Marantz NR1403 and NR1603 Slim Line Receiver Thread - Page 3

Depends on whether the AVR will only be used in the main living room. Similar to the Sonos setup, the 1603 can be controlled with a smart phone or iPad from anywhere in the house that has access to the home's WiFi network. Also, any firmware updates can be done via the network rather than having to bring the unit in to a repair facility.
Edited by jdsmoothie - 9/29/12 at 4:04am

I've read that these models recently received a firmware update, similar to what the Denon AVRs just received.

Has anyone checked to see if the NR-1603 now supports gapless FLAC playback?

Thanks in advance.

AFAIK, the "gapless" audio and Spotify firmware update only applies to the 5007 and higher models.

Ok, thank you for the info.

FWIW, I have submitted a similar question via e-mail to Marantz's tech support folks. One thing that worries me about both Denon and Marantz is how slow they are to respond to support questions. I sent e-mails to Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon and Marantz. I heard back from Pioneer the next day; Yamaha took about a week to hear back, but nothing from either Denon or Marantz for more than two weeks. I am torn between a few models for my next AVR, but would like to hear back from D&M before pulling the trigger. We'll see what another week brings...

Might be quicker to just pick up the phone and call.

Just hooked up the 1403 and noticed that every time I change channels the volume lowers then slowly (3-4 seconds) increases to the desired volume setting. Is there a way I can disable this function? Thanks!

This is more likely caused by an HDMI handshake issue with your cable/sat box which often don't work well with AVRs. As a test, try connecting the cable/sat box HDMI directly to the TV and if that resolves the issue, leave it and also connect an optical or digital coax cable from the cable/sat box to the AVR for surround audio.

Set "Dynamic Volume" to off.

I choose the 1403 because it was the simplest, quality receiver available in my price range. I had no problems wiring the speakers (Def Tech ProCinema 800's) and running Audyssey. However beyond this basic set-up I'm having a difficult time understanding the fine tuning of the system. For example, I tried both methods suggested by members to eliminate the volume fluctuations when changing channels to no avail. I tried starting the entire set-up over from scratch and can't get the original screens beginning with "Select a language" to appear on the TV. I'm an novice and would be very grateful if a member could walk me through a proper set-up and fine tuning. Much appreciated.

So you're saying the volume fluctuates even when the cable box is only connected to the AVR with an optical cable? Also Dynamic Volume (p. 62 OM) defaults to "Medium" if selected after running Audyssey. As previously suggested, try setting it to OFF.

jdsmoothie, thanks for your guidance. Yes, I turned the Dynamic Volume off and the issue persists. I also tried connecting cable box to the 1430 via optical cable and got no sound. For this test the TV was connected directly to cable box via HDMI. My guess is that I may have left the HDMI cable out from AVR attached but not connected to anything. I'll try the optical cable approach again. I would have thought the HDMI cable handshake issue wouldn't be one given I'm using all new equipment.

There will be two HDMI connections to the TV ... one from the cable box and one from the AVR. Also note that when you connect the optical from the cable box to the AVR, you'll need to either use the default "TV Audio" source or "assign" it to the source used with the HDMI cable box connection (eg. CBL/SAT).

Hi, does the 1603's Airplay support 1080P video?
(for use with ipad)

Thanks,

No. On board Airplay is "audio" only. For video you'll need to add an Apple TV.

Thank you.
1403 make more sense for me since only in need of 5.1.

OK, I finally heard back from Marantz on this gapless playback issue. My question to Marantz:

And, Marantz's reply:

Which is very, very cool and now narrows down my selection for my next AVR to one model :-)

Thanks for the update.

Press dyn/vol on the remote- it should say off. Otherwise, I would look at the cable box- mine has the ability to normalize volume levels.
Press setup on the remote, and scroll down to setup assistant.

I've got the 1603 and I'm very happy with it, however, are the buttons on the remote supposed to light up or glow in the dark ??. Mine don't.

AFAIK, only the 700X models have backlit remotes.

By turning off Audyssey EQ I am able to eliminate the volume "ramp-up" each time I change channels. That doesn't seem right though since the Audyssey's claim is to tailor sound to room dimension. By shutting it off after calibration negates the benefit.

This may be an issue with the cable box itself. Were you able to get the optical connection from the box to the AVR to work?

Hi, I want to reduce space and get rid of the dedicated amp for my sub.
Can one of the outputs be mapped as the sub channel to power a subwoofer?

Thx
P.

No. Most AVRs are not designed to power a sub.

Can anyone who has the NR1603 confirm whether or not you can use Airplay as a source for Zone2 (I believe you can)?

Also, is it possible to use Airplay as an independent source for Zone2 (I'm guessing no), in other words, can I watch a movie in 5.1, while someone listens to music streamed to the outdoor Zone2 speakers via airplay? Most receivers I have researched basically turn Zone2 into a "Speaker A/B" scenario when it comes to Airplay. In other words, if you are using airplay as the source, it must also be selected in the main zone

Although Airplay having to play on both main/Zone 2 is the case on the 2010 and 2011 Denon and Marantz models, the 2012 models (to include the 1603) can now play Airplay independently to Zone 2 while another source is playing in the main zone. Note, however, that you can accomplish the same goal with an older model (eg. 1602) by using an Apple TV or Airport Express.

Hi everyone,

Just joined, as I'm thinking of buying an NR1402, and there's not that much info out there - this thread is a great resource!

My current receiver has actually been abandoned to the loft because it has a fan on the power supply! The noise drives me mad in quiet parts of films, hence it had to go.

So my question is, is there a fan or any other "background" noise on this receiver? I can't find this info anywhere.

Thanks,

Leon

AFAIK, there is no fan on that model, although you will likely hear clicks when the surround modes change.

Anyone know if Marantz makes rack ears for the NR1603? The RMK1501NR worked for the NR1602 but it does not state that it works for the NR1603....

hi all,

it's time to upgrade from my yammie rx-v661.
sorta given up on yammie these days.

am looking at NR1403 or NR1603.
will save the $250 if decided to connect my existing appleTV and mac mini direct to it -> more or less will do so when i get the new iMac (which is like forever wait).

but i'm a total newbie when it come to the details of technical stuff.
one question i have is matching of NR1403 with my current Wharfadale diamond 9.1 bookshelf + 9.cc centre + yammie sub SW215.
not sure of those impedance and db stuff...
hope to hear a friendly advice.

can't wait for the hdmi 6in instead of yammie 2in now.
which i'm suffering to switch around the inputs from various devices these days.

thanks.