Which is the better amp?

[soultrader]

Hi...

Was wandering if anyone knew how to interpret the specs, and tell me which is the better amplifier between the Marantz PM 7200 or the Technics SU-A900MK2...

Try and post specs later on, if you have an opinion otherwise please gi's a shout!

[soultrader]

MODEL PM7200 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Power output (class AB operation)
RMS 8 ohms (20 Hz-20 kHz) .................................................. .................................................. ...... 95 W
DIN 8 ohms .................................................. .................................................. ............................... 105 W
THD at 8 ohms RMS rated output .................................................. .............................................. 0.03%
Damping factor .................................................. .................................................. .............................. 150
Power output (classA operation)
RMS 8 ohms (20 Hz-20 kHz) .................................................. .................................................. ...... 25 W
DIN 8 ohms .................................................. .................................................. ................................. 28 W
THD at 8 ohms RMS rated output .................................................. ............................................. 0.03 %
Damping factor .................................................. .................................................. .............................. 150
IHF dynamic power (class AB operation)
8 ohms .................................................. .................................................. ....................................... 120 W
IHF dynamic power (classA operation)
8 ohms .................................................. .................................................. ......................................... 35 W
Magnetic cartridge input
Input sensitivity impedance .................................................. ....................................... 2.5 mV/47 kOhm
Accuracy of frequency response to IEC RIAA .................................................. ...........................0.5 dB
Signal to noise ratio .................................................. .................................................. .................... 85 dB
Tuner/CD/Aux/Tape inputs
Input sensitivity impedance .................................................. ...................................... 150 mV/40 kOhm
Signal to noise ratio .................................................. .................................................. .................... 88 dB
Frequency response (–1 dB limits, Source Direct) .................................................. ......10 Hz - 50 kHz
Tone characteristic (100 Hz and 10 kHz) .................................................. .................................... ±8 dB
Channel separation (1 kHz/10 kHz, Source direct) .................................................. ......... >80/>70 dB
General
Power Requirements .................................................. .................................................. ....... 120V, 60 Hz
Dimensions
Width .................................................. .................................................. ................................. 440 mm
Height .................................................. .................................................. ................................ 159 mm
Depth .................................................. .................................................. ............................. 374.5 mm
Weight
Unit alone .................................................. .................................................. ........................... 12.3 kg

[istari_knight]

Have owned the Technics but never heard the Marantz (only heard good things about it though!)

The Technics is a "nice" amp best suited to non critical listeners IMO. If its just going to be playing some tunes in the background then great however if you are going to be critically listening to music I would choose the Marantz every time.

I found the Technics would homogenise everything if that makes sense ? Everything sounded the same, good recordings & bad all had the same pleasant but overall lacking sound. Also, from what I've seen the Marantz has much better build quality...

Whats the rest of your system anyway ?

[The Grand Wazoo]

Bugger the specs - interpret the amps with the Mk. I lug 'oles.

[Marco]

+1, with knobs on!

Specs, such as those shown, mean almost diddly-squat in the real world... Use yer ears, as what they tell you, does!

Marco.

[hifi_dave]

As above.

Specs mean almost naff all.

[bluenose24]

Bugger the specs - interpret the amps with the Mk. I lug 'oles.

Hahahaha +1

Very true one mans treasure is another mans junk

[Haselsh1]

My honest opinion for what it is worth...?

I doubt that there will be a huge divide between these two items so if I were you, I would buy the most gorgeous looking and live with it for a very long time. Buy some seriously good speaker cables and interconnects and loads and loads of music.

Stop fretting over nonsense.

All the best to you.

[Haselsh1]

OK so I've just checked them out on the net and the Marantz wins hands down. There you have it. Gorgeous amplifier with a good spec.

[Welder]

Well, actually specifications mean an awful lot.
The majority of people who build amplifiers build to a specification.

You just can’t build an amp by listening. You may be able to fine tune it by listening for a particular set of speakers after the basic design is finalised, but I don’t think you’ll find any reputable amplifier designer who will tell you he listened to each and every component he used and chose it for how it sounded. The probability is he chose it for its specifications.

The problem for the buyers of Hi Fi amplifiers is you don’t tend to get the specifications that tell you an awful lot about the amplifiers capability. We tend just to get the basics. Years ago some reviewers had the technical knowledge and equipment to actually test the equipment they got to review. These days unfortunately, any idiot can write equipment reviews and get away with some meaningless bullshit and unfortunately many do.

It is absolutely useless reading a subjective review unless you have identical equipment to that used for the review. What may sound fine in one system may sound terrible in another, often not because there is anything intrinsically wrong with that component, but more often, because there is some specifiable mismatch within the system. This is where specifications can help a lot, but as the OP points out, you need to understand a little about what the specifications mean with regard to the system you intend to use that component in.

I can quite understand those who have little technical expertise and even less interest in learning not being entertained by pages of graphs and numbers, but to dismiss them as meaning very little with regard to how a piece of equipment will work in a system seems somewhat foolhardy. While there may be an art to getting the sound that pleases you, the building and matching of electronic equipment has no basis in magic and your ears are unlikely to tell you for example that the unpleasant noise you hear from your system is in fact crosstalk while some specifications might.