During the 1990s I owned the Marantz 1s, 2s, 7, 9s, and two different 10Bs. For roughly a decade prior to and subsequent to that I owned a Mark Levinson ML-1 preamp. My favorite combination of all of those components was the ML-1 + Marantz 2s, with the 2s operated in triode mode (which I believe is very similarly rated in terms of power capability to the 5s, when both are operated in triode mode).
The 1s and 7 were also quite good, but I preferred the ML-1 by a slight margin. Its built-in phono stage, btw, was excellent, at least when used with moving magnet cartridges. I used the well regarded Grace F-9E Ruby for most of that decade, and I never tried the ML-1’s plug-in boards that provide it with LOMC capability.
The ca. 18 watt triode mode capability of the 2s, btw, together with the 90 db/1 watt/1 meter/7 ohm speakers I was using at the time, was sufficient for most but not quite all of my recordings. Exceptions were classical symphonic recordings having particularly wide dynamic range, such as some of those from Telarc, Sheffield Labs, and Reference Recordings. Bass drum whacks on some of those recordings could cause the power tubes to visibly arc. Ultra-linear mode provided about 3 db more power, of course, but I found to be significantly less preferable sonically.
Hope that helps. Regards,
-- Al
The 1s and 7 were also quite good, but I preferred the ML-1 by a slight margin. Its built-in phono stage, btw, was excellent, at least when used with moving magnet cartridges. I used the well regarded Grace F-9E Ruby for most of that decade, and I never tried the ML-1’s plug-in boards that provide it with LOMC capability.
The ca. 18 watt triode mode capability of the 2s, btw, together with the 90 db/1 watt/1 meter/7 ohm speakers I was using at the time, was sufficient for most but not quite all of my recordings. Exceptions were classical symphonic recordings having particularly wide dynamic range, such as some of those from Telarc, Sheffield Labs, and Reference Recordings. Bass drum whacks on some of those recordings could cause the power tubes to visibly arc. Ultra-linear mode provided about 3 db more power, of course, but I found to be significantly less preferable sonically.
Hope that helps. Regards,
-- Al