In a league of its own (Marantz PM 6010)

Member Name: amazingtrade

Product:	Marantz PM 6010
Date:	26/12/02 (1974 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Audiphile sound quality, No frills, Very cheap

Disadvantages: Some may want more features, Old model (1999)

This is my first none budget amp. It has 50WPC and a dual mono no frills design. Marantz OSE models only have the most basic facilities you need for a product to function. The idea behind this is extra facilities which are in the signal path such as tone controls and effect the sound quality. Also by saving some money by not including these items Marantz has been able to use components not normally found in amps this price.

It might seem odd then that Marantz have decided to use a normal frame transformer rather than a more desired torodial one. However the transfromer found in this amp is still a very high quality one and is probably better than some of the cheaper torodial ones found in budget kit from Cambridge Audio and Ariston. Input selection is done by a high quality switch rather than the usual Marantz method of using relays. This means that it will offer less signal loss but the input selection cannot be controlled by the amps remote control. This amp uses Elna capacitors which I am told are good quality and again usually found on more expensive amps. Perhaps the best thing about this amp in terms of audiophile design is the use of the dual mono design. This effectivly means that they are two seperate identical circuits for each channel. This minimises the effect of cross talk.

So what does this amp sound like? Well it sounds like an audiophile commercial amp. By this I mean it offers a good balance between detail and smoothness. The great thing about this amp is that it can cope with all kinds of music well. Classical music has attomosphere and space around the instruments while dance music such as M Peoples "Movin On Up" is delivered with fast and thumping bass lines. The treble is good as well although it can get harsh with rough recordings. Sibiliances are very noticable on early Simon and Garfunkel and Bee Gees stuff. However a lot of more exepensive amps suffer from this problem even more. Musicaly the amp seems to st
ay in control no matter how loud it goes, the bass guitar on Cold Plays "Yellow" sounds real and has good weight to it. Vocals are always very open and lifelike making this amp a musical star for the price.

Verdict - You can now buy this amp for £150 (RRP £230) which makes it a very good amp. It first appeared on the market in 1999 and was considered amongst the best for £230 but the game has moved on a bit since then. For £150 though nothing can touch this amp its in a league of its own. It has 50WPC, a very good phonto stage and a remote control making this fine value on paper. Add the excellent sound quality and you have yourself a very good bargain. I would say this amp sounds like a typical £200 amp. Its certainly much better than the Marantz PM4200 and even the NAD 320. However newer amps from NAD and Rotel sound better but you will have to pay £200+ for them. Overall this is your first upgrade amp for my first amp money. Its the bargain of the moment.

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