An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Marantz CINEMA 60 vs Sony STR-AZ3000ES comparison definitely makes sense.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Marantz CINEMA 60 has 7.2 versus 9.2 for Sony STR-AZ3000ES. Regarding power, then CINEMA 60 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 100/8, 140/6 when STR-AZ3000ES has a power of 120/8. The THD is 0.08% for the CINEMA 60 but 0.09% for the STR-AZ3000ES.
Competitors' digital to analog converter (DAC) is identical to 192 KHz/32-bit. Both the CINEMA 60 and the STR-AZ3000ES support Bi-amping. 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. Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Amazon Music HD, MOOD:Mix - all of these streaming services have found application in each of the models.
Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/120Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both rivals can scale the resolution of the incoming HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Marantz CINEMA 60 has 6/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/2 HDMI connectors of the Sony STR-AZ3000ES. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. 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 2.3. The CINEMA 60 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
The CINEMA 60 supports 2 Multi-room zones, versus 3 for the STR-AZ3000ES. 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 60 and STR-AZ3000ES can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.