RUclips’s best kept secret, just awesome! 😊 I love the idea of qualifying who what kit is for. Case in point, as a low level listener, I need an amp that fully there from the first turn of the dial.. (well that and a pair of subs!) Something I wish more reviewers talked about and more dealers were able to give complement advice on.
I have this amp and its sister the SA10 SACD player. I also have a Technics 1500c turntable which I felt was a reasonable option for casual listening to my large vinyl collection that had been stored in the loft for the past 20 years. ATC SCM40 speakers round off my system. I love it!
Good honest review. Great point about who gear is aimed at. It would be nice to see less snobbishness and partisan flag waving in Hi-Fi-Land and more understanding that people are different and experience music differently to one another. Human nature though I guess.
I was surprised to see this costs £7K - given the build and spec that compares very well to many high end monster amplifiers from the US in particular. Hypex N Cores sound very good. I'm using a NAD M10 V2 at the moment to drive Magnepan LRS which it does very well pushing out around 200w in 4 Ohms.
Have you had a chance to listen to the NAD M23 as yet? That features Bruno's latest invention: Purifi Eigentakt modules designed to correct the deficiencies of his earlier Hypex Ncore design.
Hi guys, thanks for this review. I wanted to hear some comments about listening to heavy metal on this amp. I have had this beast for two years and a half and I am happy with it. What else could we do during the lockdown? I fell in love with the fact that it is 100% analog, with no DAC, no streamer, no USB, etc. Pure sound. My speakers are Focal Aria 936, and the sound is impressive, clean and powerful. My favorite genres are metal, rock, jazz and blues. I think in a larger space, it might sound better, I currently have a small 100-square-foot room. ¿Will I keep it for the rest of my life? Still trying to figure that out. I would like to try a tube amp someday.
Not sure if this counts, but I did play a lot of Rush through the PM-10 when I had it and thought it suited them really well, especially more upbeat tracks like Something for Nothing, Freewill and Finding My Way. Mike
Really enjoyed that fellas. Couple of questions that are kinda related ... I've been offered a mint Marantz PM7200 for a couple of hundred quid, which I wasn't interested in until watching this video. I'm no fan of black box hifi components so I declined, but reading several reviews of the class A performance left me intrigued, so first question is, do you think it would play music well with my LP12 and Celestion Ditton 15xr speakers? Second question... can you review that Mike has? It sounds very interesting
I owned a Marantz PM14 S1 SE and came to the same conclusion. Amp never got my foot tapping. Also had a chance to hear the PM10 with Vivid speakers and again, it sounded uninvolving.
Great stuff guys, as always. Looks a brute of an amp and I'll be honest, I was pretty surprised when you mentioned it was Class D since I tend to associate Class D with being pretty slim and light (or at least light in comparison to A or AB).
I do hope you give all audio equipment , regardless of country origin , a fair shake. Other than that, nice synergy among the two presenters. So what of the Marantz PM10?.......can't help but think of a submarine. Maybe even submarine in looks and sound quality.
Try it with the Bower Wilkins or Monitor 300G or if you're prepared to spend that little bit extra it would be nice Dave if you could audition that again the Bower Wilkins 11000 plus you'll be amazed both of you, Dave you remember i had the Marantz PM10 & SA10 along with the streamer when you came to visit me in Manchester the PM10 sonds a better than the Bryston 14bsst ,as you know and that is 600watts class AB , sometimes less is more quality as supposed to quantity
Didn’t even bother noting the bi-amp feature, designed to have separate amps driving lows/highs per speaker. I have this setup firing concept 500’s Now what?
At the moment I have Focal Aria 948 HG speakers and I was thinking about buying a Yamaha A-S3200 amplifier, but now I have a dilemma whether to buy the Marantz PM-10S1. Is it really worth the financial surcharge? I wonder if this Marantz has soprano and bass tone adjustments like the Yamaha A-S3200? did anyone check?
@Pinio7063227 - Did you buy PM-10S1? Because I have already bought it a week ago and I can tell you: it has no possibility to adjust soprano or bass tones. You can only plug and play pure, direct sound from one of your sources. For example I plugged Project turntable, so all I can hear is the pure, analog sound from vinyl records. But if you would plug any DAC, then you could adjust the tones from your source. Hope I helped you. Take care!
