Play vs Marantz AVR Remote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Play
Wirelessly stream high-fidelity audio throughout your home using Wi-Fi. Control music from various sources, including streaming services, radio, and your device's library. Easily set up and manage multiple speakers for a whole-home listening experience.
- Whole-home wireless audio
- Wi-Fi streaming
- Multiple music sources
- Speaker group management
- Volume control
- DLNA server support
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Breakthrough DTS Play-Fi(R) technology powers simple, great-sounding whole-home wireless audio systems for smartphones and tablets. You can stream your favorite tunes over Wi-Fi right from the Play-Fi app to speakers from DTS Play-Fi product partners. It's a huge step up from Bluetooth - the audio quality and reliability are outstanding, and you can enjoy music from your phone in one room, or all your rooms. The "Hi-Fi over Wi-Fi" listening experience is just a touch away, thanks to this handy app. Choose a speaker, choose a song, and your favorite tunes are streaming all through the house. The app offers built-in streaming options: stream from worldwide music services; use AM/FM and Internet radio, connect to DLNA servers, or play anything from your device's music library, including your iTunes playlists. The app automatically organizes and indexes the music for you. The app also handles set-up for your speakers, and gives you full control of volume and speaker selection. Choose one, set up speaker groups, or stream to all of them at once. Manage speaker groups for Spotify Connect, too. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a Play-Fi product from Polk Audio, Definitive Technology or Phorus, please search for and download the custom Play-Fi app for your audio brand. Please also note that the Play-Fi app is companion software to audio products enabled with Play-Fi technology. It is not intended as a stand-alone audio player.
Marantz AVR Remote
Control your compatible Marantz AV receiver with your iOS device. Manage power, volume, inputs, and settings. Seamlessly integrate with HEOS for network browsing and control.
- Control power, volume, and inputs
- Access Smart Select and Surround Modes
- Network browsing with HEOS integration
- ECO Mode settings
- Option settings (Sleep Tone, Channel Level)
- Marantz CD Player control
- View user manuals
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The “Marantz AVR Remote” app for iPhone and iPad will give you an unprecedented level of command and control over the latest generation of Marantz AV Receivers (due to hardware differences, older models are not supported with this app. Please check the model compatibility list below). A wide portfolio of useful features, nicely designed graphics and easy to operate user interface do make the app a useful tool to control your AVR. Control the basic functions of your Marantz product with power, volume, input and settings. Have direct access to Smart Select and Surround Modes. Network browsing is either done within the Marantz AVR Remote app or depending on model by selecting HEOS network as input which opens the HEOS app automatically. With the new Marantz AVR Remote, your iOS device just became an integral part of your home entertainment experience. "Because Music Matters" Compatible Marantz Models (*1, *2) 2026 New Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV 30 Network AV Receiver: CINEMA 50 SERIES 2, CINEMA 60 SERIES 2, CINEMA 70s SERIES 2 2025 Model Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV 20 2024 Model Network AV Receiver: CINEMA 30 2023 Model Network AV Receiver: STEREO 70s 2022 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV 10 Network AV Receiver: CINEMA 40, CINEMA 50, CINEMA 60, CINEMA 70s 2021 Model Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV8805A 2020 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV7706 Network AV Receiver: SR8015, SR7015, SR6015, SR5015, NR1711 2019 Models Network AV Receiver: SR6014, SR5014, NR1710, NR1510, NR1200 2018 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV7705 Network AV Receiver: SR7013, SR6013, SR5013, NR1609, NR1509 2017 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV8805, AV7704 Network AV Receiver: SR8012, SR7012, SR6012, SR5012, NR1608, NR1508 2016 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV7703 Network AV Receiver: SR7011, SR6011, SR5011, NR1607 2015 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV7702mkII Network AV Receiver: SR7010, SR6010, SR5010, NR1606, NR1506 2014 Models Network AV Pre-Amplifier: AV8802, AV8802A *Not compatible with Marantz models other than the above models. Main feature: •On the fly HEOS app switching for network browsing and control for HEOS built-in AVR and AVP •ECO Mode setting •Option settings (Sleep Tone, Channel Level etc.) and Selected Setup Features •Marantz CD Control when your Marantz AVR is connected to Marantz CD Player with a remote cable •Viewing User manuals •Multi-Language Support (English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Swedish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Russian and Polish.) (*3) Notes: *1: A firmware update for your Marantz product is may be needed, please update the firmware via the system setup menu. (General > Firmware) If the App doesn't work well, please try to reboot your mobile device, unplug the power cord of the main unit and reinsert into the power outlet or check your home network. *2: Please set "Network Control" to "ON" in your product via the system setup menu to use this app. (Network > Network Control) *3: The OS language setting is automatically detected; when not available, English is selected.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Play at 4.5 against Marantz AVR Remote's 2.0. Play also leads on ratings volume (3.5K vs 627) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Marantz AVR Remote's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Play holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Play has 3.5K ratings behind it against 627, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Play's written reviews are positive against 21% of Marantz AVR Remote's.
Play ships an update every 2 months, Marantz AVR Remote every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Play | Marantz AVR Remote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (3.5K ratings) — better | 2.0 (627 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 25.4% of reviews — better | 20.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.5K — better | 627 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 285 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DTS, Inc. | D&M Holdings |
Customer experience
Play
Marantz AVR Remote
User reviews
Play
From 3.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works well
- 🔒 Integrates well with amplifier
- 👍 Keeps improving with updates
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy, glitchy, and unreliable
- 👎 Limited features and functionality
- 🔌 Constant connection issues
- 💤 Slow to load and connect
- 🤯 Frustrating user experience
Marantz AVR Remote
From 627 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 👍 Useful features
- 💡 Comprehensive functionality
- 🚀 Quick response
- 👍 Works well with latest iOS
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable connectivity
- 🐛 Slow and unresponsive
- 👎 Outdated design
- 🐛 Buggy after updates
Bugs and requests
Play
Reported bugs
5 issues- Drops connections frequently
- Fails to recognize devices
- Resets music playback unexpectedly
- Issues with volume control and balancing
- Incompatible with recent firmware/software updates
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for Apple Music
- Improve Spotify integration
- Implement gapless playback
- Provide better interface and navigation
- Add search functionality for local music libraries
Marantz AVR Remote
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to detect receiver
- Crashing on certain functions
- Inconsistent volume and power controls
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Dark mode option
- Improved media server integration
- Better Audyssey settings control
- Faster navigation and UI responsiveness
In-app purchases
Play
No in-app purchases
Marantz AVR Remote
No in-app purchases







