Sound

How does the Marantz PM6007 sound? Well, strikingly balanced actually. Where previous models tended to be a bit tame, warm and sometimes downright viscous, this last version clearly has a lot more ‘oemff’. We even had to check if we had the right notes at hand when we reviewed our keywords.

Open, loose, rich in detail and punchy are terms that we don’t always associate with Marantz, but the AKM dac sounds excellent. Make no mistake this is still a rather generous, warm, full amp but now there is energy too. Imaging is decent and the stereo image is wide but stays between the speakers. Of course it is not really 3D but vocals are beautiful in the middle and instruments are clearly defined. We don’t really notice anything striking and that’s the way it should be

Listening

We start with electronics by Stefan Betke aka Pole who made his world debut in 1998. For his latest album “Fade” he was curiously inspired by his mother’s dementia. And somewhere you can hear that too. The songs are a bit more nervous and disturb the listener more often. He still paints pure electronic landscapes but they are not immediately places where you want to stay for a long time. This album fascinates from beginning to end and shows that this electronics pioneer still makes relevant music. Because of the PM6007 the bass is still a bit warmer and still not ultra tight but there is a lot more punch and control now

New work from This is the kit is always worthwhile and their latest throw “Off on” is their best as far as we’re concerned. Lead singer Kate Stables has a lovely, playful voice that we can enjoy for hours. The PM6007 does well with vocals and instruments that never sound shrill or bald. There’s enough dynamics and detail from a certain volume and the album is over before we know it.

One last thing to ‘unlearn’. Norwegian Ane Brun is a great talent and one who can’t sit still. During the mandatory lockdown she has released no less than two new albums, but it is “After the great Storm” that impresses. And especially by the quality of the songs. There is not a single bad song on this very varied album.

The PM6007 does a very decent job reproducing this album. Even when we turn up the volume, the listening pleasure increases! The PM6007 is not a control freak but lets the music flow through the speakers in a friendly way. We like it.