The all-in-one micro system has been quietly unfashionable for years, which makes Marantz’s decision to rebuild its most popular one from the ground up all the more interesting. The MCR 60n keeps the shoebox footprint of the MCR 612 it replaces, but adds the two things owners kept asking for: a moving-magnet phono stage and an HDMI eARC input.
Power is the headline change. The amplifier section delivers 65 watts per channel into 4 ohms, arranged as four channels rather than two. That flexibility matters as much as the raw figure. You can run a straight stereo pair, bi-amp a single pair, gang the channels in parallel bridge-tied load mode, or drive two sets of speakers at 33 watts per channel into 4 ohms with separate volume control for each pair.
Digital handling has been overhauled too. The DAC accepts PCM up to 384kHz/32-bit and DSD up to 11.2MHz, and the HDMI eARC socket decodes Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus with HDMI-CEC volume control, so a television can be wired straight in without a separate soundbar. A configurable subwoofer output with adjustable crossover covers the bottom end, and Dirac Live room correction is offered as an optional upgrade rather than bundled in.
Streaming runs on the latest generation of HEOS, which brings Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and Qobuz Connect alongside AirPlay 2 and Roon Ready certification. Bluetooth works in both directions, receiving from a phone or transmitting to headphones. The DAB variant adds a DAB/DAB+/FM tuner with RDS, plus TuneIn internet radio.
The remaining connections are what you would expect from a box designed to be the only component on the shelf:
- Sources — CD player (CD/CD-R/RW), MM phono input, line input, optical S/PDIF, USB-A, Ethernet
- Outputs — HDMI eARC, variable audio output, configurable subwoofer output, headphone jack
- Dimensions — 280 x 303 x 111mm, 4.2kg
- Finishes — Matte Black and Marantz Champagne Gold, with the gold finish not sold in North America
Pricing splits along regional lines. The MCR 60n sells globally for US$1,000, while the European MCR 60n DAB, with the broadcast tuner aboard, is £800 or €900. Both reach Marantz dealers and marantz.com on September 15, 2026.
That is a clear step up in price from the MCR 612, and the spec sheet explains why. Where the old model was a tidy convenience buy, this one is pitched as a genuine hi-fi component that happens to fit in a shoebox — four amplifier channels, a turntable input, hi-res file support and a television connection in a chassis barely wider than a hardback book. Whether the extra outlay lands depends on how many of those boxes you actually need ticked, but Marantz has stopped treating the compact system as a lesser product.
Earlier on GismoLand: Marantz Model 70 and CD 70. The old guard bows out with fresh style.
