Marantz PM788AV (c. 1998)
The PM788AV is a late-'90s Marantz piece that gets overlooked. It arrived right as the brand was moving from two-channel purism toward home theater, and it doesn't have the mystique of the blue-dial receivers from the 1970s. It is a 5.1-channel AV surround amplifier rated at 100 watts across all five channels (into 6 ohms, EIAJ), with a built-in Dolby Digital decoder and a CINEMA Re-EQ circuit for taming overly bright film soundtracks. It was priced at ¥99,800 in Japan around 1998.
For its era, the PM788AV came thoroughly equipped. The inputs are four AV system inputs, two audio-only inputs, a tape loop, VCR input/output, and a monitor output. For the then-new AC-3 (Dolby Digital) format, it has RF, optical, and coaxial inputs, so it could handle laserdisc players outputting raw AC-3 bitstreams as well as early DVD players. There's a subwoofer output, pre-outs for the front, rear, and center channels, and a headphone jack. It also shipped with a learning remote, handy for buyers trying to consolidate a growing stack of AV gear.
On specs, the amplifier section is rated at 85 dB signal-to-noise ratio, and the video section at 63 dB. Power consumption is listed at 188W under Japan's Electrical Appliance and Material Control Law. It measures 439 x 158 x 458 mm and weighs 13.0 kg, which is substantial but reasonable for a five-channel amp of the period.
Surviving documentation on the PM788AV is thin. There's no frequency response, THD, or damping factor data in the record, and no period reviews have surfaced. What we know of its real-world reception comes from classified listings. One Australian owner, who bought it from an official Marantz dealer (not grey import), described it as "a beautiful and reliable AV amplifier/receiver in perfect working condition." A South African listing called it "powerful" and asked R2000. A Russian listing called it a classic Japanese amplifier/receiver, though that particular unit was being sold for parts, non-working.
Known Specifications
- Type: AV surround amplifier/receiver, 5.1 channels
- Rated output (EIAJ, 6 ohms): Front 100W + 100W, Center 100W, Rear 100W + 100W
- Dolby Digital decoder with CINEMA Re-EQ circuit
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 85 dB (amplifier), 63 dB (video)
- Power consumption: 188W
- Dimensions: 439 × 158 × 458 mm (W×H×D)
- Weight: 13.0 kg
- Original price: ¥99,800 (c. 1998)
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