The Denon PMA900HNE also has the ESS DAC. Like the Marantz, it too shipped with the AKM DAC but now generally ships with the ESS DAC due to the AKM fire. The major differences in the internal construction are that Marantz has a Toroidal Power Supply with proprietary HDAM circuitry while the Denon has a more conventional EI Power Supply, although it's a high current one. Marantz also has slightly better build quality and the famous "Marantz sound". I have the Denon PMA-900HNE and find it to be a balanced amplifier, just as you have mentioned.
Could I just confirm that the newer PM7000n has the ESS9016 DAC as you have listed? The early units were shipped with the AK4490 DAC. I was aware that certain Marantz products had the DAC changed due to the AKM fire, but haven't been able to find info (other than your list above) to confirm that the PM7000n was one of the units affected.
The Denon PMA900HNE also has the ESS DAC. Like the Marantz, it too shipped with the AKM DAC but now generally ships with the ESS DAC due to the AKM fire. The major differences in the internal construction are that Marantz has a Toroidal Power Supply with proprietary HDAM circuitry while the Denon has a more conventional EI Power Supply, although it's a high current one. Marantz also has slightly better build quality and the famous "Marantz sound". I have the Denon PMA-900HNE and find it to be a balanced amplifier, just as you have mentioned.
Could I just confirm that the newer PM7000n has the ESS9016 DAC as you have listed? The early units were shipped with the AK4490 DAC. I was aware that certain Marantz products had the DAC changed due to the AKM fire, but haven't been able to find info (other than your list above) to confirm that the PM7000n was one of the units affected.