Very accurate. Very detailed mids and highs,deep tight bass.
Incredibly powerful for a 60 W/C integrated amp.

None

I was looking toward replacing my 15 yearold Adcom separates at 100 W/C, since they were sounding a bit harsh. I listened to the Marantz PM-17 and was amazed at the detail and clarity of the mids and highs. It sounds slightly sweet and warm and is quite different from the Adcoms. Teamed with a Marantz 600OSE CD player and PSB Stratus Bronze speakers, there is an in-the-room feeling with vocalists such as Holly Cole, Diana Krall, Eva Cassidy (Songbird), Patrica Barber, Sarah Brightman, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. The mids seem dead-on accurate. The bass is deep and tight as evidenced by the drum and guitar sequence of Hotel California from the Eagles' Hell Freezes Over CD.
Imaging and soundstaging are also excellent. The above vocals are awesomely center stage.
And build quality seems first rate. The thing weighs 38 lbs.and can play more loudly than my 100W/c Adcoms. With the PM-17, the music seems to wash over the listener. Highly recommended as the last integrated amp one will need.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom separates, Marantz SR7000, others.

Very good sound, very nice design.

None

Very good amplifier. I have a Cd-17MKII to so sound very good on my B&W P6 loudspeakers.

I've had the PM-17 for about a month and I can't find anything bad to say about this unit. After having several other products including Sony, Denon and Nakamichi I was ready to believe the only way to get the stereo sound I was looking for was to purchase seperates.I agree with the previous post about changing the power cord but, thats the only thing I can think to change about this fine unit.
When I get my Dynaudio Contours later this month I know all will be perfect!

Warm and smooth musical amp. Excellent build and lots of facilities

Not a very detail amp. Soungstaging is not that wide

I had read bad reviews on this equipment before. Hi-Fi Choice commented that “ It had a fat, uncontrollable bass”. While HiFi News said that it was “dull.” Most of these reviewers used expensive, high-end equipment to review different equipment and most of the time is a mismatch and no synergy between the equipment – especially the cables and the speakers. Also, the equipment send to be review sometimes is not properly running in. I fell in love when I first saw it a few years back. I made a quick check on the reviews of PM-17. Sadly, the reviews gave a different picture. It made me turn away from PM-17 even before I can give it a try. 5 months back, someone selling it away in the net for just US$300. There was no harm done for just an audition. The seller brought the amp to my house and quickly hooked it up. I was very surprise how musical the amp was. All it need was a proper warm up (U can tell my the temperature gauge) and also a good power cord (I used a Cardas Quadlink ). I was totally happy with the amp and I bought it. I use it with Marantz CD-63 MkII Ki-Sig CD player and Dynaudio Audience 40 speaker with Kimber 8TC speaker cables. After awhile, I found something missing in my system. The bass was a little bit too thick and the flow of the music was not flow as smooth. I swapped my Transparent Musiclink Plus i/c with Nordost Solarwind i/c instead. I am glued to my system since then. Now, I’m very happy with my setup after trying several amps including pre/power. I finally get the kind of sound that I have been looking for – smooth, warm, tight bass, airy and non-fatiguing but also dynamic sound. I maybe stick to my recent setup before the hi-fi bug bites me again.
My system consist of:
Marantz CD-63MkII Ki-Sig CD player
Marantz ST-46 Tuner
Marantz PM-17 Integrated Amp
Sony JE-440 MD player
Sony PS-11 Turntable
Nordost SolarWind/Blue Heaven i/c
Kimber PBJ X2 for MD player
Kimber 8TC speaker cable
Monster Litespeed 100 optcal cable

Similar Products Used:

Electrocompanient, NAD, Pionner, Classe, Audiolab

Great integrated amplifier. Extremely powerful...60 watts is more than enough to drive any speaker.

None

I was surprised by this amp. I did not expect it to drive my PSB Stratus this well....Great highs, mids and decent bass. I used my Sony DVPS7700 to read my CDs. Its an affordable integrated amplifier for anyone wanting to start a decent two channel system. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Rotel, Cambridge Audio

Good built, lots of features, warm and smooth sound

Not the most transparent and detail amp around.

I got this amp in a used market. Very good bargain......at US$300/-!!. Anyway, this amp perform much better than my previous pre-power amp. Although it is not the most detail amp but it gives a very warm and smooth sound almost like a tube amp...did I say 'ALMOST'. Buy it when u can find it in a used market. Warmly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C340, pioneer A400....many other pre/power amps.

Excellent sound, cool-looking remote, cool-looking unit

None really, except that it weighs so much

I bought the PM-17 in 1998, and I've had it for almost 3 years. I like every single thing about it. The sound is obviously the most important, I use it with Dynaudio Audience 9 speakers. The bass is so good with these speakers and the Marantz, that I almost never need to use my subwoofer. The treble is very rich, very defined, and fills the room. The way the unit looks is very pleasing, and I like the 'pre-outs' that it has in the back. Also, I like how there is no annoying digital display, just the temperature gauge and the small LEDs for the input selector. I've unhooked the unit and moved 3 times, and it has no issues at all. The only problem I've had is that after 2 years, the light bulb on the temperature gauge went out, even though the gauge itself is fine. Maybe one of you could respond and let me know 2 things : 1) Is it better for the lifetime of the integrated amp if I leave the power on all the time, or turn it off every night? 2) How would I go about replacing the light bulb on the temp gauge? Happy listening.

Similar Products Used:

Sony / Fisher stereo receivers, nothing in this price range

The PM-17 is one of Marantz' more recent integrated amplifiers,priced at ECU1200 or so. It features:
-2x60W
-remote control
-MM/MC phono stage
-defeatable tone controls
-balanced and unbalanced inputs
-preamp outputs
-relay source switching
-champagne or black finish

So, it has all one could want, and even more. Build
quality is impressive. I mean, at least at the Krell
KAV-300 level! I listened to it extensivelly, in two
sessions, using the insensitive yet very neutral
Quad 10L speakers, CD-17 CD-player, and Pro-Ject 6.1
turntable with my Ortofon MC-25FL low-output MC
cartridge.

The PM-17's phono stage is good, on a par
with its CD input. So, with both sources the sound
is controlled, relaxed, sweet. And it remains this
ease even at high volumes into the Quad speakers:
I tried but could not provoke any nasty sound from
this system.
Also, with these speakers the sonic image was
completely detached from the loudspeakers, freely
and stable floating in space.

I think this is truly one of the best integrateds
one can buy for this kind of money.

Enjoying this module very much. Once it warms up, well that's just it, it really warms up. I also replaced the AC cord. I was troubled that the module had a ground prong coming out of it but the supplied AC cord did not carry this any further. I'm also using a Monster Power HTS3000 conditioner which brings the system up in stages. It turns the amplifier on last once it has sufficient juice. I hope this extends the life of this unit, as I understand the on/off stage is often the first thing to go and I'm not comfortable with leaving the amp on all of the time.

Recently I've decided to upgrade my Marantz system, and I had hard time choosing the best possible amplifier. After a week of testing I found out, that Marantz PM 17 sounded better that Marantz PM 78 in A Class and even Rotel 971 (2 monoblocks + 972 preamp).The sound is detailed and warm, and I enjoyed my favourite classical pieces.
The only problem is, that the power cable is not that good, but I suggest to replace it with a standard PC power cable.