marantz

anybody familiar with a marantz pm 74d integrated amp? is this a good amp? tks

Typically, any Marantz with a "PM" in the model number is not so bueno. This was due to the fact that Philips was engineering the Marantz line and had the demographic narrowed to the "very affordable" market. Just my $.02.

-chris

Pass on it unless it's free!

The good Marantz SS stuff was made in the late 1960s and thru the 1970s.

That piece is a later unit, and not near the quality of earlier equipment.

chris/shain,

tks for reply. Ill pass with this unit and purchase an Onkyo Integra M-505 power amp instead.
edwin

Depends on the age. Marantz PMxx-numbered amps built after 1988, are generally built like tanks, and sound great. For example, the PM17 is an AWESOME amp.

Does the PM-74D you saw look like this, or similar? This is a pic of a PM64... its little brother. If so, it should be a quite capable amp! Class A up to 25% of its max power output!

Here's a review of the PM74D, from Stereo Review, in 1988:

Holy cow... boys, this may be the one that got away, depending on the price that's being asked for it.

Rated at 100w/ch, clipped at 8 ohms at 132 watts/ch (!), 196 watts/ch into 4 ohms (!!) That's almost DOUBLE its rated power at 8 ohms, into 4 ohm loads! Sounds like a REAL power supply!

Those amps sound great! I would easily pay 200 dollars if it is working condition/mint. I had a friend with the PM64 and it was one of the nicest sounding amps under 1k a I had heard. They were the true high end equipment made by Marantz who was trying to get their good name back in the US/Japan/Europe. Ecellent Phono stage to boot. They go for 200-500 on ebay and audiogon.
Ben

Stereo Review...consider the source.

Originally posted by tubedude
Stereo Review...consider the source.

Click to expand...

Ed Zachry.

Cheers,
Russ

Originally posted by tubedude
Stereo Review...consider the source.

Click to expand...

I never read the Stereo Review reviews for the subjective evaluations... but really, their lab measurements were ALWAYS first rate. I've never had anyone successfully dispute the lab numbers from a Hirsch/Houck Labs test.

At the least, the measurements indicate that the thing is STOUT. And from personal experience with many of the Marantz amps from this exact era, I can say, they DO have very good phono stages, and the amps are pretty well behaved in general.

I wouldn't touch early-80s Marantz stuff with a 10 foot pole (the champagne-color series and such), but these units after 1988, are serious stuff, from a company, like was said, that was intent on getting its good name back. Heck, it wasn't but like 2-3 years after this, that they re-issued the Model 7 and Model 8B tube gear... they were definitely going for the gusto, by then!

Regards,
Gordon.

Just curious, what happened to Marantz in the early 80's, and why did their product quality drop so much? Anyone want to educate me on the history of Marantz or provide a source where I can read about it. I own a few Marantz pieces .