Annie’s Audio Adventures: Marantz 101
Here’s how lucky I am: a good friend of ours, who got tired of hearing my hubby and I talk endlessly about great sound, speakers, cables and systems, came over a few weeks ago. Unfortunately for him, he has long run out of arguments against us, and we have made him listen to so many great pieces of music, that, in a way, he has seen the light, or as I would prefer to say, heard the note! What’s that got to do with my luck, you wonder? Well, guess who is “stuck” baby sitting his system while he finishes renovating his house? Yeah! You guessed it: ME!!!!! Oh yeah! Guess what his system is? Yes, you guessed it again (which proves that you do read the titles!): a beautiful, majestic, grey with a slight hint of pinkish sunset, Marantz! Officially, they’re called the Reference Line SA-7 S1 SA-CD player, SC-7S2 preamp, and MA-9S2 power amps.
The one word that can summarise what the Marantz system does, is MORE. More of everything: more highs, more mids, more bass, more clarity, more musicality, more stage depth. Warning: you will notice very quickly if your recording is of poor quality! I know some of you are anxious about me reviewing some analogue stuff, so I promise to you I will try to convince our friend to cough up more cash to buy the turntable! In the meantime, I have a CD player, a preamp and a pair of amps to play with our Pioneer EX-3 speakers (of which he also got himself a pair!) By the way, make sure you turn the system on and off in the proper order or you might blow your speakers... Come on, give me some credit! Of course I didn’t blow up our speakers! I phoned my fairy godfather before I turned anything on because my hubby was away! When the cat’s away, the mice are at play, right?
Personally, I don’t think the Marantz would be perfect for beginner audiophiles... but then again, if you have over $30,000.00 to play with, chances are you have already experienced great systems! If not, make sure you have a high end store dealer who is honest, reliable and patient, and who will let you try the system at home, so you can hear what it sounds like in your room. Also, I strongly suggest playing around with cables, because they do make a big difference. I’ve noticed that the wrong cables with this Marantz could really make it sound too bright in our room. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting you should muffle the sound, only that you need to pair the right cables with this system. After all, you wouldn’t pair up a great cheese with a cheap wine, would you?
So, how does it sound? Awesome! I’ve been listening to Sarah McLachlan’s Freedom Sessions CD over and over! That CD, for those who may not know, is extremely well recorded! The stage sound of the Marantz has that ability to bring out everything, from the breathing, to the fingers sliding on the strings of the guitar, to the clarity of the piano. If you listen at a high enough level, say around -32, you can even hear the sound of the piano board when Sarah presses the pedals! The depth of the stage is incredible! You really feel like you’re in the middle of it all, that you are at a concert! An added bonus of the Marantz CD player, is the fact that you can choose between 3 different filters at the click of a button. That way, you can play even more with the sound. You can manipulate it so it has more or less echo and space between each note.
When you feel like testing out the bass, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE listen to the version of Ice on that Freedom Sessions! According to the CD booklet, Sarah was trying her “first attempt to control an electric guitar plugged into an amp turned to 10.” She goes on to say that “Often mistakes are the best way to learn how not to do it.” I say, “Thank you, Sarah!” Personally, I really enjoy the “tension” the guitar adds to this version of a usually mellow, poetic song. I still love the original version too, don’t worry! I’m not sure what number the amp’s bass was turned to, but is certainly wasn’t on 1! Now, you know I’m a girl, and that I have absolutely no interest whatsoever, in a muddy bass that just makes BOOM, BOOM, BOOM noises that you hear coming from some cars! I do, however, like to have the grounding that a solid, honest, clear and powerful bass has to offer. My kind of bass: try (again, I know), The Fairfield Four These Bones. My hair is thick and long again, but that song still made the small hair on the back of my neck rise!
You want to try something with more instruments? Listen to Sting’s Don’t Stand So Close to Me, from his All This Time CD. Want to have fun with some djembe drums? Try Elsewhere, from Sarah McLachlan’s Freedom Sessions. Well, try the whole CD, if you want my opinion! Of course, I can’t do any listening session without Chris Botti! I cried when I heard Ave Maria, from his Italia CD for the first time (I know, lame, but it’s actually true!) Honestly, I don’t think anything could sound bad on that Marantz, unless it is badly recorded. I don’t want to make any enemies, but there’s one kind of music I would NOT listen to on this, or any other system, for that matter! Those who know me know what that is! But as you know, you have to listen to it yourself, with your own favourite music to be able to compare what you hear from one system to the next. So grab your own favourite CDs, and have fun listening! I’m bugging my hubby to build me another stand so I can have our Chord next to our friend’s Marantz to go back and forth! By the way, clear maple is a great colour match for the Marantz! Did I mention that I also like the fact that the lights on the Marantz are quite dim, so they don’t distract you when you’re listening with your eyes open at night. The display on the CD player can even be turned off!
So, did I enjoy the Marantz? Absolutely! But remember the warning: you have to listen to it in your room and experiment with cables, or I think your brain might get tired after a while trying to listen to so much sound. And do NOT turn the amps on first, or you risk blowing your speakers! I promise that if ever my forever beloved Churchill speakers come my way again, I will definitely try the Marantz with them! I have a feeling that the warmth of those speakers would balance out the clarity of the Marantz beautifully! One can always dream!
What’s the best news? Well, I’ve learned that fortunately, in AudioLand, it is possible and acceptable, to be in love with more than one system at the time! Thank heaven for that!
I have to go: more music to listen to!
Product Details
Product SA-7S1 SACD player.
Price $6,000.
Product SC-7S2 preamp.
Price $6,500.
Product MA-9S2 monoblocks.
Price $6,000 each.
Marantz America
100 Corporate Drive
Mahwah, NJ 07430-2041
USA
(201) 762-6500
www.marantz.com