Marantz SACD 30n: Audiophile-grade CD/SACD player

The SACD 30n serves as an audiophile-grade CD/SACD player, offering a comprehensive solution for enjoying both your personal digital music library and a vast array of wireless music available online. Its integrated HEOS multi-room streaming feature provides access to the most widely used music services, allowing you to enjoy high-definition audio from your PC through USB.

In terms of both aesthetics and functionality, the SACD 30n is ideally suited to complement Marantz’s exclusive amplifiers, creating an unparalleled musical experience whether you are listening to vinyl, CDs, or streaming content. This device seamlessly blends traditional and modern audio technologies.

Additionally, the SACD 30n can be paired with another high-quality stereo amplifier. With its built-in D/A converter, volume control, and variable output, it can be directly connected to a power amplifier, making it an excellent choice for those who have transitioned away from analog sources. This innovative approach paves the way for exciting new audiophile configurations.

Great design – superb build quality

The SACD 30n represents an exceptional example of industrial design, transforming into a visually captivating feature within your living space, rather than merely serving as a large, unremarkable metal enclosure. Its sleek aluminum facade is highlighted by the prominent golden Marantz logo and an expansive OLED display, while the edges of the front panel are subtly illuminated by LED lights discreetly positioned behind the faceplate. The overall aesthetic exudes a confident elegance, befitting a product of such high quality. Marantz products have always been renowned for their natural and musical sound, and the SACD 30n carries on that proud tradition in convincing style. All components are carefully selected, and a highly qualified “Sound Master” has fine-tuned the details to achieve the Marantz signature sound, which has delighted music lovers all over the world for more than half a century – The Most Musical Sound.

World-class signal processing with HDAM

The HDAM technology, or Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module, is a renowned feature of Marantz, integrated into a diverse array of their products, encompassing both surround and stereo systems. This module consists of a meticulously designed amplifier circuit that serves as a replacement for the commonly used integrated op-amp chipsets, with the SACD 30n extensively utilizing this innovative technology. Notably, the built-in headphone amplifier is equipped with its own HDAM module, enhancing the listening experience when paired with high-quality headphones.

Upon examining the SACD 30n, one might observe a configuration that closely resembles that of a premium stereo amplifier rather than a conventional disc player. It is equipped with a toroidal transformer, effective cooling profiles, robust shielding, and expansive printed circuit boards populated with numerous discrete components, all of which contribute to delivering an exceptional sound quality.

The discrete architecture represents an audiophile-grade solution, allowing Marantz’s Sound Master to meticulously refine the audio output using superior components in critical areas. In comparison to traditional op-amps, HDAM technology offers reduced distortion, an improved signal-to-noise ratio, and a significantly faster response time (slew rate). Consequently, this results in a sound that is noticeably more dynamic and vibrant.

Exclusive drive unit and extremely solid construction

The SACD 30n features Marantz’s proprietary SADM-3L driver, meticulously engineered to deliver exceptional sound quality whether you are listening to SACD, CD, or music files from a home-recorded CD or DVD. To minimize noise, the power supply to the drive is automatically disengaged when not in operation. The cabinet and chassis are constructed with remarkable weight and sturdiness, including a 3 mm thick bottom plate and vibration-dampening feet. Weighing an impressive 13 kilograms, this design reflects a high level of ambition. The standout element is the elegant aluminum front panel with a large display, indicating that this is a sophisticated hi-fi product tailored for discerning audiophiles.

True DSD conversion and Marantz Musical Mastering (MMM)

The SACD 30n features authentic DSD conversion, eliminating the need to convert DSD signals from SACD discs and USB into PCM format, a common practice in many competing products. This design choice guarantees the most delicate signal processing, and with support for resolutions up to 11.2MHz, users can fully enjoy high-resolution DSD music files downloaded from the Internet via USB. In this premier model, Marantz has advanced the use of the DSD format to its utmost potential. Instead of employing a conventional digital-to-analog conversion, the PCM music signals from CDs or digital inputs are transformed into a DSD bitstream using Marantz’s proprietary MMM-Stream converter. This innovation allows for the application of Marantz Musical Mastering filtering on the analog output signal, ensuring that the renowned Marantz signature sound is present across all digital audio sources.

See also

NAD C 389: Powerful audiophile-grade hybrid amplifier

In addition to HEOS, which effectively manages the majority of streaming requirements, including internet radio, the SACD 30n is equipped with Apple AirPlay 2. This feature allows for enhanced multi-room functionality through iPhone and iPad, enabling seamless integration with all wireless AirPlay 2 speakers. As this technology is embedded within Apple iOS, virtually any application capable of audio playback—such as YouTube and Netflix—can stream directly to devices and speakers that support AirPlay 2. Furthermore, the device supports Spotify Connect, which is particularly advantageous for users who prefer comprehensive control over the Spotify application. Both AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect allow your phone to function as a remote control for the music application rather than as a music player, resulting in improved battery life and stability compared to Bluetooth streaming. Users can continue to enjoy music from familiar applications. For those seeking simplicity, Bluetooth is readily available, allowing friends to play music directly from their phones. Additionally, Bluetooth enables audio playback from YouTube, Netflix, and numerous other applications, even for users without an iPhone to utilize AirPlay 2.

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