Marantz is breaking new ground with a new duo of luxury wireless speakers. Best known for its range of hi-fi separates and amplifiers, the company has turned its attention to frontiers new, vowing to "radically transform customer expectations in the market" thanks to its two pricey new speakers, the Marantz Horizon and Marantz Grand Horizon.
Marantz claims that both the Horizon and Grand Horizon are designed to be powerful enough to fill even larger rooms with their expansive, all-encompassing sound. Both speakers use Marantz's unique array of varying drive units anchored by a single central subwoofer, aiming, says the brand, for a spacious, cohesive sound housed within a luxurious exterior.
At the heart of this sound is the proprietary 'Rise TM amplification', a system Marantz says is based around highly responsive and thermally efficient technology which grants a claimed 310 watts of output for the Horizon and a hefty 370 watts from the Grand Horizon.
Such firepower propels an array of Marantz Gravity TM drive units, each using neodymium magnets for "the ultimate combination of accuracy, responsiveness and low distortion." The Horizon packs a 16.5cm subwoofer alongside two 25mm silk-dome tweeters and three 5cm full-range drive units, while the Grand Horizon ups the ante, boasting a 20cm subwoofer, three 25mm tweeters and four 7.6cm midrange units.
They're not short on smarts, either. They each house Marantz’s Heos wireless music platform, so support a wide range of streaming services including Amazon Music, Deezer, Spotify and Tidal, with more platforms set to follow. Apple AirPlay2 and Bluetooth are onboard, and if you're looking to connect to a source physically, both speakers offer analogue, optical and HDMI (with Dolby Atmos support) inputs, as well as the option to access music from locally connected USB-C music drives.
Via Heos, you can use either speaker to force an integrated multiroom system, and listeners can also pair Horizons and Grand Horizons together to form a stereo two-speaker system if they so choose.
The Horizon range has been designed, says Marantz, to be enjoyed in ways that go beyond mere audio reproduction. Approaching either speaker will automatically bring it to life thanks to built-in proximity sensors, whereas 'AuraControl' combines 100 LEDs with proximity and ambient light sensors to "create a seamless symphony of light and sound". Each model comes wrapped in the brand's 'Radiance' Ecofiber, a sustainably sourced fabric designed to create a warm, luxurious aura.
The Marantz Horizon and Marantz Grand Horizon will be available from January 14th, 2025, in a choice of three finishes: midnight sky, moon ray or champagne. The Horizon will set you back a somewhat eye-watering £3250 / $3500 / €3800, while the larger Grand Horizon will cost £5250 / $5500 / €6000. A tripod stand will cost a further £650 / $700 / €750.
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