Marantz RV353 (1985–86)
The RV353 was an early home theater piece from Marantz. It is a Dolby Surround processor with a built-in two-channel amplifier for driving rear surround speakers. It was introduced around 1985 at ¥39,800 in Japan. It takes the encoded anti-phase signal from Dolby Stereo-encoded material and recovers it through a matrix circuit, then a variable delay (15-30 ms), a 7 kHz low-pass filter, and a Dolby B-type noise reduction stage.
The unit was flexible for its time. Besides true Dolby Surround, it had a Matrix Surround mode for stereo sources that weren't Dolby-encoded, and a Spatial Surround mode that made pseudo-stereo from mono sources. A layout selector let you run either three front speakers with one rear, or two front and two rear. An electronic volume controlled the built-in surround amplifier, rated at 25W + 25W (EIAJ) into 6Ω, with dynamic power of 30W + 30W (IHF). A muting switch cut both front and rear levels with one touch. A calibration control with an indicator light helped set the best level for the source.
The RV353 was also part of Marantz's bus system. It could be controlled remotely, handling surround volume and muting, through the separately sold AT333AV audio timer (¥20,000) and RMC-15 remote unit (¥8,000). The front panel is just 55mm tall, so it sits low next to a stereo amp and tuner of the same era. It weighs 3.5 kg. Frequency response measured 20 Hz - 20 kHz within -1.5 dB in direct mode, and 100 Hz - 6 kHz within -3 dB through the Dolby path. Signal-to-noise was 90 dB (IHF-A) direct, 76 dB through Dolby.
Surviving documentation is modest. An English-language service manual circulates in PDF form, and owner's manuals are available through HiFi Engine. No period reviews from major audio magazines have surfaced in the archive, so independent impressions are thin. One German used listing appeared at €50, and a Gumtree Australia ad bundled the RV353 with a TT553 turntable, PM363 amplifier, and ST363 tuner from the same 1986 lineup. Some online listings claim Dolby Digital and DTS-HD decoding for this unit. That is an error - those formats postdate the RV353 by over a decade.
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