Let your ears decide.
Marantz Ruby PM KI amp vs Accuphase e-480 or e-380
So... does the Marantz "economies of scale" trump here? Can they make just as good of luxury product for cheaper than the more "boutique" brand? Sound quality -wise, is the Ruby PM KI amp just as good or better (though without the features) as the Accuphase e380 or e480...?
My preference is detailed but perhaps on the warm side of neutral...
Could run either of ’em w a bluesound node going through the Ruby SACD player dac, so consider that the source(s). Just consider that to be my inputs, into the Ruby and/or Accuphase amps, to control that point. So the question is about the amps.
And btw... I know there are plenty of other choices... but let's keep this discussion focused to my question at hand; I've heard all the arguments for all the other possible amps in this world, and I'm down to these two for the purposes of my question; I'm not interested in hearing about a bunch of other brands.
Another related thought, although it would likely void the warranty, if I bought an Accuphase, say the 480, in Japan ... could it be easily "rewired" to be American power (110/120) ? A high end repair shop ought be able to do that for a couple hundred bucks I’d think, or am I mistaken.
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I stand corrected, I didn't know it was a class D. Specs seem good but I like to test with some amp sucking speakers like my Infinity 2.5s. That will separate the posers. Thanks for the heads up. |
There are some comments on here saying the Marantz uses a switch mode power supply that is INCORRECT it uses a toroidal linear power supply with class D outputs. Please correct me if I’m wrong. And if I am it really doesn’t matter anyway. It will drive any speaker, and it’s stable into 1ohm loads. The power rating is very conservative I’ve read 200 into eight ohms and well over 350 into four ohms. And if anybody doubts it will not drive low impedance speakers I have a pair of Sonus Faber Extremas currently with my brother😫😂 and a pair of Hales Rev3’s both go into the upper two ohms in impedance. We also tried it on my brothers infinity renaissance 90s no problem. It also makes my Joseph audio pulsar twos sound phenomenal which is a very benign load. I’ve never heard digital amps sound like this. The last big amp that I have owned was the classe omega stereo with a convergent audio technology SL one ultimate preamp. All I can say is heat heat heat and heavy heavy heavy the omega weighed almost 350 pounds, the SL one ultimate weighs 80 pounds. Is the Marantz better than these two no, is it 90% of these two yes, also I can pick it up myself as it weighs 38 pounds. Also I’m 57 years old so I’m weighing in different things than some of the younger guys like if my classe amp broke I would have to get it from upstairs to downstairs in it’s flight case and then shipping back to Canada that would cost half as much as a used Marantz Ruby. Also I owned the Cat SL one ultimate for 20 years and all the money I spent on tubes no telling what else I could’ve owned, I loved it it was phenomenal but it’s heavy and finicky tube eater. But did it sound gorgeous with the classe yes. It cost a lot of money to get that extra 10% also I think the Marantz would compete with any Accuphase equipment even the very top E series. Accuphase is phenomenal equipment but you’re going to empty your wallet to get it. When you step in to the E-series will it beat the Marantz possibly, at this point in my life it’s not worth the extra cash I could spend it somewhere else to better my system🤔. This is just my opinion and I’m not trying to frustrate or make anybody mad. We all have our opinions I was just very surprised when putting the Marantz in my system and putting different speakers on it. Right now I have a fully restored Levinson 383 that I love. I’m using the Marantz in my bedroom with Rel subs I love this amp it does not sound like your typical class D amp. If it did I wouldn’t own it. Also I’ve owned the super high-end exotic stuff and actually as i get older, as long as I buy quality stuff it doesn’t make that much of a difference to me. So your mileage may vary, and you have to weigh things towards your budget and where you are in your life. I love my tube amp I love the Levinson and I love the Marantz it’s all I need |
@wadia150 Yeah, I hear you very clearly. I went with the Ruby for many of the same reasons you list out... I got open box both the amp and the cd player/dac for a lot less than even a used Accuphase e480, so I threw in a bluesound node (the new model... 130 is the model #?) and I’m still well under the 480. The 480 is pretty and I’m sure sounds great, but I am certain the Ruby will sound great too... more than great to my imperfect 60 year old ears, surely... since I even like the seemingly-lowly Marantz nr1200. I haven’t even hooked up the Rubies yet because I’m travelling currently. Plus, since I’m buying another house, I used some of the remaining surplus savings to pay for inspections, and then some... will STILL have more left over for some minor house repairs like a few broken shingles and whatnot. So I get a great new stack w five-year warranty plus a bluesound for less than just one used amp alone.... indeed, I’d still have money to throw on an FM tuner, if I decide to... a Rotel or Sangean or something (but maybe the bluesound streamer will take care of all that, although I like the idea of having over the air option). I was sorely tempted by the gorgeous 480, but I am fully confident that the Ruby stack will be exceptional and far beyond what I’ve ever owned before, and even what I’ve owned before sounds excellent w my speakers and better in fact than most more expensive fancy setups that I’ve encountered... so that’ll do it, and I think I have my priorities straight, too, really... Thank you everybody for helping me think things through. |
@wadia150 May I ask how you connected the REL subwoofer to the PM-KI? Is any component getting warm at the touch? According to Marantz, the PM-KI was not meant to have a subwoofer connected to it. This is their reply when I contacted them (Marantz). Even the guy from Rythmic subs warned me about connecting subs to Class D amps. Thank you for contacting Marantz Support, we value you as a customer and appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance! We do not recommend connecting a speaker level sub to this unit as it may cause damage to the amp channels. Unfortunately, the PM-KI Ruby is not designed to handle a sub. It's designed to be used with 2 speakers connected only. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us again. |
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