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Marantz NR1501 Slim Line Home Theater Receiver | 
| Brand: Marantz
Category: CE
List Price: $599.99
Buy New: $399.00
as of 9/8/2010 18:45 CDT details
You Save: $200.99 (33%)
New (3) Used (5) Refurbished (1) from $319.99
Seller: OneCall
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 6154
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 20.1
Dimensions (in): 15.3 x 17.3 x 4.1
MPN: NR1501
Model: NR1501
UPC: 099927231055
EAN: 0699927231057
ASIN: B002DUCO54
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD Master Audio decoding | | • | Slim Design | | • | MRAC auto setup with MIC | | • | 4HDMI inputs | | • | 3 component inputs |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Capable surround sound receivers have to be intimidating, don't they? If that's your impression, allow the new Marantz NR1501 to change your mind. Here's a svelte, competent performer with the features and flexibility you need. But without the hulking size you don't. This one's designed for the way you live. So do that large by thinking small. The NR1501. From Marantz, of course.
Quick...where are you going to put that surround sound receiver? Under a coffee table? In a closet? Maybe in the next room? Alright, we're exaggerating a bit. But you get the point. Most surround receivers today are huge. They take up a lot of space. Yes, you can opt for a "compact" system with sub-par performance. But why compromise? Marantz's NR1501 answers your needs for both décor-friendly size and superb performance. That's because the NR1501 includes everything you need in a chassis that fits comfortably on a normal shelf or in a standard cabinet. It's just a bit more than 4" high and 13" deep so there's plenty of room for the cables you'll need to connect it to your flat-screen TV, a Blu-ray player, cable box, your favorite game console, a surround speaker system, and more.
The NR1501 looks the part, too, thanks to a contoured front panel that combines aluminum and glass-reinforced resins for maximum shielding, dimensional stability, and sophisticated styling. Behind that panel are the features you need to enjoy the best home entertainment sources today. To begin with there are four HDMI inputs, all version 1.3-capable, of course. That means you'll enjoy both today's - and tomorrow's - video sources with stunning clarity and definition. The HDMI inputs are part of a comprehensive system that goes beyond mere switching capability.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 Excellent receiver September 8, 2009
Andrew Philip (Massachusetts, USA)
44 out of 45 found this review helpful
The Marantz NR1501 slim line model is only about 4" tall and really an excellent overall receiver. I bought this to replace a Sony STRG810. It was a toss up between a Denon, Yamaha or Marantz. The Sony STRG810 was a great receiver for movies but it was lacking sound quality in the music department (too much reverb). When comparing similar models, Yamaha was brighter then Denon, and Marantz was warmer then Denon, so I went with Marantz. I compared the Marantz NR1501 model to a Marantz SR6004 ($1300) side by side, and the audio quality was almost the same except the SR6004 was a bit more full at 110 watts per channel. I also compared the Marantz NR1501 to a Harmon Kardon AVR254 and the Marantz NR1501 sounded much better. The Harmon Kardon sounded too digital and tinny where the Marantz sounded true to its source. I am very pleased with how warm and clear the sound quality is while listening to music or watching movies.
The 50 watt NR1501 is more then enough wattage to power my reference series Klipsch speakers in a 13' x 17' living room. You may think that 50 watts is too low, but Marantz rates their receivers lower then what they are capable of. For example, Sony rates their receivers by putting a meter in the center of a testing room and increasing the volume as loud as it can go - distortion and all; they mark down what the wattage output is. Marantz does the same procedure except once they get to distortion, they back the knob off a little and mark down the wattage rating. That is why you will notice a lot of Marantz receivers are rated at 50,70, or 90 watts which is a lot lower then some of the 100,110 watt competition.
I usually set all the parameters (crossover frequency, speaker distance, db level etc.) by ear as I have with every receiver I have purchased. I wanted to see how well this receiver does with auto calibration, so I ran it. The receiver comes with a microphone so I put it on a camera tripod, put it up to the listening position, and ran the auto cal procedure. It lasted about 3 minutes and played a series of test tones. When it was done, all of the levels were adjusted to the listening position. I manually went through these levels to see how well it did and I would not change a thing. This is an excellent receiver.
For the price, simply the best sounding receiver December 14, 2009
W. Schmidt (Philadelphia, PA United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I just upgraded my home theater system from a five year old HTIB. I picked up Orb Audio speakers (excellent little speakers, great price) and also the Marantz NR-1501.
I tried out three receivers before settling on the NR-1501. I first looked at the Denon 1910. It definitely sounded great, but was too tall for the space in my entertainment center.
I ended buying a Yamaha RX-V465 BL. I was disappointed with the clarity of the vocals during movies and TV, and even with adjustment the sound was very harsh and very directional. I took this back to best buy.
I listened to an Onkyo TX-SR507. This had decent sound quality, balanced, but not as smooth as the Denon. It also fit in my entertainment center, and the price was decent.
Finally I ended up checking out the NR1501. I thought it wouldn't sound particularly great due to the lower power (50W per channel), but apparently Marantz greatly underrates their equipment and cuts off the rating before any distortion occurs.
Whatever the reason, in any event, this receiver had the smoothest, cleanest and clearest sounding tone of all of them. I tried it side by side, with the same speakers in the store VS. the Denon and the Onkyo (forget the Yamaha, it sounded like garbage compared to all three) and was continually amazed by how rich and clear everything sounded.
