Well, maybe it's too late but I felt so compelling to write this review. Why? Simply because i want to let you know about this excellent int. amp.
I have owned this amp for 4 years now, during this period I have listened to a lot of amps and owned nad 370(sold), creek 5350se, and YBA integre. Compare to the above mentioned 3 amps::
1. Nad 370 can;t keep up with pm7200 in all aspect except in bass. no contest here. That's why I sold it.
2. creek 5350se is refined, smooth and the most neutral amp of the a.m. Compare to pm7200, it;s a bit more detail in high, but pm7200 had better mids(especially vocal, almost tube like), and surprisingly more musical and involving.
3. YBA integre, the best among all amps I have(one of the best of all amps i have listened to, no doubt). Tube-like mids/high + solid state well controlled bass, this is the only amp I know capable of so far. Big, deep sound stage, life-like realistic presentation, you almost forgot if you are listening to HiFi system. piano sounds like piano violin sounds like violin and so on.
Listening to Pm7200 simply reminds me of the YBA integre, whew quite close ! So now you know how good this amp is ! For so little money you pay for it, the reward is fantastic. So if you had one, Keep it, or you have to pay more that 3 times(creek cost usd1500) to get equal performance! Cheers

sound class-a mode awsome

none

very very top class amp my fravit amp ever great sound look i use with monitar audio and marantz cd5400 and denon tuner qed innterconcts and black rodium speaker cable

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i have used yamaha wont come any were near to this

The unit will get very hot on the top panel. It is not suitable for home use when you have small children.

open midrange, wide sound stage. solid bass

run hot. lack of depth. a little humming on playing loud ( to 11 o'clock position) propably reflecton from room. lack of dynamic on playing noisy music like metal rock.

have been listenbing to Marantz PM7200, together with CD7300, paired with wharfedale diamond 9.5, via biwire chords carnival speaker cable, for the last two years. enjoy mostly classical, jazz, acoustic,country, love song. No rock.
the amp takes 15-20 minutes to produce smooth and sweet music. therefore i will switch on the system on reaching home, before i change and shower.
the vocal, especially female, are superb with this machine. so upfront and so real as the singers were standing right in front of you. good sound stage, i mean wider than the speaker position. slight lack of depth ( as i compared to amp from proton monoblock).
good deal for acoustic, country song lover. had 2 set of speaker terminal, worth biwire.

Lots of detail. I play the amp in the class A setting, and I mostly listen to Jazz and folky/acoustic style music. For the money I am very satisfied and my value/performance ratings factor in the price I paid.

Maybe a tad weak in the midrange, but for the price and paired with the level of equipment I own I really don't have legitimate complaints. It does run warm in class A so I no longer leave the amp continually powered up, like I did with the Onkyo. And like any decent amp, the 7200 will not flower-over harsh or poor quality recordings...

This is my first submitted review of an audio product so I apologize to all if my audio lexicon is a little lacking, but here goes; I just purchased the PM 7200 this week. It replaces my Onkyo Integra A-807, a reliable and award winning amp in it's day. So is there a performance difference? I am trying not to sound overly enthusiastic, but I can easily claim the Marantz brings out at least 50% more musical detail than the Onkyo. I'm not slogging the Onkyo, but this is a very easy assertion to make. The sound stage, clarity and listening experience has far exceeded my expectations. I actually did not set out to purchase this amp per se...I started out thinking about buying the new Energy RC70 speakers, but I was able to borrow the 7200 from my local retailer for an at-home trial. It took less than an hour for me to decide this amp wasn't going back to the store. It's that much of an improvement to my set-up.

I don't claim to be an audiophile, but I can and do appreciate listening to music, both critically and simply for background pleasure. So nuance, sound stage, transparency etc...are all important factors. The 7200 is powering my Cambridge D500SE and a pair of Dahlquist QX10's, good equipment but definitely not "audiophile". Since I've added this amp I effortlessly hear details on every CD I've played that the Onkyo did/could not reveal.

