Thread: Marantz AV8801 Rumours

So I've read in a few places now that Marantz will be coming out with an AV8801, 11.2, copper casing, 32 bit DACs, and ... yes ... Audyssey XT32 some time near year end.

Rumoured price though, is around $3k.

Thanks pbc for the news..

I found news link here..

"In de lijn AV/Receivers worden vijf nieuwe apparaten getoond, waarvan het grootste model, de indrukwekkende en tegelijkertijd subtiel vormgegeven SR7007, over multizone-HDMI beschikt. Wie echt het neusje van de zalm op thuisbioscoopgebied wil zijn er ook nog de losse voorversterker/processoren en bijbehorende meerkanaals eindversterkers van Marantz. De AV8801 en de MM8077 zijn voorzien van een volledig verkoperde binnenkast, HDAM modules, 32bit/192kHz D/A converters en 11.2-kanaals processing."

When going to Google Translate, I see the below.

"In line AV / Receivers are five new devices shown, the largest model, the impressive and subtly styled SR7007, on multi-zone features HDMI. Who really is the best of the best in home entertainment area, there will also loose the preamp / processors and related multichannel amplifiers Marantz. The AV8801 and MM8077 have a full copper plated inner cabinet, HDAM modules, 32bit/192kHz D / A converters and 11.2-channel processing."

This one has me sitting up and taking notice

Grumble, grumble...

Where is the Soapbox smiley from The Spot when you need it? I was afraid they were reserving XT32, and a few other goodies, for a higher-end piece. If this is true, they are pricing themselves over the comparable Integra models.

I guess we'll see.

I'm definitely thinking we now know why there was no XT32 on the 7701...

Pretty sad, given the Onkyo 818 AVR which can be had for less than $1k has it.

Marantz 7701 non XT32. price$1699.Sales 500,000. Units

Marantz 8801 with XT32 Price $3000. Sales 100,00. Units

Marantz 7701 with XT32. Price $1699. Sales 1,500,000 Units

It boggles the mind how these people think. Some one ought to explain the rule or assumption of 80/20 to these people. I.E you will make 80% or most of your money between 1k and 2K. and the other 20% between 2k and 3k is gravy.

Do they really pay people a million dollars a year as CEO for this ass-backwards thinking?????.

Oh! wait...must be that Bain Capital thing......laughter

Alan.

Alan:

From the info that I have seen your "guesstimates" for potential sales are off by MANY orders of magnitude. AV Pre-amps be they esoteric models aimed at the "price no object" crowd or the merely "sink several month of my mortal salary" crowd are EXTREMELY limited market.

I'm sure Jerry del Colliano can confirm the upper range that the "mass audience" US AV market is struggling the worst as is the case for many other traditional industrialized countries...

The price premium Marantz is seeking for their flagship probably will barely cover the high costs of bringing this unit to market. It would be more profitable for them to abandon this tiny segment of the market and apply the costs to making their other products more heavily promoted. Only because the folks that run Marantz want a "flagship" are they offering this unit at all...

Originally Posted by LanGood

Marantz 7701 non XT32. price$1699.Sales 500,000. Units

Marantz 8801 with XT32 Price $3000. Sales 100,00. Units

Marantz 7701 with XT32. Price $1699. Sales 1,500,000 Units

It boggles the mind how these people think. Some one ought to explain the rule or assumption of 80/20 to these people. I.E you will make 80% or most of your money between 1k and 2K. and the other 20% between 2k and 3k is gravy.

Do they really pay people a million dollars a year as CEO for this ass-backwards thinking?????.

Oh! wait...must be that Bain Capital thing......laughter

Alan.

I'm not sure where Alan got his data, perhaps just guesstimating for the sake of example.

Personally I think they dropped the ball. They don't have to reinvent the wheel. Marantz should have taken the AV7005, added the XT32 and a few other goodies and kept the price in line with the Onkyo and Integra offerings.

A 3K price tag puts it as the most expensive pre/pro in its class.

Tracy:

I think the decision of Marantz to position the 8801 at the top of its price category is a deliberate effort to add more "shine" to the whole line-up. The recent sale of the McIntosh to Italian investors and the additions to the offerings that Marantz has in the broad "iPhone / lifestyle" space suggest the leadership is trying to shift their market appeal.

While there is no way to really know if Marantz will be more profitable as a company with their flagship positioned a the peak of pricey mass market AV PreProprocessors it would foolish to thing the same kind of "halo" would have extended over the whole line if a more "value priced" offered were attempted.

Given the paucity of other pre-amps it is entirely reasonable to assume that Marantz's greatest threat was from a product that was to be direct marketed that would have been target below even the price point of Marantz's 7xxx series offerings...

Originally Posted by Tracy Rainwater

I'm not sure where Alan got his data, perhaps just guesstimating for the sake of example.

Personally I think they dropped the ball. They don't have to reinvent the wheel. Marantz should have taken the AV7005, added the XT32 and a few other goodies and kept the price in line with the Onkyo and Integra offerings.

A 3K price tag puts it as the most expensive pre/pro in its class.

Renov8r/Tracy

The numbers here are merely for illustration of Tracy's point that Marantz dropped the ball. I could have used 100,00; 200,000 and 300,00. The numbers were exaggerated for emphasis. I do not know the actual price of the 8801. but between 2K and 3K has been suggested. Again an exaggeration for emphasis.

Marantz maybe asking us to pay between 2K and 3K for XT32. Onkyo's 818 receiver is available on Amazon with XT32, HQV and Marvell's 4K chips for $1048.

Let us assume that the 8801 is $3000. That would be a $1952. Premium over the Onkyo. Had they added XT32 and the Marvell chip to the 7701 and asked $1700.
I am sure there are more than a few of us myself included that would have handed over the cash gladly. But $3000. Sorry its out of my range.

I totally agree with your last paragraph "The price premium Marantz is seeking for their flagship probably will barely cover the high costs of bringing this unit to market. It would be more profitable for them to abandon this tiny segment of the market and apply the costs to making their other products more heavily promoted. Only because the folks that run Marantz want a "flagship" are they offering this unit at all..."

And that is why the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are eating their lunch. And why I was poking fun at them too. FUN gentlemen FUN

Now Laugh. I am

Alan.