MARANTZ PM6007

Marantz refines its Awardwinning budget amp recipe

The Marantz 6000 Series has allowed the company to have a firm grip on the budget hi-fi market over the past few years. And the 6007 continues that form, picking up a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2022 – which means it is our current champ in the sub-₹75k category.

The 6007 sees Marantz refining the 6000 Series’ Award-winning recipe still further. The AKM AK4490 DAC replaces the Cirrus Logic CS4398 found in the PM6006 UK Edition, and it is complemented by two digital filters – a slow roll-off and sharp roll-off – that users can choose between when playing from a source connected to either of its two optical or single coaxial inputs. Such versatility has trickled down from the brand’s more premium digital processors, such as those built into the SA-10.

Performance over features

In an effort to improve performance across the analogue inputs (four line-level, plus an MM phono), new components in the power amp and phono stages have been swapped in. The latter has also benefitted from upgraded circuitry – similar to that found in the PM7000N’s phono stage – to achieve a higher signal-to-noise ratio.

And while this entry-level amplifier doesn’t have a USB input or Bluetooth, with Marantz evidently favouring improved performance over features this time, a subwoofer output has been added to accommodate those who want to add extra thwack to their stereo set-up.

Styling-wise, the PM6007 is more or less a carbon copy of its predecessor – and indeed the model that came before that.

This is a well-constructed, well-finished chassis that, while perhaps too densely populated with dials for minimalist tastes, offers traditional hi-fi appeal.