The only other amp I tested, in-store, was the Cambridge 740. It is a very nice amp, but at close to twice the price, I cannot think you get twice the performance of the Marantz. What the Marantz does do is make my equipment sound significantly better, and for a net $200 outlay, isn't that all that really counts!

Customer Service

I believe it comes with a 3 year warranty.

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Onkyo Integra A-807

This is a follow-up for the review I wrote August 28, 2004.

Since I recently bought me a pair of new speakers (AE EVO 3's), I got interested again in reading about hi-fi.
I had auditioned various speakers before I chose the AE's (the review will follow soon) which in some cases were partnered with different amps than mine.
I found other models, like the Denon PMA 1500AE, Rotel RA-03 and Rega Brio 3.

The Marantz PM7200 isn't the most powerful, detailed and exiting amp out there.
Comparing it to other amps, while serious listening to various aspects like drive, insight, dynamics and soundstage it honestly comes short in some aspects.

Mostly in reproducing the colors and timbres of the source as neutral possible.
In my experience this means that other amps, especially the Rotel, do not add something other to the signal than the amps own drive.
The tone color of the source stays the same, but the amp will give the source its own drive and rhythm and some amps, like the Denon, can make voices and instruments sound a bit bigger.

A said the Marantz isn't entirely neutral.
It sometimes prettifies tones and colors, but as a result it will sound pleasantly refined.
With the Rotel you'll hear more detail, but this includes details you do not necassarily want to hear also.

What the Marantz doesn't add to the material is a strong forward moving drive.
It appears to be a somewhat reserved and gentle conductor, a bit less extravert than say a Valerie Gergiev.
Its tendency to prettify colors and tones with great refinement would make the Marantz PM7200 more a conductor like Pierre Boulez in its more recent recordings.
With a sense of the big picture, not adding too much own character in tempi and dynamics, big dynamics only when asked for.

All this at the cost of some excitement, that's true, but to my ears more balanced than any other amp in its price range.

Solid build, clear dynamic sound, plenty of power.

Maybe speaker connectors, but definitely no weakness in sound/operation.

This is a follow-up review to one I had written earlier for the PM7200 but listed under the PM7000.

I have had this amp for over a year now and have therefore been able to experience the various characteristics of this amp. I have paid special attention to how this amp performs under different conditions and with differnet types of music, keeping in mind particular criticisms mentioned in some reviews. Here are just a few things I found:


Amp runs hot?
>> Yes it does, but nothing to lose sleep over...unless you plan to use it at a pillow.

Background hum?
>> I Don't hear it.

Good for only classical, jazz or other soft music, lacks drive for rock or dance?
>> Actually, this amp is outstanding for any/all music types. But it seems there is just one key factor: Quality of the recording. I have not had the pleasure of listening to this amp via phono, but there is clealy a wide range of CD recordings, the differences of which this amp makes much more apparent.

Amp has lack of drive?
>> No it doesn't...at least not with the volume up to the 2 o'clock position. (I have not yet tried to go beyond that...I live in a townhome). And even at that volume, the amp's clarity and control are superb, seemlingly without effort. Again, quality of the recording is a key factor.

No difference between lass AB and class A?
>> Yes there is. The difference, I think, is more noticeable and pleasurable with softer, acoustic, or just 'simpler' music (less instruments). With harsher music, or music that requires 'drive', the sound just tends to be brighter. Again, quality of the recording is a key factor.

Not the greatest sounding amp?
>> Probably not. But it is only $500, and you get a lot of listening pleasure for your money.


So those are my humble findings. There is obviously one underlying factor I have noticed: Quality of the recording. My guess is that if this amp is able to so clearly distinguish between recordings, that is a good thing, right? Unfortunately for me, it has caused some dust to collect on some CDs that are no longer in regular use.

I have included a list of recommended CDs for anyone to test out my findings on the above topics (except for the pillow thing):

Deep Dish - george is on (Dance)
Gypsy Kings - roots (Acoustic)
Rammstein - hit collection (Alternative Metal?')
Robbie Wlliams - the ego has landed (Pop)
TOK - my crew, my dawgs (Reggae)

Happy listening!

