I love this Marantz!

[frenchmon]

One day...I will have this outfit in my two channel room and the Vincent as a secondary unit in the wifes 2 channel room and study.



Is there any one here who has their eye on a future reference system?

[Ajani]

How about getting this one in the meantime?

[Poultrygeist]

My SR6006 has that same port hole window which you can't see from across the room.

[JohnMichael]

I seriously considered this amp. I ended up buying the Krell.

[frenchmon]

I think the Krell is like a hot rod sports car compared to the luxury car Marantz.....two very different sounds.

[frenchmon]

How about getting this one in the meantime?

I thought about that amp for my home theater....it's listed at $549.99 over at Accessories4less.

[JohnMichael]

I think the Krell is like a hot rod sports car compared to the luxury car Marantz.....two very different sounds.

From the reviews I have read the Krell is more neutral while the Marantz is warmer. Of course I have also read that the latest Krell int. amp is an improvement over earlier amps. The new amp has a nice wide and deep soundstage. It is not bright in any way but detailed.

[blackraven]

I would love to have the top of the line Marantz reference CD/SACD player.

MUSICDIRECT - MARANTZ - SA-7 REFERENCE SACD - CD PLAYER

[Jack in Wilmington]

I've been looking at the Marantz PM-15S1. Are their integrateds as good as the other reference pieces?

[frenchmon]

I've been looking at the Marantz PM-15S1. Are their integrateds as good as the other reference pieces?

Yes...But keep in mind, Marantz Reference is warm and can pass for tubes in the right system. Sorta like Bel Canto. And in my opinion the Marantz Reference is excellent for Acoustic and Electric Jazz and most acoustic music as well as being outstanding with classical. While some do, but most die hard hard rock/metal fans stay away from Marantz are not happy and satisfied with its warm musicality. That group tends to go for something like fast race cars like a powerful fast Krell or Jeff Roland.

Jack are you looking to replace your tubes?

[frenchmon]

I would love to have the top of the line Marantz reference CD/SACD player.

MUSICDIRECT - MARANTZ - SA-7 REFERENCE SACD - CD PLAYER

Yeah you and me both.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Yes...But keep in mind, Marantz Reference is warm and can pass for tubes in the right system. Sorta like Bel Canto. And in my opinion the Marantz Reference is excellent for Acoustic and Electric Jazz and most acoustic music as well as being outstanding with classical. While some do, but most die hard hard rock/metal fans stay away from Marantz are not happy and satisfied with its warm musicality. That group tends to go for something like fast race cars like a powerful fast Krell or Jeff Roland.

Jack are you looking to replace your tubes?

Not to replace so much as to supplement. Sometimes when I'm in a rock mood, I may not be getting all the emotion that I was looking for from my tubes. Maybe the Krell is more what I'm looking for, or something like that.

[Feanor]

I would love to have the top of the line Marantz reference CD/SACD player.

MUSICDIRECT - MARANTZ - SA-7 REFERENCE SACD - CD PLAYER

Me too, but I'd be pretty content with an SA8004 like JM's.

[frenchmon]

Not to replace so much as to supplement. Sometimes when I'm in a rock mood, I may not be getting all the emotion that I was looking for from my tubes. Maybe the Krell is more what I'm looking for, or something like that.

Have you rolled your tubes? And also keep in mind, there are many romantic speakers. Example...Peabody and I have a Vanessa Williams CD that we like to listen to as we listen to different speakers. She has this voice that is really warm as in making you feel good in side...make you have that look on your face as you get all up in the smoothness of the sound..some times that voice brings goose bump...voices like Shirley Horn, Chaka, Roberta Flack and a few others. IF the speaker does not move me with those voices I automatically know its not for me. If it does, I listen for other parts of the sound, but it begins with the voices for me.

Yesterday, while listening to the Canton Vento 809 DC at $5000.00 a pair...they where all that and a bag of chips. Then we listened to Vanessa Williams and I was moved. I knew that speaker was romantic. But then we listened to the Canton Ergo 902 DC and I was just like wow! Absolutely moved and stired up inside. Even Peabody thought they where Romantic...and that was through a Marantz AV 7005 Pre/processor and driven with a Theta digital 7.1 power amp. My point???? Its more in the speakers than the amp or preamp.. I hate a sterile speaker.....but thats my opinion. Now tubes are romantic as well....tube rolling may give that to you as well.

