The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Marantz AV7703 vs Integra DTM-7 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Marantz AV7703 has 11.2 versus 2.0 for Integra DTM-7. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/32-bit for AV7703 and AK4438 384 KHz/32-bit for the DTM-7. Only the AV7703 supports Bi-amping feature. The Marantz AV7703 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
WI-FI modules have the same characteristics: 2.4/5GHz. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Marantz AV7703 has support for AirPlay, AirPlay 2, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The AV7703 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, iHeart Radio, SiriusXM, Sound Cloud, and the DTM-7 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, TuneIn Radio. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The AV7703 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the DTM-7. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Marantz AV7703 has 8/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Integra DTM-7. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. Unfortunately, HDMI eARC is not available on monitored devices. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
The AV7703 supports 3 Multi-room zones, versus 2 for the DTM-7. The AV7703 supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI, and the DTM-7 - Google Assistant. An ECO mode is only available for the AV7703. Both AV7703 and DTM-7 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the AV7703 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the AV7703.