Marantz SR7005

Marantz SR7005 review

I confess that I have never really been excited by Marantz's AV receivers. They were never ahead of the features game and always aired too much on the side of sonic caution for my liking. Safe, reliable, solid and about as exciting as endurance snail racing. When the SR7005 arrived I brewed a really fresh cup of Horlicks, put my slippers on and settled down for an evening of light entertainment. I should have known something was different the moment the SR7005's curvy-sided fascia came out of the box, like Angelina Jolie emerging from the lake in Beowulf. Based on the successful styling of Marantz's high end hi-fi equipment, this multichannel receiver is utterly gorgeous. The curves are in all the right places, different fascia textures, brushed knobs and that unique circular display make our previous favourite super-models from Pioneer look as if they have had a good thrashing with the ugly stick. And just when you are thinking that the display window is going to prove a little petite for comprehensive menu display, you drop down the front flap to reveal a bigger main display. That is so cool. And then there is the features list.