Marantz VR6001 and ZC4001: multi-room audio over electrical wiring
Marantz has a new solution for audio distribution in the home: use the power lines. Yeah, ok, RadioShack has been carrying a range of questionable HomePlug 1.0 solutions for years but this is Marantz dambit, and it's proprietary so it must be good...right? Their solution dubbed DAvED (Digital Audio via Electrical Distribution) will rollout this March in a $1,300 system which combines their new 7-channel ZR6001 audio-video receiver (pictured) with a ZC4001 remote speaker client. The 90 watt/channel ZR6001 can handle up to six DAvED clients, will switch high-definition video and is capable of pumping out 7.1 Dolby Digital/DTS. The ZC4001 client can be dropped anyplace you have power and features two speakers, an aux-input (for MP3 players and such), virtual surround, and a display which apparently only shows the source, not track info. Ok Marantz, we get it, why go HomePlug AV which should be hitting the streets about the same time when you can lock us into your components for life.
