Just had a demo of the Marantz SA8003 and PM8003

admin_exported

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Just thought I'd let people know about my demo at Sevenoaks, Southampton, as a few people have expressed interest in these products on the forum.

I tested them with both Monitor Audio RS6s and Spendor SA3es.

Firstly, the MAs were ok, they had a really powerful and punchy bass. They seemed to cover the mid range in an able fashion as well, with reasonable levels of detail. One problem that I could detect (quite noticeably actually) was that at the very top end there was a tendency for it to be a bit too bright. This was clearly down to the tweeter, which after a bit of listening became really quite annoying,as though there was a constant triangle playing! Overall not an unpleasent experience, overall sound could have been said to be on the warm side in the base and mid.

Next, I tried it with the Spendors. These really revealed a lot of detail in the music and had a suprisingly solid bass considering their size. There was real clarity to the mid and upper ranges.

The player itself was a very solid looking piece of kit, with a smooth cd tray, and a copper base and back plate to help with isolation. It looks the part as well.

Also a load of praise to Sevenoaks in Southampton. They really know their stuff and are very pleased to help and give you info. As well as this, they allow you time to listen to the music in the demo room without hanging around like some shops i have heard about. Great service.
 
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Anonymous

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It nice to hear informal reviews, so thanks. Did you compare the Marantz combo against other components, to see what contribution these were providing?
 

fatboyslimfast

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Can't you just put on a false beard and glasses and pop down to your local 7oaks?
emotion-2.gif
 
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Anonymous

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Thanks for the reviews on the speakers. What about the actual Marantz components - the SA8003 and PM8003. How did you find these?
 

chebby

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Simon Lucas:It's particularly nice for me, as Marantz simply won't let me have any review samples.

That suprises me.

I can understand companies like Rega eschewing reviews (they have never advertised their gear and they tend to have a pretty loyal customer base) but I thought bigger companies like Marantz need 5 star reviews to flag up on their magazine adverts to fuel sales.

Their PM6002 amplifier got 5 stars and all (but one) of their CD players got 5 star reviews....

http://whathifi.com/Reviews/Hi-Fi-Reviews/CD-players-Reviews/Rule-Brand-Marantz!2/

What on earth are they worried about?
 
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the record spot

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chebby:Simon Lucas:It's particularly nice for me, as Marantz simply won't let me have any review samples.

Their PM6002 amplifier got 5 stars and all (but one) of their CD players got 5 star reviews....

Ah, of those they reviewed; they're missing the SA7001, or were as it appears to be in the same boat as the current batch. Neither 7001 or the KI version were picked up - I thought that pretty odd given they were at two of the most popular price points - £350 and £600.
 
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Anonymous

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There is a review of the Marantz by Hi-fi choice magazine, so some people have obviously got hold of it.

With respect to the point made about the Marantz as a unit on its own merit, it is slightly difficult to say as I have not listened to similarly priced kit with the same speaker combinations. However, I have listened to the Cyrus CD 6SE with the sister amp and I thought it much flatter than the Marantz combo with less detail. Not to mention that the Marantz has a cd tray which is a nice touch as it doesn't add scratches to your cd collection - bonus!
 

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