Reviews seem few and far between. Anyone got one? I need an amp with tone controls (gasp horror I hear!!!) to help compensate for the terrible acoustics in my room. Any other amps worth looking for around the £500 mark (new or 2nd hand)?
Marantz PM8005?
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There are plenty of happy 8005 owners on this forum and they are all happy.
Im sure they will post some thoughts for you in the morning
Im sure they will post some thoughts for you in the morning
I owned the Marantz Pearl Lite KI, which I believe is the previous gen of PM8005. Having tested few others amp including Roksan Kandy K2, Rega Brio R, Audiolab 8200, and even Hegel H80, with my speaker KEF LS50 I think Marantz give the best result, synergy and I'm enjoying it the most compared to the other amp. Not saying all the other amps are not good, but to my ears Marantz is the superb option.
Andrewjvt said:
Midrange.
I think it's a great amp, and definitely worth checking out. Sounded nice and smooth with plenty of power whenever I heard them in the shop.
Thanks everyone. I'm going to order a factory second which I can return if it's not better than my CA Azur 651W. My other option was to insert a preamp with tone controls, on paper the CA is more powerful and should control my speakers better.
sound10
Well-known member
Hi David, I have the PM8005 with the Bowers & Wilkins CM9's and have to say that I absolutely love the sound. I also tested the CM10's with the PM8005 and it had absolutely no issues driving those speakers. There is a YouTube video of a Marantz Presentation in Japan of the PM8005/SA8005 and the speakers they are using are the CM10's. For some reason I am unable to post the link but if you put in Marantz SA8005/PM8005 on YouTube, the video will come up. Hope this helps 
Covenanter
Well-known member
It's a very fine amp IMO. Some people on here are skeptical that it can control big speakers like mine but it does so with ease to levels louder than I can bear. It does that thing that good amps do - it disappears and just lets the music through. Marantz isn't a fashionable name but if you ignore fashion and look for quality this is the product for you.
Chris
PS It does have 3 tone controls (not that I use them) if you need them.
Chris
PS It does have 3 tone controls (not that I use them) if you need them.
sound10 said:Hi David, I have the PM8005 with the Bowers & Wilkins CM9's and have to say that I absolutely love the sound. I also tested the CM10's with the PM8005 and it had absolutely no issues driving those speakers. There is a YouTube video of a Marantz Presentation in Japan of the PM8005/SA8005 and the speakers they are using are the CM10's. For some reason I am unable to post the link but if you put in Marantz SA8005/PM8005 on YouTube, the video will come up. Hope this helps
the reason B&W is often matched with Marantz in Japan is because Marantz (D&M?) is the importer for B&W. I'll look for the demo. Personally I would have thought a beefier amp higher up the Marantz range would've been better, but that's just guesswork compared to the actual experience of you and other owners who have posted on here.
I actually like a beefy Luxman 507-uX with the CM9 and 10.
Paulq
Well-known member
I have the PM6005 and have just been reading this thread and am curious - on the PM8005 what does 'Power Amp Direct' do?
Lets use it as a power amplifier. i.e. no volume control, but you could use that function to incorporate it into a surround sound system with the AV amp doing preamp duties.Paulq said:
Also has pre outs so you can use it as a preamplifier.
Paulq said:
It's gonna help me out a great deal when I eventually get around to purchasing some PMC twotwo.5 actives *dance4*
Hi David,
I have heard the pearl lite in a lengthy demo - I thought it had a very sweet, large and cohesive sound - all about the music (not the amp). The effect of tone controls was very subtle - better sound quality when bypassed inmho. - I daresay the 8005 is as good if not better from the reviews I have read. It would be a great choice at its current price.
I wondered why you wanted to change from the cambridge power amp - this amp has received great user reviews too - lots of power in abundance too. Anyway - just curious I suppose. If you are able to do a comparison it would be great to hear your feedback
good luck Tonky
I have heard the pearl lite in a lengthy demo - I thought it had a very sweet, large and cohesive sound - all about the music (not the amp). The effect of tone controls was very subtle - better sound quality when bypassed inmho. - I daresay the 8005 is as good if not better from the reviews I have read. It would be a great choice at its current price.
