Marantz PM-KI-Pearl 30th Anniversary Integrated Amplifier

Thanks for the short review. Honestly I was thinking of picking up a Yamaha S2000. This is another option at the same price, albeit used vs. new and integrated vs straight amp.

 

Great amp. Enjoy it in good health. I too wanted this amp upon its release but couldn't swing the dough. I ended up getting the Denon PMA-A100 issued for its 100 year anniversary when they were discounted. This amp is also a beautiful well built over acheiver. It requires a long break in and rewards with very good sound. The phono stage is excellent as well. I am using it with Klipsch Lascalas with new crossovers from Bob Crites. I also use vintage Sansui 9090 and Marantz 2325 for variety. I think your amp( as well as my Denon) represent high value statement products from manufacturers looking to enhance their current offerings by delivering heritage products at very low prices. I think now Yamaha is doing this with its A-S1000, etc. Your amp has the high quality components which should bring reliability for many years. Congrats.

 

Update: It's now been just over 2 months and for the last 3 weeks I've listening exclusively to digital as I sold my turntable in anticipation of an upgrade. Since digital isn't my primary focus I only have an old H/K DVD47 player and it can play CD/DVD-A/SACD. My speakers (Genesis G7.1f) have tone controls on the back that allow me to set +/- levels for woofer and treble controls and I have managed to find just the right settings for my ears. The level setting I had for vinyl playback didn't match the sound I wanted from my digital discs, so I use a different setting for each medium.

This IA continues to amaze me. I've never been able to listen for hours on end to digital with any other power/pre combo as I always suffered from listening fatigue, but not with the PM-KI-Pearl. I'm also much more aware of differences between good and bad mastering and recording quality. This tells me that the Pearl is not getting in the way of the music and instead delivers the music is it was presented. My interest in purchasing better digital media has been heightened because of it.

I LOVE this IA. It might be one of the best audio purchases I've ever been able to make.

 

Imagine how good a PM-KI and SA-KI Pearl combo would sound!

 

That would be heaven! Maybe I'll find one eventually!

 

Johnny, looks like I picked up the second Ki Pearl from the same guy. Hopefully it ships in the next few days. I'm trying to step up from a Pioneer SX-780 specifically for the added power and phono section. Hopefully my speakers (NHT Classic 3) and sub (HSU STF-2) are up to snuff; thinking will have to use the high level speaker input on the sub for hookup.

 

Congrats! You're going to love it, I'm sure. Mike is a great guy to deal with and really takes care of his gear. Do let me know your thoughts after you've had a chance to spend some time with it.

 

Hi Johnny,

Just to update. So far my socks have not been blown off, but there's a few things to note here and I don't mean to say it's a bad component at all, just hasn't hit its stride yet maybe in my rig.

- I am using NHT Classic Threes + a HSU STF-2 Sub. At higher volumes the sub will hum and it is connected via the speaker level inputs. It is inaudible at quiet listening levels. Could be a ground loop issue but how do I deal with that when the thing is hooked up via speaker wire?
-Without the sub and just the speakers could take some getting used to but it is not "too" bad but you get spoiled with a sub!
-My small listening room is quite frankly a disaster, the speakers don't really get to breathe but nothing I can do about that right now.
-Headphone out with Sennheiser HD600's is pretty decent, a little veiled or dark sounding - kind of like you would expect with the HD650. Sounds awful with my Audio Technica ATH-AD2000.
-The MC setting is what I am using with a newly acquired Denon DL-103 cart on a Thorens td-160; I realize now that the Phono section has no settings that I can adjust so it's loading at 100ohms. It sounds better than what I used to use by far but my VTA is now also off on the TT and needs to be adjusted for via shims or thicker mat (work in progress)
-CDP Performance with a Sony XA5400ES is great but I actually use a vintage DAC setup with the Sony as a transport when possible so it's more complex

 

I've got the Reference Series PM-15s1 which looks almost identical to the Pearl and I love it. I also think it's the best hifi purchase I ever made.