[frenchmon]

Also Jack....from my reading I've come to understand thatsome die hard tube guys keep lots of tubes to change the sound of their rig when they are in a certain mood for a specific music and sound. But that takes a lot of tube knowledge of tube characteristics.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Have you rolled your tubes? And also keep in mind, there are many romantic speakers. Example...Peabody and I have a Vanessa Williams CD that we like to listen to as we listen to different speakers. She has this voice that is really warm as in making you feel good in side...make you have that look on your face as you get all up in the smoothness of the sound..some times that voice brings goose bump...voices like Shirley Horn, Chaka, Roberta Flack and a few others. IF the speaker does not move me with those voices I automatically know its not for me. If it does, I listen for other parts of the sound, but it begins with the voices for me.

Yesterday, while listening to the Canton Vento 809 DC at $5000.00 a pair...they where all that and a bag of chips. Then we listened to Vanessa Williams and I was moved. I knew that speaker was romantic. But then we listened to the Canton Ergo 902 DC and I was just like wow! Absolutely moved and stired up inside. Even Peabody thought they where Romantic...and that was through a Marantz AV 7005 Pre/processor and driven with a Theta digital 7.1 power amp. My point???? Its more in the speakers than the amp or preamp.. I hate a sterile speaker.....but thats my opinion. Now tubes are romantic as well....tube rolling may give that to you as well.

I did roll my output tubes to Gold Lion KT88. That gave me more bass, but not as well defined. I was going to try the KT120's but after some discussion with some of the other AR members, I decided against it.

As far as female voices go, I agree with you. That is the first test I give to any worthy speaker. My choices are Annie Haslam and Mary Fahl. If it gets those two right, it's passed the first test.

[poppachubby]

frenchie, 02audionoob and I listened to those units with the KI-SACD Pearl at AKFest. They were using Paradigm speakers and it was my vote for best in show. I have never forgotten the way that system impacted me, and all listening after that point had to meet the new gold standard. Thanks to that encounter, I now have a system which moves me everytime I listen to it.

Compared to what was at the show that day, I think it was considered pedestrian to vote for Marantz/Paradigm but guess what? It owned!! They were playing a slow blues rock number and the immediacy/emotion was so intense. I was sitting in front of 02 and turned around at one point, without talking we shot each other the same confirmed look. "Yep, this is the real deal".

[Ajani]

Me too, but I'd be pretty content with an SA8004 like JM's.

JM's is the older model - SA8001... When I was considering buying my DAC1 back in the day, I had to fight the urge to get a SA8001 instead... Had I been more interested in SACD than computer based audio, then I would own the Marantz... I still have fond memories of my old CD5001...

[Ajani]

frenchie, 02audionoob and I listened to those units with the KI-SACD Pearl at AKFest. They were using Paradigm speakers and it was my vote for best in show. I have never forgotten the way that system impacted me, and all listening after that point had to meet the new gold standard. Thanks to that encounter, I now have a system which moves me everytime I listen to it.

Compared to what was at the show that day, I think it was considered pedestrian to vote for Marantz/Paradigm but guess what? It owned!! They were playing a slow blues rock number and the immediacy/emotion was so intense. I was sitting in front of 02 and turned around at one point, without talking we shot each other the same confirmed look. "Yep, this is the real deal".

I loved that show right up... Always nice too see a really positive experience with mainstream audio brands... Not that there's anything wrong with boutique gear, but I do think there is a certain amount of snobbishness that prevents many audiophiles from even considering anything remotely popular...

[Ajani]

Is there any one here who has their eye on a future reference system?

Given your description of the Marantz Reference sound, I could well imagine it pairing nicely with my DAC1 to give me what I'm looking for... And I've always loved the look of Marantz Reference... If you're going to pay for a not-cheap product, it should look like that...

[frenchmon]

frenchie, 02audionoob and I listened to those units with the KI-SACD Pearl at AKFest. They were using Paradigm speakers and it was my vote for best in show. I have never forgotten the way that system impacted me, and all listening after that point had to meet the new gold standard. Thanks to that encounter, I now have a system which moves me everytime I listen to it.

Compared to what was at the show that day, I think it was considered pedestrian to vote for Marantz/Paradigm but guess what? It owned!! They were playing a slow blues rock number and the immediacy/emotion was so intense. I was sitting in front of 02 and turned around at one point, without talking we shot each other the same confirmed look. "Yep, this is the real deal".

