Thanks for your detailed response, Amir. So you position yourself as a Supreme Court judge who makes a final decision what level a manufacturer shall use in it’s product specification, and your judgment is based on comparison of AV processors with DACs (i.e. “apples” and “oranges”)? Who gave you such kind of authority?
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...essor.6926/page-17#lg=attachment25866&slide=0
Right from your own link: THEY determine how sensitive the amplifier is. They, not you. Thus, Bryston 4b has two modes, low sensitivity and high sensitivity ones. Why do you refer specifically low sensitivity mode, if high sensitivity one can be used to match output capabilities of 8805?
Now to the level issue. Could you please point me to the standard, which obligates manufacturers to use 2V RMS as unbalanced output, and 4V RMS as balanced? Those values are just “typically used” AFAIK. Rane defines levels as follows:
https://rane.com/note145.html
4dBu (1.23V RMS) as professional audio reference level, and -10dBu as commercial audio reference level. Is Marantz a professional item? Of course, no, but it can still output the professional reference level (and more).
Everything above the reference level and maximum output level is headroom.
The manufacturer must state whether the spec is for balanced or unbalanced use (usually balanced operation results in 6 dB more swing); what distortion was used for determination (with the preferred value being 1% THD); over what frequency range is this spec valid (prefer 20 Hz -- 20 kHz; watch out for just 1 kHz specs); and what load impedance is guaranteed (2k ohms or greater is preferred; 600 ohm operation is obsolete and no longer required except for specialized applications, with broadcast and telecommunications noted as two of them).
Didn’t Marantz stated the maximum output level? Yes, they did. Does 8805 meet the Specification? Yes, it does.
This is Rane’s statement regarding THD measurements:
Full disclosure specs will test harmonic distortion over the entire 20 Hz to 20 kHz audio range (this is done easily by sweeping and plotting the results),
at the pro audio level of +4 dBu. For all signal processing equipment,
except mic preamps, the preferred gain setting is unity.
Did you follow it? Obviously, no.
Now, let’s check which multichannel amps can not be mated with 8805 due to it’s “low rated” maximum output level? I did’t find any, did you? The difference in headroom is irrelevant.