Whats the opinion on Marantz PM K1 Black pearl

Here are some other answers I gave in response to another forum on the SA11S2, which is similar to the Pearl.

I had the SA11 Series 2, but then the Pearl came out, and a friend I know bought it. The black finish was very classy looking, and I got jealous. We made some comparisons between the two, and I have to admit that it made me go buy the Pearl. They both have similarities in sound, but I decided I liked the sound of the Pearl better, and the fact that it was designed like a hotrod modification can be heard. It really is a special player. It just sounds wonderful, though I could live with either player.

To answer questions from the member 4musica, the SA112 and the Pearl sound like they were made by the same designer, because they have a similar sonic characteristic. The soundstages are close enough that you do not hear a big difference in how things are spread across the stage.

The treble range in both are extended, but don't have that piercing, laser like, dry sound like the Benchmark I had a long time ago. But, the Pearl makes high piercing massed brass (like trumpets w/trombones, w/saxophones) ensembles sound more as a massed group, and easier on the ears. It's hard to explain. Since I have ribbons, I hear all these details and extra brightness that recordings have. They are more pleasant to listen to. But this probably depends on your system.

The Pearl has something in the midrange that is very intoxicating. Although voices sound good on both units, in the Pearl a voice sounds more like all of the voice is coming out in one piece (?). Again this is hard to describe.

There seemed to be a bit more bass on the SA112, but it was confusing, because at times it seemed the Pearl bass was easier to follow, at other times not.

The headphone jack is really nice to have on the Pearl, and it sounds better than other headphone jacks I have found on equipment.

I would also add that when I used a Bel Canto DAC3, I found that images bunched together to some degree, which bothered me. I was sure of this, because I compared it to the other units I had at the time.

So, at this point, I really like my Pearl.

An excellent sounding piece, with surprising guts to the sound, and with a superb phono stage that, by all accounts, can't be duplicated by a similarly priced unit offering this quality of construction, beauty and power.
John Atkinson measured it putting out more than its rating.
140w into 8 ohms (rated 110) and 240w into 4 ohms (rated 220).

It has sweetness but detail and extension at the same time. Very hard to understand this. It has a nice, big soundstage, the bass is surprisingly good, but don't expect the impact of bass a large Pass or Krell will give you.

The midrange has a beguiling sound. Voices are very well served. The reviewers are correct that this unit with the Pearl SACD player are a perfect match. However, on its own, the K1 amp sounds wonderful, and it has WBT speaker posts and super quality parts that are used in the more expensive end of the Reference line.

Unless you go to the Reference Line, I don't think you will get this kind of sound from Marantz's regular stuff.