John Darko
Marantz Model 10: the story so far. A new flagship integrated. Supersedes 2018’s PM-10. 250wpc into 8 ohms, 500wpc into 4 ohms. Bi-ampable for more. Two loudspeaker outputs. No DAC. No streamer. All analogue. Fully balanced from input to output. Four line-level inputs (two of which are balanced). ‘Best ever’ MM/MC phono board with three impedance settings for MC cartridges. Balanced and single-ended pre-amplifier outputs. Balanced and single-ended power amplifier inputs (aka HT Bypass). Modestly-powered headphone amplifier: 130mW into 32 Ohms. Redesigned remote control. €14,500.
But shock horror for some: the loudspeaker amplifier is a Class D design, co-developed with Denmark’s Purifi. Don’t think (as I did) that these are Eigentakt modules. They aren’t. They are an in-house design, tuned at Marantz’s Shinagawa facility, where one module and one SMPS have been applied to each channel. The net result is, according to Marantz, 30 amps of peak current, THD driven down to 0.005% and immunity to (loudspeaker) load impedance.
How does the Model 10 gain such immunity? I asked Marantz directly. “It’s a combination of the amplifier modules’ advanced feedback control, the individual switching mode power supply’s stable voltage delivery and Marantz’s current feedback topology”, was the response.
So, if a pair of switching power supplies is used for the dual mono amplifier section, what’s underneath the CD-sized copper cap visible through the top grille? Answer: a toroidal transformer that powers the linear power supplies that feed the Model 10’s analogue inputs, analogue outputs and – most importantly – its pre-ampifier circuit.
My Marantz contact tells me that the internal phono board and headphone amplifier also enjoy independent linear power feeds and that the internal copper walls, ceilings and floors form compartments that prevent noise bleed between the Model 10’s multi-layered circuit boards. Around these, an internal copper-plated ‘triple layer chassis’ has been constructed to further minimise noise pollution and the negative impact of microphonics — where vibrations can turn into electrical signals.
What else? The volume control is all analogue but electronically controlled; it uses ‘gain staging’ to deliver better SNR at lower listening levels; the discrete component structure of the HDAM SA-3 modules found in the pre-amplifier has been updated; the VU meters are electronically displayed via a front-panel port hole via which we also interact with the Model 10’s menu system. I’ll say it now: the Marantz’s VU meters aren’t as visually impressive as the analogue VU meters found on the recently reviewed Luxman L-505Z and the soon-to-be-reviewed Technics SU-R1000. But if you try to pick up the Marantz’s 35kg (40kg with the box) by yourself, you should be fully prepared to ‘lift with your knees’. For context, the Luxman and the Technics weigh 23.5kg and 22.8kg respectively. Is this because they do not feature the Marantz’s 1.6cm-thick copper side panels?
In early February, I spent ten days with a champagne/silver version of the Model 10 in Lisbon and had to press a Solid Steel hifi rack into service to accommodate its size and weight. We then filmed the first chunk of b-roll.
I got another two weeks of hands-on time with a black Model 10 in late March. We filmed a little more b-roll and shot the photos you see here. I then took notes on how the Marantz audibly compares to the Class A/B powerhouse that is/was Hegel’s H590 (303wpc into 8 Ohms, €10,995). I prefer the look of the champagne/silver model.
Also enjoying the side-by-side comparison treatment in March was the Eigentakt-loaded M23 power amplifier from NAD (200wpc into 8 Ohms, €3999), as fronted by the matching M66 pre-amplifier (€5999). With which loudspeakers? Vivid Audio’s Portuguese distributor Ajasom was kind enough to lend me a pair of the Kaya 90 dressed in silver.
Back in Berlin, I am set up with a pair of lime green Kaya 45, also from Vivid Audio, and another Model 10 is due to come my way at the end of May. Why the wait? The Model 10 is presently sold out worldwide, telling us that there is indeed a market for a near-€15K integrated amplifier.
Further information: Marantz
