Marantz Reference Journey Continues

Dpod4

Dpod4

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I get my Marantz SA7S1 sacd player back this week from JENA Labs as they are doing the final mods (dampening and isolation materials) after they completed all the parts and wiring upgrades. I will report back on how that modded player sounds especially in comparison to my Lampizator DSD only DAC which took PCM and DSD files to new heights via DSD native (DSD files) and DSD encoding (all other file types) in JRiver Media Center.

Saturday I took possession of a Marantz SC7S2 preamplifier. When I fell in love with the MA9S1 and S2 mono amps I also demoed the sc7s1 preamp (1st version) and it paled in comparison to my Air Tight 2001 ref preamp. I kept reading how Marantz had upped its game with the second version so I kept my eyes peeled for one. I lucked out:

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1433701386.216453.jpg

The SC7S2 definitely is better than the S1. Actually a wider margin of improvement than first and second models of the reference amps. Much more open and expansive and speedy. Transients are blindingly fast and there are layers of detail easy to hear. I remember the S1 being a little shut in by comparison.

I hooked it up yesterday and did a little comparison to my Air Tight ATE-2001 reference tube preamp. Compared to the Air Tight, the SC7S2 did not have the "meat on the bones" or the liquid accuracy of harmonic rightness or thundering lower registers of the Air Tight. But then again nothing I have heard does, not the GAT not the ARC Ref40 not the Hegel, etc. Jennifer and Mike Crock from Jena Labs swung by yesterday and popped the lid off the SC7S2 and will do a full mod later this month. If the transformation is anything like their modifications to the MA9S1 monos, the preamp should get neck and neck with the Air Tight (maybe....maybe not...the ate-2001 is the most special component I think I own right now...I think that separate power supply takes it to summit).
 
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The pre-amp is my most important component in the chain. To my way of thinking there are not as many "very good" ones as people think there are. I tend to think they elevate a lot of systems & sometimes it is with the intimacy of knowing the gear we listen to well that we come to realise this. Very interesting to read about your "Marantz" hot-rodding journey.
 
Congrats Darrin! Glad to read the Air Tight continues to reign supreme. But the Marantz SC7S2 must be fun to play with. Its real good looking too!
 
bzr said:
The pre-amp is my most important component in the chain. To my way of thinking there are not as many "very good" ones as people think there are. I tend to think they elevate a lot of systems & sometimes it is with the intimacy of knowing the gear we listen to well that we come to realise this. Very interesting to read about your "Marantz" hot-rodding journey.
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Totally agree. I think the preamp is the arbiter of the signal and is the hardest component for a designer/company to nail. For me it creates the magic (or not).
 
Mike said:
Congrats Darrin! Glad to read the Air Tight continues to reign supreme. But the Marantz SC7S2 must be fun to play with. Its real good looking too!
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Thanks Mike. There is no way around it - The Air Tight made the magic and made me forget it was a reproduced sound.
 
Awesome Darrin. I am so happy to read that you are enjoying the journey. Does Jenna Labs offer mods on regular basis or just for special occasions? Just thinking ahead. :D
 
Jena Labs can probably mod anything given their engineering prowess but they only work on things well engineered. They are good friends with John Curl and collaborate on engineering design. Jennifer is close to the folks at Positive Feedback so she came across the Marantz reference gear years ago and was impressed with it so modified it. Interestingly they do more work for super high end audiophiles in Japan and and other countries than USA
 
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