Got to remember . All these reference pieces are cut from the same cloth , with pm10 sa10 starting from a clean sheet . As far as the pm14 and pm11s3 , I’ve owned both and still have the pm11s3 , both are the same tonality with slight refinement to the pm11s3
With La Scala II’s and Cornwall III’s, to my picky ears the PM-10 is more transparent and dynamic with bigger soundstage, and sounds smoother and more refined than the PM-11S3. That said, the PM-11S3 offers more bang for the buck and is always a pleasure to my ears. Back on topic, the SA-KI Ruby is a very limited special edition, so hopefully there will be another more affordable entry-level Reference player for 2019, maybe the SA-14S2?
I was just poking around on the Marantz Japan website about the SA12. They list it at half the price of the SA10, which for the US would make it $3000. Still pricey but at least its $1000 less than the Ruby. I wonder how different the Ruby is from the SA12?
My take is the the Ruby is a collectors addition built with copper chassis . The sa12 will not have the copper chassis , and will be made for the masses , making it cheaper. The specs should be nearly identical
Do you have a link of the SA12 on the Marantz Japan site? I just looked at the Marantz Japan site and did not see the SA12.
The 12 models have a painted steel cover verses 5mm thick aluminum on the Ruby's. The 12's will not have some of the fine tuned components in the Ruby's. The 12's will not have the copper coated chassis.
I can highly recommend looking at the PM15S2/SA15S2 on the used market. I bought my set for $1500 in mint condition with remotes, boxes etc. Sounded wonderful for the price imho.
Music Direct has an open box SA-KI-Ruby player for $3,300 (18% off), if anyone is on the fence. There’s also a code you can enter for an additional 10% off open box items today for Cyber Monday, which should work for this
A brief comment on how the new SA-KI is doing. In a word- Fantastic Having said that I need to note that a radical change in my 120V power supply with dedicated 20A breaker and 12/2 line with an R1 Oyaide receptacle has improved my system across the board to an extent I could not have imagined. To be fair- I suspect my previous player the Sony xa5400es was most likely shortchanged (as the amp and other sources were also) in the 'before' situation and my thoughts now are if you have not paid much attention to your power source take a close look at it before investing in expensive equipment upgrades. I warrant it could be some of the best money spent- depending on your 'current' (haha I crack myself up) situation. Cheers, RW
4 pages in and still no pics? This will have to be considered as a serious breech of forum rules to be able to vicariously enjoy gear through fellow forumites. Tsk tsk.
I can't justify the cost of a SA-KI-Ruby as I'm primarily (95%) a vinyl guy, but I'm seriously thinking of a PM-KI-Ruby in 2019. The last time I checked my local Marantz Ref dealer didn't have one to audition, but I'm hoping he will in the new year.
'Just bit the bullet and ordered the SA-KI Ruby. Music Direct has 36 month interest free financing (in equal monthly payments) until December 4th, and I was able to take advantage. This player has everything I'm looking for... mainly that it is a high-end player that can handle nearly every digital file or source you can throw at it, and make it sound better. 'Should be a lot of fun...
I’m new to this forum. I have the PM-KI Ruby. I’ve had it almost a month. As far as comparison I’ve had the PM8005 and the PM14S1. I think KI is basically the PM10 cut in half with a better phono sound stage. I’m a beginner, only at this a 2 years are so. The KI is a class D, class AB hybrid. All the controls other than volume and line in sillection are done from the remote. Bass, treble, balance, lighting, cartridge mm/mc. No midrange adjust. It took 20-30 hours of play time to settle down. Was bright sounding to my ears. After that it has countinued to warm up and is warmer than the PM8005 and PM14. The bass is solid and very much in control on my LS50s. It has detail way beyond both the 8005 and 14. Detail is clear and non fatigueing. The phono stage through a ClearAudio concept wood with a soundsmith Carmen MK2 is warm and pulls more from my vinyl than the 8005 and 14. I spin SACDs through a SA8005. This is where it really shines. I hear things not heard through the 8005 and 14. Great warm detail. Can’t imagine how the matching SA-KI would sound. It’s a very well made and clean unit.
I wish my experience with the pm10 was the same . I felt it was too much on the mids and highs and not enough bass . My room sucks so tone controls to bump up the low end would of been nice
Does anyone know what happened to the successor to the SA8005 SACD player? Will there ever be an SA8006??