It's basically 2x Class D monoblocks and 1x Class A preamp in one box, with fully discrete power supplies. So not exactly a cheapo Chinese chip amp with a tiny switch mode PSU!
@@Hi-FiRiff I'm now thinking of that Python sketch where the milkman is lured into the house by the lady in underwear, only to end up in a room full of milkmen in various states of ageing/ decay. Is there a room in your house full of equivalent courier blokies?!
Loved the review but about the PM-10 being an endgame amp (essentially you keep it for life), I'm not so sure about that. It does carry the 5 year warranty which almost all products carried many years ago but Sound United doesn't make parts for longer than 7 years which means that if a capacitor fails or resistor burns are the 7th year, this unit a Saab except there are no secondary aftermarket parts and their service centers will refuse it. Sure, you'll explain to them that it's a flagship product (blah, bloo, blah) but they are not going to care. You paid $9k for their amp😄 If you are looking for empathy, I would turn to another manufacturer and beg them to fix it for you. If you buy anything Marantz you should buy it for the lifespan of the warranty and perhaps 7 years. Beyond that, it's a disposable paperweight including the PM-10.
With respect Mr Samurai, I think that's a little unfair. Many Japanese manufacturers don't support their products for very long, but fortunately most component failures are generic and non-specific to the product - i.e. power supply capacitors, dry solder joints, etc. - so the unit isn't automatically scrap if it dies out of warranty. For example, my 1980 Sony TA-F70 integrated amp just died, again down to failed caps and it's currently being recapped as a result, well over 3 decades since Sony stopped supporting it. So all is not necessarily lost. In more general terms, I am more worried about streamers no longer being supported by firmware updates - when that happens you really are up the creek without a paddle! How many of today's streamers will work in 2032, and/or be able to play all common file formats?
@@MrVinylista I wish it were not the case and you were right but I have 2 Marantz SR 8000 series AV receivers that say otherwise as they will not be accepted by a single service center in the United States. That's their flagship AV receiver with a massive toroidal transformer. I've tried for 2 years to get a place to take them in or salvage one by swapping parts from the other. Every time I call a service center they told me they are over 7 years old and they can't accept them. I now need to replace them with $4,000 SR8015s apiece even though the gradual failure indicates a capacitor or resistor failure. I can share all the emails from Marantz and their service centers but it's pointless. As another gentleman explained in a product review on Amazon, these units are manufactured largely using the same parts and they only make a small number which is why they are disposable regardless of model and price and why he recommended buying the cheapest model. The fact that you paid that much doesn't entitle you to anything unless you're thinking of the Marantz of yesteryear. That company no longer exists. Ironically, vintage Marantz receivers are easier to repair so I would recommend buying a used Marantz from the 70s. It's no coincidence that Ken Ishiwata left Marantz before he passed away.
@@techsamurai11 My point is that if it's something capacitor failure and/or switches or dry solder joints, any competent tech can do it - and it doesn't need to go back to Marantz. Do you know what's actually wrong it? Shame that you're not in the UK, as I could put you in touch with my guy who can and does work on anything from Krell to Sanyo!
@@MrVinylista My sound would not start for a few seconds until the unit was warm. It started progressively longer and longer going from seconds, to minutes, to hours over 6 months. Now it won't work - it only happens with HDMI sources. In the other one, the center channel isn't working. I agree - Marantz's service centers should diagnose the issue and see if it needs just a small repair. There are no places to repair them in the States. Some retired technician could do it as a part time job and make a decent income but, sadly, they don't want to. I've spent 2 years on this. I feel bad for every Sound United customer in my shoes and I plan to take action. The worst part is in talking to all the service centers and Marantz for 2 years, I discovered that some of their practices could be viewed as legally questionable (a court can decide that) and if indeed they appear to be in breach of competition laws they may also have to answer to the US, EU, and possibly UK governments. I wouldn't be surprised if individual States also sue them. I've given them many chances to repair it and they have brushed me aside. I even explained that I'll take legal action on behalf of all their customers if they do not change their business practices and they still ignore me. We'll see who's laughing when they have to pay $5 million for a class action retainer and a few months later they get a nice letter asking them to cut another check for double the amount and so on and so forth and their management spends 5 years fighting for their careers. I remember even Bill Gates in an interview saying the one thing he would change (prior to his infidelity) was making the US antitrust case vs Microsoft go away - imagine that, he could throw 10 billion at it and it still affected him more than anything else in his career. All that over a resistor! 😁
It happened to me for my marantz pm11s2. It had some problems, they just said parts replacement not produced anymore and sent it back to me. 3rd party technicians were also failed to repair and i threw my marantz in the backyard in disgust. I wouldn't even look at it.
