Marantz KI Pearl Lites seem great value?

[garyw77]

I kept looking around for a few months and was lucky to stumble upon someone who had bought one and never used it, he was abroad a lot like myself.

He had only bought it just under a month before, still sealed in box and i would say new ...He needed the cash and i was a happy bunny :dance:

Just lucky, right find at right time. Nice when it happens with what you're actually looking for...

It does really sing with the DB1i's with no fatigue whatsoever... however i am tempted to see how it would sound with a pair of KEF LS50's ?

I realise i'd have to demo to check out for myself but i am interested if anyone has any thoughts on this idea of a change of speakers?

 

[cse]

It does really sing with the DB1i's with no fatigue whatsoever... however i am tempted to see how it would sound with a pair of KEF LS50's ?

I realise i'd have to demo to check out for myself but i am interested if anyone has any thoughts on this idea of a change of speakers?

Why would you want to change to a cheaper speaker?

 

[garyw77]

It does really sing with the DB1i's with no fatigue whatsoever... however i am tempted to see how it would sound with a pair of KEF LS50's ?

I realise i'd have to demo to check out for myself but i am interested if anyone has any thoughts on this idea of a change of speakers?

Why would you want to change to a cheaper speaker?

Fair enough question i suppose.

Should leave well alone and not tamper while i'm enjoying the music and happy with it all

 

[ErwinC]

It does really sing with the DB1i's with no fatigue whatsoever... however i am tempted to see how it would sound with a pair of KEF LS50's ?

I realise i'd have to demo to check out for myself but i am interested if anyone has any thoughts on this idea of a change of speakers?

Why would you want to change to a cheaper speaker?

I am a bit confused here. Does cheaper mean 'not as good' ? In my experience it does not.

There is no harm imo in trying cheaper speakers. You might be surprised.

 

[Chuckle]

:wave: Hello Paulsue38
I have recently posted comments relating to the Pearl Lite CD Player which I purchased only recently and I’m in the early stages of assessing and admit didn’t dem prior to purchase which isn’t something I have done before however on removing this product from packaging the first thing that struck me was its weight and build quality which is dam good now then Sound quality for £649 admitted also purchased Analogue audio interconnect cable Chord Chameleon plus also reduced in price and in all honestly cant grumble one bit Phew! Still working my way through my CD collection so early days but I’m pleased with what I have listened to so far this is indeed a very good CD Player and well worth having a listen and of course appreciate dem first as its down to personal taste at the end of the Day
Cheers Chuckle :cheers:

 

[Longjohn]

Dear all,

Nice to read all the positive comments on the Pearl Lite Amp and CD player. I live in Switzerland and I'm stunned by the price of the Pearl Lites over here. They sell for about 1400 CHf, which is around £950. You guys over in the UK have some good Hi-Fi deals going for you at the moment!

I'm thinking of purchasing them from HiFiX in Coventry, who seem to be prepared to ship them over here.

However, I have a few questions before I go ahead:

1) What do you guys think about the quality of the DAC on the SA-KI compared to that in the Audiolab M-DAC, say (or the 8200CD, for that matter)?

2) I also read in the reviews that the DAC will not directly accept FLAC files. I'm hoping that this should not be a problem, because I play my music via Foobar 2000 from an Asrock Vision 3D home theatre PC, and I guess the conversion to *.wav is accomplished on the PC before it is padded to any DAC (I might add that the Asrock is a most excellent choice, BTW).

3) I would like to hear some more comments on how the PM-KI amp will perform with more 'common-or-garden' speakers such as those from the Monitor Audio or Rega ranges. I'm thinking of purchasing either Monitor Audio RX6s or Rega RS3s.

Sorry for all the questions.

Best regards to all,

LongJohn

 

[Longjohn]

Dear all,

Any more comments on this thread?

Best regards (and Happy New Year to all),

LJ

 

[drummerman]

...