I went with the Marantz--at 599.00 (current Amazon price) you can't even come close to this quality of sound. The volume can be so low that my wife can sleep with the door open, and you can still clearly discern the voices of people on TV when using the amp. Everything balances great. Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer sparkled with this setup (my two main reference CD's for sound).
To sum that up, get it. Unless you're dropping 1500 for a receiving I don't think you can beat the quality of this. As long as you have smaller speakers and reasonable sized room, this is the deal.
Fantastic Sounding Receiver for the Price February 20, 2010
S. Crow (So. California, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Purchased this receiver after spending a considerable amount of time putting together a home theatre system. Listened many receivers and actually purchased a Harman Kardon 255 from Amazon. For the price the Marantz NR 1501 blew all of these away - it has a great feature set and works very reliably. My main criteria for home theatre was to listen to music and then movies second. Musically it is awesome with a warm detailed sound - the HK 255 sounded like listening to music in a metal pipe - even my wife noticed how bad the HK 255 sounded. For other comparisons I would say it is just a notch below the sound quality of my previous amp a NAD 302 - which was built just for music and is truly awesome. For movies, which we watch a lot of, it doesn't disappoint with plenty of power to fill our family room/ kitchen area (14 x 28 ft). Volume goes from 1 - 100 and listening to movies in the 50 - 60 range is pretty loud and that is from the Playstation PS3 which is a little on the low side when it comes to volume output. I have it matched to B&W M1s up front and a pair of Orb Audios in the rear with a REL T2 sub.
Features wise it is excellent with enough HDMI inputs for my setup. HDMI video is passed through nicely with no loss of video quality from my PS3 as far as I can tell. The setup onscreen display (OSD) is fairly basic but has all you need without a lot of features you don't really need. OSD is basic text on the TV (no overlaying here like fancier models) but really that is not important as once you have everything set up you rarely need to go back into the OSD - remember this is an audio device to create great sound not a video device. On the whole the OSD is comparable to the HK 255 and it allows you to name each input however you are limited to only 8 characters. HD audio works great from the PS3 using 5.1 channel PCM streams over HDMI - I don't have a dedicated Blu-Ray player so I can't comment on bitstreamed versions DTS and Dolby True HD - but through the PS3 HD audio worked and sounded fantastic. I often like to just listen to streamed radio through the PS3 and unfortunately when the audio goes through HDMI the TV has to be on otherwise it does not work. The only other alternative is to send the sound from the PS3 via Digital Optical but this format does not support HD Audio. Not sure if this shortcoming is due to the HDMI specifications or just a particular quirk of the NR 1501.
Setup is fairly straight forward with the included microphone. I ended up tweaking all the values manually in the end to get the balance just where I wanted it. All the usual crossover frequencies, volumes and distances as you would expect. I think there is also a feature where you can have more than one setup and switch between the two (say for Movies and Music) however don't quote me on that. I am sure Marantz publishes the manual online somewhere so you can read up on it.
The remote is OK and I like the feel of it. A big plus is that there is just about a button for every feature you would likely change on a day to day basis. Such as lip-sync, fake surround mode when there is just a stereo signal (receiver supports the latest Dolby and NEO fake surround modes which actually work very well - say when listening to 2 channel TV). The receiver will default to playing in the best surround mode possible - if it only receives a 2 channel signal then it will the pick whatever mode you selected for that input in the setup (such as Neo Movie or simply 2 channel etc). The biggest shortfall of the remote was that the built in presets for controlling other equipment were somewhat lacking (or out of date) it could not control our 2008 Samsung LCD at all (which means 2 remotes - argh!). I solved this by buying a SR 5003/4 remote on eBay which has true learning capability - problem solved - it could learn any function of our other remotes and for the most part has the same buttons / layout as the 1501 remote.
The feature I would have liked in this receiver would be Dolby Volume or the equivalent Audyssey Dynamic Volume found on the SR-5004. So if you want a bit more power and have space in your wallet and house definitely consider the SR - 5004 as well. Finally I picked up my NR-1501 at a local store in So.California - Ken Cranes - for $500 including tax which was a great deal and what you should expect to pay for this unit.
Best receiver for those with size constraints December 13, 2009
T. Lewis (SF Bay Area)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great receiver for its size. I only had about 6 inches of height in my cabinet so this was one of the few choices. At only 4.25 inches tall it fits with enough space for adequate air circulation. If you have more space, I think you can find better value for your money. This option was cheaper than new furniture in order to fit a standard 6" or larger receiver. There are inevitable compromises due to space, but the sound is much better than my old Sony that died after 10 years.
The 50 watts is more than enough for my 10 x 20 room with satellites and a sub. YMMV if you have some power pig towers etc.
Magnificent May 23, 2010
Jose Luiz (Brazil)
The receiver is superb. I've been using it for a couple of days and I'm amazed at how clear it sounds with songs that were not so clear in my 10 year-old Sony. The auto adjustment function is astonishing: it recognizes the characteristics of the environment and the speakers to set the equalizer to the best settings, resulting in a beautifully balanced sound in a few seconds. The price tag is also surprising for this class of equipment. The factory container was sturdy enough for it to be delivered in USA and then transported as common baggage to Brazil, even after TSA opened it for security inspection.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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