The Marantz Cinema 50 is a 9.4-channel AV amplifier that feels more like a hi-fi system than a regular home theater amplifier in many ways. It combines high-quality construction, a pleasant and slightly warm sound character, comprehensive HDMI 2.1 connections, full pre-outs, four subwoofer outputs, and exceptionally extensive room correction options.

In its basic form, the Cinema 50 is already a well-equipped and still relevant device. Audyssey MultEQ XT32 is included in the price and works properly, but the best results were obtained with the additional Dirac, especially in the bass range. The Audyssey MultEQ Editor application also gave a clearly better result than the amplifier's own basic calibration.

The strength of the Cinema 50 is in its overall design: it functions as a home theater hub, a versatile network player, an expandable processor, and a very serious music amplifier. The trade-offs are the high price, the additional cost of the Dirac, the use that is spread across multiple applications, and the fact that not all of the controls are completely beginner-friendly.

At its best, the Cinema 50 is suitable for users who are not looking for the cheapest or simplest Atmos amplifier, but rather a high-quality and highly adjustable AV center that also takes two-channel music playback seriously.

Read the full test if you want to know how the Cinema 50 performs in practice in home theater, music listening, and different room renovation options. There's also a video extra section at the end of the article.