Marantz Is Back: 40th-Anniversary Marantz KI Ruby Series
- Thread starter Joe P
- Start date
Dizzie
Well-known member
Had Marantz gone away for a while?
jdandy
New member
This may be the 40th anniversary for Marantz, but I don't think a Class-D integrated amplifier makes much of a leading edge statement for the brand. The cosmetic styling looks essentially like the rest of Marantz past offerings, so nothing too special there either. A beautiful pair of Class-AB mono block amplifiers and a completely reimagined fully balanced preamplifier with external dual mono power supplies would have screamed 40th Anniversary. This stuff, no so much in my opinion.
Dan, those components would only be for the happy few.
I feel Marantz is aiming to bring mid to high quality sound to the masses.
And they succeed.
My mom, also a music lover, owns a Marantz CD-receiver and a couple of decent Wharfedale floorstanders.
For less than 1K, she has quite good sound.
When she watches TV, it is also through her Marantz system.
People who buy Marantz KI Ruby Series can go to the same dealer where they once bought their cheap CD-receiver.
There are not so many shops who sell small boutique hifi gear.
But Marantz is found everywhere.
And for the 8K the KI Ruby Series cost, you get quite a lot.
I think it would require careful matching to get the same quality from small brands.
I feel Marantz is aiming to bring mid to high quality sound to the masses.
And they succeed.
My mom, also a music lover, owns a Marantz CD-receiver and a couple of decent Wharfedale floorstanders.
For less than 1K, she has quite good sound.
When she watches TV, it is also through her Marantz system.
People who buy Marantz KI Ruby Series can go to the same dealer where they once bought their cheap CD-receiver.
There are not so many shops who sell small boutique hifi gear.
But Marantz is found everywhere.
And for the 8K the KI Ruby Series cost, you get quite a lot.
I think it would require careful matching to get the same quality from small brands.
jdandy
New member
Bart.......I get that point. Ever since Superscope bought Marantz from Saul Marantz in 1964, the beginning of many different owners through the years, the marketing concept shifted to mass marketing with the resultant abandonment of premium sound reproduction for what it has evolved into today. The tone of my post above comes mostly from all the hoopla and flashy showmanship Marantz puts on with each new "reference" component Mr. Ken Ishiwata promotes at new product announcement events. After all is said and done the majority of Marantz components fade into the woodwork in a relatively short period of time. This doesn't mean they are not decent audio components, only that they are not truly outstanding audio components as eluded to by their grandiose promotions. Lots of people enjoy Marantz components. Many buy them through Internet purchases or phone orders from catalog mail order dealers who mass market Marantz. There's certainly nothing wrong with that, but it is a far cry from the days of my youth when Saul Marantz was creating components like the Model 7 stereo tube preamplifier, Model 5 mono tube power amplifiers, and many other truly great audio components that also include the much sought after Marantz Model 10 tuner. I remember the glory days, so I view what has become of Marantz with a dash of cynicism. That's my jaded opinion and I'm sticking to it.
Dan, thank you for this information.
I was not aware of this glorious history of Marantz.
In that case, you can indeed wonder what would have happened if they had also continued to make real high end.
Like B&W, that makes entry level gear, but also 30K speakers...
I was not aware of this glorious history of Marantz.
In that case, you can indeed wonder what would have happened if they had also continued to make real high end.
Like B&W, that makes entry level gear, but also 30K speakers...
Rob181
Member
Marantz kick arse now with their HT Premium Pre Amps...
Their 8805 & the 8802 before it are equal to - if not the best - HT Pre Amp on the market...
A real shame not much else from Marantz comes close to those lofty heights...
Their 8805 & the 8802 before it are equal to - if not the best - HT Pre Amp on the market...
A real shame not much else from Marantz comes close to those lofty heights...
Bart, while my memories of Marantz are very similar to Dan's the truth is we aren't the target audience. As for uber expensive 'high end' electronics I doubt wether or not the fickle audiophile community would even accept them. Besides, it's always great when we sit back and 'wax poetically' about the good old days !
mep
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2013
- Messages
- 5,108
Take a look at the Model 2 amps, Model 5 amps, Model 8B amp, Model 9 amps, the Model 1 preamp, Model 7 preamp, and the 10B tuner. That was the real Marantz. Ultra cool looking gear that was well-engineered, vacuum tube based, and beautifully made and gorgeous to look at. Serious pride of ownership and still coveted today.
hifinutt
New member
have you compared their class d amps to AB amps , i thought their top amp was class D ?
https://www.marantz.co.uk/uk/produc...?catid=hifi&subcatid=amplifier&productid=pm10
jdandy
New member
Mike.......I'd be super happy to own a pair of Marantz Model 5 mono block tube amps and a Marantz Model 7 tube preamp. That would make a premium vintage sound system.
W9TR
Active member
Interesting article - there are so many great options for integrated amplifiers today, which is a good thing for people who live in smaller spaces.
One thing I don't get is the 40th anniversary thing. To Dan's point Marantz has been around a lot longer than 40 years. Weird.
One thing I don't get is the 40th anniversary thing. To Dan's point Marantz has been around a lot longer than 40 years. Weird.
CPP
Active member
The whole 49 year deal is all about Mr Ishawata since it was his in 1977. Personally I enjoyed Marantz before 1977 which the 2210 and the 2270 receivers when stuff was made in Sun Valley Ca. . I still have the 2270, which needs some work.
I actually like the Marantz sound. Their lower end gear is midfi and very forgiving. Their higher end reference gear sounds pretty good and I think that it is built well and has a higher end look. I owned the NA11s1 DAC and loved the sound. Its layered texture was great. Unfortunately is was not a good match for my system and I returned it. Vocal and piano were the best I have heard. It was built like a tank.
I owned a couple Marantz receivers back in the 1960's. I also recently saw some impressive looking Yamaha gear. Looks like some of the Japanese companies that settled into midrange products are back into the high end markets as well.