Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Marantz "sound"??

I've always been puzzled by Marantz' reputation for a 'warm' sound. Any ideas on why this actually is? Is it in the amp? Processor? I struggle with understanding how 1s and 0s can be translated into 'warm' electrical analog signals.
Do Marantz' add something to the signal? Detract?
????

Just curious.

I get my Onkyo 805 in today! Very excited. I'll let you know what I think of it with the 80-500 system (previously driven by an old Marantz AV receiver....thus the question above)

ho ho ho

Brady, that reputation has no more of a factual basis than, for example, that of Yamahas for being "bright". All competently designed amplifiers amplify transparently without adding any audible coloration to the sound. For a sonic character of that sort to exist there would have to be a substantial deviation from flat frequency response over a broad range of frequencies, but this simply doesn't exist and response is in fact flat, 20-20KHz. One of the great things about the current audio scene is the audibly flawless amplification we can get from moderately priced receivers.