I wondered why you wanted to change from the cambridge power amp - this amp has received great user reviews too - lots of power in abundance too. Anyway - just curious I suppose. If you are able to do a comparison it would be great to hear your feedback
good luck Tonky
Tonky...thanks for the comments and for asking! The system has been setup in my 'garden room', which is basically a 25 SQ/M conservatory with a solid roof. Acoustically it's a nightmare, glass all round, laminate floor and glass French doors behind the listening position. Whilst on paper the 8005 looks like a step down (less power, lower damping factor etc) I thought the ability to notch up the bass a little and back off the mid range might help. Alternatively I guess I could use a preamp. However I'd rather have two boxes than three..
Hi david
I demoed my pm 8005 amp with the tannoy 6.2's and found the sound coming from them a little on the bright side and that was in a demo room. some people here and other forums say that the marantz is a warm amp but i disagree, its actully quite bright. That said given the right speaker its a great amp, i have the tannoy xt8's and it sounds amazing. Id be intested in finding out how you get on..
david
I demoed my pm 8005 amp with the tannoy 6.2's and found the sound coming from them a little on the bright side and that was in a demo room. some people here and other forums say that the marantz is a warm amp but i disagree, its actully quite bright. That said given the right speaker its a great amp, i have the tannoy xt8's and it sounds amazing. Id be intested in finding out how you get on..
david
Mr Beck...Thanks for the feedback. I've a actually decided to stick with my existing amp and add a sub. Reason is...I think I'm wrestling with the law of physics with the room! .I added an old MS Genie sub to the system today and hey presto it sounded a lot warmer and deeper. Added bonus is I can also tune the sub to cater for the acoustics of the room. I've gone with a 2nd hand Tannoy HTS sub which will hopefully be a nice match for the Precision floor standers (well it will look nice at least )
)Hi david
What a result, you save some pennys and get the sound you want, you can now enjoy your music, until the next upgrade comes along hehe.
Best wishes
David
What a result, you save some pennys and get the sound you want, you can now enjoy your music, until the next upgrade comes along hehe.
Best wishes
David
The PM8005/SA8005 combo won the EISA awards for the stereo system of 2014-2015. That says something about the quality of this equipment.
https://www.eisa.eu/awards/hi-fi/history/2014-2015.html
https://www.eisa.eu/awards/hi-fi/history/2014-2015.html
David Smart said:I know! Now time to start listening to the music and not the system
+1 YES thats whats its all about music
Well my sub purchase fell through! As a plan B I hooked up a 25 year old audiolab as a pre amp for my CA power amp....source was my iPhone as I didn't have another phono lead . Well the sound is about twice the volume as it was before and, with the ability to tweak the tone control, there is more than enough bass without a sub. My speakers can go down to 30hz so if the bass is there they should be able to deliver it! So the dilemma is do I add a preamp or go for the PM8005. There is also an audiolab 8000C/P combo for sale in the local classifieds which is tempting!
. Well the sound is about twice the volume as it was before and, with the ability to tweak the tone control, there is more than enough bass without a sub. My speakers can go down to 30hz so if the bass is there they should be able to deliver it! So the dilemma is do I add a preamp or go for the PM8005. There is also an audiolab 8000C/P combo for sale in the local classifieds which is tempting!So between the PM8005 (£499), CA CXA60 (£499) or adding an CA Azur 651A (£299) to my existing CA Azur 651W power amp, What do you guys think is the best bang for the buck :-? I reckon I could sell my CA Azur 651W for £300 if going with one of the first two options (so cost to change around £250 - £300 either way)
Or home demo - go to your local richer sounds store - have an extended listen - YOU decide.
Let us know what you choose and tell us why - that would be of great interest to me and others.
cheers tonky
Let us know what you choose and tell us why - that would be of great interest to me and others.
cheers tonky
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