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Marantz ST7001 Review

Now that Marantz is run under the same umbrella company as Denon (D&M Holdings, which also owns McIntosh, Boston Acoustics and Snell loudspeakers), one might perhaps expect some commonality of components and design between this and a similarly-specified Denon tuner.
Indeed, the specifications list of this model looks very similar to that of the Denon TU-1800DAB. And under the hood? Well, the same DAB tuner module resides in each, the same DAC, the same FM tuner module, the same mains transformer... and very nearly the same circuit board.
It's not quite identical - the odd component here and there seeming unique to one model or the other - but the similarities are marked to say the least.
Basic specs are exactly the same too - DAB, FM, MW, electrical and optical digital output from DAB, RDI, RDS on FM and squillions of presets. Build quality is respectable and the unit occupies a considerably larger case than the Denon, with slightly more fresh air inside. It's nice to use too, with manual tuning aided by the swift-responding rotary knob.

So should we expect the same performance? We don't want to jump the gun on our conclusions, but in the course of conducting the lab tests, we did find some component changes in the FM module that have some marked effects. By the way, almost all our listening was carried out before we realised quite how similar the two units were.
In the event, comments on the ST7001's sound tallied broadly with those on the TU-1800DAB but varied in enough specifics to suggest that the technical differences between the pair may not be so very trivial after all. That's on FM, anyway: DAB seems frankly indistinguishable in every way. But analogue radio, while it comes in loud and clear with considerable gusto and insight, has its own particular characteristics.
Most noticeable is the bass, which seems a touch more present through the ST7001. It's not any deeper, nor is its level obviously higher, but it seems a little more palpable and if anything, a shade more tuneful too. The extent to which this is obvious depends quite strongly on musical material and it's not that marked on most commercial pop radio. Subtler classical and jazz tones show it up much more, however.
In the midband, we thought the present contender behind the TU-1800DAB on detail and imaging, but no less lively. In some situations it can come across as more energetic, which we assume is due to the difference in the bass. Meanwhile, the treble is basically clean, but once again lacks some of the clarity and openness that the very best FM tuners can achieve.
As a result of those differences, admittedly not vast in the great scheme of things, we found this tuner to be more immediately appealing than the Denon, but not necessarily more involving to listen to in the long run.
With most pop music styles it scored about the same, but for classical, all things considered, it seemed a touch less convincing. All the same, it's clearly a perfectly decent budget tuner and a safe purchase for most lovers of the airwaves.

Marantz PM7001 Review

Good ratings are relative. When i first got into hifi 35 years ago, I saw a lot of decent low end stuff getting a good rating, only to end up being very disapointed. That is because they are often comparing it to something else in the same price range; hence your experience with the Pioneer. The is always relative value and absolute value, and the audio press tends to speak in terms of relative value. It is only the occasional low priced unit that can seriously compete on the basis of absolute value (i.e., the NAD C320bee). Clearly, you are in Europe, for one reason is that we cannot get the PM7001 here in the US. We do get the PM7200, which as I have said sounds dull and lifeless. Yet, the PM7200 gets very good reviews in the European audio press, which makes me think that there is a significant difference in the sound produced by the European version as opposed the the North American version I have heard. Given the fact that the biggest difference is that the european model runs off 220v vs our 110v, and given that Eurpoeans are far more likely to buy an integrated amp (not a big market here in the US) which is to say the integrated market in Europe is more competitive,, I think the European version is simply a better unit because of a higher quality power supply. Thus, the PM7001 should probably be a pretty good unit, too. If you get it, please come back and post your impressions.

Marantz PM7001 Review By Customer (audioreview.com)

Summary:For the money this is one of the best sounding integrated amps you can buy. It is very solidly built and well designed for a $650 integrated amp. Some interesting features are the input buffer circuit on the gold plated CD input which essentially allows for higher signal to noise ratio and channel separation on the CD input. I really think this integrated was made to be paired with the great sounding Marantz SA8001 SACD player which has a frequency response of 2hz - 50kz and dynamic range of 112db when playing SACD's. The special CD input on the integrated can handle the extra bandwidth. Also the chassis are exactly the same size and style. Fit and finish is very good and the only ergonomic grip I have is with the volume control. First, and this is nit picking, there is no light on the volume knob to let you know where the volume is set at. Second, using the remote, when you give the volume up or down a quick single press the volume ramps up or down several steps. I would have preferred a volume adjustment with smaller increments of change.
Strengths:Very well built Thoughtful design and features for truly good sound. Warm sounding yet very detailed and clean. Produces very low defined bass. At 70wpc it will drive most speakers efficiently. Special CD input buffer allows for use with high performance CD players. Tone controls work very well providing smooth increases in bass/treble. There is also a source direct mode bypassing tone and balance controls.
Weaknesses:No lighted indicator on the volume knob