Marantz AV 20 Reference 13.4 Channel Balanced AV Preamplifier

Go All the Way and Get Reference with the Marantz AV 20: Japanese-Made 13.4-Channel Balanced AV Preamplifier Skimps on Nothing, Includes Built-In HEOS and Dolby Atmos Decoding 

As attractive as the metal front panel of the Marantz AV 20 13.4-channel balanced AV preamplifier happens to be, one quick look at the back puts the astonishing skill set of this reference component into proper perspective. A scan of the printed text located just underneath the lip of the upper chassis reveals the names of the decoding and surround-sound formats handled by AV 20. And the staggering amount of inputs and outputs speaks to its seemingly limitless flexibility with virtually any setup. Now, what you need to find out for yourself is just how damn good the Roon-ready AV 20 sounds — and how sharp, detailed, and crisp it renders visuals. 

Designed and made in Japan for the express purpose of transforming your home-theater experiences into truly cinematic events, AV 20 skimps on nothing. Its 13.4-channel output welcomes an array of speaker layouts such as 7.4.6. Support for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, and Auro-3D is right here. Acoustic room tuning via Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and optional Dirac Live means your system will perform at its optimal ability. Optimized HDAM-SA3 modules for fast responsiveness and low distortion contribute to the warm, rich, dynamic sonics, which also come courtesy of tuning from Marantz’s Sound Master. Built-in HEOS invites you to search, find, and stream high-res music (up to DSD 5.6MHz) from the leading platforms — TIDAL, Spotify, AirPlay 2, Amazon Music HD, and Pandora included. Want multi-room integration? AV 20 does that, too.

Built to the nines with a copper-plated chassis and large toroidal transformer, AV 20 benefits from other audiophile-minded touches such as current feedback topology, a clock jitter reducer, MDAX2 audio enhancer, and six XLR inputs. Since we’re on the subject of connectivity, know that seven 8K UHD HDMI inputs, an MM input for a turntable, two coaxial inputs, two optical inputs, and a front-panel USB input complement three HDMI outputs, two multi-room outputs, and — wait for it — 15.4 RCA and 15.4 XLR multichannel preamp outputs. Four independent subwoofer outputs, assignable speaker A/B pre-outs, and a pair of video component inputs are also here for the taking. 

Measuring 7.5 x 17.4 x 18.0 inches (HWD), AV 20 networks with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Ethernet. It can even retransmit audio to Bluetooth-equipped headphones. A backlit remote control, assignable Bi-amp drive mode, an AM/FM tuner, HDMI diagnostics, a Setup Assistant, and custom-install features such as IP control, RS232 control, IR flasher in, and three DC trigger outputs also attest to the jack-of-all-trades flexibility of this stunning component. 

Backed by a five-year manufacturer warranty and our satisfaction guarantee, AV 20 will permanently change how you see, hear, and feel home-theater entertainment. For more information, or to know how AV 20 differs from the competition and other Marantz models, call us up at 312-433-0200. 

“[The] AV 20 and AMP 20 would be hard to beat in offering exceptional performance and the ability to accommodate virtually any situation and setup you might envision.”
—Sound & Vision, Top Pick Award