Marantz SR7010 receiver as 9 channel power amp

I've had my SR7010 for a couple of years now and it runs my 7.1.4 Atmos setup great. It's got tons of features and 9 in-built amps that are rated at 125W (two channels driven).

However, I'm starting to think about succession planning and something like an Anthem AVM60 processor would be nice or maybe the forthcoming Marantz 8805 or Emotiva RMC-1 which support more channels.

In any case, it's likely going to be a processor solution rather than an AVR. Which got me thinking about amps. There's plenty of amps in the SR7010 which, in combination with 3x higher-spec units for front l/r/c speakers, would be perfect for surrounds and heights.

The questions is - can you use the SR7010 as a power amp and access all 9 amplifiers. A quick test reveals YES, and here's how.


The start is easy. The SR10 has 7.1 analog inputs for direct connection of external players that include such outputs; DVD players, Blu-Rays and the like. I connected up my old Panasonic DVD-656A and was soon driving 7 speakers using the 7.1 Direct Input. A bonus here is that these are direct inputs by-passing processing. I can even apply pure direct which switches off unneeded internal circuitry for a cleaner signal.

But what about the remaining 2x amp channels. Luckily, the receiver supports multi-zone configurations and allows different sources in different zones.

Under setup->speakers->manual setup->amp assign I set the mode to 7.1ch + Zone 2. This connects the Zone 2 selected source to  the front wide/height 2 speaker terminals. (described in the manual)

I connected a Squeezebox to the front stereo inputs and selected Aux1 as the Zone 2 source. The Squeezebox started playing through my front ceiling speakers while a multi-channel sound from the DVD audio came from the 7x main speakers.

One downside is that powering down the receiver via the remote or front panel switch will switch off the main zone but the Zone 2 content stays playing. I guess this is a feature to allow additional zone passthrough but it would be nice to find a way to power down everything.and run it as a 9-channel power amp - otherwise zone 2 would be always on.

There's likely more setup to be done such as zeroing all speaker distances and trims, adjusting the volume limiter on the Zone 2 config etc. but as a quick and dirty test, it's possible to access all 9 amps in this receiver and will probably be better to utilise it that way than selling or trading and having to purchase a new multi-channel amp to do the job.