Marantz PM-84

October   1 9 8 3 october 1983
May
1 9 8 6 may 1986

The original 1980s Marantz flagship, launched when the Philips + Marantz production started to make sense and not be a mere rebadging scheme with multiple sources and contradictory ambitions.


At the center of the PM-84 are AVSS (or Automatic Voltage Shift Supply - two voltage rails, an old idea) and Quarter A circuits to make Class A/B more efficient.
The first 60W of the PM-84 are thus in real hot chili pepper Class A : 2x 30W.
- read the TECH1 section for the details !

Build-quality is excellent with copper-plated chassis (not diecast, though), FET phono section, an encapsulated transformer and a conductive plastic volume pot. PCB tracks width are varied according to current magnitudes and the MC position is gratified with two positions, normal and high.

The "direct" switch bypasses everything but the volume pot ; the filter caps and power transformer were directly imported from the contemporary Sm-8 power amp.

Invisible on most images, the AVSS front badge is backlit in cold green.
The PM-84 was available in black everywhere on the planet and in champagne as well in Europe.

Unlike the later PM-94 (1986), the original PM-84, if raising hotness indeed, did see much less self-destruction cases due to overheating like the PM-94s did.

The PM-84 was updated in 1986/88 (depending on market) as PM-84II or PM-84D with minor layout differences but mostly MOS-FET output transistors inherited from the PM-94.

Marantz PM-84, image 1 Marantz PM-84, image 2 Marantz PM-84, image 3
Marantz PM-84 specifications
Title Value
NOTE : Specifications are highly variable from NOTE :
source to source and also seem to differ
for each JP / EU / US version...
POWER section POWER section
Power : 2x 125W (AB, 20Hz...20Khz, 4 Ohm) {2x 130W DIN ?}
2x 180W (AB, 1Khz, 4 Ohm)
2x 190W (AB, 1Khz, 8 Ohm, DIN)
2x 302W (AB, 1Khz, 4 Ohm, DIN)
2x 30W (A, 20Hz...20Khz, 8 Ohm)
THD : 0,06% (4 Ohm)
0,03% (8 Ohm)
IMD : 0,006% (4 Ohm rated power)
0,003% (8 Ohm rated power)
IHF dynamic power : 210W (4 Ohm)
130W (8 Ohm)
Damping factor : 110 (8 Ohm, 1Khz) {90 ?}
Slew rate : 30V / µs (MAIN input)
Frequency response : 10Hz...100Khz (± 1dB, MAIN input)
S/N ratio : 90dB (MAIN input, A-WTD, 1W output)
MM section MM section
Frequency response : ± 0,2dB
S/N ratio : 83dB (A-WTD) {92db ?}
Maximum input : 150mV (1Khz)
In capacitance : 47 kOhm
In impedance : 120 pF
In sensitivity : 2,5mV
Equivalent input noise : 0,22 µV
Dynamic range : 116dB
MC section MC section
Input sensitivity : 125 µV (LOW MC) {250µV ?}
?? µV (HIGH MC)
Maximum input : ?? mV (1Khz, LOW MC)
?? mV (1Khz, HIGH MC)
In impedance : 1000 Ohm (LOW MC) {?}
100 Ohm (HIGH MC) {?}
S/N ratio : 83dB (A-WTD)
LINE section LINE section
Input : 150mV / 30kOhm
Frequency response : 10Hz...70Khz {5Hz...50Khz ?}
S/N ratio : 98dB (A-WTD)
Tape outputs : 465mV / 220 Ohm (7,75mV, 1Khz input) {520mV / 590 Ohm ?}
Preamp outputs : 1,5V / 220 Ohm (150mV, 1Khz input)
General General
PC : ?? W max.
Dimensions : 41,6 x 14,6 x 41cm
Weight : 18kg.
List price : 125,000¥ (1983)
Option : WPM-84 sideburns (4000¥)
page online since : july 2007
page updated : january 2011
page type : LGT / KNB
page weight : 123.57 Kb / 0 b
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