The path to self-improvement is never-ending: no matter how successful or saintly we are, there is always a way to better ourselves. The same also applies to hi-fi – regardless of how good a piece of kit is and how many accolades it has won, there’s always room for improvement.

Marantz is many steps along the journey towards making the best budget stereo amplifier possible, most recently with this new PM6007, which sets out to improve upon the 2018-launched Marantz PM6006 UK Edition. That predecessor was once the What Hi-Fi? Award winner in the same price bracket, and the new PM6007 has, inevitably, taken over that mantle. And wins once again in 2023.

Features

In our review of the PM6006 UK Edition, we said our only wish was that its vast connectivity included Bluetooth and a USB input, but that’s not where Marantz has sought to improve its 6000 Series line. Instead, the enhancements are centred around the performance – and who can argue with that?

Marantz has implemented a new DAC into the PM6007, with the AKM AK4490 replacing the Cirrus Logic CS4398 found in its predecessor. It is complemented by two digital filters – a slow roll-off and sharp roll-off – that users can choose between when playing from a source connected to either of its two optical or single coaxial inputs. Such versatility has trickled down from the brand’s more premium digital processors, such as those built into the SA-10, SA-12SE and SA-KI Ruby.

In an effort to improve performance across the analogue inputs (of which there are four line-level, plus a MM phono), new components in the power amp and phono stages have been swapped in. The latter has also benefitted from upgraded circuitry – similar to that found in the PM7000N’s phono stage – to achieve a higher signal-to-noise ratio.

And while the entry-level amplifier still doesn’t have a USB input or Bluetooth, Marantz has added a subwoofer output to accommodate those who want to add extra thwack to their stereo set-up.

Build

Styling-wise, the PM6007 is more or less a carbon copy of its predecessor – and indeed the model that came before that. In fact, Marantz hasn’t revamped the aesthetic much at all in the line’s 13-year history. Placed side-by-side, only the odd finish and button differential would distinguish the new PM6007 from the PM6002 released in 2007, apart from the model number printed on the facade. That familiarity is disappointing.

Moving away from appearances, this is a well-constructed, well-finished chassis that, while perhaps too densely populated with dials for some minimalist tastes, offers traditional hi-fi appeal.