Marantz' AirPlay-friendly NA7004 good to go

The Gadget Show  Monday 24 January 2011

Marantz gets on the AirPlay train

Many are expecting Apple’s AirPlay wireless streaming technology to take off in a big way in 2011, and with the likes of the Marantz NA7004 around, it’s no surprise.

This versatile network audio player isn’t just AirPlay-compatible, it also plays nice with that other wireless connectivity standard everyone seems to be using these days – DLNA – and throws in a USB digital to analogue converter and direct play from your iPod or iPhone via USB too for good measure.

Radio features are built right in – whether you want DAB or traditional AM/FM – while Bluetooth compatibility should allow you to bring another swathe of digital audio sources into the wireless streaming picture too, including your mobile phone. Indeed, about the only thing that won’t play on the NA7004 is old-school CDs.

We’ve spotted – and loved – the AirPlay-compatible version of B&W’s iconic Zeppelin player at CES, but in terms of actual availability Marantz looks to have beaten B&W to the punch here, with the NA7004 set to go on sale by the end of the month. Price? A princely £700.