Marantz Horizon Review
Marantz’s exclusive wireless speaker Horizon aims to prove that top-level design and sound are possible even in the realm of smart speakers.
by Julian Holländer
Due to its belonging to the category of often inexpensive smart speakers, today’s test subject may seem somewhat simple—but as soon as you unpack it, it becomes clear that the Marantz Horizon has a lot to offer and lives up to the brand’s good reputation. Moreover, as quickly becomes clear with the Horizon, it contains quite a bit of luxury in addition to excellent sound quality.
After the usual initial engagement with a device, before you really “get your hands on it,” there was a surprise: how heavy the entire construction actually is. Transporting the Horizon alone is of course possible, but a little help doesn’t hurt. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything yet, but it already suggests that we’re not dealing with a thin, empty casing here.
When the box is opened, we don’t see a plainly plastic-wrapped device but a relatively chic carrying case. This is actually only intended to comfortably carry the speaker to its final place despite its weight. Once there, the power cable, hidden behind a magnetic cover, is connected, and off we go. Seldom has an introduction to a device been more elegant.
Resting on its marble base, the Horizon can be placed directly on a lowboard or cabinet; alternatively, the manufacturer also offers a tripod stand made of wood and iron. At $800, it’s not exactly cheap, but just as stylish as the device it holds. A wall mount has also been announced but is not yet available at the time of testing.
Taking Stock
So: What exactly is this unusually shaped device we’re pondering here? Essentially, it’s an all-in-one speaker system, although the classification isn’t quite easy. To call it a streaming active speaker, we’d expect a stereo pair; with a classic complete system, we’d expect a full set of sources with CD player and radio. So, the sleekly designed Marantz speaker finds its home in the category of smart speakers. However, it quickly becomes clear that it does quite a few things differently, as these often define themselves through their function as “everyday companions” including voice control.
That’s not an option with the Horizon, which on paper gives it a disadvantage in terms of features if you want digital support from Siri, Alexa & Co. On the other hand, smart speakers are, with few exceptions, rather inexpensive, and the best possible sound is not necessarily their main focus. The Horizon wants to do things differently and be the stylish solution for those who want to combine comfort and high sound quality in their music enjoyment, while also opting for a sleek yet unobtrusive integration of the sound body into the living space.
At $4,000, the Horizon is also the smaller of a duo. For even higher demands and an almost twice as big wallet ($6,400), the traditional brand offers the Grand Horizon. With the same basic driver and amplifier technology as well as control and connections, the larger speaker is supposed to offer a few improvements—such as an also almost twice as high weight of 21 kilograms.
The changes promise predictably better sound, because they “added one more everywhere.” More amplifier power, larger bass and broadband speakers, more chassis.
Rise, Gravity and Mirage
But back to the “junior”, the Horizon, which is still remarkable in all aspects. For it eclipses much of what is out there in the realm of all-in-one systems, complete systems, and smart speakers—price-wise, but also in terms of ambition. To achieve this not only in terms of build quality but also sonically, Marantz has incorporated some new ideas.
THE HORIZON COMBINES ELEGANT OPERATION WITH SOUND THAT PACKS A PUNCH!
For instance, the amplifier system, which has been dubbed “Marantz Rise”. The circuit uses gallium nitride (in the form of “GaN FET” transistors), which is supposed to offer particularly fast response and high efficiency. In addition, the amplifier provides ample power; even in the “small” Horizon, Marantz specifies a continuous output of 310 watts with a peak output more than double that. That’s more than decent and more than is probably usually needed.
The amplifier circuit drives an array, that is, a specific arrangement of speakers, which here forms around a central 6.5-inch subwoofer. In addition to the woofer, the structure consists of two dome tweeters as well as three full-range drivers for all remaining frequencies. From the “Gravity” drivers used in this, Marantz promises, among other things, high precision and low distortion.
At almost the other end of the signal path lies the next in-house development: the DSP engine “Mirage”, which is supposed to take care of a digital improvement of the signal before amplification.
For personal or mood-dependent sound adjustment, the Marantz app HEOS offers some settings based on this DSP. And since a simple equalizer would presumably be too simplistic, “Mirage” offers three controls for sound adjustment: “Warmth”, “Spatiality”, and “Precision”. While—as with an equalizer—pushing the scales to their respective maxima steers the sound too much in one direction in most situations, the mode indeed offers a lot of room for adjustments in the respective aspects. “Spatiality”, for instance, managed to let the sound breathe more and allowed it to unfold well in every direction—without becoming too diffuse and extremely unnatural, as similar modes in soundbars, smart speakers & Co. all too often do.
Tuned by the “Sound Master” Ultimately, the DSP can also be bypassed, which Marantz specifically calls the “Sound Master” mode—because the tonal tuning in the “Neutral” mode, like everything at the company, is under the control of Marantz’s “Sound Master”. That his assessment is not entirely off the mark was proven by the simultaneously introduced, impressive (and likewise not exactly cheap) CD player-amp combo of the 10 series. From the get-go, we quite like this neutral mode better than the “detour” via the DSP sound adjustments, although these are always good for a bit of personalization.
Marantz also offers sound presets for different placements that influence the bass—if possible, we recommend free placement with the corresponding setting. For wired inputs, there is finally a voice enhancer practical for TV as well as a “Night” mode.
