break-in for Marantz SA-7S1

Not surprised at all Tinear1. . . let us know how things are when you reach the 500 hrs mark. . . then at the 1000 hrs mark. Happy listening! G.

Here's the report after 500 hours -
At 200 hours it got much smoother and easier to listen too - the slight brittleness was gone.
At 300 hours it relaxed, and the soundstage, frequency extremes, and dynamics expanded.
At 500 hours the music is now floating in the room, disembodied from the speakers, and is REALLY fun to listen to. There is no CDP, just lovely music. I'm loving this player now.

On another note (I'll post on this seperately as well), but I just listened to my first ever SACD. The difference was uncomfortably noticeable, especially going back to listen to a Redbook CD afterwards - the CD sounded pinched and grainy by comparison. I'm more a smooth and electric jazz listener, so there just aren't many SACD titles for me. Such a damn shame it's not taking off, it's really wonderful stuff.

Thank you Tinear1, excellent info. .. and congrats! I can only wonder if break in is now complete or if SA7S1 will still change. Let us know at about 750 hrs, then at 1,000 hrs. Guido

i have over 500 hours on my marantaz 11s2. i perceive hardness, a balanced frequency response and a very precise and focused presentation.

my player is currently advertised for sale on audiogon.

MRT, sorry to hear about your S2 woes. Have you thought about starting a dedicated SA7S2 thread? . . . this one was created to discuss aspects of the SA7S1 models instead. G.