Marantz PM-94 Limited (1988)
The Marantz PM-94 Limited is a stereo pre-main (integrated) amplifier from around 1988. It was originally priced at ¥260,000 in Japan. It's a refined version of the standard PM-94 - Marantz described it as a model that took the PM-94 and "reviewed it from the material side," chasing higher sound quality through construction and materials rather than circuit changes.
According to a period listing, the Limited differs from the base PM-94 in several ways: champagne gold finish, wood side panels, upgraded vibration-damping feet, ELNA Cerafine capacitors, an improved phono stage, and an aluminium top plate. The standard steel top plate gave way to non-magnetic aluminium drawn material, to eliminate eddy-current interference. The large insulators were filled with Portland cement for anti-vibration. Marantz also used a material it called "Coppertight" - copper-plated copper plates - in the construction.
Electrically, the PM-94 Limited is a MOS FET design. The output stage is a triple push-pull MOS FET configuration with Marantz's "Quarter A" circuit, which electronically auto-shifts between pure Class A and Class AB operation. Rated output is 220W + 220W into 4Ω and 140W + 140W into 8Ω in Class AB, with a 35W + 35W Class A rating into 8Ω. Total harmonic distortion is specified at 0.005%, and frequency response is flat from 20 Hz to 20 kHz within +0/−0.2 dB. Phono inputs cover MM (2.5 mV/47kΩ), high-output MC (350 μV/40Ω), and low-output MC (125 μV/3Ω) via a built-in MC transformer. A CD/phono direct position bypasses unnecessary circuitry, and there's a dedicated input position for a HiFi VCR. Signal-to-noise ratio is rated at 100 dB (IHF-A) on CD. Power consumption is 390W. The unit weighs 23 kg and measures 462 × 167 × 446 mm.
The record on this model is thin. No period reviews have surfaced in the archive's sources, and surviving documentation is mostly Japanese catalog data and classified listings. One Russian listing, dated May 2025, asked 15,000₽ for a unit described as a "top amplifier in class A." A repair video exists on YouTube, which suggests these units do eventually need service, but no common failure points are documented. Listings call it a "rare item" with power-on confirmed, so collector interest appears genuine. No reliable current market value can be established from the sources at hand.
Known Specifications
- Class AB output: 220W + 220W (4Ω), 140W + 140W (8Ω)
- Class A output: 35W + 35W (8Ω)
- THD: 0.005%
- Frequency response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, +0/−0.2 dB
- Phono MM: 2.5 mV/47kΩ; Phono MC (high): 350 μV/40Ω; Phono MC (low): 125 μV/3Ω
- Line input: 150 mV/25kΩ
- S/N (CD, IHF-A): 100 dB
- Power consumption: 390W
- Dimensions: 462 × 167 × 446 mm; 23 kg
- Original price: ¥260,000 (c. 1988)
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