I’ve been listening to an exceptional pair of integrated amplifiers over the last few months and I thought I’d share a couple early impressions. The Marantz PM-11S2 and the ATC SIA2-150 are not small units. They are high power components, capable of shouldering aside even the toughest speaker loads. They are designed as a viable alternative to separates. And their performance seems to back this up. Not since the Pass Labs INT-150 have I heard this kind of robust dynamic output married to such delicate resolving power.
First things first, the Marantz ($4495) and the ATC ($6500) couldn’t be more different at first glance. The Marantz is a classic updating of their reference line with champagne finished metal work and a full copper chassis. The illuminated center dial indicates the input and volume while the side knobs control volume and input. Two rows of vertical buttons are illuminated in a soft blue. The whole effect is glorious, like a glowing tribute to amplifiers past and present. The PM-11S2 is also biampable, designed to be paired with a second PM and includes a MM/MC phono stage (the ATC does not) and enough power supply and capacitance to bump its weight up over 58 lbs. Power is a very conservative 100Wpc into 8 ohms which doubles into 4 ohms.
ATC, as many know is maker of professional active loudspeakers but they also have a more audiophile friendly “passive” line that can be paired with their own compatible electronics. The SIA2-150 is a 150Wpc unit that’s based in large part on the topography of the amp-packs that are slipped into their active monitors. They are fairly warm running in operation with a goodly amount of Class A bias. The look of the SIA2-150 is pure Art Deco and reflects ATC founder Billy Woodman’s fondness for the visual appeal of vintage auto dashboards and studio electronics of decades gone-by. I think it’s a very smart and distinctive look that should please many audiophiles tired of the bland, tech look of much of the gear that’s currently available.
Sonically each amp immediately establishes itself from the bottom of the soundstage on up. When a piece of music begins you can feel the acoustic space load-up with low frequency energy even prior to the first note being struck. The hall or venue itself becomes a silent presence in the listening room. Only amplifiers with deep reserves of power and control seem to consistently have this distinction. Both amps are neutral but not rigidly so. That is they both have a character and it’s a darker, warmth factor that veers away from the clinical or dry. Tonally the ATC is slightly fuller in presentation and offers a more rounded, continuous and complete soundstage effect. The Marantz seems to run as deep in the bass but its decay characteristics are not as extended in duration. The Marantz is very present in the mids and upper mids and has a glow or sheen in these regions that emphasize the beauty of strings and female vocals. It’s almost as if a couple output tubes had somehow slipped aboard that gorgeous copper chassis. Both amps enlarge and enliven the soundstage. I still have some questions regarding the amount of air and the quality of treble extension they impart. They are different in this regard. Both very good but perhaps not quite a match for the Pass Labs. The full review of each amp will be published this spring. For the moment I’ve still got some more serious listening to do.
By Neil Gader
My love of music largely predates my enthusiasm for audio. I grew up Los Angeles in a house where music was constantly playing on the stereo (Altecs, if you’re interested). It ranged from my mom listening to hit Broadway musicals to my sister’s early Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Beatles, and Stones LPs, and dad’s constant companions, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. With the British Invasion, I immediately picked up a guitar and took piano lessons and have been playing ever since. Following graduation from UCLA I became a writing member of the Lehman Engel’s BMI Musical Theater Workshops in New York–working in advertising to pay the bills. I’ve co-written bunches of songs, some published, some recorded. In 1995 I co-produced an award-winning short fiction movie that did well on the international film-festival circuit. I was introduced to Harry Pearson in the early 70s by a mutual friend. At that time Harry was still working full-time for Long Island’s Newsday even as he was writing Issue 1 of TAS during his off hours. We struck up a decades-long friendship that ultimately turned into a writing gig that has proved both stimulating and rewarding. In terms of music reproduction, I find myself listening more than ever for the “little” things. Low-level resolving power, dynamic gradients, shadings, timbral color and contrasts. Listening to a lot of vocals and solo piano has always helped me recalibrate and nail down what I’m hearing. Tonal neutrality and presence are important to me but small deviations are not disqualifying. But I am quite sensitive to treble over-reach, and find dry, hyper-detailed systems intriguing but inauthentic compared with the concert-going experience. For me, true musicality conveys the cozy warmth of a room with a fireplace not the icy cold of an igloo. Currently I split my time between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Studio City, California with my wife Judi Dickerson, an acting, voice, and dialect coach, along with border collies Ivy and Alfie.
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