Guys here today just to listen to Marantz 7C and 8B.

[HennieTalja]

A month in, how do you like it?

Still very happy with it. There’s definitely something to be said for vintage valve amps—they just seem to get it right. I own nine valve amps, of which only two are modern, and if I had to choose, the two modern ones could go.

With regard to the sound of the 8B, after listening to it some more, my previous comments still stand, except for the part where I described it as being “punchy.” I’ve realised that it’s actually my Holo Cyan 2 DAC that has that punchy character. I got the DAC around the same time as the 8B, so I initially attributed some of its character to the amplifier.

I have to say that the 8B doesn’t really have a signature sound per se. Rather, it seems to simply show you what’s in the source material. In that sense, I’d describe it as being remarkably transparent.

 

[gadget73]

Thats what I liked about it, I wasn't listening to the amp, I was just listening to what came through it. Thats why I wasn't so much in love with the 7C, I felt like I was listening to the 7C. Its not that it was bad exactly, I just felt that there was more detail when it was mated to other preamps.