Marantz PM Ki Ruby vs Musical Fidelity M6si

This is a tough call.  I had a customer move from a PM14s1 to an M5si and was pleasantly surprised by the improvement in detail and eventually wants to step up to the M6si.  

I am an MF dealer and love the M6si.  Fully balanced, dual mono design makes it a bit more refined than most, especially at its price.  MF is more neutral than most think and the higher you go in the line, the closer to neutral it gets.  

The Ki Ruby is going to be a hair warmer than the M6si.  It is, in some ways, not quite as refined as the MF in that it is not a dual mono, fully balanced design but is a step up from the PM14s1.

A big question is going to be what sources you are feeding into it.  The MF is at its very best when it is paired with fully balanced sources.  If your sources are fully balanced, it is almost a no-brainer to go with the MF.  If not fully balanced, the Marantz may have the edge or it might be a push in terms of refinement.  Then it comes down to which sound profile you prefer and the fact the MF is $1200 less.  

One other note, although the MF is a bit less expensive, that is driven by it being made in Taiwan while I believe the Ki Ruby is made in Japan.  

I am happy to answer any questions I can and if you settle on the MF, PM me and I will be happy to work with you on the sale.  I accept trades and do my best to make things easy on buyers.  

Thank you. M6si is a strong contender. Will ping you if I decide to go with it.

Nobody here owns either amps, esp the PM Ki ruby? Plz take a min or two to share your experience. I’d really appreciate your help. Thanks guys!

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?