Once the fundamental sound character is sufficiently personalized, you can also think about how the music reaches the sphere available in three color variants. And the comfortable and probably first choice is music streaming. It receives that, for instance, via the already mentioned HEOS app, which is used in all Denon and Marantz products. By the way, those who “only” want a compact smart speaker with the HEOS system have already been served for some time by the sister brand Denon, specifically with the “Home” models. These cost in some cases not even one-tenth of the Horizon, and accordingly have a different ambition.
Streaming and Control Options
With these or any other network components from Denon and Marantz, the Horizon can play in multiroom via the HEOS app. Multiroom with other devices is also possible via AirPlay, unfortunately not via Google Chromecast; we still have to wait a bit for the announced Roon certification. Apart from that, the streaming environment in the HEOS app is super equipped, offering many music sources from internet radio to Amazon Music or Deezer to server access; only Qobuz is still missing. For streaming, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect as well as Bluetooth are also integrated.
Once the music starts, the speaker can be controlled directly on the housing, as the black central ring serves as a control element. Illuminating via proximity sensor, it displays the volume, which can be changed with a swipe of the finger. For the “Mirage” settings, it also has its own light signals. Play/pause and skipping songs is also possible by touch, this time on the lowest part of the ring—that works well, is elegant, and almost makes us forget the absence of a classic remote control.
While streaming is presumably the main source for the Marantz, it also shows itself to be otherwise connection-friendly. For both an analog RCA input and an optical digital input are ready and hidden on the back of the Horizon, and even USB for storage media is available. Somewhat unusual is that the standard is USB-C—as known from charging cables—while most USB sticks work with USB-A. Those who want to use the Horizon as a complete system for the living room will also be pleased with the HDMI eARC input.
With that, it additionally takes on the job as a soundbar replacement. And does so quite well, because Marantz has also built in the ability for the speaker to process Dolby Atmos. If you do miss some two-channel sound, you can also pair two Horizon speakers into a stereo pair.
The sonic comparison to most devices in the smart speaker category starts clearly—the Horizon plays on a completely different level as expected. It sounds detailed, balanced, and manages to deliver impressive volumes and bass for its size. “What Else Is There” by the electro duo Röyksopp—in the punchy “True Electric” version—is impulsive and rousing, without becoming muddy or annoying. With a bit of tweaking on the DSP, the naturalness slightly suffers, but the fun factor increases even more; the next party can come!
But the speaker wrapped in high-quality fabric can also handle something more refined. In Richard Strauss’s “Violin Concerto”—played by Renaud Capuçon with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra—the Horizon never loses the overview, plays dynamically, precisely, and with authentic tonal colors.
Horizon or Hi-Fi System?
But we have to talk again about the price of the all-in-one. Because for just under $4,000, you could put together a more than decent hi-fi system. For example, a powerful streaming amplifier (which Marantz also offers) and a pair of floor-standing speakers expose the inherent disadvantage of speaker all-in-one systems like the Horizon: From a single compact enclosure, you cannot get a stereo stage that keeps up with such a pair of speakers.
In other words, an equally priced or somewhat cheaper system plays wider, and thus more expansive, despite all the beautiful depth gradation of the Marantz. While the bass of the Horizon is impressive for its size, a pair of stereo floor-standing speakers can achieve more punch and depth, thus, for example, giving voices more body—also thanks to the significantly larger housing volume of a traditional speaker.
The only conclusion from this comparison, however, is that no one has to replace their cherished, powerful hi-fi system with the smart speaker. But that was probably clear from the outset and is not the claim of the Horizon, even if it doesn’t do badly in that regard.
Unlike a pair of speakers, however, it doesn’t visually dominate an entire room, can be easily integrated into a modern living environment and non-listening rooms, requires little space, and is still a very well-crafted eye-catcher. It offers the best sound we’ve heard so far in its device category—probably until the Grand Horizon can play—free from the thin sound images and unbalanced unnaturalness of its inexpensive colleagues, instead with power, neutrality, and finesse. Thus, the Marantz Horizon delivers quite a few arguments to justify its proud price, from the noble design over some clever ideas to the fitting overall package thanks to very good sound.
Website: www.marantz.com
Price: ~$4,060 (converted from 3,800 EUR)
Dimensions (W × H × D): 38 × 36 × 21 cm
Weight: 12.5 kg
Verdict
Sound (60% Weight) – 9.7 / 10
- Music Sound Quality: Powerful, punchy, and controlled, yet balanced and detailed
- Speech Quality: Excellent
Features (10% Weight) – 7.8 / 10
- Connectivity: RCA (cinch), optical, HDMI, USB In, Bluetooth
- Usage Scenarios: Stereo pairing, multiroom
- Integrated Voice Assistants: None
- Streaming Standards: AirPlay, Spotify / Tidal Connect, Internet radio, streaming services, and server access via app
Operation (20% Weight) – 9.3 / 10
- Initial Setup: Very simple
- Smart Home Compatibility: Google Home, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa
- Voice Assistant Control: None built-in; cannot be deactivated (since not present)
- On-Device Controls: Good
- Voice Recognition Sensitivity: Not applicable
- App Quality: Good
- User Manual Quality: Good
Service & Environment (10% Weight) – 8.6 / 10
- Warranty: 2 years
- Packaging: Cardboard plus a fabric carrying bag for the device
- Idle Power Consumption (Watts): Approx. 28.5 (average)
Marantz Horizon & Grand Horizon : Sound, Style & Substance.
CURRENT PRICING, COLOUR & AVAILABLITY Marantz Horizon ...
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