Marantz PM Ki Ruby vs Musical Fidelity M6si

A number of months back I stepped from the Marantz 15S2 series to the Marantz KI Ruby Integrated/CD player.  Unfortunately I have no experience with the MF gear.

I purchased a "pre broken-in" pair and it was immediately apparent they were superior across the board to the 15S2 gear.  The sound stage was more expansive in each direction.  They are more transparent.  More dynamic.  More detailed.  

I have always viewed the Marantz sound as more neutral than warm.  But if it leans in a direction, the gear is always smooth, never offensive.  So yes, maybe a tad warm.

My only disappointment was to find no pre outs on the integrated.  Otherwise, the gear is a long term keeper.  

prices on used and open box Marantz PM Ruby are surprisingly low...

@Corelli

thanks for the detailed review of the ruby. I don’t think I’ll need the pre out (at least for the foreseeable future). All I care about is getting enjoyable music out of my rubicons. By enjoyable I mean detailed, transparent without being fatiguing. What the rest of your setup? Speakers and source?

@jl35 thanks, I will keep an eye out for used ones. 

I'd like to add my thoughts on the Marantz K1 Ruby as well, though not having heard one. I have the Marantz Pm15-S2b, which Ken Ishiwata used as a model to bring some of the magic he developed on the Ruby series down to the PM15-S2, hence the "b" designation.

Being retired, bored, and in lock down, I swapped out my beloved Kinki EX-M1 with the PM15S2b to see how it sounds now that I have the Audioquest Niagara 1200 power conditioner.

Before the Niagara 1200, the Marantz was a step down from the Kinki. The Kinki had it all over the Marantz in terms of immediacy, leading edge, extension and soundstage size, for starters. It also had more impact down low. It was larger than life.

With the new setup, it's now a sideways move and I'm liking it even better than the Kinki. (Alvin, please don't read this). It now has as much impact down low as well and that organic bloom that follows. Cymbal strikes has more of a burnished, metallic colored sound. It seems that there's more of an organic bloom around everything, which is probably why Doug Schroeder went and swapped out the IC opamps for discreet ones, feeling it raised the bar on what he thought was a cool sounding unit. Vocals aren't as pinpoint and lit up in an isolated way but sound more convincing, as if you were sitting a few rows back in a real venue and not in a recording studio wearing headphones.

Maybe he was onto something. 

Add in more features and the fact that it matches my SA15-S2b SACD player and I may relegate the Kinki to the closet for awhile. One caveat though, and it's something I spoke of a long time ago: use a better fuse, and it doesn't have to be an expensive one.

There was a bit of splash in the upper mods and highs that were a bit distracting, especially with female vocals, brass, and stringed instruments. The Niagara eliminated most of so I went back to my stash and found the one that worked best in it: a Brimar fuse that set me back $25 but is no longer made. That completed things for me. Give the Marantz Ruby a good look if you can get it for a good price.

All the best,
Nonoise