Aesthetics

Aside from the smaller size, it also has a symmetrical look that we liked, with large knobs on both sides and a large LCD display in the center. Front-panel buttons are kept to a minimum, and we appreciate the selection of front-panel ports, including headphones, setup mic input, a USB port, and a minijack input. The bottom line is that the Marantz NR1601 is the most stylish AV receiver we've seen this year, by far.