I think my question is the victim of this product's age
...which I think is now around a decade old. But I can't seem to find many opinions, tests, or reviews of the Marantz MA-500(or its bigger brother MA-700) monoblock amplifier.
I see the MA-500 listed as being or having been in many folks' systems based upon their signatures though
.... and there seems to be a regular supply of used MA-500 & 700 on eBay. So it seems that Marantz sold a lot of them, which may be a good sign at least
But here's my scenario....
I'd like to get some monoblock or dedicated stereo amplifiers for my 7.1 system at home. I don't need a lot of power for my rear and side surrounds though, and the MA-500 seem like a good fit from a price and performance standpoint. The MA-500 can be had used from $100-150, and the 700 seems to hover around $225.
Even though my current 6.1 Marantz receiver(SR8200) is "equally" rated at 120W/chx6(the MA-500 rated 125W-8ohm), I have two issues. First, I want dual rear surrounds, so I need 7 channels. Second, even though I haven't put the SR8200 on a bench, I'm relatively certain it doesn't deliver 120x6 across all channels with adequate headroom. Oh, and third, with the ever-changing landscape of HT audio decoding, I think it may just be nicer to have a static set of quality amplifiers and change out the AV preamp as needed over time.
So, looking around, along with my similar question in another thread asking for a comparison between the Behringer A500 and the MA-500 monoblocks, I am in general just curious about anyone's experience with the MA-500 and MA-700 units.
For example, are the Marantz units accurately, conservatively, or optimistically rated?
How is the sound quality?
Build quality and reliability?
I'm actually getting very interested in using pro amps in many of these applications such as Yamaha or Behringer, but I honestly don't need 2-400w/ch for surrounds. I may actually look at a pro amp as a solution for the fronts and center though, although the MA-700 looks good for those too with its rated 225W-8ohm *shrug*
I have to also admit some brand loyalty to Marantz, which subjectively sways me a bit
I'm just wondering what the community found out about the MA-500 and 700 over the last decade or so of use.
Thanks,
Al
MA-500 & 700 specs:
MA-700 Features
n AC convenience outlet n Gold plated RCA input
and output jacks
Amplifier Section
Continuous power output (RMS)
8½ 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.05% THD 200 W
4½ 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.09% THD 300 W
Bridged transformerless mode (2 x MA-700)
Continuous power output (RMS)
8½ 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.09% THD 600 W
Input sensitivity/impedance 1 V
Input impedance 30 k½
General
Power requirements 120 V, 60 Hz, 450 W
Dimensions W/H/D 53⁄4” x 53⁄4” x 183⁄4”
146mm x 145mm x 474mm
Weight 22 lbs. 10 kg.
MA-500
Amplifier Section
Continuous power output (RMS)
8½ 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.05% THD 125 W
4½ 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.09% THD 180 W
EIA Dynamic power
8½ 170 W
4½ 270 W
2½ 320 W
Bridged mode (2 x MA-500)
Continuous power output (RMS)
8½ 20 Hz - 20 kHz <.1% THD 360 W
EIA Dynamic power
8½ 500 W
4½ 600 W
Damping factor at 8½ 200
Frequency response 1 W 10 Hz - 100 kHz ± 1 dB
S/N ratio 116 dB
Input sensitivity/impedance 1 V/30 k½
General
Power requirements 120 V, 60 Hz, 230 W
Dimensions W/H/D 35⁄16” x 51⁄2” x 173⁄4”
84mm x 140mm x 451mm
Weight 14 lbs. 6.4 kg.
