The Marantz Cinema 30 could be the best-looking premium AVR ever

Audio brand Marantz has a fine history in home cinema, often producing high-end kit with an eye on the aesthetic as well as performance. And the Marantz Cinema 30 AV receiver continues that tradition.

Offering 11.4-channels of amplification (at 140W per channel) with additional processing capabilities for two more, the AVR runs on the SHARC Dual DSP coupled to dual multichannel ESS DACs. This means it is capable of decoding just about anything you throw at it – Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced, DTS:X Pro and Auro 3D soundtracks.

It also features 8K HDR support on all of its seven HDCP 2.3-enabled HDMI inputs and three outputs. While just about every other connection is supported, too. As are ARC and eARC for seamless connection to a compatible TV.

Lossless audio in numerous formats can be played back, including FLAC, ALAC and WAV. And, Sony's 360 Reality Audio is supported, as well.

The Cinema 30 has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on board, with an Ethernet port available for a wired internet hook-up. This not only allows it to work with streaming services, such as Spotify (with Spotify Connect), Tidal, and Amazon Music HD, it comes with HEOS multiroom compatibility to sync and stream with other supported devices, including those from sister-brand Denon.

Indeed, many of its specifications remind us of the also recently announced Denon AVC-X6800H, but the Marantz looks very different from the front.

Not only is the front largely free of buttons and ports, there is a porthole display in the centre that gives it a more classic styling. It's a beast, yeah (it needs to be to contain the huge amount of tech), but is a beauty too.

The Marantz Cinema 30 will be available from mid-March in both silver and black from select retailers, priced at £4,000 / $4,500 / €4,500.

And with this and the aforementioned Denon hitting the market, home cinema is seemingly in the throes of a glorious revival. Yes, one the best soundbars might be a greatly solution to keep things simple, but they'll never quite match the oomph of a decent home theatre setup.