This article is about the new Marantz 10 Series: the Model 10 Reference Integrated Amplifier, SACD 10 Reference SACD player, and LINK 10n Reference Streaming Preamplifier. We will discuss what makes each of these flagship-level components special and then test them to see if they measure up to our reference-level standard.

Company History

From humble beginnings, Marantz got their start in the audio business. Unsatisfied with the available equipment, Saul Marantz designed and built his own preamplifier, which unknowingly would start a revolution in audio equipment. With the inconsistent recording techniques in the 50s, many different EQ curves were used in producing records. This led to Saul’s preamplifier including every EQ curve available at the time that could be selected from the front panel. Having this option was a first in the audio world. After encouragement and help from his wife and friends, he started producing the Audio Consolette Preamplifier, and the rest is history. Marantz has since been a force in the audio world, with many music lovers choosing Marantz for its warm musical sound and solid build quality.

Features & Technology

Anywhere high-end audio is discussed, the name Marantz will surely come up. Marantz takes its lineage very seriously. In fact, in every generation, Marantz chooses a particular person to take the helm as Marantz Sound Master. The Marantz Sound Master is solely responsible for making sure that new Marantz products meet the stringent standards for sound quality and build quality that Marantz is known for. Yoshinari Ogata is the current Marantz Sound Master and takes this position very seriously. Through his decades of training and studying, he has learned what makes Marantz products unique and what sound characteristics to listen for when he evaluates new products. A new product must have the warmth and inviting nature that Marantz products have historically had while keeping true to the music and providing a realistic listening experience. Yoshinari takes this honored position with the company very seriously and knows how important his decisions are for the future of Marantz.

Meet the Model 10

The new beast of amplifier beauty, the Model 10, is a new design for Marantz and takes their years of research and development in a new direction. The front panel look is all Marantz, with its simple yet elegant front layout with a source selector and volume knob. Then, we are treated to a particular version of the Marantz display “window,” which we will detail below. The outside of the front panel is the same specially surfaced aluminum we enjoyed with Marantz’s other amplifiers, except it is much thicker and more substantial. Backlights on the top and bottom of the inner front panel give it an almost floating look, which we think is pretty cool. The other things on the front panel are the lit power button and headphone jack. We have come to expect this “clean” front panel look from Marantz, but seeing the Model 10 in person is still on another level. Marantz rates the headphone amplifier in the Model 10 at 130mW/32 ohms. While this will happily power lower impedance/high sensitivity headphones, we wish Marantz would have put a slightly stouter headphone amplifier in the Model 10 for fans of high impedance or planar magnetic headphones that often need more power into high impedance to perform at their best. However, headphone jacks seem to be missing from many newer high-end products. We applaud them for including it and its HDAM-SA2+ Diamond buffer amplifier circuit.

The Marantz “Window” has become a hallmark of Marantz designs over the years, but this has been taken up a notch for the Model 10. The default display shows the standard volume, input, or any engaged special modes. When you turn the input selector, the display switches through the input selections with a positive click that emulates how vintage Marantz amplifiers feel and sound when switching. While unnecessary, it gives the controls missing in many newer audio products a more premium feel. Marantz also added a special VU meter mode that, when engaged, will bring up two separate digital VU meters for each channel. While they sure aren’t necessary, who doesn’t love to watch a live view of what their amplifier is doing?

The Model 10 is available in Black or Marantz Champagne finish, both appealing choices depending on your other gear and room. The all-aluminum side covers are up to 15.8mm thick at its maximum, with a 6mm thick top cover. The front and back panels are machined aluminum over copper plating, which helps with electrical isolation. The bottom panel is triple-layer copper plated, which is very expensive and helps with electrical isolation. Some of the internal parts are copper-plated, like the transformer cover. Marantz is so proud of the internal design of the Model 10. They have installed internal lighting that lets you turn a light on inside the amplifier to show off the internal parts. This is defeatable, of course, for those not interested in showing off their amplifier’s internals.

The Model 10 has three total power supplies: two switch mode supplies, one for each amplification channel, and another separate supply for the other circuitry inside the unit. There are also separate internal structures for the high-voltage amplification circuits and the low-voltage circuits. These compartments are fully shielded to prevent interference or distortions from creeping in. When Marantz said they wanted to build the best, they didn’t leave any stone unturned.

