For the first part of the review, I connected the M-CR611 to my network via wired LAN. It immediately found my 8 TB remote library. I switched between the Marantz iOS app and Audionet to control playback. Initial impressions were that this was high-end sound. Familiar tracks I normally stream on various, more expensive streamers sounded delightful, with good weight, flow, and a very enjoyable presentation.

Listening

Vestiges & Claws, the new album by Swedish folk rocker Jose Gonzalez, in 24/96 FLAC, was totally absorbing through the M-CR611. The syncopated rhythms and chant-like melodies were hypnotic, and had great presence. The M-CR611 drove the Harbeth speakers with ease, and was not out of place with a speaker costing five times as much as it does.

Prince’s LotusFlow3r, from 2009, ripped to FLAC, is a delicious mix of old school funk, modern R&B, Santana style rock guitar, and it just popped out of the speakers as streamed via the M-CR611. Interestingly, I played the actual CD in the transport to compare the files streamed from my local library. I strained to hear any difference, and ultimately did not. Marantz historically has always made great disc players, at all price points, and it was obvious they did not skimp here. Thankfully, they also chose a tray mechanism, which I much prefer over slot loaders.

After being very satisfied with the performance of the M-CR611 via wired Ethernet, I switched over to WiFi for the second half of the review. Hard pressed to hear any difference in sound quality, the only thing I noticed some large, high-resolution files, mostly 192 kHz, stuttered. This was during times of particularly heavy network traffic, and only happened a few times, but it should be mentioned. There were no issues with CD quality streaming. Other than that I found the WiFi connection to be robust and reliable.

I used my wife’s premium Spotify account with ease on the M-CR611. One needs to simple use a mobile device, in my case an iPad, pull up a playlist on the Spotify app, and select “Play To: Marantz M-CR611”. Simple as that. Despite being a lossy stream, it sounded quite nice. With access to millions of songs, it is tough to complain.

On an ergonomic level, the M-CR611 worked without a hitch. Menu navigation was easy, and the remote well laid out. The unit ran cool, it will pretty much fit anywhere.