AXPONA 2022

In its mid-priced room, Sound United mated Definitive Technology Demand D17 floorstanding speakers ($3498/pair) with the Marantz SACD 30n CD/SACD/file player ($2999), Marantz TT-15S1 belt-drive turntable with cartridge ($1799, and the new Marantz Model 40n integrated stereo amplifier with built-in streaming ($2499). Of great interest was Marantz's new component design, which brings a fresh and attractive look to a classic product.

During a rap that flew faster than any Marvel creature great and small, I learned that Definitive Technology's Demand D17, which is discounted to $2798/pair on the company's website, has a laterally offset aluminum 1" annealed aluminum-dome tweeter with a proprietary 20/20 Wave Alignment Lens™ to help eliminate diffraction and widen the sweet spot. Below that rest a 6.5" BDSS™ (Balanced Double Surround System) midrange woofer and dual 6.5" carbon-fiber woofers complemented by dual 10" side-firing passive radiators (footnote 1). That's a lot of drivers for speakers at this price point, and the first time that Definitive Technology has used carbon-fiber drivers in its speakers.

The new Marantz Model 40n boasts HDMI among its streaming inputs, and can stream from Spotify, Pandora, Tidal and more. It can also serve as the music hub for a whole-home hi-fi system. It certainly helped bring Dire Straits' "Walk of Life" to life.

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Footnote 1: The website alternately says 10" and 8".