The best brands are unknown.
Want to know why?
lesser known brands have something to prove and they can't afford huge mistakes.
Certified brands have more error for mistakes because they're proven and have more money.
Marantz vs. Denon is a battle of lesser known brands which makes it intriguing. Although they're popular which contradicts everything we said, certified brands to us are the Sony's of the world.
Lesser known brands can't hide behind testimonials or a publicist to protect their reputation. Their worth is more dependent on their central value. What's their core product?
Audiophiles are picky and fickel on what quality is. And we can't blame them which is why we want to dig deeper on which brand is better.
Keep reading to find out more.
Denon
Philosophy
The philosophy of Denon comes down to 3 words: passion, artistry, and technology. If we visualize these 3 words together, then we know Denon is all about bringing quality products to market while having innovative products.
Overall, they want to "maximize the entertainment experience" which means home theater, amplifiers, receivers, headphones, and anything else you can imagine in a home.
Their philosophy on innovation is a great indicator if you were to bet stock on them. Their philosophy consists of a holistic approach. Combining fields such as "physics, electronics, mechanical engineering, art and nature." They use concepts from all to create something new.
What's more uplifting isn't only their willingness to combine different fields, but test. Testing doesn't guarantee success. In fact, innovation requires some type of failure before achieving success. Knowing Denon is willing to take that risk shows why they've been around for a century.
History
The beginnings of Denon started way back in time. In the year of 1910, Denon, formerly known as Nippon 'DENki ONkyo Kabushikigaisha started as a manufacturer of single-sided discs.
How they came about in having multiple product lines is through mergers with multiple companies. The first merger came with Japan-US recorders manufacturing (source: Wikipedia).
Through time, and more name changes, Denon finally became Denon in 1947.
Products Testing
Denon puts their product through what's called the product development cycle.
(source: guru99.com)
It's a rigorous process which aims to get the best product out with minimal bugs in it.
Denon uses beta testing to bring the actual product to users and see how it actually works. It's tested to find bugs and bring different perspectives to the engineers.
Basically, beta testing is all about bringing the product to actual users in an actual environment.
But before beta testing is alpha testing.
Alpha testing is when engineers try to find out everything wrong with the product and fix it before sending it out. It's like proof-reading your own work. When you send it out to other readers to check it out, you're in the beta phase.
Products
There are 3 main product categories for Denon which is speakers, home theater, and amplifiers.
Their total product count is double digits. Their most popular products are in the home theater section. This is where they sell receivers and soundbars to consumers.
Their most popular products on Amazon with the highest ratings are their receivers. Features include voice control, HEOS network, and an array of music streaming services.
The HEOS network is similar to Airplay because it connects with products that are part of the same brand.
For people who want an all around entertainment experience, then Denon has you covered. If you want speakers all over your house with control from 1 area, this is your brand.
As for amps, the cheapest amp they offer is the HEOS amp. Its 2 main purposes are to bring multi-room audio functionality and more wattage power with minimal distortion.
The HEOS amp is actually the cheapest option coming in around $500 excluding tax. In fact, a lot of their high-end equipment hover around this price point. But what else would you expect with exceptional quality?
HEOS amp
One thing is for sure...
Denon tries to make the home theater experience pleasant. Their selling point is an easy setup, streaming services, multi-room functionality, and exceptional sound quality.
Marantz
Philosophy
The people at Marantz believe in hi-fi sound quality. This sound quality is something every audiophile wants, but rarely find.
Marantz engineers and manufacturers believe in "being able to reproduce the magic of a performance."
They believe having the right specifications and technicality isn't the end all be all. They judge quality on the end result.
And that end result needs to produce music in the way the artist intended. This is the measuring stick they use.
History
The Marantz name came from the founder itself, Saul B. Marantz from New York. He started this brand because of his desire for better musical equipment.
The young legend himself
Inception of Marantz also comes from the fact Marantz himself was a musician. This is why their main principle is to produce musical equipment which reproduces music the way it was intended.
Marant'z first product is the amplifier starting the Marantz brand.
Product Testing
Marantz says they put their products through strenuous testing. The sound of each product goes through "extensive and painstaking tuning by sound masters."
Products which pass the test are then available for the marketplace.
Through this extreme testing have come positives besides quality products.
Of those benefits are proprietary technology.
"Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules" (HDAMs) are one example. Its main function is to reproduce sound down to the smaller details.
It does this by being able to handle a range of frequencies. It has what's called "ultra-wide-band" response.
The second proprietary technology to come out is the "Marantz Musical Mastering filters." Their responsibility is to create high-resolution playback.
Having engineers who perform rigorous quality control is a prerequisite for quality products. But because of their principle of quality control to mastering sound, their engineers also applied that to new products and have come up with 2 great additions.
We don't know if Marantz also uses the product life cycle, but as long as their products are great, it doesn't matter.
Products
Marantz provides 6 different product lines.
One of their more popular products on Amazon is the Marantz CD6006 Premium Audio Sound. This product is from their Hi-Fi Component line which features 5 other types of receivers.
Marantz CD6006
To get an idea of what features their products give, let's take a closer look at this product.
Some noticeable features are its unique playback capabilities and its extra stability for sound reproduction.
Its playback ability lets you replay audio files quickly. You can also find tracks faster with direct search. Being able to locate tracks faster makes entertainment convenient.
The stability on the other hand also makes sound distortion easier on the user. Not having to worry about vibrating makes for clearer vocals. Overall, your sound quality is better by having a stable foundation.
One popular product showing on Amazon, but not Marantz's website are the turntables. We thought this was worth mentioning because it shows Marantz's versatility. In fact, as of this moment, delivery of this product requires a signature due to high demand.
Even though we mentioned 2 types of products here, we're not taking anything away from the other product lines. It's all about showing what type of products Marantz has to offer.
Other product lines they include are AV Separates, wireless music systems, AV receivers, accessories, and reference series.
What is Sound United?
Sound United is a company that has a conglomerate of audio brands. They're worth mentioning because as of 2017, they acquired both Denon and Marantz.
Although they're under the same brand, it doesn't mean both companies operate the same. Each brand operates as if they're on their own.
We brought this to your attention to note they still operate as if they're on their own even though they're under 1 umbrella. It clears up confusion you might encounter later on.
Winner
Both brands offer quality products based on their tests. We'd give the edge to Denon when it comes to the number of products they provide though.
When it comes to presentation we'd also give the nod to Denon because of their website. Comparing Denon vs. Marantz on website design might seem minuscule, but it's a sign of how each company is doing.
If a company has time to make their website pretty, then it's an indicator of how business is doing. It's also a sign of how much they value detail.
As for sound quality, Denon is known for being more "bright" while Marantz is known for being more "warm." These differences don't show up on lower price points. It pops up when dealing with higher-priced products.
When price points get higher for both brands, we'd go with Denon. We picked Denon not only because of relative sound quality, but they also offer more entertaining features.
Some would argue Denon vs. Marantz are the same when comparing pricier products, but we'd disagree. Denon has the upper hand in our opinion.
Our winner is Denon, but both brands care deeply about their products which show. You can't go wrong picking any but Denon is our preference.
Wha you ignored was the bottom, and that is how they sound, the differences in the amplifiers used and the current levels of their units and since current is what gives audio it’s depth, current tells practically the whole story, Of course, when looking at these features, one needs also to look at the power supplies used, she of the transformers, etc…… In essence, fro a real audiophile,you article is totally useless and bears absolutely no breaking at all.