Marantz PM-10 Integrated Amplifier

Description

Optimized designTo achieve such quality, while still delivering class-leading power, means optimizing each section of the amplifier for its task, just as would be done in a design using a separate preamplifier and monobloc power amps. Commonly, amplifiers use a single transformer, with separate power supply regulation for the preamplifier and power amplifier sections; the PM-10 takes things much further.A dual-mono design, it has separate power supplies for the preamplifier and each of the power amplifier channels, with one transformer dedicated to the preamp to ensure the delicate signals passing through that section of the amplifier arent affected by the demands of the high power output stages. Theres also a dedicated supply for the microprocessor controlling volume adjustment, input selection, and so on, ensuring no noise from the control section finds its way into the audio path.Pure analogAnother important part of the noise-reduction here is the fact that the PM-10 is a purely analog amplifier: many rival designs are today including digital-to-analog conversion or adopting digital amplification and volume control, but Marantz keeps things as clean and simple as possible with its highly-developed all-analog design.Why? Well, though it may seem convenient to have a DAC in the amplifier, digital circuitry is, by its very nature, noisy (in the electrical sense) and can interfere with the delicate analog signals passing through the amp. Thats why Marantz chooses to design its Premium Series range with any digital-to-analog conversion in its SA-CD/CD or network music players, keeping its amplifiers as pure and clean as possible.Whats more, to make the most of that purity of design, the PM-10 has also been designed with the option of working in Purest Mode: when engaged, this deactivates any superfluous circuits, giving the signal the cleanest possible path through the amplifier. Theres also a Power Amp input, taking the signal straight from the input section to the p