One is a streaming all-in-one and the other is an amplifier. Judge them on how many boxes you want and what you already own, not on the spec sheet alone.
| Area | Better | Why |
|---|
| Power | B | LEAK Stereo 230 has more power - 75W against 60W into 8 ohms. That is about 1dB, which is a small step in loudness but real headroom on peaks. |
| Room size | depends | We rate Marantz Model 60n the better fit for desk or near-field listening and a small room, and LEAK Stereo 230 for a mid-size room, a large room and a very large room. Match the amplifier to the room you actually have, not the one you want. |
| Grip on hard loads | B | LEAK Stereo 230 holds up better into a 4-ohm load: its output increases strongly to 115W, where the other increases modestly. That matters with demanding speakers far more than the 8-ohm figure does. |
| Noise floor | A | Marantz Model 60n is the quieter design on paper - 113dB against 109dB. Audible mainly with sensitive speakers in a quiet room. |
| Built-in DAC | B | Both decode on board, but only LEAK Stereo 230 handles DSD. |
| Streaming | A | Only Marantz Model 60n has AirPlay 2, Roon and HEOS. |
| Analogue inputs | A | Marantz Model 60n takes more analogue sources - 3 against 2. |
| Room to grow | evenly matched | The same expansion options on both. |
| Shelf space | depends | LEAK Stereo 230 takes up about 24% less shelf area (1454cm² against 1912cm²). |
| Price | A | Marantz Model 60n costs less - $1,600 against $1,695 at list. |
A Marantz Model 60n B LEAK Stereo 230
depends neither is better in the abstract - it turns on your room, your system or how you will use them. Only specs published for both amplifiers are judged; anything missing on either side is left out rather than guessed.
Which should you choose?
Neither runs away with it - they trade advantages. Let the "depends" rows and the speakers you already own settle it. If your speakers are a difficult load - 4 ohms nominal, big woofers, or a sensitivity in the low 80s - LEAK Stereo 230 is the safer partner, because how an amplifier behaves when the impedance drops matters more than its 8-ohm rating.
What a spec sheet cannot show: how either sounds with your speakers, how the controls feel day to day, and what the app is like to live with - which is where most all-in-one amplifiers are actually won or lost. Power figures are the manufacturers' own and are not measured to a common standard, so treat small differences as noise. If you can hear both, that will tell you more than any row above.