The Model 10 is 17” x 7.55” x 18.6” and weighs 74.5 lbs. While this is large for an audio component, a lot is happening inside it, which requires this size for both the components and cooling. There are no DAC or other streaming or processing components in the Model 10. This space is concentrated on allowing the perfect component layout for combining the best sound and electrical isolation.

Complete Connectability

The back panel is equally impressive. The Model 10 is a fully balanced design with two balanced inputs, a balanced preamp output, and a balanced power amp input. RCA jacks are also provided for the preamp output and power amplifier input for flexibility. There are three sets of RCA inputs for any sources that use legacy connections. For fans of old-school recording inputs and outputs, Model 10 has those as well. This allows you to connect a tape deck or any other recording device with RCA-level connections to the model 10. Also worth mentioning is that every RCA jack on the Model 10 uses a very high-quality nickel-plated RCA terminal. This allows the best audio transmission without tarnishing like copper or brass over time. The Model 10's speaker outputs feature two sets per channel for multiple pairs of speakers or the ability to bi-wire your main speakers. While bi-wiring is unnecessary for excellent performance, some speaker systems will benefit, and it is nice that it is an option. Also, for vinyl fans, Marantz thought of you fondly. The Model 10 features a built-in phono preamp with a single input that is adaptable to moving magnet or moving coil cartridges. This preamp has settings for MC (Low): 400 µV / 33 ohm, MC (Mid): 400 µV / 100 ohm, MC (High): 400 µV / 390 ohm, and MM setting. While we think these three settings will work for most of the cartridges on today’s market, we wish Marantz had provided a little more tunability concerning moving coil loading since there are MC cartridges that require unique tuning.

Expandability for the Future

The Marantz Floating Control Bus System is a unique feature only select Marantz models have. F.C.B.S. is a system that connects multiple(up to 4) Model 10s, with one acting as the control center. This allows users to configure a complete bi-amp system with 4 Model 10s—one acting as an integrated amplifier/controller and the other three as power amplifiers. Doing the math, that's about 4,000 watts of power on tap into 4 ohms! Also, with the Link 10n Streamer coming out soon(discussed below), which has a preamp built into it, you can connect it as the control center/Streamer with up to 4 Model 10s for a super high-powered Digital system that can power any speaker system on the planet in any room! While not many people will need more power than one Model 10 will produce. Or have speakers that need bi-amping with that much power. It is nice that these features exist for those who feel adventurous or have huge rooms and complex, low-sensitivity speakers to power. Also, if you are a fan of separates, the Link 10n and Model 10 combination will give you that ability with the FCBS system. The LInk 10n becomes a high-quality streamer/preamp, and the Model 10 is the power amplifier.

LINK 10n: Flagship-Level Streamer/Preamp

The Marantz LINK 10n is the brother component to the Model 10 and provides a flagship-level Streamer. This streamer has HEOS, which makes it compatible with Spotify, Deezer, TIDAL, Napster, TuneIn, SoundCloud, and Mood Mix, as well as Chromecast compatibility, which will add even more services that are available. You can listen to tracks directly from your phone, tablet, or USB drive. With Marantz wanting to make HEOS the best streamer platform around, they will also be adding more services in the future. The LINK 10n will be Roon-ready when it comes out, so Roon users will be covered. The LINK 10n has a full-color OLED display on its front panel, with the same input and volume knobs as the Model 10. The power button and headphone jack are also in the exact location as the Model 10, so both products maintain continuity with their look and function.

From the triple-layer aluminum chassis to the copper plating and original PCB boards, the LINK 10n is designed and built like the Model 10 regarding sound quality and electrical isolation.

It is built in the same factory in Shirakawa, Japan, to the same exacting standards as the Model 10. The back panel is fully featured and connects all your other digital sources: coax, 2 Toslink, USB, and digital outputs in coax and Toslink. With an Ethernet cable to connect to your network and HDMI (ARC) to connect your television, the LINK 10n can be your complete music and TV sound source. There are both balanced and RCA output connections to connect to an integrated amplifier like the Model 10.

