Marantz AV-8805A Preamp Processor $5500

Building a preamp processor that WORKS PROPERLY and SOUNDS GREAT is a daunting task.

Over the years I’ve dealt with many companies trying to hit the nail on the head of performance and operation. It’s a technological tour de force to make a high end prepro. It’s a computer as much as an audio piece. I’m sorry to tell you that a big price tag won’t insure successful operation.

The beauty of AV-8805A is that it has sonic chops to compete with Mac and Bryston, and still does all the switching at state of the art levels flawlessly. Our N American vendors just don’t have the software expertise that Marantz does. Marantz has the details of Atmos and state of the art switching nailed down pat.

Made in its top factory in Japan, AV-8805A is as good a prepro as you can buy. The piece works as advertised- very smoothly. With Marantz we also have economies of scale working for us because all Marantz products are made to sell world wide. The N American vendors build one at a time on a bench and subsequently cost three times as much- and still cough and sputter.

AV-8805A runs true balanced topology. It doesn’t just have XLR connectors to try to fake you out.

If you want to run a GREAT home theater and also have marvelous two channel performance with the same system, accept no substitute for AV-8805A.

Don’t have $5500? Then buy Marantz’s AV-7706, $3000. It also supports RCA & XLR outs. Its audio performance (resolution & dynamic contrast) can’t match AV-8805A, but at just over half the price it’s an excellent hub for a high end HT and 2CH system.