Unlike many such single-speaker systems, the Marantz doesn't include a built-in radio either. If that's important to you, add a standalone tuner after the fact.
Marantz didn't send along the matching SW7001 subwoofer (£140), so we can't comment on how the ES7001 would sound with it.
The ES7001 comes with a three-year guarantee -- most single speaker surround systems offer just a single year of protection.
Performance
We used the Black Hawk Down Blu-ray to test the ES7001's
home cinema stamina. Before the action got going we were impressed
with the sound of the dialogue -- it was more natural and full-bodied
than what we've come to expect from single-speaker surround systems.
When the Black Hawk helicopter is hit by rocket-propelled grenades, the ES7001 delivered the impact with gusto. Still, when the helicopter crashed we missed the room-shaking bass we'd get from a subwoofer. We hooked up our Aperion Bravus 8D subwoofer to the ES7001, which improved the experience noticeably. Not only did it add bass, but the ES7001 sounded better overall and dynamics improved thanks to the sub.
At this point we compared the ES7001 with Denon's single speaker surround system, the DHT-FS3. The Denon is a whole lot smaller and half the weight, but comes with its own subwoofer. The first thing we heard from the Denon was that it projected a bigger and more precisely defined surround field. The Marantz -- with or without the Aperion subwoofer -- sounded more substantial.
The Denon was tonally thinner, and scaled back the battle scenes' explosions and gunfire. When the helicopter crashes and its rotor blades are ripped off, the Denon lets you hear each sheared blade's destruction as a separate sonic event. The Marantz blurs the sounds together, but portrays the same scene with greater visceral force.
The Denon's surround can be heard by listeners seated over to the left and right, as well as the centre of the couch -- the Marantz's surround is best only for the centrally located listener.
That said, the ES7001 (with or without a sub) is an above-average sounding virtual surround speaker. The Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live At Radio City Blu-ray sounded clear and clean. When Reynolds' string-bending slide-guitar solos were cheered on by the crowd, the ES7001 put us in the best seat in the house.
We finished up by listening to CDs. Again, the ES7001's clarity came to the fore. Thunder, by bass players Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten, made the case for the speaker's musicality. Sans sub, the bass went deep enough, and the pitch definition of the three players was decent. Turned up good and loud, the Black Keys' blues rock was also beyond what we expect from this type of speaker.
Conclusion
As always, that's not to say you couldn't
buy much better sound for the price of the ES7001 by opting for a
5.1-channel satellite/subwoofer system. But even a microsatellite
system such as that would involve more wires and potential clutter
than the single-speaker Marantz.
Additional editing by Cristina Psomadakis
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