One of my goals as reviewer is to introduce folks to gear and music, perhaps something brand new, that will make their leisure time way better. So, let me share a piece of music from a band called Teaze and their album One Night Stands that few outside of Teaze's homeland of Canada have even heard. Teaze had a strong run around Toronto in the late 1970s and early '80s but were truly a band ahead of their time. They had a sound that would have blown people away in 1984, but in 1978 punk rock and disco had the public's attention. Lead vocalist Brian Danter's range is frightening, and I'll throw out the cut “Heartless World” as the greatest unheard power ballad (in the truest sense of “power”) ever. Danter hits a note some 5 minutes in that still astounds me. That intense high was thrown at me with a punch that George Foreman would respect.

Lastly, to spotlight not only this amp's engaging sound but its suave phono stage, I'll call out my favorite Tony Bennett album, the 1965 travel-themed If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. Here, Bennett took “Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)” and turned it into a late-night lover's last call forever and sent “How Insensitive” into eternal bossa-nova bliss. Those are just two highlights from a record that upon revisiting says, “Yes, Bennett did rule the world,” if only more were listening. Well, listen now and listen good – you'll have no other choice – and hear the opening aeronautic sweep of “Song Of The Jet” like never before.

 
System Setup

Marantz PM-KI Pearl Integrated Amplifier
Marantz SA-KI Pearl SACD/CD Player
Marantz TT-15S1 Turntable with ClearaudioVirtuoso Wood Moving Magnetic Cartridge
Klipsch WF-34 Loudspeakers
RS Audio Cables Illume Silver Interconnects (1 meter)
RS Audio Cables Illume Silver Loudspeaker Cables (8 ft)
RS Audio Cables Kevlar Starchord Power Cable (6 ft)

Comments

Add New | Search

Dick Wammes  - Marantz PM-KI Pearl Integrated Amplifier   |2010-04-20 12:16:32 I Bought the Marantz PM-KI a few weeks ago and I love the sound of it. Next thing is to buy the SA-KI Pearl SACD player as wel. After that I don't think that i will buy another amp or sacd player for years to come. The combination comes close te perfection in a still afordable way. Thanks for a great review Dick Wammes 2   0

Roger E Rahal  - I have The KI-Pearl SACD player & The Integrated   |2011-02-10 09:50:32 Hello, Thank you for your thoughts on this amplifier. I also have a YBA Passion 300 integre and the power output in RMS watts is similar with both machines, but I do not know much about the High Current delivery in ampers of both amps? I use them with LE CONTOUR Mobile 160 loudspeakers from french company LAVARDIN. These speakers are not ported, they are sealead with a rear firing passive radiotor, and it is a two way of cousre and an easy load (True 8 ohm). The french amp sounds to me more musical, a little bit more powerful and with an amazing midband, very fluid, highly dynamic and maybe its stongest asset is the holography that it creates. Sound and music are totally detached from the speakers, they just disappear! Of course The YBA costed me 4500 Euros plus 1300 for its special AC line filter. So it is not a fair comparaison, but i do not own a third amp. I can't honestly say that the KI-Pearl is more natural or more musical,but it is very pleasantly detailed in a relaxed kind of way, the high frequencies are extended all the way to the top, more so than the YBA, and they remain sweet and easy on the ears. Bass is, well it leaves with mixed feelings, because i think it sounds different every time you switch or change speakers. Thank you, Krautrock2@terra.net.lb 0   0

Write comment
Name:
Email:
Website:
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

---

Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.