It never ceases to amaze me how some hifi products reach legendary status, the pm66se ki being one such item. I lived with this amplifier for 2 months and coukd stand it any longer. The most disappointing aspect was how it seem to run out of steam so early, when the bass lines became blurred to the point were they were totally indistinguishable, a mush. This also seemed to grab the whole sound down at the same time. All this happened at moderate levels of volume. I compared this to a more recent amplifier from Marantz the pm4400 and this did not exhibit this trait at all, a bit restrained if truth be told. Back to the pm66, at low evening listening it was a delight, with great detail, lovely treble and accurate rhythms, at times with acoustic guitars it was unnervingly good. So it is with sadness that I must say that like so many things, the impression of this amp is one that history has been very kind to it, it is not as good as it should have been. Mine was consigned to eBay, at a surprisingly high price. Thanks.

Best amp ever. Use it Tannoy M3. Nice character, sounds excellent, best buy for 400 $.

Wide sound, nice bass...

None for me!

Nice, valuable. Try (it's a little bit unusal ?!)with JAMO E 850.

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Wide sound, nice bass...

None for me!

Nice, valuable. Try (it's a little bit unusal ?!)with JAMO E 850.

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1. Price - I got it for £295 but you can now pick one up for closer to £200 if you shop around
2. Great sound - works well with a range of players - I tested it with a Naim CD3.5 among others and it was preferable to Naim's own Amp.
3. Looks good - brushed black front with nothing but two knobs. tape selector and an LED. Mirror-poilished copper back and inside it great.

1. Remote control only operates Volume and Mute on Amp and the pause button does not work with my Marantz CD Player. - Source switching would have been ideal.
2. Build Quality is a bit dissapointing

I agree with Nick - this Amp does sound best when played at a decent level, but even at lower volumes, this amp impresses. I listen to a wide rage of Music with my CD67SE/PM66KI combination. I tried Acoustic Energy AE109s/120s and KEF Q35s with the Marantz Combo and I have to say the Acoustic Energy's (either model) are the ones to go for if you want all-round ability, since the KEFs were a bit light on Bass. The Amp is excellent value for money - particularly at the moment with the immanent release of its replacement. It will also stand a couple of CD player upgrades if you are in the £300ish category. Even with the Naim CD3.5 (more than double the price at £1085) this Amp really manages to deliver.

I tried it against the Naim Nait 3R. It does not look quite as good but its quirky design makes it an interesting sight on the rack. The Naim was recommended to be used with the CD3.5 Player, but I found the results were just as good with the Marantz - which includes a full system remote for £100 less. The Sony amp was good, but I preferred the overall package of the Marantz - not to mention I already had a Marantz CD Player and liked the sleek look of the two together.

It is worth mentioning that the Marantz does not have a set of pre-outs nor two sets of speaker terminals so Bi-Wiring is going to have to be done by piggy-backing the banana plugs. It has two tape loops and gold plated sockets for CD. It also has a MM phono stage which I'm told is excellent (I don't have a turntable) by everyone who has heard it.

The only problem I have which is a bit of a let down is build quality. It occasionally starts humming (electrical) and is very prone to over heating which can cause problems. If you buy one, make sure it has plenty of air - put it on the top shelf your rack - so air can circulate (I put about half way down an it started to overheat and cut-out occasionally). Also - the RCA phono sockets on the back have caps which cover the plastic inner bit. These are not soldered on inside and can easily be pulled of if your interconnects are tight. - Locking interconnects are really an essential. Oh - an the remote is a bit button heavy unless you have lots of Marantz Kit. Only 3 buttons work with the Amp! An not all the others work as you think they should. But never the less the sound quality cannot be faulted. The Marantz sounds great with anything you throw at it.

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Naim Nait 3/3R, Sony, Arcam Alpha 8/8P

Sounds like a tube amp, but demonstrates precisely more
details, and is stronger in tight bass. Soft and quick high.

Sounds somewhat rough if driving in the higher watts.

Good Amp. Good enough for using it in combination with
a expensive high-end turntable or cd-player. Although
i know that there are other maybe better amps, i believe
that this thing really rocks for the money it costs.

But i think that if you do really need big power, you
have to purchase something else. But if you don't, because
your speakers don't need much power, then this amp is
very good. A more expensive amp is not necessary. The
more money can be better invested in front end like a
good turntable or cd-player.

The best quality of this amp is that it doesn't sound
like a typical transistor amp! While it doesn't cost
you a fortune. I did compare this amp with some tube-amps,
and i discovered that most tube-amps do sound warmer,
but not so accurate. So although this amp is much more
cheaper then the tube-amps, there is no guarantee for
better quality. It's what you as listener do prefer.
For example, i can imagine that some guys find that the
bass of this amp is too thin. Well, i like that clean,
precise and quick tight bass. That's what i prefer.
Many amps don't have the capability to do so, and do
sound much too fat, without clarity and details in the
low. But in this case i must say, that i was pleasantly
charmed by this little rocking amp..

For pop, it does sound enthousiastic, and for classic
the violins and another instruments do sound very natural.
Without harssness. I have to admit that i did some playing
with interlink cables for 'finetuning'. But it was worth it.
So if you want, this amp has the capacity for playing a
good job in a high-end audio set.

My value: Although i know there are better amps, i want
to give this amp 5 points, because of the 'low' price,
and the high quality. Listen and compare it with more
expensive tube-brothers, and you will discover...

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NAD, Onkyo, Quad

This amp is the business if you listen to a wide range of music. I auditioned several others in the price range and found the marantz was the only one to deliver in all areas. For auditioning I used Morcheeba's big calm (female vocals) / The old favourite DireStraights (Brothers in Arms)/ Some Heavy rock stuff & Some Dance music. What amazed me was how the amp could deliver tons of solid bass whilst still keeping vocals etc pin sharp. Try it with Air all I need and you'll see!
My only gripe is the amps been change twice in a year due to various faults.

Can not be touched in it prices class. Needs to be played loud for fill enjoyment.

clarity, punch, tight bass, coherent

power output

My set up consists in Marantz CD 63 KIS cd player and Cabasse farella 400 speakers. The choice for the right amp is really not obvious with these speakers : they are so transparent and brigh sounding that poor devices cannot be used. At the same time, the farellas are so fast and dynamic that you do not need much power to drive them. So I tried many amps from a wide range of price and the conclusion was no doubt in favour of the PM 66 KIS.
This amp simply has the right balance for my speakers : enough power, but not too much, transparency, control, a little "warmness" with midbands. And above all, a coherent way to put the music right into the brain not thinking about treeble, bass and so on, but only music.
The only weakness I can still fin in my system is a bass that is still a little bit lazy and overblown : I think, after reading many reviews, that it should come from the 63 KIS cd player. I'am thinking of upgrading it toward the CD 17 KIS : any avice would be welcome !

Similar Products Used:

PM 66SE, Thule spirit 100, Pm 17 KIS, Cairn Aria HE, Creek 4330 SE

I've recently upgraded my amplifier to a Marantz PM66KI - it is the business - especially for the price. I listened to an Audiolab 8000LX, and Cyrus SL (both similar price) and the Marantz came out tops in my opinion. It presents any music (I tried acoustic guitar, heavy dance [Leftfield] and rock) beautifully - very detailed and transparent, while never sounding harsh or muddled. Bass control and response is particularly superb. I can't recommend it highly enough. Don't be put off by the bog-standard Japanese amp looks - this amp is a star.