3) I would like to hear some more comments on how the PM-KI amp will perform with more 'common-or-garden' speakers such as those from the Monitor Audio or Rega ranges. I'm thinking of purchasing either Monitor Audio RX6s or Rega RS3s.

Sorry for all the questions.

Best regards to all,

LongJohn

The Amplifier has a fairly low output impedance. Its frequency response will not vary to much into different speakers. It will more be an issue of the 'tonality' of the speakers.

regards

 

[cse]

Why would you want to change to a cheaper speaker?

I am a bit confused here. Does cheaper mean 'not as good' ? In my experience it does not.

There is no harm imo in trying cheaper speakers. You might be surprised.

Because you already have exellent speakers why change to ones that are at best just a sideways move and more than likely not as good. Not a significant enough upgrade. It wouldn't, of course, had been a surprise if he had chosen the Kef's in the first place, but retrospectively it seems an unnecessary idea.

 

[Anonymous]

my beauty is coming on monday, had a listening during the weekend, liked it a lot

 

[ErwinC]

Why would you want to change to a cheaper speaker?

I am a bit confused here. Does cheaper mean 'not as good' ? In my experience it does not.

There is no harm imo in trying cheaper speakers. You might be surprised.

Because you already have exellent speakers why change to ones that are at best just a sideways move and more than likely not as good. Not a significant enough upgrade. It wouldn't, of course, had been a surprise if he had chosen the Kef's in the first place, but retrospectively it seems an unnecessary idea.

Like i said, there is no harm in trying. You might be surprised.

"More than likely not as good" is not something i agree with if you are talking about the LS50.

I try new speakers (in almost all price categories, like the Dynaudio Excite X12, Dynaudio Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac TR8S, ...) in my own setup on regular basis. It is during these tests i 'discovered' the LS50 which can according to me (and many other reviewers/owners) compete with speakers costing a lot more.

Like i said, don't be afraid of trying something new. There are speakers in all price categories that are far better than their price suggests imo. You might even find something you like more even if it is not better.

 

[cse]

Why would you want to change to a cheaper speaker?

I try new speakers (in almost all price categories, like the Dynaudio Excite X12, Dynaudio Focus 110, Dali Mentor Menuet, Proac TR8S, ...) in my own setup on regular basis. It is during these tests i 'discovered' the LS50 which can according to me (and many other reviewers/owners) compete with speakers costing a lot more.

Like i said, don't be afraid of trying something new. There are speakers in all price categories that are far better than their price suggests imo. You might even find something you like more even if it is not better.

The PMC speakers are already excellent. Stop lusting after something in the same price category and just enjoy the music. There's always new products on the market, don't be tempted until a significant upgrade is guaranteed.

 

[ErwinC]

The PMC speakers are already excellent. Stop lusting after something in the same price category and just enjoy the music. There's always new products on the market, don't be tempted until a significant upgrade is guaranteed.

I always try to enjoy the music. That is the main target of this hobby. But i also enjoy trying (not buying) something new and that has nothing do do with lusting. Like that i learn a lot about other hifi products. Like that i found really good equipment i like a lot and that performs way above their price category. So again, what is wrong with this?

Either way, i don't tell people what to do and what not to do.

 

[paulsue38]

To bring this thread back on track both the Peal Lite CD and amp are available in the sales for 619 pounds each! Even better value!!!!

 

[BigH]

Would the Marantz KI cd still be worth considering even if you don't have any SACDs, I have a Marantz 63SE at moment, thinking of adding a Rega DAC, would the MArantz KI be a better choice?

 

[Anonymous]

I paid 619 too, and 3yr warranty at 1 place...

 

[Mooly]

Would the Marantz KI cd still be worth considering even if you don't have any SACDs, I have a Marantz 63SE at moment, thinking of adding a Rega DAC, would the MArantz KI be a better choice?

Absolutely. The KI Pearl Lite is a superb player in all repsects. Don't think of it as just an SA-CD player, its much more than that.

