I just purchased the Marantz PM-68 Integrated Amplifier. I've got it paired with Paradigm Monitor 3 speakers, and AudioQuest Type 4+ wire. I am VERY impressed with the clarity of the highs, and the mids, but I'm having some trouble with the bass. I used to have a Pioneer VSX-D503S Receiver, and the bass FAR exceeds what I'm getting right now. I'm going to look into this some more. But the dynamics and the crispness of the amp is AWESOME!

This is the second Marants intigrated amp that I have owned. It has a good amount of power into lower resistances, and it sounds pretty good. I don't think that it is worth 500 dollars, though. More like 400 would be a reasonable price.

I've just gotten this amp after blowing a Sony 825 trying to power four Cerwin Vega floor speakers (4 ohms). It has been doing a fine job of pushing these speakers and reached truly deafening levels even though it's rated at 95 watts per channel max. Yes, it was pricey - but you can feel the quality in the weight. And despite its suggested rating of 8 ohm speakers, I have yet to notice the casing even getting warm. I am extremely happy with this amp even though I'll have to eat bread and water for the next month since I blew m paycheck on it...

...don't have enough money to be an audiophile (w/ all respect for audiophiles)!Well, this sentence expresses one of the purchasing criteria -if not the main- I've used to select my current hi-fi components.

I've been around for more than a month to find the kind of equipment able to push out the music I want, the way I want it*.

The decision -as for the amp- finally dropped on this amp, and I am really satisfied with it.
The Marantz PM-68 is really a great amp for the money: delicate in treating high frequences and at the same time "muscolar" with lower ones! It is able to reproduce the sense of wideness some songs have, with perfect timing and great control, at all levels of output.
I have compared it to other amps in the same price class: Marantz PM-66S.E., NAD C320, and Rotel RA 945.
Compared to the PM-68, the PM-66 is even more sensible and neutral; the NAD is great, as well, ...but I like to listen music aloud! A special word for the Rotel. This latter amp has real bags of power! The reproduction of the bass is even more "present", which I don't really dislike, and though being rated only 2x60W at 8ohm, it can play really loud!
But to my ears the PM-68 played a bit more balanced.
Last reason why I chose the Marantz: it's possible to turn off the standby position, therefore plug the whole system to a timer & wake up in the morning with your favourite music!

Some friends say I'm a Pink Floyd man, that's true! I tried the amp playing the following music:
Dark Side of the Moon (P.F.), Human Being (Seal), Mezzanine (Massive Attack), a few stuff from Ozric Tentacles, several material from King Crimson.
...and with the following components:
CD-player: Denon DCD 735
Speakers: B&W DM 602, Audiowell A-102
Interconnects:Audioquest...(sorry I don't remember)
Speaker cable: Taralabs ...(sorry I don't remember)

Bye!

My impression is that this amp is not the most detailed, but it is great for
handling music with huge swings. It has a huge power output and transients
sound fantastic. Rock and metal fans will love the way it handles drums and
bass lines.

I think it loses some treble detail, but makes up with the tone controls.

They come in useful for upping the detail in certai pieces where the 68 can
be overly smooth or the recording is low on detail.

It provides foor biwiring and looks good, though it is kinda heavy.

superb sound and lots of power

long warm-up phase, "source direct" has to be activated

I use this amp with Nuberts famous NuBox 360 2-way Bassreflex Speakers. At first testing I thought yeah, good dynamic and clear sound, but somehow too exact.

Then I left it on for over 24 hours, and I was amazed.
The amp seemed more sensitive, and suddenly performed so musical, warm and clear that one could feel the instruments in the air. All this even at very low volume levels.

I recommend this amp for friends of guitar-oriented music,
like Blues or Heavy Metal. As it has lots of power reserves, You have no trouble to handle the dynamics of this kind of music.

Although the manual recommends 8-Ohm Speakers, mine are 4-Ohm models, so the amp can deliver up to 2x185 Watts into them. I didnt try this out, for at about half volume it nearly blew the windows of the listening room. Nevertheless, the sound stays harmonic and clear. Ideal for heavy-metal fans who like to punch the drum, bass and guitar lines
around their ears. This amp will definetely do it.

I prefer calmer music like Dire Straits, and indeed, when the amp is left on for at least 10 hours, the whole room is
filled with music so clear and bright as if I stand direct
in front of the stage. I even dont have to turn the volume knob to 1/4 . Deactivating "source direct" will take away some of the crispiness, better leave it on.

So dont consider power consumption and leave it on as long
as you like it - it will be worth it.

When I decided to upgrade from a receiver, I thought since you can now buy a decent Dolby Digital receiver for $500-600, that same money should buy a really good sounding stereo intergrated amp. After auditioning half a dozen or so brands however, it became clear that I set my budget too low. I didn't find THE SOUND until I came across the $850 Arcam Alpha 9 integrated. When I told my dealer this I said it is better to spend the money now, rather than upgrading in a year or two anyway. He asked if I auditioned anything from Marantz. I didn't, and the only model he had on hand was the PM-57. To my surprize, it sounded very much like the Arcam. In all honesty, I really couldn't hear any difference, so when he told me there was the more powerful and cleaner sounding PM-68 available for only $439 I ordered one. This is when being a regular patron pays off. Find a good dealer and buy from him/her whenever possible.
Forget for a minute that this amp costs less than $500. It really sounds superb. Sonically, I have no criticism. They only thing I wish it had is a processor loop that bypassed the volume control, with a button on the front panel and remote that toggled the pre-amp functions on and off. I have it connected to my surround pre/pro via the tape 2 loop, in which case I have to leave the PM-68's volume at a fixed level and control master vol. with the pre/pro. I can connect it to the processor loop, but then I would have to use the pre/pro to control volume even with stereo only sources, which subtley loses a bit of resolution. In a stereo only system though, it leaves nothing to be desired. Highly recommended!

I tried to match a pair of B&W 603 with a minimal system. I came up withthe Marantz combo: the CD-67SE and the PM-68. I also got a pair of MIT
Terminator 5 cables. For the money, I will give this combo 5 stars.

The presence and imaging is wonderful, dynamic range is great, and it's really
hard to stop listening.

BTW, I mostly listen to Classical, Jazz, and classic Rock, in this order.
Also, I cannot resist giving Rick of Alpine Audio (in VA) cudos for great
service and great price.

I will not recomend this amplifier if you like "deafening" bass even though it's powerful. But if you like a warm and relaxed sound and still loud, I will deeply recomend it. The tonal balance is superb and the sound is resonant. I will recomend B&W DM603 or other equal floor standing speakers to this amp. You will maybe find out that the amplifier will play better loud if you use two pairs of speakers than one huge pair. Then the sound will be enormous. The amplifier have plenty of power.

I tried to listen to the difference between a NAD 319 and my PM68. (both is very powerful amps.) The NAD amplifier plays a little more clear and louder with a huge soft bass, but the tones are lifeless compared to the PM68. I get tired to listen with the NAD because there is too much invariable bass. I don't say the bass on PM68 is perfect, but more exciting.

If I listen to electronic music and the drum samples are bad, you will hear a bad bass. If the drum samples are smooth the bass will be smooth. The amp is very honestly in that way. It play best with rock, alternative, classical and pop.

I really like the technical sollutions. It is easy to use. The speaker connectors are too small. The price is OK.