Marantz CINEMA 40 vs Denon AVR-S740H review

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An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Marantz CINEMA 40 vs Denon AVR-S740H comparison definitely makes sense.

Amplifier

A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Marantz CINEMA 40 has 9.2 versus 7.2 for Denon AVR-S740H. Regarding power, then CINEMA 40 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 125/8, 165/6 when AVR-S740H has a power of 75/8, 110/6. The THD is the same and is 0.08%.

Audio features

Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/32-bit. Only the CINEMA 40 supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The CINEMA 40 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Amazon Music HD, MOOD:Mix, and the AVR-S740H can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The CINEMA 40 can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the AVR-S740H. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.

Extensive connections

The Marantz CINEMA 40 has 7/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/1 HDMI connectors of the Denon AVR-S740H. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the CINEMA 40. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The CINEMA 40 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the AVR-S740H. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.

Additional features

The CINEMA 40 supports 3 Multi-room zones, versus 2 for the AVR-S740H. Supported voice control technologies are identical - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both CINEMA 40 and AVR-S740H can be configured using the Setup assistant.

Multichannel surround

Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.