Marantz NR1402/NR1602 setup guide

Mike Hoxbig

Honorary Master
Joined
Apr 25, 2010
Messages
55,688
Reaction score
36,362
Location
Jhb
Hey guys,

So this is a pretty popular receiver at the moment, especially with the specials being run by Dion Wired. After you get it and run the auto-setup, it will still most likely sound a bit flat. This is because the default settings are pretty conservative.

As a result some people have asked which settings to tweak to get it sounding right. So after much fiddling, farting and reading myself, I'll walk you through the main settings to change, as well as what the the more important menu functions mean. For reference I have the Jamo S416 speakers, but it should applies to any speaker set.

Firstly you'll need to press Amp Menu to get to the main menu, and Return to go back one menu. If connected via HDMI to your TV, you should get an onscreen display of the menu.

The first thing to do would be the auto calibration using the mic. You can do that from the Setup Wizard. It doesn't get all the settings right, but is still important in terms of determining the speaker distance etc. based on your various seating positions. Perform the auto setup at a suitable volume, say -45dB, depending on the size of your room.

For the settings below, I've use the numbering system A, 1, i etc. to differentiate top level menus from lower level ones.

A) Audio Adjust menu:
1) Audyssey Settings:
- MultEQ: Choose either Audyssey or Audyssey Flat. You can change these later based on your preference. Choosing Manual will allow you to adjust the equaliser, but I wouldn't recommend this since it still doesn't sound as vibrant as the Audyssey modes. I have mine set to Audyssey Flat.
- Dynamic EQ: On
- Reference Offset: 0dB
- Dynamic Volume: choose either Light, Medium or Heavy. I have mine set to Light. Don't choose Off. This equalises the difference between low and high frequencies, such as loud special fx and soft dialogue in movies. It also automatically reduces the volume during ad breaks, so it's a very handy setting.

B) System Setup menu:
1) Speaker Setup:
i) Bass Setting:
- Subwoofer Mode: choose between LFE or LFE+Main. LFE only means that no signal will be sent to the sub, unless it's a 5.1 signal for which there is a dedicated signal to be sent to your sub. My preference is LFE+Main - this means that all signals below a certain frequency will be sent to the sub, even for stereo sound. I prefer this because subs produce deeper and richer bass than the main speakers, and it also reduces the load on the main speakers.
- LPF for LFE: this is the low pass filter for the sub. It means that any frequency below this setting will be sent to the sub, and anything higher will be sent to the main speakers. I have mine set to 100Hz, meaning everything lower than 100Hz will be sent to the sub. The default value is 80Hz so you can tweak this to your preference, just be careful not to set it too high.
ii) Crossover Frequency:
- Crossover: 80Hz

C) Input Setup menu:
1) Source Level:
- Digital Input: this is probably the most important setting. The default is 0dB, which results in the system sounding a bit flat. Increase it to suit your preference. I have mine set to +7dB.

That should cover it, but it's late and I may have skipped over a few things :D If you have any questions then feel free to ask them here.
 
Last edited:
Mike for prez! I'm gonna be following your suggestions for sure this weekend :D
 
Shot Mike :)

I will use some of these on the NR1501, and tweak and add back here...
 
Ok, so if I get the amp, will I be able (until I buy proper speakers) to use the speakers from my old Samsung dvd-player-surround-sound combo with it? I know that if it works, the sound will be terrible, etc, but will it physically work?
 
Ok, so if I get the amp, will I be able (until I buy proper speakers) to use the speakers from my old Samsung dvd-player-surround-sound combo with it? I know that if it works, the sound will be terrible, etc, but will it physically work?

Yes it will IF your old Samsung has normal cabled connections.

I'm currently still using the speakers from my old LG setup till I can afford a set of Jamo's or Missions.
 
Yes it will IF your old Samsung has normal cabled connections.

I'm currently still using the speakers from my old LG setup till I can afford a set of Jamo's or Missions.

I think they have little pluggies, but that should be easy to remedy...
 
So after much fiddling, farting and reading myself, I'll walk you through the main settings to change, as well as what the the more important menu functions mean



1878.png
 
This guide has been GREAT, thanks.

Just an observation and a question...

Observation: the picture seems slightly bland through the NR1402, what could cause that? Cables? Settings?

Question - how do I bypass the amp? If I want to just use the TV and its speakers (as to not wake my wife and the neighbours), is there a quick shortcut to do it without unplugging anything?
 
This guide has been GREAT, thanks.

Just an observation and a question...

Observation: the picture seems slightly bland through the NR1402, what could cause that? Cables? Settings?

Question - how do I bypass the amp? If I want to just use the TV and its speakers (as to not wake my wife and the neighbours), is there a quick shortcut to do it without unplugging anything?

Settings.

Yes you can bypass, just turn the receiver off (standby) . If you're playing a Blu-ray for example, just press the standby button, and the signal from the player will be sent directly to the TV instead.
 
Yeah just power the amp "off" from the remote. It will go into standby, so the video and audio signal will still be passed to your TV.
 
Possible Hi-Jack

Yeah just power the amp "off" from the remote. It will go into standby, so the video and audio signal will still be passed to your TV.

I have the Jamo S428HCS3 with AVR158 Harman Kardon -> I am in the process of configuring speakers but a tad bit confused.

AVR requires me to get the speaker cross over frequencies. This I got from speaker tech spec listed as 2500Hz

BUT when setting the values on the receiver, my options are LARGE(if below 40),40Hz,60Hz,80Hz,100Hz,120Hz,150Hz,200Hz

What do I select? If I am to assume maybe hope they missed an *.* 25.00 perhaps although that cross over frequency applies to all speakers.
 
BUT when setting the values on the receiver, my options are LARGE(if below 40),40Hz,60Hz,80Hz,100Hz,120Hz,150Hz,200Hz

Those are the frequencies for a sub I think as they are all low frequencies. So you need to look at the freq ranges of your speakers and sub and set a crossover point.

If you don't have a sub set it to 40Hz so the lower frequencies also get played by your speakers.

jamo.jpg
 
We've already replied to the new thread he made just for this, then abandoned.
 
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X