 

[paulsue38]

I am undecided as well. Going for the Pearl Lite at a great price or adding a Rega DAC to my Cambridge Audio 650C. Anyome no how good the the DAC is in the Marantz?

 

[Longjohn]

I am undecided as well. Going for the Pearl Lite at a great price or adding a Rega DAC to my Cambridge Audio 650C. Anyome no how good the the DAC is in the Marantz?

I would very much like to know the answer to this too. The Marantz SA-KI has direct competition in the form of the Audiolab 8200CD & CDQ players, both of which have DACs that have earned praiseworthy reviews. No-one has ever said anything about the quality DAC in the SA-KI, let alone compared it with the competition.

This uncertainty has led me to consider buying the PM-KI pearl lite amp and acquiring an Audiolab 8200CD/CDQ to drive it.

This also harks back to the questions I asked in my previous email.

Best regards, LJ

 

[Longjohn]

Any thoughts, dear people?

Yours ever, LJ

 

[delfinus]

Hiya there, this is just my 5c and it is also only theoretical thinking about Marantz SA-KI Pearl Lite. If I would be on your spot and having already Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite I would definitely go also with Marantz and its SACD. Why? I’m an owner of Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite I discovered that Pearl Lite is made of a quality way above its price tag. I have to say that I tried at home and heard at the dealers some unbelievably expensive equipment and little Marantz can put some of them to shade. I currently have legendary Musical Fidelity NuVista 3D CD player which I already have for years and I enjoy it. I just recently renewed its transport so there are no plans for any change as I like the sound a lot.

I read on the forums that people are extremely satisfied with Marantz SA-KI Pearl Lite SACD player or the combo with its Pearl Lite amp. You can check also American forums with combo Marantz PM8004 + SA8004. These are very same components as Pearl components. Pearl is only made for European market and some other markets and it is a little bit more decorated as 8004 series.

I would dare to take Marantz SA-KI Pearl Lite blindly as it has convenient price and I now built a total trust in Marantz Pearl series that it is of an excellent quality. What is also good about that SACD is that it has also digital inputs (coax, optical and USB) so you can use its internal DAC for digital sources from HTPC, streamers etc. I like its flexibility.

Best, d.

 

[whiskywheels]

Personal opinions are of course subjective, but having had the Audiolab 8200CD and using the DAC via USB from my laptop for playback, I'm much more impressed with the DAC in the Pearl-lite I'm now using.

 

[Zax89swe]

-

 

[paulsue38]

I have finally purchased a Pearl Lite CD. Payed £430 on an auction site. It is clearly a very capable player, well built and nicely finished. I am slowly getting used to it and was not too sure at first. It has a weighty, very wide sounstage with open voicing. It manages to be both detiled yet warm and dynamic yet not clinical. This is not easy to achieve.The biggest thing that strikes you though is the bass perfomance. In my small room it may even be too much at times on certain tracks, but what it manages to pull out of the baby Spendors bass driver is startling. (credit due to the Arcam A 38 here as well) Have tried Spotify through DAC and sounds fine. Tried a High Res file as well which sounded very good. All in all for what I paid I am pleased so far. Need to decide what else to play through the digital inputs, so any suggestions here would be appreciated. Have consdered Airport Express. Apple T.V or a Squeezbox.

Paul

 

[cse]

In my small room it may even be too much at times on certain tracks, but what it manages to pull out of the baby Spendors bass driver is startling. (credit due to the Arcam A 38 here as well) Paul

I have the Pearl Lite SACD player as well, running through Roksan Caspian Mk1 amp and Neat Petit SX speakers. I too sometimes find it a bit bass heavy on rock tracks particularly. Hardly ever on classical, which is the majority of my listening. Overall though, I am extremely satisfied with it and often thought of adding the matching amp, but not sure if it would be an upgrade on my 13 year old Roksan.