PappaC....that is what I am talking about.. perfect synergy!
I have heard both Marantz Reference and Paradigm Speakers, but not together... but I know the sound Characteristics of both. The warm full bodied sound of Marantz combined with Paradigms Signatures Richness and luxuriousness of the mid section and liveliness of the upper ranges is to my ears all ways a perfect match...that is always the Passionate, romantic sound I live for in audio. (I have a pair of Nola Mini's, while being a little soft in the bottom end, they give that richness and liveliness I desire.) But notice..the warmness of the preamp (not to warm which may be boring) with lively speakers that not only have a bottom end and top end liveliness, but also have a midsection that is busy, but not to recessed! That will give you goose bumps and make your eyes water over. In my opinion... I believe gear should have a little coloration to it.... I just don't get that from a completely sterile system.

One time Peabody and I listen to a system that cost all most 100K. It was one of Peabodys friends. It was all Jeff Roland and Esoteric gear. He had these big Conwall speakers the fit into the corners of his room perfectly. He had expensive Cardas Cables and said to us his goal was to build a system that was free of any coloration at all. This guy even had this very expensive key board plugged into this system. He put on a Bob James CD and then turned on his Key boards and was playing every note that Bob James was playing, so he was literally playing along with the band and the key board sound was coming through the same speakers as Bob James...the guy was in the band with his Key Board. This system was extremely loud...I think it was something like 700 watts of power from all his mono Jeff Roland and Esoteric amps. Peabody was sitting right next to me and we could not hear each other talking. The system was fabulous, but it was sterile and really did nothing for me but gave me that feeling like I was at a really loud rock concert. No...give me a little simple humble set up with some emotion and romance any day not loud and sterile.

[Feanor]

JM's is the older model - SA8001... When I was considering buying my DAC1 back in the day, I had to fight the urge to get a SA8001 instead... Had I been more interested in SACD than computer based audio, then I would own the Marantz... I still have fond memories of my old CD5001...

Right you are re. the 8001 vs. 8004.

I have a fair number of SACD and would buy more. I've proven that my old Sony CE775 doesn't reproduce the transparency that SACD can deliver.

[Glen B]

One day...I will have this outfit in my two channel room and the Vincent as a secondary unit in the wifes 2 channel room and study.



Is there any one here who has their eye on a future reference system?

I think I'm there already. I would love to trade up my preamp to a Marantz Reference to match my digital player, but I run my system all balanced and there is a connection compatibility issue with Marantz that I don't care to deal with.

Marantz Reference components all use XLR pin 3 hot/pin 2 cold, whereas most North American higth end components use pin 2 hot/pin 3 cold. To use a Marantz preamp in my system, I would need to reterminate one end of my interconnecting cables to match my amp (not going to happen).

This is thankfully not a problem with the SACD player because it features XLR output polarity reversal from the remote. The preamps do not have this feature (I don't know why). If the preamps did offer this feature, I would give one serious consideration.

[Hyfi]

As far as female voices go, I agree with you. That is the first test I give to any worthy speaker. My choices are Annie Haslam and Mary Fahl. If it gets those two right, it's passed the first test.

Interesting choices. What Annie tracks in particular and Mary Fahl tracks?

Last night I decided to hand truck the Clearfields out and roll the Audience 82s back in. I also decided to leave the Counterpoint in play to drive the Danes.

Man, all the lacking bass has returned, but at the slight loss of the outrageous Mids of the Clearfields. But, the Dyns are an awesome speaker once you reconcile the sound change and re-appreciate what they do good.

I first spun several tracks from the Morglbl Groteskue disk...I was surely in a Bass mood. Next up I played track 3, LA Underground from Larry and Lee which has a slamming opening as well as a deep bass line that many speakers reproduce as mush.

I then played Markus Miller's live version of Mile's Tutu...awesome. Next up it was several tracks off of trick of the Tail which was really enjoyable.

I then wanted to hear some female vocals and put on Sarah Mclachlan - Afterglow. What a beautiful disk. The wife went to bed so I had to turn it down a bit. I switched the VAC to Passive and really enjoyed the overall sound combo.

[frenchmon]

I think I'm there already. I would love to trade up my preamp to a Marantz Reference to match my digital player, but I run my system all balanced and there is a connection compatibility issue with Marantz that I don't care to deal with.

Marantz Reference components all use XLR pin 3 hot/pin 2 cold, whereas most North American higth end components use pin 2 hot/pin 3 cold. To use a Marantz preamp in my system, I would need to reterminate one end of my interconnecting cables to match my amp (not going to happen).

This is thankfully not a problem with the SACD player because it features XLR output polarity reversal from the remote. The preamps do not have this feature (I don't know why). If the preamps did offer this feature, I would give one serious consideration.

Awhhh Glen B...that system is a thing of beauty! I wonder why Marantz does that with the connections? But at the same time, if you know how to do it...what is so bad about exterminating one end of your interconnecting cable?