Why don't I buy an iPhone even when it offers and brings better and very good performance and features? similar to this Marantz PM10 and some reason why don't buy it. long time ago one friend told me: _we all would like to have the best stuff in our house_ yes, and again back to the first question: *Why don't I buy an iPhone even when I know is one of the best devices?*
RUclips’s best kept secret, just awesome! 😊 I love the idea of qualifying who what kit is for. Case in point, as a low level listener, I need an amp that fully there from the first turn of the dial.. (well that and a pair of subs!) Something I wish more reviewers talked about and more dealers were able to give complement advice on.
I have this amp and its sister the SA10 SACD player. I also have a Technics 1500c turntable which I felt was a reasonable option for casual listening to my large vinyl collection that had been stored in the loft for the past 20 years. ATC SCM40 speakers round off my system. I love it!
Just came across your channel, and you're observations match my own.
Thank you for your knowledgeable and unbias contribution to our community.
Good honest review. Great point about who gear is aimed at. It would be nice to see less snobbishness and partisan flag waving in Hi-Fi-Land and more understanding that people are different and experience music differently to one another. Human nature though I guess.
I was surprised to see this costs £7K - given the build and spec that compares very well to many high end monster amplifiers from the US in particular.
Hypex N Cores sound very good. I'm using a NAD M10 V2 at the moment to drive Magnepan LRS which it does very well pushing out around 200w in 4 Ohms.
Have you had a chance to listen to the NAD M23 as yet? That features Bruno's latest invention: Purifi Eigentakt modules designed to correct the deficiencies of his earlier Hypex Ncore design.
Hi guys, thanks for this review. I wanted to hear some comments about listening to heavy metal on this amp. I have had this beast for two years and a half and I am happy with it. What else could we do during the lockdown? I fell in love with the fact that it is 100% analog, with no DAC, no streamer, no USB, etc. Pure sound. My speakers are Focal Aria 936, and the sound is impressive, clean and powerful. My favorite genres are metal, rock, jazz and blues. I think in a larger space, it might sound better, I currently have a small 100-square-foot room.
¿Will I keep it for the rest of my life? Still trying to figure that out. I would like to try a tube amp someday.
Not sure if this counts, but I did play a lot of Rush through the PM-10 when I had it and thought it suited them really well, especially more upbeat tracks like Something for Nothing, Freewill and Finding My Way.
Mike
Does the PM-10 have Tone controls inside the menu? As i see no Bass or treble knobs
Thanks. I hope tp own this amp soon
@@peterprimes497 Nothing. The menu is very simple.
Informative as always and entertaining. Well done again chaps.
Great time,interesting Amp,no doubt. Love to hear it.
There is no better amp on the market for the price!
Really enjoyed that fellas. Couple of questions that are kinda related ... I've been offered a mint Marantz PM7200 for a couple of hundred quid, which I wasn't interested in until watching this video. I'm no fan of black box hifi components so I declined, but reading several reviews of the class A performance left me intrigued, so first question is, do you think it would play music well with my LP12 and Celestion Ditton 15xr speakers? Second question... can you review that Mike has? It sounds very interesting
I owned a Marantz PM14 S1 SE and came to the same conclusion.
Amp never got my foot tapping.
Also had a chance to hear the PM10 with Vivid speakers and again, it sounded uninvolving.
