This article is an overview of the new network audio integrated amplifier. Ever since 1952, when Saul Marantz sold his first piece of gear, has been known for making audio equipment that has a very sweet musical sound. Music lovers and audiophiles have loved their sound over the past seven decades. The Marantz look and sound have also been cherished over multiple generations, with vintage Marantz gear continuing to increase in value over time.
A few years ago, Marantz decided to create a new series that harkened back to the classic 1970 Marantz model 30 integrated amplifier designed and engineered by Saul Marantz himself. This would normally have been quite a tall task, but Marantz had a secret weapon called the Marantz Sound Master. After Saul Marantz retired, the owners of Marantz were very clever to start training young engineers on how to identify the classic Marantz sound. These Marantz Sound Masters spend their time listening to engineering prototypes to make sure they have the sound music lovers expect from Marantz.
The first two of gear had the look, feel, sound, and build quality Marantz was famous for, and back in 2020, we were very impressed. Marantz followed up with more models in this series, but we have been waiting for a more affordable model to show up that would appeal to a wider audience. The Model 60n is just what many music lovers have been looking for. A fairly affordable integrated amplifier with network streaming and analog inputs to be the centerpiece of a great music system.
When we first took the 60n out of the box, we were surprised to see how much it weighed for its relatively modest price in the world of high-end integrated amplifiers with streaming. This guy weighs in at almost 29 pounds, which immediately tells us it has a pretty massive power supply and some serious build quality.
The outer appearance is just what you expect from the models in this lineup. The early Marantz had a very symmetrical look with a mirror image layout of the controls on the right and left side. Many of the original Marantz pieces also sported a round porthole-like meter in the center of the unit, which is also present on the Model 60n for display functions.
Just like the other models in this series, the 60n will be available in a black or silver gold finish. We also love the look of the raised front panel sitting on top of what looks like a carbon fiber body. But of course, good looks are only part of the story, and you’ll also want great sound and features in a piece that will become the heart of your two-channel audio system.
Taking a look at the features, there is not much lacking in the 60n. You’ll find three analog inputs plus a moving magnet phono input. There is a preamp output should you wish to add more power later, with a separate power amp and a mono subwoofer output. Digital inputs include optical, coax, HDMI-ARC, and USB A. These are high-res audio capable of up to 24bit 192K and 11.2 megahertz DSD. And with all of this, you also get network streaming via the HEOS ecosystem. HEOS was developed years ago by , a sister company of Marantz. It has a pretty big variety of music services on board and also is compatible with Airplay 2, so if your favorite is missing, you can easily use Airplay 2. Bluetooth receive and transmit are built in as well. These connections will allow you to have a , , two more analog sources, and probably more digital sources than anyone would ever have. We especially appreciate the HDMI-ARC input for audio. This means your TV remote on a compatible TV will be able to control the volume of the Model 60n.
If you are new to the world of separate audio components and all this sounds daunting, know that the experts at Audio Advice have your back. Should you have any technical questions relating to the setup of your 60n or any gear for that matter that you purchased from Audio Advice, we are here to help you with real live people who live and breathe performance audio and home theater.
When we first saw this feature rich set of inputs, we wondered where they cut corners to produce the 60n for such an affordable price. Well, it appears they did not! We expected to see a standard power supply but the Model 60n has a large toroidal power transformer. The internal layout is also a more costly design with the sensitive audio components well isolated from the power supply and extruded aluminum heat sinks for the output transistors.
The amplifier section is a Class AB current feedback with push pull design rated at 60 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 80 watts per channel into 4 ohms. Seeing all of this we then wondered if Marantz had used a less expensive version of their famous HDAM circuitry in the 60n. Again, the answer is no, they did not and use their HDAM SA2/HDAM SA3 technology. HDAM stands for Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module. Many years ago, the Marantz engineers became disappointed with off the shelf op amp circuits that had evolved to be more cost effective but worse sounding. They developed their own discrete audio circuitry with hand selected components to deliver the best sound. Those Marantz Sound Masters played a big role in this tech as their ears played a big role in product selection and Marantz has used their HDAM tech in the better gear ever since.
So, it would seem Marantz has knocked the ball out of the park with the Model 60n, but we did have a nitpick with the subwoofer out. Unlike the and that are above and below the 60n in terms of price, the subwoofer crossover is fixed at 150 Hz instead of being variable like the other two models. We think they did this to keep it completely analog for vinyl enthusiasts who prefer a pure analog amplifier, as having variable crossover at this price point is not practical to do in the analog domain. But for those of us who plan to use mostly digital sources, it would have been nice to have a way to vary the output. But that is really the only thing we can fault the 60n on, as it packs in a whole lot of great Marantz tech and build quality for its price.
We have also reviewed the newer streaming amp and the , which are $500 less for the M1 and $1000 more for the 40n as of September 2024. We thought it would be helpful for those of you considering the Model 60n to look at what you get from each of these models in comparison.
We were pretty impressed with all the M1 offered for the price. It had a lot of great features and sounded pretty darn good. If you plan to use your digital centerpiece mostly for enhanced TV sound from a pair of stereo speakers and/or a subwoofer, the M1 is a really good choice as it also has night mode and dialog enhancement, which are not on the Model 60n. And it's got selectable crossovers for the subwoofer which is nice.
But, as good as this made in Japan small streaming amplifier is, the Model 60n is just in a whole other realm from a sonic standpoint. And that is to be expected as the M1 is made to be tucked away and weighs in at just a little under 5 pounds while the 60n has over 6 times the heft with its much more massive amplifier section. There really isn’t anywhere in an audio comparison the M1 sounds better than the 60n. The HDAM circuitry in the 60n and it's far better amplifier components make it no contest. So if you have the space and budget for the 60n, we think its well worth the extra $500, plus it also just looks so cool too!
The Model 40n, which came out in 2022, is a more interesting comparison. At first glace to us, they looked far too similar to justify the extra cost for the 40n. That is until we dug into things a little deeper. There is an 8 pound weight difference in the two models which is attributed to the power supply and chassis. You’ll get a bigger toroidal power transformer in the 40n, and the chassis itself is much more sophisticated, with more layers and over twice the thickness of the 60n. The output transistors sit on copper plates in the 40n as well.
Marantz spent more time hand-selecting the components in the HDAM circuitry in the 40n which also gives it an edge. The 40n has Marantz Musical Digital Filtering, which is not present in the 60n either. Plus you get variable crossovers for the sub out. And if it matters to you, the 40n is is made at the Marantz factory in Shirakawa, Japan, while the 60n is manufactured in Vietnam.
While it is only rated at 10 watts per channel more than the 60n, the 40n just sounds more dynamic and can control harder to drive speakers better. But, with all that said, the 60n is one heck of a value. If you have harder to drive speakers and or a larger room, you should seriously consider the 40n if it's within your budget, but the difference in sound between the 40n and 60n is not as great as that between the M1 and the 60n.
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