Specifications

62
Australian
L A B R E P O R T
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63
Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00
dBFS
Graph 3: Total harmonic distortion (THD) at 1kHz referenced to 90-watts across an 8-ohm
non-inductive load. [Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier]
Newport Test Labs
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00
dBFS
Graph 1: Total harmonic distortion (THD) at 1kHz referenced to 1-watt across an 8-ohm
non-inductive load. [Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier]
Newport Test Labs
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00
dBFS
Graph 4: Total harmonic distortion (THD) at 1kHz referenced to 140-watts across a 4-ohm
non-inductive load. [Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier]
Newport Test Labs
10.00 Hz 100.00 1000.00 10000.00 40000.00
-10.00
-8.00
-6.00
-4.00
-2.00
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
dBr
Graph 7: Tone control action referenced to 0dB at 1kHz. [Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Amplifier]
Newport Test Labs
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00 24000.00 28000.00
-120.00
-110.00
-100.00
-90.00
-80.00
-70.00
-60.00
-50.00
-40.00
-30.00
-20.00
-10.00
0.00
dBFS
Graph 6: Intermodulation distortion (CCIF-IMD) using test signals at 19kHz and 20kHz, referenced
to a 1-watt output (at 0dB) across an 8-ohm non-inductive load. [Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Amplifier]
Newport Test Labs
10.00 Hz 100.00 1000.00 10000.00 40000.00
-1.00
-0.80
-0.60
-0.40
-0.20
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
dBr
Graph 5: Frequency response of CD input referenced to a 1-watt output (at 0dB) across
an 8-ohm non-inductive load with tone controls defeated (Black Trace), and across a
combination resistive/inductive/capacitive load representative of a typical two-way
loudspeaker system with tone controls in circuit. (Red Trace) [PM-KI-Pearl Int Amp]
Newport Test Labs
0.00 Hz 4000.00 8000.00 12000.00 16000.00 20000.00
-140.00
-120.00
-100.00
-80.00
-60.00
-40.00
-20.00
0.00
dBFS
Graph 2: Total harmonic distortion (THD) at 1kHz referenced to 1-watt across a 4-ohm
non-inductive load. [Marantz PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier]
Newport Test Labs
was inter-channel phase, with figures so low
that you can read them for yourself in the
test result chart.
Total harmonic distortion (THD) was
vanishingly low at 1-watt output levels, as
you can see from Graph 1 (into 8Ω) and Graph
2 (into 4Ω). In both cases the second har-
monic distortion component is sitting down
at around –95dB (0.001%) and the third
harmonic at –105dB (0.0005%). The only
significant difference between the Marantz
PM-KI-Pearl’s performance into the two loads
is the level of the fifth harmonic, which is at
–110dB (0.0003%) when driving 8Ω loads and
–93dB (0.002%) into 4Ω. Note the noise floor
is sitting at –120dB (0.0001%) below 1-watt
for the most part, and even at low frequen-
cies (the extreme left of the graph) rises to
only –100dB (0.001%)
Graph 3 and Graph 4 show THD at rated
output. You can see that the low-order
harmonic distortion components are almost
identical irrespective of loading, and that all
the higher-order harmonic components are
a) odd-order and b) higher when driving 4Ω
loads than when driving 8Ω. However, except
for the first two distortion components,
which sit at around –85dB (0.005%) and
-96dB (0.001%), all higher-order distortion
components are more than 110dB down
(0.0003%) when driving 8Ω loads and more
than 100dB down when driving 4Ω loads,
and so would be completely inaudible. The
overall wideband THD+N figures measured
by Newport Test Labs were 0.006% (re 1-watt
output) and 0.004% (re 90-watt output).
Intermodulation distortion (CCIF) is shown
in Graph 6. Again, the Marantz returned excel-
lent performance, with very little regenerated
signal at 1kHz (–77dB/0.014%), and only two
side-bands around the two test frequencies
(19kHz and 20kHz), both more than 90dB
down. (Ignore the spuriae around 24kHz,
which is not related to the amplifier under test.)
Signal-to-noise ratios were good, as you
can see from the results tabulated in the
accompanying table, with the PM-KI-Pearl
hitting the magic 100dB figure when refer-
ence to rated output, and with A-weighting
applied. (The 1-watt S/N figures allow you to
accurately compare the noise performance
against other amplifiers with different power
output ratings, but I don’t think you’d find
many that would better the 90dB A-weighted
result returned by the PM-KI-Pearl.)
The input sensitivity of the CD input was
23.5mV for one-watt output, and 221mV for
rated output, while for the phono input it
was 250µV (MC) and 2.5mV (MM) with the
phono overload margin in both cases exceed-
ing 30dB.
The Marantz PM-KI-Pearl does not have
a standby mode, so if you leave it switched
on when you’re not using it, it will draw
34-watts from the mains power continuously,
with consumption increasing to around 56-
watts in ordinary day-to-day use, and to 326-
watts when it’s being driven to rated output.
Overall, I assessed the measured performance
of the Marantz PM-KI-Pearl as excellent.
Steve Holding
avhub.com.au