Sadly no. Anthem like Classé don’t support DSD.

Must be a Canadian thing.

Thing is - if you engage any room correction on the Marantz or Yamaha or Onkyo etc that do decide DSD, it gets converted back to PCM anyway.

I did choose my Marantz AVP for the DSD playback but I felt that I primarily used it for movies - and the Anthem was better for that purpose.

IIRC, no Anthem device supports DSD (SACD) directly and requires they be converted to PCM in the player.

Thank you Kal!
I was hoping you would chime in.

What is your experience with Anthem processors?
I read very positive reviews of them.

Is the added sound quality compared to the Marantz - if there is any - neutralised by the extra conversion DSD -> PCM?

I listen to my SACDs in pure audio mode. No Audyssey correction here. It didn't add, it took away in my experience.

Thank you for your answer.
In our case we listen to music 95% of the time, and watch movies less than 5%.
We do find the Marantz does a pretty good job at that.

Limited and ancient.

In practice, no because any processing/EQ requires PCM conversion on any machine.

Then I'd find a way to bypass the prepro, whichever one you choose.

Thanks again Kal.

But I do use the DACs in my Marantz. I think they're better than the ones in my Oppo.
I know an exaSound S88 MII would provide better sound, but I haven't found a way around this problem: I have my Marantz (still needed for Apple TV/Netflix, if only occasionally) connected to my power amps via RCA. I could add a S88 via XLR, but then I'd have to switch the Hegel in the back each time I switch from the Marantz to the S88...

That's why I'm searching for a one box solution. If the Anthem will be Roon ready, it could do the streaming + SACDs + Apple TV (we don't watch cable TV anymore).

Sorry for hijacking this thread a bit, but it might be relevant for other members too.

My next purchase will be the McIntosh MX123, after which I feel I’m done with any future upgrades. Personally I cannot find a better home theatre processor on the market. There are more expensive Mc processors, but for me they come with a bunch of features I’ll never use. I currently use the MX121 which I love, and only really looking to upgrade to get Dolby Atmos.

You could use the RCA outputs of the s88 (or the e68) with a simple RCA switch. Or you could feed the RCA outputs of the DAC into the 7.1 inputs of the Marantz.

Emotiva just dropped a new basic 13.2 processor for $1000. It is exactly what I am looking for - something to take all my HDMI connectors, decode them, then send sound channels to my amps. It has their in house room correction too. I am using my Oppo for processing right now but it only has one HDMI input and I really need need 3. Mcintosh has something similar but it is $5000.

I like the Anthem and Marantz mega-processors but it seems like I am paying for a bunch of redundant features. I just need HDMI processing and switching!

-Geoff

Thanks again Kal!
The RCA switch is a very interesting idea.
Any brands worth exploring?