The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Marantz NR1509 vs Yamaha RX-V485BL that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Marantz NR1509 has 5.2 versus 5.1 for Yamaha RX-V485BL. Regarding power, then NR1509 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/8, 60/6 when RX-V485BL has a power of 80/6. The THD is 0.08% for the NR1509 but 0.09% for the RX-V485BL.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for NR1509 and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485BL. Only the RX-V485BL supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers 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 Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. 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 RX-V485BL can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the NR1509. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Marantz NR1509 has 7/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V485BL. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V485BL. 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. The NR1509 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. The NR1509 supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI, and the RX-V485BL - Google Assistant. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both NR1509 and RX-V485BL can be configured using the Setup assistant.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.