Was Marantz PM6003 a mistake?

[StevieC]

As my old amp was over 20 years old and becoming unreliable I eventually bought a PM6003, a decision reached partly from all the rave reviews it's had and partly down to budget. But I must say I'm not exactly over the moon with it.

So what's wrong? Technically nothing, it's just my personal tastes. Firstly it has a far more detailed sound than my old amp and I've heard all sorts of things I've never noticed before. Unfortunately this includes analogue tape hiss, low level distortion, noise gates switching in & out etc. And some of my old vinyl that I would previously have described as having minor blemishes now sound like a well known breakfast cereal!

I'm not saying the amp's no good, in fact it works very well with modern recordings. But as modern recordings only account for about 5% of my music collection (me being a bit of an old fart) it perhaps wasn't the best choice for me. I also find the sound quite upfront and maybe a little on the bright side.

So all in all I think I would prefer something a bit more laid back and a little less revealing (which is probably the exact opposite of what most people go for these days).

If anyone's got any suggestions I'd be pleased to hear them. I know someone on this forum always says "trust your ears" and if my ears aren't happy then I need to do something about it.

Steve

 

[chebby]

I would try a better cartridge first. The better stylus profiles supress surface noise. (They won't eliminate noise but will push it down below the musical signal more.)

If you don't already have one, then try something with a nude elliptical stylus.

If you are not using a seperate phono pre-amp, then even something like the Rega Fono-Mini (£60) will probably be better than the built-in phono input on your Marantz.

 

[Frank Harvey]

What was your old amp?

 

[kevinJ]

Could you tell us what sources you use? What turntable and cartridge do you have? Do you ever wash the records and clean the needle? What speakers do you use? Do you have a mains conditioner?....

 

[StevieC]

I'm not only refering to vinyl, this is just a comparison of the overall sound of the PM6003 compared to my old amp for all sources and with the same speakers. My previous amp was a Technics SU-V670 by the way which I was always reasonably happy with.

I suppose in a nutshell I'm just looking for something a bit softer/warmer than the Marantz.

Steve

 

[the record spot]

Hi Steve, there are stacks of good old Technics amps out there; many in great condition. Have a look around and see what takes your fancy. You'll get a 670 if you're patient but many others to choose from too. As for brand new, well, is it too late for you to have a chat with the place you bought it from? Can you maybe exchange? Failing that, have a listen to Harman Kardon's HK980 if you can. I heard the 990 earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it; quite neutral, not "in your face" and no harsh treble boosts. The 980 is a little punchier I hear, but should be a good one to try out.

 

[chebby]

WHF considers the Yamaha A-S700 to be particularly soft, warm and smooth.

Don't worry about the rating. In this case they were subtracting stars because of qualities you actually like.