Marantz Melody Stream M-CR510 - Melody maker (Part 2)

As with all recent Denon and Marantz wi-fi network systems and wireless speakers you have to press the Wi-Fi Connect button very briefly. Any longer than a quick press and the unit goes into WPS search mode as if you had pressed and held the button for the full three seconds. Taking the router option to setting up is also trouble-free, with the Melody Stream simply scanning for my network and inviting me to enter a password or connect via WPS. Text input is about as painless as it can get, even using a remote control and the single line display rather than the dedicated iOS app.

For what it is, the way it looks and what it does the Melody Stream is hard to fault

Output is easy to tweak, using either the app or the remote and LED display. In terms of tonal tweaking, the Melody Stream offers simple bass and treble adjustment and dynamic bass boost. Additionally, there are four presets for boosting and/or cutting lower and higher frequencies to match your speakers. The app lets you select from eight sources, including the music library stored on the portable device and the iOS app doesn’t exclude DLNA server integration.

When you land on an internet radio station the app handily lists all available podcasts as well as the live stream option and you can save stations as favourites for speedy access. The info button on the handset reveals the codec and bit-rate on the LED screen. Tuning in to a radio station requires a bit of patience as it takes a good 10 to 15 seconds before it connects to the stream and anything can be heard.

Sound quality

For the performance, I cut to the chase and test the Melody Stream’s mettle with a 24/192 FLAC download of Haydn’s String Quartet in Dplayed from a USB flash drive. The unit’s energy and ability to deliver every last drop of detail is abundantly clear as the strings whizz along. Everything sparkles with the kind of clarity that’s surprising from a unit at the price and the Melody Stream seems happy to hit high volumes without hitting the buffers of distortion, maintaining a pleasing tonal balance. The bass in Jean Michel Jarre’s Oxygene Part IV (24/48 ALAC) can really trip up an inferior system, but here it remains tight and controlled while the treble of the synth glides along.

Marantz recommends partnering it with its own LS502 speakers

Similarly, with the 24/192 rendition of I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Lifeby Claire Martin you can’t help but feel enraptured by the delicate tinkling of the ivories and Martin’s husky vocals. The Melody Stream does a more than reasonable job too with lower-res sources. The Manic Street Preachers’ Rewind The Filmis pleasing enough, but the orchestration feels marginally opaque and James Dean Bradfield’s vocals don’t resonate as convincingly as Richard Hawley’s.

Wi-Fi Connect, USB input, Ethernet port, Analogue inputs, Subwoofer output

Conclusion

Marantz deserves praise for producing the versatile Melody Stream. It’s a beautiful-looking unit with cuttingedge digital features, and could hardly be easier to use despite the relative complexity of its functionality. But unlike, say, wireless speakers people aren’t rushing to buy stylish network media receivers and it may just be ahead of its time. It lacks a couple of killer features – such as Bluetooth – that could potentially attract a much wider audience. But for what it is, the way it looks and what it does at the price, it’s hard to fault.