Marantz PM6004 Integrated Amplifier Preview

When companies have sister companies with similar product offerings, it is often hard to distinguish between them. We get polite emails from marketing companies asking us not to draw the obvious connections between the two. We politely ignore them. But Marantz is not like that. While they may be under the umbrella of D&M Holdings which controls the likes of Denon and McIntosh, Marantz continues to stand out. We have to say that we've been mighty impressed with some of the design decisions they've made in recent years so, when they announced a new integrated amp, we were more than curious.

The PM6004 is a compact 17-3/8" wide by 4-3/16" high by 14-7/16" deep box (making it a little over half the height of a normal receiver) and weights in at 16.3 pounds. It pumps out 45 watts into two channels (8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.07% THD). The PM6004 is 4 ohm rated. Like the other recent Marantz offerings, the front panel is fairly spartan with a complete lack of LED readout. There are dials for volume, input, bass, treble, and balance. Four switches select source direct, loudness, and speakers (A and B). An included remote can access all of these functions. Also included is a full-sized headphone jack.

Glancing at the back of the PM6004, you'll find everything you'd want in an integrated amp and more. There are two pairs of screw type binding posts for connecting two different sets of speakers. We were surprised not to find the traditional 5-way binding posts. There are six pairs of RCA stereo inputs including one phone input for vinyl lovers (a feature practically required on any serious integrated amp) plus two RCE stereo outputs. There are no digital inputs at all so you'll need to pair the PM6004 with a high quality source. For custom installers there is remote control in and out as well as a flasher in to eliminate unsightly flashers on the front of your gear. Your iPod can be used with the PM6004 with the addition of the Marantz IS301 iPod dock (extra). Lastly, there are two switched and one unswitched outlet so that you can only run a single cord to the wall, a potentially useful feature.

Marantz is known for their quality components and attention to detail and the PM6004 is no different. As with their top of the line amps, Marantz as included a Torroidal transformer that feeds a current feedback amplifier. The source direct function bypasses all tone controls for the cleaner signal and the HDAM-S2 (Hyper Dynamic Amplifier Modules) provide "rich, pure and noise-free sound quality."

Conclusion

If the Marantaz PM6004 sounds like an Integrated Amplifier built for the high end crowd; it does to us as well. Until you get a look at the price. At $600 MSRP, the PM6004 is well within the reach of the masses. This is high end quality at big box prices. If you've always dreamed of a two channel listening setup, you may have just had your prayers answered. We're really looking forward to getting the PM6004 on our test bench to see what it can do.

For more information, please visit www.marantz.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.