MARANTZ PM-12SE

Marantz’s new Premium products are always a cause for celebration among the audiophile community, and the new 12 Series Special Edition is no exception. Marantz Special Editions are how Marantz celebrates the love for music that flows through the veins of Marantz sound experts and engineers, displayed in the artistry and craftsmanship of these special components. With a constant attention to detail, Marantz Special Editions produce unparalleled Hi-Fi sound that enhances the mastery and emotion of the music.

The PM-12SE circuits offer the cleanest signal path through the amplifier, delivering 100 W per channel with 8-ohm speakers or 200 W per channel with 4-ohm speakers. It is also equipped with high-quality nickel-plated copper input terminals and high-purity copper speaker terminals.

Key Features:

• Designed and extensively optimized by a team drawing from over 65 years of Marantz amplifier design knowledge
• Marantz high-resolution preamplifier stage with proprietary HDAM technology
• Switching power amplifier derived from the high-end PM-10 amplifier
• Remarkable output power: 100 W + 100 W (8 Ohm), 200 W + 200 W (4 Ohm)
• Fully discrete two-stage design for maximum signal purity, with separate power supplies for preamplifier and power amplification sections to reduce interference
• Toroidal transformer dedicated to the preamplifier for clean and powerful sound
• Current feedback design with newly developed wideband circuits
• HDAM® SA3 circuit for a clean signal and optimal dynamics
• MM/MC Phono input with new Marantz Musical Premium Phono EQ discrete circuit
• Independent nickel-plated copper input terminals for CD and Phono, as well as high-purity/high-quality copper-plated speaker terminals, original Marantz
• Linear volume control with the new electric volume system
• High-quality construction with double-layer chassis and solid aluminum front panel
• Purest Mode function disables unused circuits for the best audio performance
• Carefully selected high-quality audio components: Schottky diodes with minimal leakage current, low-noise complementary transistors, high-quality resistors, newly designed custom electrolytic capacitors, "audio grade" film capacitors, and mica capacitors.

Marantz Special Edition The deep and meticulous refinement by sound experts is what drives the exquisite sonic signature of any Marantz product. No component leaves the hands of a Marantz Sound Master until it passes rigorous tests. Only the best products, carefully tested and managed, reach your home. Marantz Special Editions are the way Marantz celebrates the love for music that flows through the veins of Marantz sound experts and engineers, showcased in the artistry and mastery of these special components. The Sound Master occasionally identifies a product with higher-than-expected potential and examines it with constant attention to detail, component selection, and listening sessions. The original PM-12 was created exclusively for the Japanese market and quickly became the next chosen component. European sound engineers combined it with the results achieved by developing the famous PM-KI Ruby, thus the PM-12 Special Edition was born.

Extended Sound Optimization The deep and thorough refinement has long been the secret to the excellent sound of a Marantz amplifier. For the PM-12SE, the Marantz engineering team used all its experience and expertise, both in designing the amplifier and in the long listening sessions conducted to optimize the sound. The Sound Masters, based in Japan and Europe, did not finish their intense work until they were absolutely sure they had achieved a quality level worthy of the Marantz name.

Marantz HDAM Technology Marantz developed its own discrete circuits called Hyper-Dynamic Amplifier Modules, or HDAM, to replace chip-based amplifiers used in other products. By using discrete surface-mount components with short mirrored signal paths for left and right channels, the HDAM modules drastically outperform standard integrated operational amplifiers in terms of response speed and noise level. The result is a much more dynamic, precise, and detailed sound. Over the years, Marantz has developed several types of HDAM to meet the needs of players and amplifiers. The PM-12SE uses the latest high-quality SA3 version. Combined with an optimized circuit layout and carefully selected components, the PM-12SE delivers exceptional sound quality and performance.

Marantz Musical Premium Phono EQ Marantz has taken its commitment to vinyl listening to new levels with the introduction of the Marantz Musical Premium Phono EQ stage. Designed to provide optimal sound quality by simplifying the signal path—vital due to the delicate nature of phono signals—the Phono EQ stage in the PM-12SE amplifier can be used with both moving magnet and low-output moving coil cartridges, thanks to a built-in MC amplifier. The phono stage uses a two-stage amplification, combining Marantz HDAM modules with JFET (junction field-effect transistor) input stage for a high input impedance. This further simplifies the design by eliminating the use of negative feedback, removing coupling capacitors, reducing distortion, and enhancing signal purity.

High-Quality Volume Control The newly designed electric volume control uses the latest volume control IC to achieve better channel separation, improved dynamic range, and reduced distortion, maintaining the operational feel of an analog volume control. The amplifier uses the new electric volume control designed by Marantz for high linearity and the best channel separation in its product class.

