Marantz SR7012 vs SR7011 Review

The design of the SR7012 and SR7011 is identical: from the metal front panel to the rear I/O where the same set of connections is present on both models, including 11.2 channel pre-outs and color-coded speaker terminals. Furthermore, the weight (31.1 lbs) and power consumption (710 Watts) on both the SR7012 and SR7011 is identical. The remote controller, however, is slightly different. The SR7012's remote omits the small LCD Display that is placed near the top of the SR7011's remote.

The SR7012 and SR7011 have 9 amplifier channels. Since the circuit topology of these channels is identical, each channel on both the SR7012 and SR7011 is rated at 125 Watts (2 channel driven into 8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, with 0.05% THD). The 9 power amps that the SR7012 and SR7011 have are sufficient for driving a 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos speaker setup without an external amplifier. But if you do have an external two channel amp, you can utilize the SR7012 and SR7011's 11.2 channel processing capability in order to have a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup. In addition to Dolby Atmos, the SR7012 and SR7011 support another object-based audio format: DTS:X. When it comes to the Auro-3D, though, only the SR7012 is equipped with a decoder for this format whereas the Auro-3D decoding on the SR7011 is only possible after a paid upgrade.

The SR7012 and SR7011 have the same set of Audyssey features, including Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. The Audyssey MultEQ XT32 provides automatic room acoustic correction on both models by analyzing the output of each speaker and the subwoofer(s) through the supplied measurement microphone. You can place it at up to 8 measurement locations. After the analysis is completed, Audyssey MultEQ XT32 generates precision digital filters for the purpose of optimizing each channel. The Audyssey MultEQ Editor App, which can be purchased for either Android or iOS devices, allows you to review the calibration results, and perform further adjustments to either the SR7012 or the SR7011. In case of a dual subwoofer setup, the Audyssey Sub EQ HT can be used on either one of the two receivers in order for individual DSP tailoring of each subwoofer to be achieved. The Audyssey LFC (Low Frequency Containment) is also present on both the SR7012 and SR7011.

The SR7012 and SR7011 have 7 HDMI inputs on the back and 1 HDMI input on the front. Both receivers support HDCP 2.2 on all HDMI inputs, meaning you can connect your UHD Blu-ray disc player on any input. There are 3 HDMI outputs on the SR7012 and SR7011; 2 of the HDMI outputs are for the main zone and 1 is allocated for a second zone. 4K and HDCP2.2 feeds are also supported on the HDMI outputs so you can connect a 4K TV or projector, and watch 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray movies, for example. Furthermore, the SR7012 and SR7011 can handle 4K feeds in either SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), or HDR (High Dynamic Range) with up to 4:4:4 color subsampling and wide color gamut (BT.2020). The SR7012 supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision pass-through out of the box as well as HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), which is a format intended mainly for future HDR broadcasts. The SR7011, on the other hand, has a built-in support for HDR10 pass-through, but requires a firmware update for Dolby Vision and HLG support. In other words, the SR7012 and SR7011 have identical pass-through HDR format support, provided you have the latest firmware installed on both receivers.

In terms of multi-room, the SR7012 and SR7011 provide both wireless (in the form of the built-in HEOS technology), and wired (Height 1 and Height 2 speaker terminals are assignable) solutions. The two receivers support High resolution audio, albeit there is a difference in their ALAC decoding capabilities. While the SR7012 can decode ALAC up to 192kHz/24bit, the SR7011 is limited up to 96kHz/24bit. Both receivers can decode 192kHz/24bit FLAC and WAV, however. DSD streaming of 2.8 MHz or 5.6 MHz tracks is also possible on either SR7012 or SR7011.

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