From Streamer To Control Hub

While all these options are plentiful and would make an excellent addition to any system, Marantz wanted the LINK 10n to have more flexibility and features than other streamers. With the addition of full preamp functionality, the LINK 10n is more like a high-end preamp with streaming ability. The LINK 10n has a full moving magnet/moving coil phono preamp that Marantz has fully tested and says is one of the better phono sections they have heard. Also, there is a set of RCA or Balanced analog inputs for any analog source. The analog preamp outputs are offered in RCA and are balanced, featuring a complete HDAM quality preamp circuit inside. Marantz has quoted this new HDAM module as the cleanest and lowest distortion HDAM module they have ever created and will make a fine-quality preamp for about any amplifier. The other cool thing about this being a preamp/streamer, as we mentioned above, is the ability to pair with the Model 10 and SACD 10 to make a high-end, fully functional all-Marantz system. With Marantz’s F.C.B.S (Floating Control Bus System), the LINK 10n can become a fully featured control unit. This allows users to use from 1 up to 4 Model 10s in a no-holds-barred system that can power about any speaker made today. While most users will never need that much power, it is nice to know that the LINK 10n has this ability should you need it. With its phono options and full preamp ability, we see the Marantz LINK 10n as a product that could attract more users than just Model 10 owners who want to fully scale the LINK 10n’s abilities in a one-box solution. Marantz has developed their own DAC called the Marantz Musical Mastering DAC. In Link 10n and SACD 10, they have developed their best version of this technology yet. They do not go into too many details about exactly how their DAC works. They say, “a proprietary system that converts digital audio to analog through a series of steps, including up-conversion and filtering.” This DAC technology has received praise from some knowledgeable folks in the industry. It also handles 32-bit/384kHz sampling rate PCM and DSD up to 11.2 MHz.

SACD 10: For Disk Spinners

For many music lovers, there is nothing like having a physical copy of their music. CDs and SACDs are still cherished by many. Marantz thought of you as well in their efforts for reference-level components. The SACD 10 is, first and foremost, a CD and SACD player, but Marantz is taking things to a reference level using their SACDM-3 disk transport. The same aluminum and copper-plated triple-layer chassis that the Model 10 and LINK 10n are also here. This player has the same upgrade Marantz Musical Mastering DAC inside, the best CD and SACD player Marantz has ever built. But the functionality does not end there. On the back panel, there is also a complete set of digital connections like the LINK 10n, which also allows you to use the SACD 10 as a standalone DAC for any of your digital music collections that are on hard drives or connected via Toslink, coax, or USB. The SACD 10 also has coax, and toslink outputs should you need them. The Marantz Musical Mastering DAC supports the same 32-bit/384kHz sampling rate PCM and DSD up to 11.2 MHz as the LINK 10n as the DAC inside each is the same.

The new upgraded HDAM circuits are also used in the inputs and outputs of the SACD 10 just like the other 10 series components to make sure the analog sound common from the SACD 10 is on par with the digital. Marantz wanted this to be the best CD/SACD player they could build so just like the model 10 and LINK 10n, all of the circuits in the chassis are relegated to their own subsections of the chassis which are electrically isolated from any other circuits.

One thing that we must mention is that while these three components are designed and built to the highest of standards, we can’t help but mention some redundancy here. The Model 10 is an integrated amplifier with a high-level phono stage within it, but the Link10 also has a phono preamp within it. We know the Model 10 becomes more of a power amplifier when connected to the Link10, but having a phono stage in both seems a little counteractive. Also, when using the Link10 as a preamp, turning the Model 10 into the power amplifier appears to offer future growth. It makes the controls on the Model 10 redundant as well. While we do not doubt that each of these components offers supreme performance, all of this could confuse buyers on what they truly need.

Overall Recommendation

Having these new units in our hands for testing has allowed us to get a good feel for what Marantz was ultimately going for. They have absolutely outstanding craftsmanship and excellent high-end components, making them the best Marantz pieces they’ve ever made. We think that at this price point, you’ll start to have a lot of options for powering your speakers. But if you love the Marantz sound and history behind their great company, these will be a great option for you. Again, if you’re considering any of these units, please chat with our experts at audioadvice.com or give us a call and our team can help you be among the first to get any of these in your hands. Plus, when you purchase your gear through us, you’ll get our passionate team of support experts who live and breathe all things audio to help you with setup or any questions that you may have while owning the product.

We’re here to help!

If you have further questions, contact our experts via chat, phone, or email. Or simply visit one of our world-class showrooms to experience speakers, projectors, TVs, and everything in between for yourself before you make a purchase!

If you’re planning your home theater or media room, check out our Home Theater Design page, where we have everything Home Theater related, including our FREE Home Theater Design Tool.

When you buy from Audio Advice, you’re buying from a trusted seller since 1978. We offer Free Shipping, Lifetime Expert Support, and our Price Guarantee. We look forward to serving you!