outputs. Adding an external two-channel power amplifier permits a 7.4.4 Dolby Atmos layout.
Its new Dolby Atmos Channel Expander can engage additional installed speakers when an Atmos soundtrack does not use the entire configured array. That could make underused height or surround channels more active and create a more continuous sound field. It is important to understand what it cannot do: it does not uncover extra native objects hidden in the soundtrack. It deliberately derives material for otherwise idle speakers, so owners should compare it with the unexpanded presentation rather than assume that more speakers playing is automatically more accurate.
The second exclusive is Center Bi-Amp Mode. It allows two amplifier channels to drive the separate input sections of a compatible bi-wireable center speaker. The feature adds system-design flexibility but it is not a substitute for a properly positioned center, sensible crossover settings or adequate amplification.
Models, specifications and U.S. pricing
| Model | Amplified / processed channels | Rated power | HDMI | Room correction | U.S. price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CINEMA 50 Series 2 | 9.4 / 11.4 | 110W per channel | 6 inputs, all 8K; 2 outputs | Audyssey MultEQ XT32; optional Dirac Live | $3,000 |
| CINEMA 60 Series 2 | 7.2 / 7.2 | 100W per channel | 6 inputs, 3 at 8K; 2 outputs | Audyssey MultEQ; optional Dirac Live | $2,000 |
| CINEMA 70s Series 2 | 7.2 / 7.2 | 50W per channel | 6 inputs, 3 at 8K; 1 output | Audyssey MultEQ; optional Dirac Live | $1,500 |
The CINEMA 60 Series 2 is the conventional seven-channel option. Its 100-watt rating supports a 5.2.2 Atmos arrangement or a traditional 7.2 system, but not four height channels without moving higher in the range. The CINEMA 70s Series 2 offers the same basic channel count in a much shorter chassis at 50 watts per channel. Its compact size remains the reason to buy it; owners of low sensitivity speakers should keep expectations realistic.
Europe also receives a CINEMA 60 DAB Series 2 with digital-radio reception. The standard CINEMA 60 Series 2 is the U.S. and Australian version.
Evolution, not reinvention
The original CINEMA range arrived in 2022 as more than a routine model-year update. Marantz retired its familiar SR and NR receiver naming, adopted the current sculpted enclosure and porthole-display design, modernized the on-screen interface and organized the range under one easier-to-understand family name. HDMI 2.1, 8K support, HEOS streaming and immersive-audio processing formed the platform.
Series 2 is a different kind of generation. It preserves the industrial design, amplifier-channel counts, power ratings and HDMI totals of the outgoing CINEMA 50, 60 and 70s. The CINEMA 30 and CINEMA 40 remain in the lineup without a Series 2 suffix. This is therefore a targeted refresh of the three mainstream models.
AV receiver platforms age less gracefully than conventional stereo amplifiers because HDMI standards, room correction and network features keep moving. Marantz has concentrated its effort on those fast-changing areas instead of adding amplifier channels merely to make the specification table look busier.
The value question
For new buyers, the CINEMA 60 Series 2 may be the most consequential update. Optional Dirac Live and the improved diagnostic tools bring capabilities normally associated with more expensive receivers into a seven-channel model. The CINEMA 70s Series 2 does the same in a compact chassis, though $1,500 is decidedly premium pricing for 50 watts and seven amplified channels.
The CINEMA 50 Series 2 is more complicated. Its channel expander, center bi-amping and new DAC platform are legitimate additions, but the underlying 9-channel amplifier and 11.4-channel processing limits are unchanged. At $3,000, buyers should decide whether those features matter more than saving money on an outgoing CINEMA 50 or applying the difference toward external amplification, subwoofers or acoustic treatment.
Existing CINEMA owners should feel no urgency. Better HDMI diagnostics are welcome, and broader Dirac access matters on the lower models, but a new DAC and a Series 2 badge do not make a well-configured first-generation receiver obsolete. In many rooms, calibration, subwoofer integration and speaker placement will produce a larger improvement than swapping otherwise similar electronics.
Our read: CINEMA Series 2 is a sensible modernization with unusually practical attention paid to setup and troubleshooting. It is not cheap, and it is not a reason to abandon a functioning CINEMA receiver. For someone building a new system, however, the expanded room-correction choices and better support for gaming and complex Atmos layouts make the new platform easier to recommend—pending independent tests of the claimed sonic improvements.
This is a news analysis based on manufacturer information. Audiophiles on a Budget has not auditioned or measured the Marantz CINEMA Series 2 receivers.
