Marantz VS3003 3 in/1 out HDMI Switcher

I had all but given up hope on my investment in the SR6015 lasting for a good number of years to come with the heartache around the HDMI 2.1 port issues. Marantz made good on delivering the SPK618 adapter after I submitted a request for one right when they were made available, but that did not work in making my Nvidia RTX 3090 work completely through the receiver. I was able to adjust settings to where I wanted them to be, but the adapter introduced random awful audio drops, making it completely useless.

When I saw World Wide Stereo, a reliable retailer, make the VS3003 available stateside, I figured one last try in the investment of the receiver was worth a shot. Because the SPK618 didn't work, and this HDMI switcher is supposed to be built around the same chip as the adapter, I was indeed skeptical, but I decided on giving it a shot.

After connecting everything together, I started up the PC and went immediately to the Nvidia Control Panel to toggle all of the settings (seen in the attached photo) to where the RTX 3090 would shine through HDMI 2.1. First test, playing some music. No audio drops were happening, but I was still skeptical. After playing an entire album and experiencing no audio issues, the excitement started to run high. Gaming was the next test. Sure enough, I cranked up some AAA gaming titles to their max settings at 4K resolution and 120hz refresh. It just WORKED. HDR enabled in Windows 11 (tested in Windows 10, too), and in games that support HDR, a thing of beauty! I've been doing these same tests for the last couple of weeks, and now I can say with confidence that this switcher by Marantz IS THE CURE to their HDMI 2.1 snafu.

Is it a shame that we have to pay for it rather than Marantz sending it to all impacted owners? Sure, but a small additional investment that cures the ailments, expands your HDMI 2.1 inputs to three instead of one, and now sets your XX15 receiver series investment for a good number of years to come is totally worth it.

So if you've been on the fence about buying this switcher, take my own experience as your confidence to make the investment. The XX15 series of receivers do outstanding in the audio department, and now we owners can have some peace of mind to keep them for years to come.

Thank you World Wide Stereo for the outstanding customer service and for bringing this switcher to U.S. buyers!

HDMI 2.1 has been a wild ride. I was an early adopter and purchased Marantz’s NR1711 HDMI 2.1 receiver, accepting that I would only get a single HDMI 2.1 input given the early state of the technology.

It turned out, of course, that the NR1711 and all of Sound United’s HDMI 2.1 receivers would black-screen if you actually attempted to use the promised 48Gbps bandwidth of the HDMI 2.1 port. About a year later, Sound United announced their “solution”—an additional box, with a separate power supply, lying between the input and the receiver, which “solved” the problem by downgrading the bandwidth of the HDMI 2.1 signal. Shortly thereafter, they announced that new receiver units would include a fixed HDMI 2.1 chip, and I was lucky enough to exchange my original receiver for the fixed version and finally use the HDMI 2.1 features after a year of twiddling my thumbs.

I eventually ended up wanting additional HDMI 2.1 inputs, and waited patiently through the months between the announcement of the VS3003 to its availability in the USA. While the VS3003 was yet another box to add to what is supposed to be a slimline receiver, I accepted it based on Marantz seemingly promising that the HDMI switcher could be seamlessly controlled via the AVR controls, allowing me to hide the switcher in my media cabinet.

I was disappointed, mostly in my own research, when I received the VS3003 and discovered that it requires line of sight to the AVR remote for the promised integration to work, rather than using HDMI Control or CEC as I had assumed, forcing me to have the VS3003 and it’s cables crammed onto my already crowded media stand.

I decided I could work around this, but then discovered a more pressing issue. The micro-USB port used to power the VS3003 was faulty, and the device’s power would not come on or flicker on and off rapidly unless the micro-USB cable was inserted at a very particular and delicate angle that would be undone with the slightest vibration, making the unit basically unusable. I contacted WWS and since it had been too long since I ordered the unit originally, I could not exchange it. I was pointed to Marantz customer support, who suggested several troubleshooting methods I had already taken and stopped responding when I asked them to honor their warranty and fix or replace my unit.

I understand that there are chip shortages, and that HDMI 2.1 is still somewhat bleeding edge, but for the price I have been sorely disappointed in Sound United’s product quality and customer service.

It works partially, I have a Marantz sr7015 and Xbox series x and Ps5 connected to it. The receiver gets confused and leaves the tv showing no signal. Tried using AVR control and cec hdmi control and it doesn’t work smoothly. Maybe with an update the issues are solved. The tv is a Sony XR 90j. When it works it does display 4K 120hz and VRR

The Fact that Marantz did this for us is Amazing! After investing heavily on SR8015, this ensures that the investment continues giving, even when I upgrade to 8K in the future. From a sound perspective now I can let the receiver do its job and process content from PS5 and XSX accordingly, I do not have to rely on e-ARC anymore. To top it all now I can also enjoy DTS-X from the Xbox. Lastly and yes it gives me all the options when it comes to visual quality and enhancements like VRR. 120hz, 2.1.

Highly recommended!!!