Marantz PM Ki Ruby vs Musical Fidelity M6si

@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

@nonoise thank you so much. This is very useful and I’m glad to know that you’re enjoying your gear. It always feel great when you return to a piece of gear after sometime and it sounds surprisingly better.  Stay safe. Cheers!

relative to the above comments, as I stated the 15S2 and the Ruby are two different amps in more ways than one.  

@prashanth 13485, you can look at my system on this site.  I have driven multiple speakers with the Ruby combo with great results.  BTW, the output of the N-core class D amp goes ballistic into low impedances.  So your 4 ohm speakers will have more power than they can handle (in a good way).

@corelli.. thanks again. Just checked out your photos. What a beautiful listening room you got. 
Wish I had a dedicated room. Mine’s a living room setup so you can imagine the whole host of acoustic problems I am having to deal with. Next up, I want to do some basic treatment but I have to make sure that my boss (wifey) is happy with the decor.  Lol