Marantz announces the Special Edition models, based on the 12 series: the PM-12 Special Edition integrated amplifier and the SA-12 Special Edition SACD player with DAC mode.
Our dedicated in-house Sound Masters sometimes indicate that products have more potential than expected. These products are renamed Special Edition models and the Sound Masters pay extra attention to details, the selection of components and countless listening sessions. The SA-12 and PM-12 were developed exclusively for the Japanese market. This 12-series turned out to have such potential to develop a SE-series, Marantz said when announcing the newcomers. To continue: “Marantz’s Sound Master joined forces with our European sound engineers and used the successful KI Ruby series as a starting point for the accurate development of the new Special Editions in the 12 series”.
Full Analog Amplifier
We read further in the press release: ‘The PM-12 Special Edition integrated amplifier has been developed with only one goal in mind: to get the ultimate audio performance from the basic PM-12 concept. That’s why the model features a completely discreet two-stage design with separate power supplies for the preamp and the power amplifier section. The circuit provides the purest signal path for the amplifiers, delivering 100W per channel to 8 ohm speakers or 200W per channel to 4 ohm speakers. The high quality, nickel plated inputs and pure copper speaker connections ensure signal purity from the moment it enters the amp until it is sent to the speakers’.
Phono
The PM-12 Special Edition is based on the design of the PM-10 and PM-KI Ruby amplifiers with the Moving Coil/Moving Magnet phono stage and features Marantz Premium Phono EQ circuitry and Marantz HDAM technology for excellent signal purity according to the manufacturer.
Pure
The all-analog design of the PM-12 Special Edition features a low-noise design and a sleek appearance. Although it may seem convenient to have a DAC in the amplifier, digital switching systems naturally generate a lot of electrical noise that can disrupt the subtle analogue signals that pass through the amplifier. That’s why Marantz chose to keep this fully analog approach and keep the PM-12 Special Edition as clean as possible and equip the SA-12 Special Edition player with the special DAC mode.
Advanced digital technology
The SA-12 Special Edition is based on the development process of the well-known SA-10 and SA-KI Ruby models. “The love of music and the connection of listeners with the music are the central pilar and our main focus”, the manufacturer tells us. The SACDM-3 disc mechanism, specially developed for audio, can reproduce SACDs, CDs and compilations on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM. It also features an asynchronous USB input, suitable for formats up to PCM/DXD 384kHz/32 bits and DSD 11.2 MHz. The Marantz Musical Mastering Stream converts all PCM file formats to DSD format using advanced filtering and processing before the Marantz Musical Mastering Conversion directly converts the 1-bit data stream into an analog signal without the use of a conventional digital-analog converter. Marantz: “The result is a fantastic, sophisticated SA-12SE player that perfectly matches the PM-12SE. Together they form a great hi-fi duo that brings you closer to your favorite music than ever before. Because music matters’.
The Marantz PM-12SE and SA-12SE will be available from September at authorised Marantz outlets in black and silver-gold for €3300. For additional product specifications, please visit www.marantz.com
Technical data
The PM-12 Special Edition integrated amplifier in a nutshell:
- Developed and fine-tuned by European and Japanese sound engineers with over 65 years of experience in Marantz’ amplifier designs
- High-resolution Marantz pre-amplifier stage and proprietary HDAM technologySwitching
power amplifier design derived from the flagships: the PM-10 and PM-KI Ruby - Each speaker can be connected thanks to the impendance-independent frequency response
- Generous output: 100W + 100W (to 8 ohms), 200W +200W (4 ohms)
- Totally discreet, two-stage signal purity design with separate power supply for pre-amplifier section and final amplifier section to reduce interference
- Toroidal core transformer specifically for the preamplifier for clarity and powerful sound
- Current Feedback design with newly developed broadband circuit
- HDAM® SA3 circuit for a pure signal and optimal dynamics
- MM/MC phono input with new discreet Marantz Musical Premium Phono EQ circuit
- Separate, nickel-plated connections for CD and phono and Marantz proprietary high purity copper-plated speaker connections
- Linear volume control with new electric volume system
SA-12 Special Edition SACD player with DAC mode in a nutshell:
- Developed and fine-tuned by European and Japanese sound engineers with more than 35 years of experience at Marantz in the field of CD players and digital audio
- The internally developed SACD/CD mechanism SACDM-3 has been specially developed for audio
- SACD/CD playback and compilation playback on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
- Asynchronous USB input for high-resolution audio up to PCM/DXD 384 kHz/32 bits and DSD 11.2 MHz
- Isolation of USB and digital inputs (optical and coaxial) to block noise from internal and external sources
- Innovative Marantz Musical Mastering “MMM-Stream” upsampling to DSD and filtration
- Specially designed and 1-bit direct “MM-Conversion” from DSD to analog
- New analogue output phase with Marantz HDAM-SA3 and HDAM-SA2 technology and low output impedance
- Power supply with toroidal transformer
- Separate headphone amplifier with completely discreet HDAM-SA2 construction