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| Photos: marantz.com |
In terms of firmware, the NR1608 requires an update for HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) pass-through and DTS Virtual:X processing while the NR1609 supports them out of the box. Other than that, the NR1609 and NR1608 are identical. When compared to the SR5013 and SR5012, though, there are a number of differences.
The NR1609 and NR1608 have a slim profile so their height is about half that of a typical, full-sized receiver such as the SR5012 or SR5013. The rated power output on the NR1609 and NR1608 is also halved when compared to the SR5013 and SR5012, though. Specifically, with 2 channel driven into 8 ohm loads (20Hz – 20kHz, 0.08% THD) the NR1609 and NR1608 are rated at 50 Watts per channel whereas the SR5012 and SR5013: at 100 Watts per channel. There are 7 power amps and 7 speaker terminals on either one of the four Marantz receivers. Furthermore, the power amp section consists of discrete output devices which allows the NR1609, NR1608, SR5013 and SR5012 to drive speakers with an impedance of 4-16 ohms.
There is a difference in the pre-amp stage on SR vs NR series of Marantz receivers because only the SR5013 and SR5012 utilize HDAMs (which consist of discrete rather than integrated circuits) in a current feedback topology. The short mirrored L/R circuit paths of the HDAM (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules) lead to improvement in terms of amplifying and buffering line-level signals, with the noise level and slew rate both being lower in comparison to NR1609 and NR1609. The difference can mainly be observed at higher frequencies.
While each of the four Marantz receivers has 7.1 channel processing (so no discrete subwoofer functionality), there is a difference in the number of pre-outs. The SR5013 and SR5012 have 7.2 channel pre-outs whereas there are only 2.2 channel pre-outs on the NR1609 and NR1608. However, this is not counting the 2-channel pre-outs for Zone 2 that can also be found on the SR5013 and SR5012. If you connect an external amplifier for Zone 2, though, you'll be then left with only 5.1 channels in your main room. This also means that if you're running a 5.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos system in your main room, there will be no available processing channels for Zone 2, or for expanding the Dolby Atmos configuration for that matter. The Surround Back terminals are assignable on either of the four Marantz receivers, and can be set according to the type of speakers you're using for the height channels.
While there is no difference in the number of HDMI inputs since they all have 7 rear and 1 front, with all being HDCP 2.2 compatible, the SR5013 and SR5012 have 2 parallel HDMI outputs whereas the NR1609 and NR1608 have only 1 HDMI output. Even though the four Marantz receivers support Audio Return Channel (ARC), neither of them can be updated to eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) so they won't be able to pass-through 3-dimensional audio such as Dolby Atmos from your TV's streaming apps via HDMI. The HDR video pass-though capabilities are not impacted, though. On the contrary, it's possible to pass-though Dolby Vision and HDR10 out of the box with either one of them. Only when it comes to HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) pass-through, you'll need to update the firmware on the NR1608 and SR5012. In contrast, the NR1609 or SR5013 are able to bit-stream this HDR format out of the box.
In terms of acoustic room correction, there is no difference in the filter resolution for the subwoofer between MultEQ (used by the NR1609 and NR1608) vs MultEQ XT (found in the SR5013 and SR5012). However, it needs to be said that there is a variation in the filter resolution between the two sets of Marantz receivers when it comes to the main and satellite speakers. Specifically, the filter resolution on MultEQ XT is 8 times that of a standard MultEQ. Therefore, the SR5013 and SR5012 are able to correct even some small details (such as narrow peaks and dips) in the response of your speakers. The advantage they have over the NR1609 and NR1608 is especially noticeable in the low frequency range of the main and satellite speakers, and the flat response that can be obtained in particular.
The front panel is different on the SR vs NR Marantz receivers, and the reason for that is not only because the SR receivers are nearly twice as tall as the NR series. For example, the SR5013 and SR5012 have a circular display of the same size as the input selector and volume knobs that are placed on either side. Although the two knobs can also be found on the NR1609 and NR1608, these two Marantz receivers have a rectangular, 1-line display with 8 buttons immediately below it. The NR1609 and NR1608 omit the tuner preset channel buttons that are present on the SR5012 and SR5013 but, unlike them, have a dedicated Internet radio button that changes the input source to HEOS Music, and TuneIn Internet radio in particular. Another difference is that the calibration microphone jack, alongside a composite video input and an analog audio input, sit behind a small cover on the SR5012 and SR5013 whereas the NR1609 and NR1608 have their setup mic jack readily accessible since there is no cover but also there are no composite video or analog audio inputs on the front panel. Nevertheless, each of the four Marantz receivers has a total of 3 composite video inputs due to the NR1609 and NR1608 having one extra composite video input on the back in comparison to the SR5012 and SR5013 in order to offset the omission of the said input from the front panel. The SR5012 and SR5013 have a total of 5 analog audio inputs vs 3 of them on the NR1609 and NR1608. Additionally, there is a dedicated Phono input on the SR5013 and NR1609 but not their predecessors (i.e. SR5012 and NR1608, respectively). When it comes to digital audio input connectors, there are 2 Optical and 2 Coaxial on the SR5012 and SR5013 whereas the NT1609 and NR1608 have only one Optical and one Coaxial. A RS-232C connector can only be found on the SR5012 and SR5013 which allows you to connect them directly to compatible external controller devices for home automation.
Check availability and pricing on Amazon.com for the NR1608, NR1609, and SR5013 (affiliate links; As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
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