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Sony Panasonic Fisher Pioneer Kenwood JVC Onkyo Bose

Plenty of inputs Phono Stage Class A mode

Runs hot Colouration of sound Huge No pre-outs

The Marantz PM7200 has probably been the best value for money budget amplifier over the last 3-4 years. It drives most speakers without any effort, and has a superb class A mode for a more silky sound. The amp isn't neutral though, and adds a bit too much warmth for my liking. It's a good solid budget buy.

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Sugden a21a Sonic Impact T-Amp

Detail, sense of depth, build quality

Bass is a little lacking at high volume levels (transformer) 1:00 on the volume. At regular levels 9:00-11:00 bass was tight and substantial

I purchased my new amp to replace a 10 year old NAD receiver that had been in for repairs for it 4th and final time. I was using it as a preamp in conjunction with a B&K st 140 amp. I was looking for an amp that could run my Thiel 1.0's in our greatroom (20'x16') at low to moderately loud volume levels and be the heart of our primary music listening system. I decided that I would pitch the NAD, sell the B&K and settle for an integrated amp. Sound quality was very important. The head unit is a Nakamichi Multi disc player and speakers being an old pair of Thiel 1.0's from my audiophile days. The 1.0's were known for being very revealing if not almost edgy speakers that were very incompatible with "mid-fi" components (the thiels reveal a very shrilly high end on your typical mass manufactured components). I have historically been very skeptical of most mid-fi lines (Denon, Yamaha, Pioneer etc..) But was convinced to give it a try when we purchased a Marantz A/V surround unit with Paradigm speakers and subs for our home theater in our newly finished basement. That Marantz and Paradigm combo lived up to and exceeded all my expectations. Which brings me to the purchase of the 7200. I was considering the Rotel 1062 and NAD c320 and in fact placed the Marantz as third on the list based on paper specs (lack of a torodial and so on). I had casually listened to each one of these units at their respective dealers. On the day I decided to purchase and seriously listen to them I started with the Marantz dealer. Brought my music, had them set up the amp with a variety of speakers (including Magnepans which are ineffecient and hard to drive) in one of their listening rooms. I was taken aback by this amps ability to drive the Magnepans, its level of detail and resolution without being harsh. I took it home and hooked it up. It drives my Thiels as effortlessly as my B&K but with a better sense of "air" that my old unit did not have. I use it in its class "A" mode all the time. Yes you can hear a difference. The soundstage has much more depth in this mode and unless your having a party or listening at very loud volume levels you'll want to leave it on. THe build quality is outstanding. You may ask "What if the Rotel or Nad were better?" Don't know and don't care. It boils down to this. If you think it sounds great, and your not squinting every time you listen to music trying to hear what may be there or not there, and the music comes out with a great presence, air, detail and never makes you tired of listening to your system, then its fine and move on. I'll give this unit 4.5 stars overall comparing it to anything at any price range and 5 stars when taking price into account. Hey there are probably better products our there but not for the money. Every manufacturer has their budget constraints, Marantz pulled it out of its transformer and put it into the electronics quality of the unit. It shows in the detail and clarity this unit puts out.

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NAD, B&K, NAKAMICHI

Excellent midband clarity and openness, smooth lucid treble, and big bass. Very spacious soundstage. Class A mode adds even more refinement, glamour and liquidity to the sound. Good build and quality fittings.

Runs alarmingly hot, even in class AB mode. Misses out on many fine, low-level details that a true audiophile amp captures. Can be slow and bland at times. Its standby mode has no audiophile benefit - it still starts from cold when powered from standby. Needs 30 minutes to properly warm up, the sound during this period is extremely horrible. Remote control volume buttons too small and awkwardly positioned.

