Marantz PM 6005...

Is this as good a bit of "budget" kit as several UK reviewers suggest? Could any user/owner comment on whether the phono stage will accommodate a high gain moving coil cartridge,and the quality of the phono stage,as vinyl is my prefered playback medium...the onboard dac is praised highly,and the unit is equipped to facilitate bi-wiring,so on paper ,it ticks all my boxes....but what does it sound like? Any comments appreciated!

 

I don't own a PM6005, so the only question I can answer objectively is that the phono stage is MM only; if you have a nice MC cartridge you'd probably want to go with an outboard phono stage vs. what's built into an integrated at that price point anyway.

Aside from that, all I can say is I've never owned a Marantz product I didn't love.

 

Marantz is MM only.

 

Great amp for the price.
A well balanced, decent sounding piece of kit.

 

The blurb states "mm"..but so does my old Alpha Arcam integrated....and that happily accepts a high gain mc with or without a phono pre stage...I was wondering as to whether anyone else had tried/used such with a Marantz PM 6005.....

 

Ah right, you mean HOMC. I thought you just meant a relatively higher gain standard low output MC. Yeah, that will work fine.

 

Thank you

 

I own this amp and I have to say it's worth every penny. I did get a great deal on it, and it does everything I need for now. I listen to all sorts of music and all sorts of formats (vinyl, CD, Bluray audio, XRCD, SACD, HDCD, etc) and for the money, I'm not sure it can be beat.

In a few years I will upgrade it, but for now I'm very happy. I'm actually impressed how easily it powers my Focals.

I will say that if you do get it, swap out the standard power cord with something better. I am using an Audioquest NRG2 and the difference was impressive.

 

A hearty reccomendation!

 

8003 owner here. Yes, it will handle that cart. Awesome line of products (5/6/7/8 series). If'n that's enough power for ya' - better jump!!!

 

I'd seriously consider the Cambridge 651a as well. These two are front runners in this price point at the moment.

 

After All your help,I came across an ad on Ebay,seller based less than a mile from me..now the proud owner of an upgraded Arcam Delta 290,complete with on board mc/mm phono stages...it is in "mint" condition for its age,and I parted with £180.00. Having fired it up,I think it is a steal

 

It is! The Delta 290 was Arcam's top of the range in the early 90s. Nice spot!!

 

PM8005 owner here, absolutely fantastic solid state amp. Phono section is absolutely great as well. I actually use it with a Stereo 70 power amp but have run it with its own amp section also. In my opinion the preamp section is better than the power amp section which makes it wonderful for using with vintage tube amps. The SA8005 which I also have is the best digital player I have ever heard with a DAC that can be used with a computer. I run my Mac Mini into it using Audiorvana and the results are stunning. The most analog sounding player I have personally heard. Both worth much more than the price. I have read that the 6005 is in the same class roughly.

 

I have an 8004 and 6004 (previous generation). I love 'em but I don't run turntables through them.

 

Sound wise good if comparing new prices but £180 is steep for a 20 year old and fairly common amp. Would have to be as new with box and manuals to justify this.

 

I will never listen to the box.The manual can be downloaded from that interweb thing.The upgrades and phono stage make it worth the outlay imho....