Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Musical Marantz Stereo Amp

Thought I'd pass this along - this amp has won many awards, I haven't heard it, but it is a Marantz and easily drives 4 ohm loads.

$500. http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=AMARAPM7200

You gotta love symmetrical layouts. Looks nice!

2x6 -

Thanks for passing along. Would love to hear if anyone has hear this amp versus similarly priced 5 ch receiver (HK / Denon / Onkyo) to see if there's a noticeable difference in sound and characteristics.

Not as pretty as that $5K tube amp, but I could afford this one.
Does that 25 watts of Class A power result in drastically better sound reproduction? Would one be in danger of clipping one's speakers if pushing them hard in that mode? Maybe the 5 channel Marantz is a better deal, even at twice the money?

Hello BigWill

I don't think 25 watts is a problem. Axiom's are efficient with good sensitivity - I'd figure if you really pushed your Axioms with a full 25 watts of Pure Class A output you're waking the neighbors and waiting for the police to arrive.

I'd say that you're more likely to use the Class A setting for music and the regular 95 wpc setting for HT anyway.

Please stop posting pictures of pretty audio components. You are killing me and my credit cards.

2x6spds,
I hope no one minds if I change the subject but I was woundering what tube amp you would recommend for just stereo listining Thanks,Lee

Hello koiman

Interesting question - which tube amp to drive a pair of M80s. This question calls for a slight digression - comparison between book shelf and tower speakers. The more I listen to towers, the more I realize I prefer book shelf speakers. I have auditioned M60s, had a pair of M50s, and use a pair of M60 like Michaura M665s in my HT system. I had a pair of M3Tis, have a pair of M2es, and use Michaura M55s and M66s (the former like the M22, the latter like the M22s but with a pair of Axiom 6.5" aluminun drivers instead of a pair of 5.25"s as used in the M22s and M55s. I prefer music from the smaller book shelf units because they sound more coherent to me, quicker and more musical. The towers all sound sort of like a collection of drivers in a box. I don't know whether this is a function of the cross-overs used or the nature of the beast.

My personal favorite set up is a pair of Michaura M66s driven by a 5 wpc SET Antique Sound Labs MG S1 15DT integrated amp. My second favorite set up is that amp driving a pair of Michaura M55s (x-overs modified with Caddock resistors and Jensen paper/oil caps), closely followed by that amp driving a pair of Axiom M3Tis. For some reason the M22Tis just didn't sound right in this set up. M50s sounded worse, even though the M50s, in their much larger cabinets, use the same 2x6.5" aluminum drivers as the M66s, though all the Axioms use a 1" tweeter instead of the 3/4" Merak style titanium tweeter used by the Michauras.

Anyway, I have a feeling that the M80s require more power to 'open them up.' The best bang for the buck in tube amps, and maybe any kind of amp, is the Antique Sound Labs Hurricane monoblocks. These list for about $5,000 a pair but can be had from Upscale Audio for about $3,200. Absolute Sound rate these amps as the best out there.

http://www.upscaleaudio.com/ check out used, demos and specials.


I think these 200 watt tube monoblocks should be able to get the most out of the M80s, but for me, I'd go with a pair of M3Tis, modify the cross-over, give up on the warranty, and get a nice $1000 or less SET tube amp.

Hope that helped.

2x6spds,
I just purchased a pair of axiom M3ti for just stereo use..I was woundering which one ,of these units would work the best with these speakers Antique MG SI 15DT or the Antique AQ1003 30 watt.
Thanks,
Lee

Ola KM

I auditioned both amps, and bought the MG S1 15DT. To my ears, there was no comparison.

I replaced the stock tubes with 1962 GE 12AX7's and Svetlana KT88s.

My first set up matched the ASL amp with a pair of M3Tis, and a Velodyne CHT10 sub. SET Magic!!

What kind of source are you thinking of?