The Marantz AV 20 sits at the centre of the Marantz reference separates range, positioned above the AV 30 and below the flagship AV 10. It is a 13.4-channel balanced AV preamplifier designed for reference-level home theatre installations, built without a power amplifier stage so that every design decision concentrates purely on signal processing and pre-amplification quality.
Construction and Circuitry
At the heart of the AV 20 is Marantz HDAM (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module) discrete circuitry using the SA3 monolithic topology, the same current-feedback approach that defines Marantz's high-end amplifier designs. The chassis is copper-plated and fitted with a toroidal power transformer, both chosen to minimise electromagnetic interference and maintain a quiet noise floor. Gold-plated RCA terminals and a Pure Direct signal path complete the analogue signal chain. A clock jitter reducer is included to maintain timing accuracy across digital inputs.
Audio Processing and Room Correction
The AV 20 supports the full range of surround formats: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, Dolby Atmos Music and Dolby Surround on the Dolby side; DTS-HD, DTS:X, DTS:X Pro, DTS Virtual:X and DTS Neural:X (13-channel) from DTS; plus IMAX Enhanced, AURO-3D, 360 Reality Audio and MPEG-H. Room correction is handled by Audyssey MultEQ XT32, with compatibility for a Dirac Live upgrade for users who want an alternative calibration platform. Sound enhancement features include MDAX2 compressed audio restoration and Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Dynamic Volume and LFC.
Video and HDMI
All seven HDMI inputs are rear-panel mounted and support HDMI 2.1, passing 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz signals at up to 40Gbps. HDCP 2.3 content protection is supported throughout, and the three HDMI outputs include one eARC-capable connection for audio return from a television. HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision and Dynamic HDR pass-through are all supported. ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and Variable Refresh Rate pass-through serve gaming use cases.
Analogue and Digital Inputs
Six analogue inputs are provided, one of which is a balanced XLR connection. A moving-magnet phono stage is built in for turntable use. Digital inputs comprise two optical (TosLink) and two coaxial S/PDIF connections. Legacy video inputs include two composite and one component input.
Pre-Amplifier Outputs
The AV 20 provides 15.4 channels of pre-amplifier output, available on both unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR connectors. Four independent subwoofer outputs are included, each available on both RCA and XLR, supporting advanced bass management configurations. Speaker A/B and bi-amplification assignments are configurable from the pre-out stage.
Multi-Room and Network Streaming
Three independent multi-room zones are supported, with HDMI, optical, coaxial, network, USB, and analogue sources assignable to zones. Network connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet. The HEOS platform is integrated for multi-room audio streaming, with AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, TuneIn, Roon Ready, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer and Napster all supported. Lossless audio streaming extends to FLAC and ALAC at up to 192kHz/24-bit, WAV at 192/24, and DSD up to 5.6MHz. Bluetooth retransmission to wireless headphones is also available.
Control and Installation
Control options include IP control, RS232, web interface and the Marantz AVR Remote app for Android, iOS and Kindle. Three DC trigger outputs and IR flasher connections support custom installation environments. HEOS Link IR/IP compatibility ensures integration with HEOS multi-room systems. The front panel features a 2-line FLD display with a porthole OLED, and the unit is finished with a metal front panel and the distinctive Marantz diamond-cut speaker grille side cheeks. The AV 20 is manufactured in Japan at the Shirakawa Audio Works facility.