I am wondering how the PM10's sonic signature, being a Class D amp, compares to an Accuphase E-4000?
It is €10,000 here in Finland, same in France I believe. A bit expensive.
Great stuff guys, as always. Looks a brute of an amp and I'll be honest, I was pretty surprised when you mentioned it was Class D since I tend to associate Class D with being pretty slim and light (or at least light in comparison to A or AB).
the most importants words i heard ,it's personal and " a matter of taste " , i love marantz i'm pro
I do hope you give all audio equipment , regardless of country origin , a fair shake. Other than that, nice synergy among the two presenters. So what of the Marantz PM10?.......can't help but think of a submarine. Maybe even submarine in looks and sound quality.
Try it with the Bower Wilkins or Monitor 300G or if you're prepared to spend that little bit extra it would be nice Dave if you could audition that again the Bower Wilkins 11000 plus you'll be amazed both of you, Dave you remember i had the Marantz PM10 & SA10 along with the streamer when you came to visit me in Manchester the PM10 sonds a better than the Bryston 14bsst ,as you know and that is 600watts class AB , sometimes less is more quality as supposed to quantity
What is the difference between maratnz pm and maratnz amp and av and which one is better for music
Would this be an ideal amp for classical music?
Is the sound the same as the pm12se just more power? Trying to work out of its worth the extra 🤔
Nope I don’t need all that power, rooms not big enough, pm12se will do just fine extra money will go to upgrade my cd player 🤔
Some people like the distortion known as “prat”
Didn’t even bother noting the bi-amp feature, designed to have separate amps driving lows/highs per speaker.
I have this setup firing concept 500’s
Now what?
Nice riff of a Black hole!
How about riffing a real overachiever with real balls, like the Sprout100? 😊
At the moment I have Focal Aria 948 HG speakers and I was thinking about buying a Yamaha A-S3200 amplifier, but now I have a dilemma whether to buy the Marantz PM-10S1. Is it really worth the financial surcharge? I wonder if this Marantz has soprano and bass tone adjustments like the Yamaha A-S3200? did anyone check?
@MrVinylista definitely one for you 👍
@Pinio7063227 - Did you buy PM-10S1? Because I have already bought it a week ago and I can tell you: it has no possibility to adjust soprano or bass tones. You can only plug and play pure, direct sound from one of your sources. For example I plugged Project turntable, so all I can hear is the pure, analog sound from vinyl records. But if you would plug any DAC, then you could adjust the tones from your source. Hope I helped you. Take care!
I’m surprised by the weight if it’s class D
Omg! The ups driver and I needed a lie down after we carried it into my listening room. (that sounds so wrong!). Mike
It's basically 2x Class D monoblocks and 1x Class A preamp in one box, with fully discrete power supplies. So not exactly a cheapo Chinese chip amp with a tiny switch mode PSU!
@@Hi-FiRiff Friend of yours, is he? ;-)
@@Hi-FiRiff I'm now thinking of that Python sketch where the milkman is lured into the house by the lady in underwear, only to end up in a room full of milkmen in various states of ageing/ decay. Is there a room in your house full of equivalent courier blokies?!
@@TheNorliss priceless! 😂
Subjective tosh preserving their own prejudices.
Sounds about right for us :-) We should change our channel description to this. Mike
Loved the review but about the PM-10 being an endgame amp (essentially you keep it for life), I'm not so sure about that. It does carry the 5 year warranty which almost all products carried many years ago but Sound United doesn't make parts for longer than 7 years which means that if a capacitor fails or resistor burns are the 7th year, this unit a Saab except there are no secondary aftermarket parts and their service centers will refuse it.
Sure, you'll explain to them that it's a flagship product (blah, bloo, blah) but they are not going to care. You paid $9k for their amp😄 If you are looking for empathy, I would turn to another manufacturer and beg them to fix it for you.
If you buy anything Marantz you should buy it for the lifespan of the warranty and perhaps 7 years. Beyond that, it's a disposable paperweight including the PM-10.
With respect Mr Samurai, I think that's a little unfair.
