Yamaha as 501 or marantz pm series

yogitashwer

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Hi,
i wanted to but the stereo amp as the yamaha as 501 is available on amazon uk for rs 32000 with good reviews this model is not available in india but amazon uk shipping to india at that price.
Should i buy the amp which is not available in india or should choose marantz, my purpose is music only, as i have separate denon 7.1 setup for movies.

Thanks
 
Hi

Check the HiFiMart Deal on Marantz amps....10% off...dunno if it is still there.....

Since you already have a Denon, get another brand.....NAD also is quite good.
 
Hi,
i wanted to but the stereo amp as the yamaha as 501 is available on amazon uk for rs 32000 with good reviews this model is not available in india but amazon uk shipping to india at that price.
Should i buy the amp which is not available in india or should choose marantz, my purpose is music only, as i have separate denon 7.1 setup for movies.

Thanks
There's a starking differences between two amps ;
Marantz pm 6005 vs Yamaha A-S501..
I was in the same confusion as you, these are the excerpts from my online research.

1. Yamaha is 85wpc, Marantz 45wpc - Yamaha uses liberal power rating but that power should be adequate to be least bothered about when selecting a speakers for the amp. With Yamaha ; you can be rest assured that, the amp will not be short of power with most speakers.

2. Yamaha comes with more bells and Whistles - dedicated SW out, Pure direct, Loudness control etc if that matters

3. Yamaha uses TI 5101 DAC (which is more popular in audiophiles - doesn't mean superior) Marantz uses Cirrus Logic DAC

4. Most audio engineers feel that, combining Amp with DAC isn't a good idea ; DAC doesn't perform adequately - whether it leads to a significant difference in SQ is something needs to be emphasized by experienced FMs.

If you remove the on board DAC from the equation ; Marantz PM 5005 (only 5Wpc difference with 6005) becomes a much better and economical choice over both Marantz PM 6005 & Yamaha A-S501.

5. There's significant amount of fan following in the audiophile community who hail Marantz over Yamaha. So purely from SQ perspective Marantz scores over Yamaha. SNR is MARGINALLY better with Marantz too.

6. Yamaha is considered brighter amp of the two (though 501 sounds much balanced than 500) and selection of speakers will impact the final outcome.

7. With Marantz you need crank up the volume with some power hungry speakers, to be able to drive the speakers adequately which could degrade the SQ.

8. I've listened to 500 briefly & PM 6005 leisurely but not 501. Marantz definitely has the edge but Yamaha isn't too bad either. Would love to listen to Yamaha A-S501 if possible before buying => other FMs could chip in their experience

9. Price : Yamaha A-S501 is priced between PM 5005 & PM 6005 if imported. But mind you, with Marantz you will get a yr of Manfacturer warranty. PM 5005 makes lot of sense economically if you are going for a separate DAC as the amount saved in Amp price difference say 10k - you'll be able to get a decent DAC and plethora of options with it.

My Conclusions :
1. Buy Marantz PM 5005 with separate DAC now or buy Yamaha AS501 currently and check if it suits your requirements and add a decent DAC later, when next attack of UPGRADITIS occurs .

2. Listen to other offers like Onkyo (A9030 in the same price bracket) , Nad & Denon 720ae (though everyone feels its a crap in front of 1520) before jumping the gun.

3. Save some more & Up the budget and get CA Cxr60 Onkyo 9050 or Denon 1520 etc instead of investing in cheaper budget Amps which most of Audiophiles advice against.

4. I'm open to suggestions from different FMs - or something else altogether

NB: Marantz is cheaper on Snapdeal with 10% Sbi card discounts
 
Last edited:
I have ordered pm6005 on Snapdeal 2 days back when deal comes up. Let me know the differences between this and Marantz sr5008 which I use to drive my wharf's 9.5 which is bit power hungry. But the out put is fabulous as this authentic sound I could not get from Norge 1000 gold rated at 85w( forget about details). I mean sr5008 is more punchier than Norge.
This week I may receive pm6005 so I can compare and let you know the capabilities.
Mean while I couldn't believe the power difference 5W between pm5005 and 6005.my neighbor is having it. So I can check both of them with my wharf's

Sent from my Lenovo K50a40 using Tapatalk
 
And I have heard Yamaha as 500 with their speakers in dealer location when was in Bangalore.
It's not to my flavor of music.

Sent from my Lenovo K50a40 using Tapatalk
 
I have ordered pm6005 on Snapdeal 2 days back when deal comes up. Let me know the differences between this and Marantz sr5008 which I use to drive my wharf's 9.5 which is bit power hungry. But the out put is fabulous as this authentic sound I could not get from Norge 1000 gold rated at 85w( forget about details). I mean sr5008 is more punchier than Norge.
This week I may receive pm6005 so I can compare and let you know the capabilities.
Mean while I couldn't believe the power difference 5W between pm5005 and 6005.my neighbor is having it. So I can check both of them with my wharf's

Sent from my Lenovo K50a40 using Tapatalk

I haven't heard PM6005 but I used PM6004. In my opinion, Marantz PM 500*/600* are meant for BS speakers. These amps are not meant for power hungry speakers. If you crank up the volume, sound gets distorted. I had PM6004, I used it for six months. In this forum, most of the FMs give rave reviews of PM500*/600*.
Please go through these link
http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/24183-whathifi-screw-up.html

hi-fi-review: Marantz PM6004 Review (read the verdict - it sums up all)
 
Hi

If you have power hungry speakers, you should look at the Marant PM 7000 series....Hifi Mart is offering the same with 23% discount on mrp + coupon addon (10% more) which finally prices the amp for Rs 65700/-

Since my elder brother is looking out for a decent stereo amp.....I am negotiating with my sources to get the same within the 60k barrier which includes shipping and warranty. This would possibly mean a group deal for minimum pieces to be purchased....

I will post further updates on the Marantz owners thread....

You can PM me further if interested...
 
I haven't heard PM6005 but I used PM6004. In my opinion, Marantz PM 500*/600* are meant for BS speakers. These amps are not meant for power hungry speakers. If you crank up the volume, sound gets distorted. I had PM6004, I used it for six months. In this forum, most of the FMs give rave reviews of PM500*/600*.
Please go through these link
http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/24183-whathifi-screw-up.html

hi-fi-review: Marantz PM6004 Review (read the verdict - it sums up all)

Thanks for the Links, that was quite informative, we know most of the people making money out of tech journalism are partially biased due to various reasons & this thread link delineates that aspect very effectively.

These are few links where all the classes of amps are discussed and a comparative analysis is made, which I found quite informative.

Best Stereo Amps of 2016 | The Master Switch

Stereo Amplifiers For Your Turntable Setup Under $500

the El Chepo Amps are not too bad in comparison. Considering HiFi Audio procurement Journey as mostly NON ESSENTIAL EXPENDITURE for most of us, the value proposition of these amps is remarkable .
We need some Blind studies comparing Amp A vs B,

Testing audiophile claims and myths
 
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