Marantz PM10 and SA10, amplifier and deluxe CD / SACD player

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The legendary Marantz brand completes its Hi- Fi stereo range with two devices that are a true luxury : the PM10 integrated amplifier and the SA10 compact disc player , a device that also reads SACD and allows its use as a DAC converter for other digital sources. Marantz has applied its maximum knowledge to them and has manufactured them without any quality compromise , hence a price - still estimated - that will be around 8,000 euros per piece.

If we first analyze the amplifier, we will see that the Marantz PM10 marks a milestone in the brand's range by outperforming the so far "kings" in the catalog, the SC-7 preamplifier assembly and the MA-9 monophonic power amplifiers. . The PM10 achieves a power of 200W at 8 Ohms, which doubles to 400W by reducing the load by half (4 Ohms), thus showing the robustness of its power supply . To deliver as much power and do it with maximum fidelity, the PM10 is conceived as four amplifiers in one: two for each of its two channels, so far apart that we can speak of a double monophonic construction . Each channel also works in differential- bridged mode , that is, it not only amplifies the signal from a source with reference to the “ground” but it does so with both parts of the signal.

Fully manufactured in Japan , each section of the circuit has its own separate power supply : the two channels amplification section prior (control volume microprocessor and source selection, using amplification modules hyperdynamic HDAM of Marantz ) and the part dedicated to vinyl records, as Marantz has not forgotten the more traditional amateurs and includes in the PM10 a refined phono section to amplify the delicate signals of the turntable capsules (both MM type andMC ). It includes a capable headphone amplifier with a dedicated output. The PM10 is therefore massive: it reaches 21 ”™ 5 kg of weight for dimensions of 440 x 168 x 453 mm (W x H x D).

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As for its companion, the SA10 compact disc player and SACD , to say that once again Marantz has thrown the house out of the window to provide it with unique features : the optical disc player is custom made (not common to other devices) , capable of reading not only CDs and SACDs but also DVDs with high-resolution music files , and the digital-to-analog conversion ( DAC ) section is unique to Marantz . It is a new development that, instead of using " chips”From third parties in a more or less standard circuit, performs two processes called Marantz Musical Mastering , MMM - Conversion and MMM - Stream . The former takes any incoming digital signal and oversamples it into DSD (native SACD ) format at a frequency of 11 ”™ 2MHz also called DSD256 (because it is 256 times faster than the 44” ™ 1kHz sampling frequency of CDs. ). The signal, synchronized with high precision clocks , can be directly converted from that frequency to analog with a simpleDAC monobit itself from Marantz , avoiding digital artifacts and distortion associated with other types of converters. This conversion section and its refined analog output with HDAM modules can also be used with external sources, and the available USB connection allows decoding of PCM type files up to 32 bit / 384 kHz and DSD up to DSD256 . The Marantz SA10 measures 440 x 127 x 419 mm ( W x H x D) and weighs 18 ”™ 4 kg .

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