Many Japanese manufacturers don't support their products for very long, but fortunately most component failures are generic and non-specific to the product - i.e. power supply capacitors, dry solder joints, etc. - so the unit isn't automatically scrap if it dies out of warranty.
For example, my 1980 Sony TA-F70 integrated amp just died, again down to failed caps and it's currently being recapped as a result, well over 3 decades since Sony stopped supporting it. So all is not necessarily lost.
In more general terms, I am more worried about streamers no longer being supported by firmware updates - when that happens you really are up the creek without a paddle! How many of today's streamers will work in 2032, and/or be able to play all common file formats?
@@MrVinylista I wish it were not the case and you were right but I have 2 Marantz SR 8000 series AV receivers that say otherwise as they will not be accepted by a single service center in the United States. That's their flagship AV receiver with a massive toroidal transformer. I've tried for 2 years to get a place to take them in or salvage one by swapping parts from the other.
Every time I call a service center they told me they are over 7 years old and they can't accept them.
I now need to replace them with $4,000 SR8015s apiece even though the gradual failure indicates a capacitor or resistor failure.
I can share all the emails from Marantz and their service centers but it's pointless. As another gentleman explained in a product review on Amazon, these units are manufactured largely using the same parts and they only make a small number which is why they are disposable regardless of model and price and why he recommended buying the cheapest model. The fact that you paid that much doesn't entitle you to anything unless you're thinking of the Marantz of yesteryear. That company no longer exists.
Ironically, vintage Marantz receivers are easier to repair so I would recommend buying a used Marantz from the 70s.
It's no coincidence that Ken Ishiwata left Marantz before he passed away.
@@techsamurai11 My point is that if it's something capacitor failure and/or switches or dry solder joints, any competent tech can do it - and it doesn't need to go back to Marantz. Do you know what's actually wrong it?
Shame that you're not in the UK, as I could put you in touch with my guy who can and does work on anything from Krell to Sanyo!
@@MrVinylista My sound would not start for a few seconds until the unit was warm. It started progressively longer and longer going from seconds, to minutes, to hours over 6 months. Now it won't work - it only happens with HDMI sources.
In the other one, the center channel isn't working.
I agree - Marantz's service centers should diagnose the issue and see if it needs just a small repair. There are no places to repair them in the States. Some retired technician could do it as a part time job and make a decent income but, sadly, they don't want to. I've spent 2 years on this.
I feel bad for every Sound United customer in my shoes and I plan to take action. The worst part is in talking to all the service centers and Marantz for 2 years, I discovered that some of their practices could be viewed as legally questionable (a court can decide that) and if indeed they appear to be in breach of competition laws they may also have to answer to the US, EU, and possibly UK governments. I wouldn't be surprised if individual States also sue them.
I've given them many chances to repair it and they have brushed me aside. I even explained that I'll take legal action on behalf of all their customers if they do not change their business practices and they still ignore me. We'll see who's laughing when they have to pay $5 million for a class action retainer and a few months later they get a nice letter asking them to cut another check for double the amount and so on and so forth and their management spends 5 years fighting for their careers. I remember even Bill Gates in an interview saying the one thing he would change (prior to his infidelity) was making the US antitrust case vs Microsoft go away - imagine that, he could throw 10 billion at it and it still affected him more than anything else in his career.
All that over a resistor! 😁
It happened to me for my marantz pm11s2. It had some problems, they just said parts replacement not produced anymore and sent it back to me. 3rd party technicians were also failed to repair and i threw my marantz in the backyard in disgust. I wouldn't even look at it.
Why don't I buy an iPhone even when it offers and brings better and very good performance and features?
similar to this Marantz PM10 and some reason why don't buy it. long time ago one friend told me: _we all would like to have the best stuff in our house_ yes, and again back to the first question: *Why don't I buy an iPhone even when I know is one of the best devices?*
Viel Blabla 😢
Another excellent name for our channel.
Mike
As far as I've seen it has no Bass or treble adjustments?.
It's digital
You are right @peterpimes497, it has no bass or treble adjustments..., just pure sound amplifier.
It’s on the remote my pm 12 se is done this way