Can anybody comment on how a Model 200 would stack up against a Marantz MA-700 monoblock.

I'm upgrading my existing 1xMA-700 plus 4xMA-500 amp set-up and was wondering whether to pick up 4x used MA-700s or 5x new Model 200s.

I've never owned or listened to any of those three amps - so take the following with that in mind.

I'm a firm believer that there is very little significant audible difference between most solid state power amps - assuming they are free from defects and have good basic specs (power, noise, distortion, frequency range being the more important.) On paper there's probably little difference between any of the three amps that you mention, and even though the MA-500 is "only" rated at 125 Watts, under most listening conditions I doubt that nost people (certainly not me) would notice a difference between it and the other two.

(In my main theatre I am currently running 5 different models of power amps, from three different manufacturers, 7 amps in total, and I've never noticed an audible difference when I've swapped them around. Under a scientifically-controlled set-up / test I might - but in day-to-day listening? Not.)

So on the one hand my inclination is that you are not proposing much of an upgrade - that you're pretty well-set as is.

On another hand, this is an Outlaw Forum, and I do like their products, and I do have a vested interest in seeing them do well (so that they will be around to make and sell me more products in the future) so what the heck, buy a bunch of new Model 200s (or one of their multi-channel amps). The price won't be hugely different from used MA-700s (I assume) and you'll have new gear, with that great Outlaw warranty / service if anything goes wrong.

And I'll take all of your used amps off your hands for a broken hockey stick, two rolls of tape, a 24 of Molson Canadian, and bottle of Crown Royal.
Good luck.

Jeff Mackwood

"I'm a firm believer that there is very little significant audible difference between most solid state power amps - assuming..." Jeff Mackwood

Jeff had better change his attitude or else he will never make it as a high-end audio equipment reviewer. You are supposed to hear "minor but important" differences, focusing on "subtle but musically significant contrasts in" whatever, using terms like muicality, bloom, air, and tuneful with surgical precision and creative flair.

Seriously, my experiences with solid state amps tend to agree with Jeff. Once, many, many years ago, I was in a high-end audio store in Berkely, Ca. listening to some equipment vastly more expensive than I could afford at the time, or maybe even now. I asked to hear two diffent solid state amps played through a pair of Magneplanar speakers. The only difference I heard was that one seemed to be very, very slightly boosting the highs over the lows IN CONTRAST TO THE OTHER AMP. In no way did either one sound bad, just slightly different. This could easily be explained by one amp have a lower output impedance than the other at higher frequencies or some other easily explained engineering phenomenon.

One time I did a comparison between a solid state amp and an old tube amp. Neither amp was close to state of the art for its type(or even mid-fi), but the tube amp sounded much more 3-dimensional and lifelike in the midrange.

And this was all prior to speaker cable, interconnects and power cords costing several hundred dollars to thousands each. How could be hear anything in those early days?

I guess I can't fake it good enough to be an audio high end equipment reviewer; or at least do so and keep a straight face.

Paul

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the 1derful1