SET12
Super Member
I have used several pieces of Marantz gear over the years.
I decided that I needed a 2ch SS Integrated Amplifier for a backup when I am working on my tube amplifiers and an amplifier for general use for my wife who once owned a vintage Marantz while in College. So she was right at home with the PM5005. I also bought a used Marantz Tuner to with it.
I purchased a pair of these for a passive preamp project after hearing them at a fellow AKers home
The price is a very reasonable $350/pair at Intact Audio http://www.intactaudio.com/atten.html
These are fully assembled ready to go, just put then in a box and wire up the in and out jacks. In my case I wired in a high quality switch for two inputs.
So after I finished the project I had two Mono Block TVC's as they are called to use with my Monoblock Amplifiers.
Hook Up.
I fed the Marantz CD input with the TVC's and my CDP fed one of the inputs of the TVC. Then I turned the Marantz's volume control all the way up effectively taking it out of the signal path. I turned the TVC all the way down as I hooked it up.
Marantz Sound.
The Marantz sounded like a $500 mid-fi product to me. A little lean, a little compressed and a somewhat small sound -stage which basically was kept between the speakers. Not what what I'm accustom to, but the amplifier was pleasant nothing really harsh. Its sins were those more of omission rather than commission.
Marantz with the TVC's.
I was unprepared for what I heard from the Marantz. The TVC's transformed the PM5005 into one of the most musical sounding SS amplifiers That I have ever owned. It was as though the amplifier should of cost thousands and not a few hundred dollars.
The sound-stage more than doubled its width and depth. Its image height was very good as well. I have an 18 ft wall that my speakers are set up on with them 9ft apart and the Marantz with the TVC's was able to image through my side walls, I was estimating imaging as wide as 30 ft and sometimes more. images were nice and round with very nice body. You could easily hear the layering of various recordings. The bass was extra nice very detailed and very full. I wouldn't say the amplifier was the punchiest but it was so easy to listen to and you weren't drawn to any one thing, just involved in everything.
Speakers I used are a highly modified pair of Klipsch R-28F's with outboard crossovers. Here http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...r-drive-crossover-replacement-project.698764/
I can tell you I will never listen seriously to any amplifier with out the TVC's as the one thing I learned was how damaging conventional controls really are and this goes for resistor ladder controls as well.
My hats off to the designers of the PM5005 as its basic amplifier circuit uses trickle down technology that you can really hear with the TVC's.
SET12
I decided that I needed a 2ch SS Integrated Amplifier for a backup when I am working on my tube amplifiers and an amplifier for general use for my wife who once owned a vintage Marantz while in College. So she was right at home with the PM5005. I also bought a used Marantz Tuner to with it.
I purchased a pair of these for a passive preamp project after hearing them at a fellow AKers home
The price is a very reasonable $350/pair at Intact Audio http://www.intactaudio.com/atten.html
These are fully assembled ready to go, just put then in a box and wire up the in and out jacks. In my case I wired in a high quality switch for two inputs.
So after I finished the project I had two Mono Block TVC's as they are called to use with my Monoblock Amplifiers.
Hook Up.
I fed the Marantz CD input with the TVC's and my CDP fed one of the inputs of the TVC. Then I turned the Marantz's volume control all the way up effectively taking it out of the signal path. I turned the TVC all the way down as I hooked it up.
Marantz Sound.
The Marantz sounded like a $500 mid-fi product to me. A little lean, a little compressed and a somewhat small sound -stage which basically was kept between the speakers. Not what what I'm accustom to, but the amplifier was pleasant nothing really harsh. Its sins were those more of omission rather than commission.
Marantz with the TVC's.
I was unprepared for what I heard from the Marantz. The TVC's transformed the PM5005 into one of the most musical sounding SS amplifiers That I have ever owned. It was as though the amplifier should of cost thousands and not a few hundred dollars.
The sound-stage more than doubled its width and depth. Its image height was very good as well. I have an 18 ft wall that my speakers are set up on with them 9ft apart and the Marantz with the TVC's was able to image through my side walls, I was estimating imaging as wide as 30 ft and sometimes more. images were nice and round with very nice body. You could easily hear the layering of various recordings. The bass was extra nice very detailed and very full. I wouldn't say the amplifier was the punchiest but it was so easy to listen to and you weren't drawn to any one thing, just involved in everything.
Speakers I used are a highly modified pair of Klipsch R-28F's with outboard crossovers. Here http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/in...r-drive-crossover-replacement-project.698764/
I can tell you I will never listen seriously to any amplifier with out the TVC's as the one thing I learned was how damaging conventional controls really are and this goes for resistor ladder controls as well.
My hats off to the designers of the PM5005 as its basic amplifier circuit uses trickle down technology that you can really hear with the TVC's.
SET12