Is it worth modding a Marantz PM66SE

[jazzbee]

Hi guys

I'm a long time lurker on this great forum and am slowly
getting back into my hi-fi obsession...

I have a predicament that you may be able to assist me with:

I need to change the main psu filter caps on my PM66Se and
was wondering if it would be worth modding this amp further
to obtain a higher sound quality out of it.

What has made me doubt the 66se is that I recently hooked up an old Marantz 1060 and was absolutely blown away by its sound. 😱
I havent heard my b&w 601 s2's sound that good since I heard them in the hi-fi shop well over a decade ago so am wondering can a modded 66se sound as nice as the old 1060?

There isn't much info online regarding a pm66se mod so any advice will be much appreciated 🙂

 

[jaycee]

Not really, it is a pretty good amp for the time... the AN7062 chip frontend is quite good quality. I have a PM55 based around the same circuit.

 

[jazzbee]

Thanks for the reply jaycee.

I think i'll install a good set of filter caps and review the sound again as
I purchased this amp from an internet auction and shortly after (around 2 months)
one of the caps went so maybe I didnt hear it at its best.

Am definately looking forward to getting it up and running 🙂

 

[dry joint]

If you really like the character of the 1060 then think of improving/servicing that.

 

[Mooly]

What has made me doubt the 66se is that I recently hooked up an old Marantz 1060 and was absolutely blown away by its sound. 😱
I havent heard my b&w 601 s2's sound that good since I heard them in the hi-fi shop well over a decade ago so am wondering can a modded 66se sound as nice as the old 1060?

The old Marantz uses a totally different type of circuit. Its "single ended" input stage and "quasi complementary" output stage produce even harmonic distortion which the ear likes. It would never win prizes for "on paper" specs but to listen too...... 🙂

Modding the later one will never change its basic subjective sound character I'm afraid.

 

[jazzbee]

I just installed the new filter caps on the PM66SE (Vishay 10000uf 63v) and am listening to it now with the same reference material (Henry Mancini - orchestral).

The PM66SE sounds great with a nice bottom end, good detail and decent stereo imaging
so I am happy with this amp and have decided it will stay in my collection 🙂

In comparison the 1060 has an almost crystal clear sound with
vivid imaging and with good music the sound seemed to jump-out almost like the orchestra is being played in the room!

Hmmm... You've got a good point dry joint 🙂
I will look into modding the 1060 but am not sure how much the full recap will cost and where I can get all the parts from.

The 1060 I have sounds good just as it is with the original caps so am now curious to find out how it will sound recapped as im sure the original caps must have deteriorated somewhat over the past almost 4 decades!

I find myself developing a soft spot for the vintage stuff and will certainly be preaching to all my family and friends to invest in some classic & vintage gear 🙂

 

[Mooly]

Apart from large reservoir caps the cost should be very reasonable. Old equipment might use "axial" rather than "radial" case styles for electrolytics. Try "CPC" (its part of Farnell) as they do a fair range of axials and many ranges of radial types.

 

[dry joint]

That old marantz stuff has a good following and there are 1060 service threads around here and at audiokarma.org. All I'd say is have a look and decide for yourself. Generally improving PSU parts makes an amp be itself but better, similar goes for using a fancy volume control like a stepped attenuator. Marantz of recent decades has used a lot of Elna caps, when affordable they go for Silmics( now Silmic 2), Starget are the cheaper Elna they also use.

google 'marantz 1060 service' and you'll get the service manual no problem.

A spare one to experiment on won't come at scrap prices.