Marantz PM 55

[johnreelsound]

My PM 55 has developed some loud clicks and pops. I suspect its on its way out. Does anyone have one for sale in good working order.

Thanks

John

 

[12th Monkey]

Nothing on eBay. I'd aim for another Marantz amp if you like the sound.

 

[Al ears]

My PM 55 has developed some loud clicks and pops. I suspect its on its way out. Does anyone have one for sale in good working order.

Thanks

John

Note: This forum does not have a "For Sale" facility.
Anyone can state good working order but chances are it could go the same way as yours at any time.
If your old amp is on it's way out I would not be buying an identical one but a more modern Marantz.

 

[johnreelsound]

Note: This forum does not have a "For Sale" facility.
Anyone can state good working order but chances are it could go the same way as yours at any time.
If your old amp is on it's way out I would not be buying an identical one but a more modern Marantz.

Thanks but everything I have recorded and mixed over a 30 year carreer has been through a Morantz PM55 ointo a pair of RogersLS3/%A speakers. I have tried various other amps along the way but nothing was such a good match. A

 

[johnreelsound]

Note: This forum does not have a "For Sale" facility.
Anyone can state good working order but chances are it could go the same way as yours at any time.
If your old amp is on it's way out I would not be buying an identical one but a more modern Marantz.

A friend has offered me a PM 32. Is it from the same stable?

 

[Al ears]

A friend has offered me a PM 32. Is it from the same stable?

It's from the nineties so if you want to chance it then that's up to you. Depends on the price I suppose, it does of course have different specifications to your current amp.
Note this:-

Marantz PM55-SE Special Edition Integrated Stereo Amplifier Working No Remote | eBay

There is DCC to Tape function, I believe this is for selecting recording via Amp on to DCC or standard cassette, and possibly taping from one to the other. Am not entirely sure as cannot find a manual for this particular model or any one that knows anything about it.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[froze]

That is what is known as a component repairable amp, I would look into repairing it if you like the amp a lot, it would be a lot cheaper than buying a new one. Just find a Marantz Authorized repair center and take it to them, the worst that they'll say is it can't be repaired, but techs who know what they're doing can repair almost anything as long as they can get the needed parts.

That cracking sound is not unusual for those amps when they age, so Marantz repair techs know about the situation and how best to fix it.

Now of course, if you are simply wanting a more modern capable amp that's different, but you will have to spend at least three times as much as what you paid for that amp to get a similar quality amp today!

 

[podknocker]

There's a Cyrus 6 amp on the same site going for £51.99

If it's working OK it could be a real bargain.

 

[Gray]

I have tried various other amps along the way but nothing was such a good match.

In that case, consider the repair option mentioned above - as stated, crackles are a common problem on old amps - not least Marantz models with 'source direct' switches.
A can of switch cleaner / lubricant can be all it takes to make an amp like new again (and often no more than you get for the price of a 'service').

Also above, the Cyrus 6 suggestion is a good one.
If you went for that, it's essential that you see it power up successfully before buying - when the start up routine on that model fails it can be an expensive, if not impossible, repair due to surface mount circuitry.

 

[froze]

If you have bi-amp capable speakers, you could buy the Cyrus, get the Marantz fixed, and then you can have one amp going to the bass, and the other going to the mids and highs, the sound would be much improved, of course, that assumes there's nothing wrong with the Cyrus of course.

 

[12th Monkey]

If you have bi-amp capable speakers, you could buy the Cyrus, get the Marantz fixed, and then you can have one amp going to the bass, and the other going to the mids and highs, the sound would be much improved, of course, that assumes there's nothing wrong with the Cyrus of course.

I'd imagine there's a good chance that the gain factors will be different, so this is probably a non-starter.

 

[gasolin]

Why not a newr marantz amp ?

 

[froze]

I'd imagine there's a good chance that the gain factors will be different, so this is probably a non-starter.

if you bi-amp, you typically send one amp's output to your woofers, which have been disconnected from the existing speaker's passive crossover. The other amp would be fed to just the remaining drivers. You would need to use an active crossover to do lo-pass / hi-pass split of your preamp out's signal. I think that should work.

 

[Al ears]

if you bi-amp, you typically send one amp's output to your woofers, which have been disconnected from the existing speaker's passive crossover. The other amp would be fed to just the remaining drivers. You would need to use an active crossover to do lo-pass / hi-pass split of your preamp out's signal. I think that should work.

You want to bi-amp with two integrated amps?

 

[12th Monkey]

if you bi-amp, you typically send one amp's output to your woofers, which have been disconnected from the existing speaker's passive crossover. The other amp would be fed to just the remaining drivers. You would need to use an active crossover to do lo-pass / hi-pass split of your preamp out's signal. I think that should work.

Having bi-amped before, I do understand what you are trying to say.

But no-one in their right mind would use two integrateds (unless one had pre-amp in sockets) - otherwise you need to adjust two volume controls every time you want louder or quieter. That's plain messy.

And if you are using amps from different manufacturers, their power section gain will almost certainly be different - so when you up the volume, one will increase more than the other. I hope that explains clearly enough why it's not a good idea!