This is my first "real amplifier",before this my only experience was with locally made amplifiers and t-amps,i got the used marantz amplifier in a insane deal from a guy who has a audio gear that will make any budget audiophile drool.I experienced my first true 7.1 surround system in my life with 150 inch projector that literally blown me away.Before i stray away from the review lets come back to the marantz amplifier,the first thing i noticed about the amp is that it's big one look at the amplifier and i immediately knew that this thing is no joke.The guy who sold me demoed this amplifier to me with a 300w tower speakers and i was surprised to see that it was able to drive it at quarter of volume dial up.I immediately purchased it for 200$ which i think is a good deal considering it was only used for 50 hours and he purchased it for near 500$.
Build Quality
The only thing i can complain about the build is that the volume knob and input selector knob doesn't inspire confidence it feels plasticky but still not a deal breaker considering the price.In the front there is the bass,treble and balance dial,speaker A-B select button,loudness,source direct button.There is also the power switch and headphone out which i will discuss later.In the back there is phono,tuner,cd,aux inputs which is more than enough for my needs.The amp is also very heavy looking inside i can tell that the Marantz people has done a lot of attention in detail in building the amp.Remote control is available with the amplifier,it's remarkable that attention to detail is given to the remote of this budget amplifier.
Performance
As i said earlier i don't have much experience with the premium amplifier,this is my first integrated amplifier and only amplifiers i have for comparison is a lepai amplifier which for 20$ is good enough for most purposes but Marantz is a completely different beast it more than justify it's size with sound quality that is infintely better than lepai,it's hard to believe that the spec sheet says it has only 35 wpc because when i connected the amp to polk tsx 110 bookshelf(review coming soon) at quarter of the volume drives it can drive polk easily.Now to actual soundquality the sound can be described as weighty,almost fluidic with wide soundstage,detailed,with clear punchy bass that really makes the woofer work to it's full potential.I think this amplifier can drive the polk to it's 100% full potential which is something.I used this amplifier with Schiit Modi DAC which seemed puny in comparison to Marantz.
|
Schiit modi DAC output a cleansound to the amp
|
Inception soundtrack-Mombasa (MP3 320)
This track composed by Hans zimmer is absolutely amazing to hear with the Marantz amplifier the bass is powerful,i had no idea this speaker is even capable of producing this powerful bass.Every instrument has sufficient seperation so we can hear every instrument can be heard clearly.
Lorde-Royals(FLAC)
Lordes vocals can be heard clearly over the instruments,sound is neutral with every frequency has enough detail that make us question why this amplifier is priced so low.
Ludovico Einaudi-Divenire(FLAC)
My M Audio monitors can't even be compared to the polk and marantz combo,individual piano notes can be clearly heard with the music is fluidic and there is no harsh treble with marantz polk combo that is present in m audio which makes it way more enjoyable.Soundstage is wider as well
Movies(Imitation Game DTS Bluray)
For movies i used a diologue heavy movie,Benedicts voice is beautifully presented with the Marantz it was able to convey every emotion that is not even possible with most of the amplifiers i have heard including M audio,music is also amazing in the movie.Overall very enjoyable experience.
Conclusion
Marantz PM 5004 is one of the best amplifer that you can get for your money,you can get similarly priced Yamaha amplifiers with 100w power,but just do a A-B comparison and you will get it that wattage doesn't really equate to soundquality.For the money you can't get an amplifier with similar soundquality and for those wondering if it's good enough to replace your t-amps.I can guarantee you this amp is much much better sounding than any t-amps in the market today.