Current Feedback Amplifiers Current Feedback amplification is a renowned original Marantz circuit technology, designed to meet the requirements of high-resolution Super Audio music for ultra-fast wide-bandwidth reproduction. The impedance at the current feedback point is limited, generating very little phase shift. Marantz Current Feedback amplifiers reduce the need for phase compensation by minimizing negative feedback (NFB). This simplifies the signal path and results in high amplification speed, excellent transient response, and superb sound transparency across the entire bandwidth. Unlike conventional voltage feedback topology, Current Feedback also ensures the power amplifier is not affected by the demanding loads of speakers.

Powerful Amplification Drawing on design elements from the PM-10, the PM-12SE is designed to leverage these improvements, maintain the purest possible sound, and deliver the necessary power to drive the most demanding speakers. The amplifier’s output stage makes substantial power available, delivering 2x100W into an 8-Ohm load and easily driving demanding speakers with 2x200W into 4 Ohms. The amplifier module is directly connected to the circuit board of the PM-12SE’s rear panel to maintain signal purity and sound stability.

Pure Analog Design The purely analog design of the PM-12SE contributes to its noise reduction structure and clean build: many competing designs today include digital-to-analog conversion or adopt digital amplification and volume control, but Marantz keeps the design as clean and simple as possible with its acclaimed all-analog design. It may seem convenient to have a DAC in the amplifier, but digital circuits are inherently noisy (electrically) and can interfere with the delicate analog signals passing through the amplifier. That’s why Marantz has chosen to design its Premium series without any digital-to-analog conversion, keeping its amplifiers as pure as possible. There is also a Power Amp input, which sends the signal directly from the input section to the power stage, allowing the unit to function as a pure power amplifier.

Carefully Selected Components Marantz has a solid reputation for selecting the best components for its Premium Series products. Marantz’s alternative to "chip amplifier" integrated circuits is the HDAM circuit, a miniature amplification module built entirely with discrete components. Marantz engineers have selected and optimized the HDAM module through extensive listening sessions at Marantz’s dedicated facilities in Europe and Japan. The careful and meticulous tuning has long been the secret to the beautiful sound of Marantz amplifiers. During the development phase, every part is carefully selected, tested, and confirmed by Marantz audio engineers to ensure sound perfection every time you listen.

Multiple Analog Inputs and Outputs In addition to the analog phono and CD inputs, the PM-12SE features two line-level inputs and two pairs of recorder input/output jacks, allowing multiple source and recorder connections. The PM-12SE can be used as a standalone stereo power amplifier or as a power amplifier via the direct power amplifier input. For example, you can use the front Pre-out outputs of an AV setup and amplify them through the PM-12SE’s power amplifiers.

Dedicated Headphone Output Thanks to Marantz’s proprietary discrete HDAM modules, the headphone circuit delivers superb audio fidelity with the widest range of headphone types and impedances, including low-impedance headphones.

System Remote Control Use the elegant remote control to operate the PM-12SE and the complementary SA-12SE Super Audio CD Player. The PM-12SE is equipped with Remote Control input and output jacks for greater remote control flexibility.

Built for Best Performance Like the SA-12SE Super Audio CD Player in the same series, the PM-12SE integrated amplifier is built to the highest standards, with a thick, heavy, non-magnetic aluminum front panel to eliminate interference. The independent nickel-plated copper input terminals for CD and Phono connections and high-purity, high-quality copper-plated speaker terminals ensure the best possible audio signal.

More than 60 Years of Audiophile Tradition Founded in 1953, Marantz has a long and rich history of designing audio components that have been appreciated by music lovers and audiophiles around the world. Because Music Matters – because music matters so much in our lives. The PM-12SE carries forward our long tradition of providing the best listening experience for music and cinema.

Technical Specifications:

• Output Power (8 / 4 Ohm RMS): 100 W / 200 W
• Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 50 kHz
• Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005%
• Damping Factor: 500

Input Sensitivity:

• MM: 2.3 mV / 39 kΩ
• MC: 250 mV / 100 Ω
• High Level: 220 mV / 13 kΩ
• High Level Balanced: No
• Power Amp Direct IN: No

Signal-to-Noise Ratio:

• MM: 88 dB
• MC: 75 dB
• High Level: 107 dB (2 V in / rated power)
• Power Amp Direct IN: No

General:

• Remote Control: RC005PMSA
• Maximum Dimensions (W x D x H): 440 x 453 x 123 mm
• Weight: 15.3 kg