When it comes to sound quality, I'm honestly not easily satisfied. This is why I have been unwilling to part with my old setup for a very long time. However, when I got the chance to test this Marantz I wanted to make an exception to this rule. I myself am very familiar with the toppers in the HIFI world and Marantz is no stranger to me. The Melody X would therefore be a great opportunity for me to maintain the familiar quality, plus experience the comforts of living in modern times!
Before I started testing, there was already a big plus. The Melody X has the quality to control a wide range of speakers. For example, it is even possible to use speakers of 4 ohms with this system and many older speaker systems can also be combined with this new device.
Out of the box there are a number of things that immediately stand out. The design of the Marantz is certainly beautifully finished with an eye for detail. The buttons also feel very robust and certainly not cheap. If you are used to older systems, you will certainly find this Marantz on the light side and the dimensions are suitable for people who have relatively little space but still want a stereo system.
There is actually nothing to complain about the I/O, although some may miss the phono output. For the rest, one has every other type of input from optical to analog. It is also possible to use the device as a bi-amp, which makes it possible, for example, to place one set of speakers in your living room and the other set in another. This principle is not new and was not super handy in the past because you had to go to the relevant room every time to operate the stereo, but nowadays you can do that via your phone or laptop! So very handy.
In terms of ease of use I can keep it short, this is simply excellent. The stereo performs updates itself (provided it is connected to the internet), can be operated via all kinds of streaming media, from Spotify, TuneIn Internet radio, Sound Cloud, Tidal, Napster, Deezer to your local music library, in fact everything is possible in terms of that.
Now the most important; the sound quality is very good. I have the installation with a passive canton sub and two canton satellite speakers. All in all, I can say that the Marantz drives these wonderfully and reproduces any kind of music beautifully.
To complete my review I have to be honest and also tell my one drawback. This is the remote control, functions well, but feels very cheap. Quite special as the stereo itself is very nicely designed. The remote control feels as if it was invented for a while.
My conclusion is that it may be a pricey device, but certainly future-proof! It is a very versatile stereo that besides the fact that the sound quality is good, it is really very convenient in any situation.