http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk SEPTEMBER 201 9 HI-FI WORLD 53
OLDE WORLDE
cheaply as ‘faulty’ at a car boot
sale (the output transistors of one
channel had blown) - proved to
be part of a musical combination.
A performance of Tchaikovsky’s
Manfred Symphony (Concertgebouw/
Chailly, Decca CD FLAC
rip) was an immersive
experience, with
impressively-detailed
instrumental renderings, a
tight bass and believable
imaging. Steve Reich’s
Music For A Large
Ensemble (ECM CD rip),
meanwhile, demonstrated
a grasp of rhythm and
flow. The sound only
starts to come apart at
higher listening levels,
strain at the low end
being evident.The simple phono stage, based
on a NJM2068 dual op-amp, proved
to be merely adequate when listening
to a selection of albums with my
Valhalla-era Linn LP12/Basik Plus/
Ortofon 540. This perhaps reflectsthe era’s diminished interest in vinyl,
the format having been relegated to
secondary status by 16-bit digital. A
Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra fed to
the PM66-SE Ki rewarded me with
greater musical involvement.
The competence of this Ishiwata-
modified design is such that the
difference between the two phono
stages was obvious. So, there’s much
to be said for this amp, which would
be great for ‘starter’ or second-room
systems. However the PM66-SE Ki
isn’t a particularly cheap second-hand
buy. They tend to sell for £250 on
eBay.One of Ken Ishiwata’s tweaks was to plate the PM66-SE Ki chas-
sis with copper – claimed to improve performance by reducing
magnetically induced eddy currents.
The power amp, a conventional Class A/B design, is rated at 50
Watts into 8 ohms (70 Watts into 4 ohms) at total harmonic and
intermodulation distortion levels of 0.008%.The PM66-SE Ki is resolutely an analogue-only design. It makes provision for
two tape decks (with dubbing from one to the other), three play-only line-level
sources (CD, tuner and auxiliary) and a turntable equipped with a MM car-
tridge.The service manual for the PM66-SE
Ki outlines the principal electronic dif-
ferences from the cheaper ‘non-Ki’
PM66-SE.