Official Marantz NR1602 Owner and Buyer Thread - Page 3

Hi own a 1602 and tried to connect it to my Rotel rc06 preamp to go to my rb06 amp.
I use the 1602's preout but I have some strange behavior and would like to know if this is normal...

First of all, I need to push up the volume very high on the 1602 (75/100) to start to get audible sound on the Rotel rc06, and there too I need to really push the volume (25/100) to get normal volume for daily listening.

I suspected the Rotel but switched to a CD player directly connected to the Rotel and the volume was just too high nearly to crash my ears ! Lowered to a 7 to 10/100 , which is the usual level I always used on the Rotel and every source connected before the Marantz.

Connecting back the Marantz (preout connected to AUX1 on the Rotel input), same issue.

If I do not disconnect the pair of Triangle from the Marantz, they will crash at this level. But through the preout, the levels are just too too low.

Any idea ?
Regards

The 1602 is in pre-amp mode so why are you using the RC06?

When connected directly to the RB06, with a volume at 75% on the 1602, it's still toooo loow...
it's like it was 5% on my marantz connected directly to my speakers...

it should be at least the same level , the rb06 is far more powerful.

the RB06 with the RC06 alone are ok with a volume at 25% to get a correct level
the 1602 alone is ok with a volume at 40% to get a correct level (same as above)
the 1602 + RB06 is damn too low
the 1602 + RC06 + RB06 is ok if the marantz's volume is at 75% and the . Over 75% it saturates the RC06

i certainly misunderstand something

If the above is true, you don't need to add an external amp as the average volume on modern AVRs is generally 50-75% of maximum.

That's interesting -
after 6 months my 1602 did a lengthy firmware update last night. (based in Oz)

Must say - can't spot a difference in terms functionality.
Not able to figure the current firmware version using the web interface and don't seem to find a version history / update FAQ on the web.
Any ideas what this update was all about ?
Edited by chrissch - 9/2/12 at 4:14am

Can someone measure from the front of the outermost front knob to the very back of the receiver to the end of the speaker connection? I need to know THAT depth and many receiver manufacturers don't measure correctly.

Marantz provides that information in the back of the Owner manuals ... in this case 14.5276". Note you'll want at least 3" free behind the AVR to allow for cables if placing in an enclosed cabinet.

Crap I only have 15 inches in total to deal with.

Also remember you'll need at least 3" all around the AVR as well for proper ventilation and if in a completely enclosed cabinet, will likely need holes in the back of the cabinet as well. You may want to consider cutting a rectangular hole out of the back of the cabinet to allow for more space. Having to resort to smaller depth AVRs will also likely result in reduced performance capability (eg. Onkyo 313 doesn't use Audyssey).

The space around the receiver isn't an issue. Worse comes to worse I'll use some 12 volt computer fans for cooling.

My Xbox 360 connected via HDMI will pickup as stereo feed 70% of the time, and as Dolby surround as it should the remaining time. I need to recycle my Xbox and usually on this second try it will get Dolby about 80% of the time. On my old receiver, it was Dolby 100% of the time. Any ideas on what I can do? It's quite a hassle. I'm using a Harmony to fire off the devices. I've had the 1602 for about a month now; no issues with cable TV or blu-ray, just the Xbox.

I just recently moved and am setting up my system in a day or two.

For now, I'll be setting up a 3.1 system and add rear speakers later.
Would this be the best way of connecting all components via HDMI?

TiVo 3
PS3 (BD and DVD play only)
Dune 3 Media Player

The new additions are the Marantz NR1602 and Panasonic VT50.

My priorities remain with getting the best out of each unit and also
ease of use. As each device can pass through native video or forced
output to 1080p, I find that there are so many combinations it gets confusing.
Previously, I set all three components to output 1080p directly to my older plasma TV.


Any help posted or PM would be greatly appreciated. If you have any of the above
components, what settings on them worked best with the Marantz and VT50.
(Speakers are older Energy bookshelf and Klipsch 10" sub).

Thanks in advance!

- Phrehdd
Edited by Phrehdd - 10/7/12 at 1:50pm

The 1602 doesn't have a video chip so keep whatever configuration you were using before adding the 1602.

Would my best bet to be to connect all three components to the Marantz and then the Marantz to the TV? Should any of those items bypass the Marantz and go direct to the TV and let the TV send an audio signal back to the Marantz?

- Phrehdd

Yes, generally you're better served connecting all sources to the AVR with a single HDMI cable to the TV. Generally the only reason to pass audio back to the AVR from the TV is if the TV has smart apps (eg. Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, etc.).

The Tivo, PS3 and TV have access to Netflix and some others. What now?

Connect all sources to the Marantz.

Question, what do you think is my best option in getting the most quality sound out of an ios device with this receiver? I often listen to my ipad using the Airplay feature. However, the problem is apple lossless versions don’t sound as good, via Airplay, as when compared to their CD version using my PS3 player connected to the receiver thru HDMI.

So I always end up looking for, or purchasing, the CD counterpart rather than just purchasing online a particular song I want from i-tunes. Adding more to the inconvenience, I found out that not all of my music files are available in CD format (e.g. The American 2011 soundtrack). I was thinking of purchasing a HDMI adapter for my tablet and connect it directly to the receiver - do you think there’ll be an improvement by going this route? By the way, I’ve already used a good gold-plated 3.5 mm plug with two RCA jack connectors to one of the receiver’s RCA inputs and there was slight to no improvement compared to airplay.

If not already using it, set the "M-DAX" setting (p. 104 OM) to High.

I've actually tried that feature and there was quite an improvement, although not as clean and smooth as I wanted. Would you consider the DAC in the receiver good?

Likely no different than any other DAC in the same price range.

I have the same issue where the preamp outs seem waaaaayyyy too low. Basically unusable to me, don't know if there was a reason for that or if I was missing something too.

You may want to consider this ---> http://www.samsontech.com/samson/products/processors/s-class-mini/sconvert/

How do I receive an audio signal, if I’m using an OTA antenna hooked up to my TV, through the receiver’s ARC channel? I thought this was automatic. Furthermore, I can’t seem to find a feature on the TV menu that assigns the audio to the ARC's HDMI as the antenna is only hooked up to my TV’s coax input.

It's not automatic. The TV must support the ARC feature, you must plug the HDMI cable from the AVR to the ARC(HDMI) input on the TV, and then you must enable the HDMI-CEC/ARC setting on the TV as well as likely setting the audio to either "external speakers" or "home theater." Additionally, HDMI Control on the AVR must be set to ON as well.

Thanks again, jd. I have to check further if my Pioneer 150FD plasma has ARC support, as a quick search on it didn't appear likely.

Unless a TV is HDMI 1.4/3D it generally will not feature ARC. As your TV is much older, it does not, therefore connect an optical cable from the TV's optical audio output to the 1602.
Edited by jdsmoothie - 10/18/12 at 5:46am

Got it! When my TV is On will the receiver automatically detect the audio signal, or do I have to toggle the remote between source inputs?

Use the remote to select the "TV" source. Also note you'll likely have to set the TV to "external speakers" to activate the audio output.

for me the 1602 automatically detected the optical input and switched to it on it's own. Since I have HDMI control enabled, anytime the AVR is on my very old sony hdtv detects the marantz and automatically shifts to external speakers. Since the AVR is usually on when I turn the TV off, the TV turns it on next time I turn the TV so it's all pretty smooth.