Good call, Bairnstorm.
As an interesting aside, Marantz noted this Class D effect on the gain structure of amps. One of the designers said he keeps both traditional Class AB amps to use with older recordings alongside their new 10.
I'm not sure how they account for it but their view is that newer production workflows depend almost exclusively on Class D gain chains and, as such, are better served by the 10.
For classic rock, jazz and older classical recordings, amps built in that era (when production and mastering workflows used more traditionally designed amps) seem better suited to the gain structure and reproduction of those recordings.
There's more on this discussion on phileweb (like me, you might need to use Google Translate) as the Marantz engineers and sound designers talk about the Reference 10 and why they designed it this way.
https://www.phileweb.com/interview/article/201703/30/440.html
https://www.phileweb.com/interview/article/201703/30/440_5.html <<< sound character discussion starts here.
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Mr. Sawada: A switching amplifier that uses a switching power supply like the PM-10 does not have a huge block capacitor like an analog power supply. A capacitor is a tank that stores electricity to drive a speaker, and you can think of a transformer as a tank that stores electricity here.
A condenser is a "suspicious substitute" with non-linear characteristics, and is an element that colors the sound. And it is the condenser that most influences the sound when tuning the amplifier. However, capacitors are indispensable for analog amplifiers, and how to organize them well is the highlight of your skill.
On the other hand, in some switching amplifiers, the cause of coloring, which is a large capacitor, does not exist for good or bad. That's why it sounds so brightly. Of course, there are conflicting factors, and it is not possible to tune the sound quality with a capacitor, and there are also problems that need to be solved unique to switching amplifiers, such as noise suppression."
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Mr. Ogata: Analog amplifiers are generally pyramid-balanced and have a solid low range, but for example, when combining PM-10 and 800 D3, the low range is clean and the texture of the entire band is complete. Also, the sound will be rather smart.
So, let alone acoustic recording, if you play music such as EDM [Electronic Dance Music] and programming, it will be easy to understand that it is PM-10. I used the SC-7 and MA-9 in combination with the previous generation B & W "802 Diamond" at home, but when I tried this and changed it to the PM-10, the sound of the 802 Diamond became completely different.
I also tried connecting the PM-10 to the pre-out of the AV amplifier, which was also very good. The sound of the movie is also a built-in sound, so I felt that it was a good match in that sense."
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Mr. Sawada: I think that it is suitable for contemporary software as a whole. Of course, it's not that the PM-10 isn't suitable for classical recordings and jazz that audiophiles will love. However, these works have a strong impression of being heard with classic speakers and amplifiers, and on the contrary, they may feel strange.
Some people say that the sound of PM-10 is very clear and good, but it's too refreshing and tasteless. ...Even if you don't have a character, it's not perfect enough to be heard through a transparent glass window. It may be frosted glass or it may be a little cloudy.
However, with analog amplifiers, the timbre changes slightly due to changes in frequency and dynamic range. This can be a factor in creating comfort. On the other hand, in a switching amplifier, the timbre is constant with changes in frequency and dynamic range.
...However, I have no intention of denying the nostalgic sound, and I am one of those who like it. At home, I also use B & W when playing modern recordings, but when I enjoy classical recordings, I use Tannoy's Autograph and tube amps. ...As long as switching amplifiers are used as monitors in the field of music production, audio playback cannot be the same as before. In that sense, the sound of the PM-10 will make a difference to the current audio."