This PM7200 is my fourth amplifier in my ten-year hifi hobby, and my second Marantz amp after the PM66SE. It is also the amp I have owned and used for the shortest span of time (six months). My amp prior to the PM7200 was the acclaimed NAD C370. It had served me well for 41 months but towards the end I grew tired of its limited tonal palette and soundstage depth. The Marantz PM66SE I had before the C370, despite a power shortfall, managed to cast a deeper soundstage and was tonally more kaleidoscopic than the NAD. So I sold the C370 and bought the PM7200 in return, for little new cash outlay. (I must say NAD amps have good resale value.) The PM7200 is one very well-built, big and sturdy budget amplifier. You sure get a lot of box for your money! Although champagne-gold finishes are currently passe, the PM7200's gold fascia still looks winningly handsome and the discreet red LEDs on the power and input indicators complement it nicely. The steel input and volume knobs are very well-machined, smooth and confident to the touch. The latter knob moves in very fine incrementals, either via hand or remote control, operating as if it were a precision component in a Swiss watch. In this respect it far outclasses those of other rival amps like Arcam's DIVA range, Rotel's RA range, NAD's Classic series, and Cambridge Audio's Azur. And while I was shopping for my 5th amp I even found the volume knob on Roksan's expensive Caspian-M amp to be less classy than the PM7200's. How about that? In action, the PM7200 exhibits much of the sonic attributes of Marantz's 'house sound' for its amplifiers. Its midrange output is very smooth and graceful, far more open and musical than the C370's, which can turn brutish at high volume levels. The PM7200's sound in contrast never becomes hard when pushed to very high levels. It remains gracious and unforced, but loses some dynamism --- as if to subtly let you know that you shouldn't be playing your music that loud. An extended yet smooth treble and big, deep bass complement that informative midrange performance. Although rated at 95- 105W, the PM7200's power delivery is not of the same kind as, say, a NAD's. The latter's amps seem to have a perpetually stiff power supply which copes with any high-octane musical material. The PM7200, on the other hand, will sound less powerful than even a 50W NAD or Rotel amp when you feed it music which has a rapid succession of hard, loud beats. It will falter. It seems its inner HDAM (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Module) component behaves like some kind of reservoir which needs to take its time to store up sufficient power before releasing it through sudden loud transients, and then the storing process starts up again. What this means practically is that the PM7200 is better utilized for reproducing more refined music genres like jazz, vocals and classical rather than outright rock or incessant dance beats. It is a very refined-sounding amplifier, which nevertheless has sufficient power to cope with big musical climaxes --- as long as they do not come in a prolonged succession. And when the PM7200 is ready to unleash 'hell', it is very impressive indeed! More so than its rivals, during big moments like an orchestral tutti or cinematic car explosion, it sounds very imposing and grand with a utterly stable stereo image --- thanks, I suspect, to its very open midrange, big bass, and deep wide soundstage. I watched Zhang Yimou's "Hero" DVD through the PM7200 as a 2-channel HT setup, and was awestruck by how wonderfully musical and dramatic the sound was. Tan Dun's oriental music was relayed eloquently and the complex swordfight SFX were thrillingly recreated. The musical "Moulin Rouge" DVD also sounded spectacular, demonstrating the PM7200's ability to reproduce voices realistically. Another sonic bonus is the Class A mode. While it does not turn the otherwise AB-mode PM7200 into a totally different amp costing 5 times as much, as some dubious hifi mags have claimed, it does give the PM7200 even more musicality. The sound becomes smoother still, yet brighter too, in the sense that leading edges on piano notes, vocal inflexions, woodwind instruments and strings are highlighted. Class A works particularly well with acoustic music, and is also more audibly appreciated when used late at night when the outside environment is quieter. The factor that prevented me from keeping the PM7200 for longer was realizing that it runs very hot indeed. In Class AB mode, the air above its ventilation grilles felt like 50 deg Celsius, and in Class A mode, it felt like 70!!! You can literally put an egg on top and it'll become half-boiled in a symphony's time. This amp runs too hot for my liking and I replaced it with a very cool-running Musical Fidelity X-80. Despite the aforementioned weakness, the PM7200 remains the best sounding amp in its price category. As long as you have adequate ventilation space, this is the sub-$700 amplifier to have.

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Owned--- NAD C370, Marantz PM-66SE and NAD 310. Compared--- Rotel RA-01, RA-02, RA-1062, Cambridge Audio Azur 640A