I'm confused; is the Marantz Pearl Lite good or not?

Dear All,

A summary of the review produced by HiFi News is here:

http://www.otest.co.uk/a/amplifier/m...12/332204.html

AnandR's excellent personal review (which he modestly declined to give the location of) is here:

http://www.whathifi.com/review/marantz-pm-ki-pearl-lite/user-reviews

Kind regards,

John

Yep, seems like it.  Seems like an opportunity missed with so many good amps delivering the additional functionality but not at the expense of the sound quality.  Horses, courses and all that I guess.

Dear  John,

Thank you for your acknowledgment of my review. I wanted to help people make up their mind without bias. 

Regards

Anand

Hello there,

I'm very much interested into this fine amp and I have one important question to ask before any sudden moves. Does these Marantz SPKT-1 binding posts on Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite accept spade speaker connectors? I haven't found any data about that on the internet. Did anybody compared it to the big brother PM-KI Pearl and is it worth to jump on this a bit more expensive amp. Did anybody had an opportunity to hear also new Marantz PM-11S3 amplifier. I'm interested into those comments which comes from real encounters with this equipment.

thanks for your kind reply. Best d.

If it helps im a marantz fan and i auditioned the pm lite amplifier and in short it didnt gel with me at all.  I compared it with my current old but very capable amp, the pm7000.  I prefered my old amp on sound by a long way.  I love the looks of the pm lite but as regards sound its just not worth the money.  

Sorry if thats not what you wanted to hear, but thats what i found.  All the best with finding your perfect amp 

Hiya,

On what kind of system did you listen to it? And what exactly was bad in the sound that you listen to? What did you not liked? To soft, warm, harsh, sibilant? What kind of music did you used and how long was the trial?

thanks, d.

Hello,

I'm still searching an answer if Marantz PM-Pearl Lite accepts spade connectors, but besides that I also play a little bit with thought and also looking towards Pearl (original) and maybe older brother PM-15S2. Just wonder how much difference are between these three Marantz amplifiers:

Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite

Marantz PM-KI Pearl

Marantz PM-15S2

I'm able to stretch to any but sure that they need to prove that they are worth the money. I like smooth and a tad warmer sound and I think that this is more or less a bit of a signature of Marantz house sound. Marantz is often described like that. I also have some older Marantz equipment at home and I like it coz of that. So question is if Marantz PM-KI Pearl Lite will satisfy my needs enough or does higher model mentioned bring substantial better musical presentation.

Unfortunately I live at the place so audition is not possible of any of these and I will be forced to buy online or second hand.

Current setup is:

Anthony Gallo Reference 3.5

REL B2

Musical Fidelity A308 (recently sold)

Marantz SR6003 (after selling my MF A308 I use my Marantz SR6003 also for music. But actually is not bad at all and this is the reason why I started to consider Marantz amplifiers rather than other premium priced products like McIntosh MA7000, Rega Osiris, Modwright KWI 200, Gryphon Atilla, Leben CS600, etc. )

Musical Fidelity NuVista CDP

Cardas Golden Cross RCA ICs

Anthony Gallo Reference OPT speaker wires

Power Cords DIY on Oyaide plugs and Tempolectric wire

After auditioning some very hi-end equipment I'm more and more comming to the conclusion that in most cases you pay a premium price, get a nicely packed product, but musical result is not always in line with what you payed for. Why to pay a premium price to be dissapointed. I rather pay normal price and have a premium product. I more and more believe that Marantz offer some of these solutions.

Thanks for your kind help and suggestions.

I have the Marantz Pearl Lite SACD player and the longer I own it the more I like it's sound. This was a replacement for a much more expensive Densen player that I found to be far too forward and harsh for classical music. I'm interested in the Pearl Lite amp as well, but would only purchase with a home audition, but this seems impossible to arrange.

Hi,

I listened to it fed from an arcam rdac and my beresford dac.  Speakers used were b&w cm1 (which i bought that day), b&w cm7, monitor audio rx2, neat motive 3 (which i now also own).

To be honest it was just too bright for me.  When people talk about marantz being warm they are referring to their old sound in my opinion - which is why ive still got my pm7000.

I listened for 3 hours and played all sorts but mainly played mellow stuff like norah jones.  The problem i found with the lite was that when norah really started to hit the high notes it was a bit too "shouty" / bright.  I blamed the speakers at first but when i put my pm7000 back on things started to sound good again to my ears.

Dont buy without an audition, if you cant audition maybe get a second hand one so you can sell it on without losing too much money if its not for you.

All the best

I have the US equivalent, the PM 8004 and it's quite good: excellent noise floor, build quality, phono stage.  Lots of clarity and detail presented in a very slightly laid back, softer manner with plenty of dynamic punch.  Only downside as others stated is that it can sound a little slow compared to other brands; in other words, it sounds like a marantz.

Has anyone compared the NA 7004 to the PM Ki Pearl Lite/ sa8004 player based on sound alone?

I plan on buying one of these units to use solely as a DAC ( I probably wouldn't use the streamer or the SACD playback) so sound quality is all that matters.  I believe the pearl lite/ sa 8004 has more shielding and a better power supply, but as to whether that makes an audible diference..   The NA 7004, of course, would save me money. 

Hello there, I pulled a trigger on this fine amp and I have to say that after a few days I'm very satisfied with it. I also wrote more detailed assessment which you can read here: http://www.whathifi.com/Review/Marantz-PM-KI-Pearl-Lite/user-reviews

Conclusion: Give this amp fine speakers, good quality cables and good electricity and it will put you in musical comfort zone.

best, d.

Hello Obiwan Kenobi I have just recently purchased the Pearl Lite CD player initially when removing it from its box I was struck by its weight a well built component now then fully admit I didn’t have a demonstration of this CD player took a gamble something I have not done previously and to my relief thus far not disappointed Phew! Presently working my way through my CD collection and  Dam it for £649 a great purchase will keep you informed, and yes I had also read the same reviews.Cheers Chuckle