Rob was living in a gilded, golden age. His stereo had been uncharacteristically stable for several months. The Kinki Studio EX-M1+ integrated amplifier was being fed by Ron’s Meridian DAC, while driving my own Focus Audio FP60 BE speakers. Those large bookshelf speakers were augmented with a pair of SVS SB‑2000 Pro subwoofers, providing Rob with essentially limitless bass to complement the rich, pure, and refined sound generated by the core system.
With some of the recent arrivals and departures from my own system, I’d made a few suggestions for changes to Rob’s setup, but he had been uncharacteristically elusive, unwilling to commit. “It’s a really busy time,” he’d say. Or “Jing’s working from home, and I don’t want to disturb her.”
But it was crunch time for me. I’d double-booked myself for a short spell, and my garage was filled with boxes. The Marantz Model 10 integrated amplifier had just arrived, but I had to finish off a cartridge review, and changing anything at that point would introduce a confounding factor to my assessment.
I harangued him over the course of several days. “Rob, I need you to move the Kinki Studio out and slide the Model 10 into its place.”
“C’mon man, it’ll be a lateral change, but with—hopefully—a significant improvement in sound quality. No big system changes, just a vertical lift to your sound. When can we install it?” After a few such appeals, he acquiesced.
I broke out the dolly and rolled the Marantz down to Rob’s place. With neighbor Ron holding doors and acting as supervisor, we wrestled the amp up the stairs and commenced unboxing. The Model 10 is packed as a luxury item—as well it should be, given its price (US$15,000, CA$20,000, £11,999, €14,449). As I peered inside the opened box, I considered Rob’s reluctance at accepting this world-class component into his home. He’s not really an audiophile; he’s audiophile-curious. He’s by no means a green-eyed component whore like Ron and me. Rob can be a bit of an eye-roller, but once he gets a component installed, he seems to come around and ends up greatly enjoying the experience.
It didn’t take long to decant the Model 10, and we three took turns oohing and aahing over the origami-like packaging material. As I’ve mentioned before, Rob is quite strong, and it was humbling to watch him manhandle this 75-pound amp like it was made of Styrofoam.
Hookup was simple: one set of RCA inputs from the DAC, another from the preamp output to the subs, and one pair of cables to the speakers. The back panel is beautifully laid out and almost a work of art by itself. The Model 10 is physically quite large, which meant that it was a bit too deep for the platform we’d been using on the fireplace. The amp stuck out just a touch more than would be ideal, but not so far as to present a hazard to navigation.
Still, the Marantz looked stunning. There’s dimmable illumination that really shows off the copper interior against the black cladding. It’s pure class—attention paid to detail and style that often doesn’t translate well to the audiophile world of bland rectangular boxes. Seeing the Model 10 in Rob’s stylish living room gave me a different perspective on the importance of these aesthetic considerations.
We sat down for a quick listen. This particular unit was brand new, and it did sound rather icy—but promising nonetheless. As per his usual preference, Rob had the subs dialed up higher in level than I think is ideal, but the two SVS subs sound so devastatingly clean that it was like going to the circus, especially when Rob played some aggressive heavy metal. After about a half hour we left Rob to burn in the Model 10.
Over the next few days, Rob texted me a bunch of times, saying how much he was enjoying the amp.
Rob didn’t know it yet, but there was a big storm moving into his end of our complex. Just two days prior to the installation of the Model 10, I’d received an email from Nick Brown, vice-president of marketing at SVS. Turned out it was time to return the SB‑2000 Pros that Rob had grown so attached to. Now, it’s important to note that Rob had—true to his nature—been reluctant to try subwoofers in his system. This had a lot to do with him never having heard a really good subwoofer, but his experience with the SVS subs prompted a change of heart in this regard. Ever since we installed the SB‑2000 Pros and I tuned them to his room, he’d been a convert. Now I had to tell him that they were going back to home base, and I was curious to see how he’d take the news.
We met a couple of days later outside his garage, which doubles as his workshop, and I broke it to him. “Hey Rob,” I said. “I’ve just received the shipping label for the subs. Looks like we have to ship them out this week.”
“Hmph. That’s too bad,” he replied. No moaning, no fuss. I pressed him on the matter, and he explained to me that the Focus Audio speakers driven by the Kinki Studio sounded so good that he felt he wouldn’t miss the subs that much. Plus, the Model 10 was settling in so very well that he was actually kinda keen to hear how the combo would sound on its own. How about that?
“In a perfect world, I’d keep them,” he elaborated. “I’ll miss them for sure, but really, I think it’s gonna be just fine without them.”
The boxing up of the SVS subs was uneventful, as was the FedEx pickup. The day after they departed, I nipped down to Rob’s to see how he was making out without them. Rob cracked two beers and ushered me into the living room. “Sit down and throw some music on,” he deadpanned.
I grabbed the sweet spot and cued up a couple of favorites (I hate the term reference tracks—it sounds too precious).
Oh, my stars. I’d forgotten how superb the Focus Audios can be. These speakers have perhaps the best balance of top-end extension and sweetness I’ve ever heard. In some ways, they evoke the best of the big DALI Epikore sound—rich, welcoming, detailed, comforting. But never, ever dull. The big surprise here, though, was the bass. Even lacking the bottom-end reinforcement of the SVS subs, the Focus Audios filled Rob’s large, cathedral-ceilinged room with tight, punchy bass. This was, quite literally, the best sound I’d ever heard out of these speakers.
Rob glanced at me, one eyebrow raised, Spock-like, and turned pointedly to look at the Model 10. “That amp is doing something extraordinary, right?” It sure was.
In one of the largest business deals in audio history, Harman International recently purchased Sound United, parent company of Marantz, Denon, Bowers & Wilkins, Polk Audio, Definitive Technology, and Classé. We recently published my review of the Bowers & Wilkins 805 D4 Signature, and if you take a peek over at the Marantz Model 10’s web page, you’ll see a photo of this amp alongside a pair of 805s. The 805 D4 Signatures are still in my listening room, and I’m in the process of writing up my epilogue on the experience of coupling these speakers with a pair of the company’s DB2D subwoofers. I looked over at the Model 10 once more, thinking about how there’s likely gonna be insane synergy between this amp and the 805s.
As of right now, we’ve moved the Marantz over to my listening room and hooked the Kinki Studio back up at Rob’s. I haven’t yet set up the Model 10—that’s this weekend’s task. I’ll save my listening impressions for the review, but I think this is going to be a fun time.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