 

I'm so glad I ran across this thread. I always loved Marantz growing up and about a year ago was able to find a good price on a mint PM-KI-Pearl on ag. I didn't hesitate to purchase it based on reviews, even though a relative of mine could get me dealer cost on most current model Marantz products (e.g. 15S2 at the time....or even 11S1). Anyway, I love listening to music (all digital, mainly Tidal streaming now) but this is my first high-end IA so I have no reference. The rest of my system includes a NAD M51 DAC (which is amazing, followed a Peachtree DAC-it which was good, but the M51 is way better) and a pair of B&W CM5 speakers.....which,......wait for it, were replaced just yesterday by the 805D's (something I've been saving up for 3 years).

Johny, my question is regarding Macintosh which I believe you stated that you have owned in past. My wife and I love the look of MAC's (who doesn't) and I am intrigued if say a MA6500 or even an MA6900 (or any other combo that you've had) would sound appreciably better than the pearl. They are very expensive even used and can't see how I could compare directly at home....so your (or other posters) experience and feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

Congratulations on your purchase of the KI Pearl! It really is an outstanding IA and I'm sure it'll give you years of pleasure and musical enjoyment. I'm also a huge fan of McIntosh gear and have some experience with them, but not the models you mentioned. A friend just purchased the MA6600 and absolutely raves about it. Unfortunately he lives too far for us to do a side-by-side comparison. It would therefore not be fair for me to say that one is better than the other. I think if one were to go the McIntosh route they certainly would not be disappointed. I wish I could be of more help.

The bottom line for me is that the Marantz PM-KI-Pearl does everything I want it to do (although I do miss the option of having a MONO setting). I'm absolutely taken with its sound signature, which is neutral with a slightly warm edge. I have no desire to change it for anything else....I'm 100% happy.

 

I like Marantz , Denon & McIntosh . Three very good hifi companies.

 

Thanks Johny. I love it too. If I have a chance to put a MAC in the room to compare I'll be sure to reach out and put some impressions on here. One suggestion, for Marantz lovers it's always nice to get a vintage stereo receivers in an office or other part of the house. I own both the 2252B and the 2218B and while the 52 has more power (52 wpc versus 18wpc) they are both terrific sounding and the 18 might even have a slight edge in a bit warmer sound (I use them with fairly efficient Martin Logan Motion 4's). There's some magic with the blue display and classic looks - we use ours in the living room for entertaining.

 

I've had the Ki Pearl in my main setup for a while now, overall happy with it and spinning records every chance I get. Still sounds great with the Denon DL-103 cart despite the fixed loading, I've also dialed in VTA better with the help of some DIY cork liner on the bottom of the stock Thorens mat.

I know for certain I can always get better sound for more money, but lately I've been pretty stoked about the sound I am hearing which is not something I've been able to say in a long time.

The low level hum I mentioned earlier I have determined is the turntable's fault; it is evident when the motor is not spinning. I believe it may be a grounding issue as the TD-160's are internally grounded only. May be up for re-soldering a cable with external ground in the future.

The headphone out I have determined is OK for casual use but to be perfectly honest a dedicated HP amp is far and away better.

It's too bad the Ki Pearl did not receive two sets of speaker outs and/or DAC functionality. I would venture a guess there was strategic reasoning behind that decision.

Also FWIW I read someplace that the matching SA Ki Pearl player has a transport mechanism that is less commonly used, IE if you need to replace the laser it may be more of a challenge versus more common players which could be a long term detractor. I still would love to hear the pairing though.

 

Welcome to the SHForums Mr.Sneis! What do you mean by the lack of DAC functionality? Forgive me, but I'm pretty much digitally ignorant so I welcome an explanation.

 

Thanks Johnny,

DAC is in ability to accept a digital signal from a CD Player/Computer/etc. and convert to analog within the receiver. I know Marantz has some receivers where it's all in one versus separates so strategically I would guess they wouldn't want to undercut their separates sales.

 

Marantz was an early adopter of digital inputs on CD players, but seems to prefer to put them on sources vs. built into the integrated amps. It could be a sales strategy, but really when you think about how quickly DACs become obsolescent these days where as a good stereo amp never does, it's probably the best approach.

 

I genuinely believe DACs do not get obsolete very fast; it's a lot of marketing fluff and dying "new" standards. I only own old DAC's from pre 2000's that I have stacked up against modern DACs that just don't cut it. Oh but I miss out on playing those high res music files that comprise .1% of all digital files I've got and only downloaded out of curiosity It's all moot at this point in time anyways, I'm addicted to vinyl like crack now!