Marantz's new budget amp is a belter

A feature-packed amp for the money and a match for the brand's CD6002 CD player

Just under a month ago, tech.co.uk revealed Marantz's new bargain CD player the CD6002 and if that player caught your eye, you might like to know it has a matching stereo amp, the PM6002.

Affordable luxury

Priced at £270, the newcomer is the only completely new stereo amp from the company to be introduced this year. Marantz is quick to highlight how powerful the amp is: we're told it delivers a conservatively estimated 60 watts into a four-ohm load and "can drive even difficult speaker loads with ease".

A proprietary Linear Drive Power Supply (LDPS) and a large toroidal transformer have been used to supply the large power reserves needed for the dynamic peaks found in lively music.

Despite being a budget performer, the PM6002 has a generous sprinkling of high-quality components under the lid.

Precise stereo imaging

These include a large aluminium extrusion heat sink used to help efficiency and act as a shield for sensitive components, and fully symmetrical circuit architecture. The dual-mono circuit topology with its short signal paths is said to provide precise stereo imaging by implementing separate, though identical right and left channel circuits.

In addition to the acoustically damped chassis and all-metal casework, the 7kg amp also benefits from six inputs - including a moving magnet phono stage - plus a pair of heavy-duty, gold-plated speaker terminals, a preamp-output and bypassable tone controls.