Advice needed for quality speakers on SR6008

[Anthrow]

Hello guy's,

I am new to this forum and I have a question for you hi-fi experts. A few months back I purchased a Marantz SR6008 AVR to support my movie and gaming enthusiasm. I hooked up a Kef E305 surround set, as I found the overall quality, looks and price tag of the speaker set was right up my alley and experience. 

However... I have come to fall in love with pure stereo music. In fact I am loving it so much that I am willing to invest in a good pair of stereo speakers. I have done a bit of research and auditioning and I am fond of the Kef R-series. In particular the R500 and the R300. 

My question is regarding the quality of the R500 and R300 compared to the Marantz SR6008. Will the Marantz provide enough juice and quality to drive these beauties to a satisfying level or am I better of buying a different grade speaker or should I perhaps even consider buying a dedicated stereo amp? And if so should i focus on Marantz PM6005- or PM8005-ish grade? (Sorry if i am a tad Marantz minded ☺) As I am relatively new to this money grinding hobby I am unsure what the future might bring but it might even be possible for me to swap the entire E305 set for R-series counterparts. But this is all but a given fact atm.  

My room layout is a bit tricky, it's 13 m by 4 m but I only use a 4 by 4 section of it for audio. There are 2 straight walls, a sofa and a table in this portion of the room.

Your expertise will be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[CnoEvil]

IMO. You should be looking at the 8005 as a minimum....Covenenter really rates this combination.

At that type of money you should look at the new Musical Fidelity M3si, Sugden Mystro, Peachtree Nova 125, Electrocompaniet PI-1....keep an eye out for ex-dem/used offers like this: http://www.audiodestination.co.uk/electrocompaniet-prelude-pi-1-integrated-amplifier

 

[manicm]

There's also a new 60w Marantz PM7005 amp out.

 

[Anthrow]

Thanks for your advice so far guys. Does the same story goes for the LS50 or would this be a better match for the SR6008?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

Hi Anthrow

If your budget allows then also consider Hegel's H80 amplifier. KEF speakers also pair well with Hegel amplification

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[superphill]

hi ive trie to listen to music through an home cinema system but i came to the conclusion that i needed a dedicated hifi system which i have now and there is no comparison so now i have seperate hifi and home cinema super

 

[Anthrow]

Thanks for the input guy's. I guess I have to reach out for the wallet gne gne.

 

[JohnKK]

What would you use as source, DAC or CD player?
Are you planing to integrate stereo amp in 5.1 system or you are planning to leave 5.1 completly?

I have SR6008 and R100 and overall music is very good, but not as good as for example Arcam A19 that I had for few months. But from functionality stand point - SR6008 is much better proposition with bunch of different things (and I use all of them) in one box (Airplay, network, media player, DAC, FM radio, HDMI switcher, decoder for DTS and DD,...).

Main question is what you really need.

 

[emperor's new clothes]

To add my own experience to the valid comments above-

New Dali Ikon 6 & Vokal 2 are still running in, but first impresions very favourable as hoped having auditioned a number of rivals. Paired with UD & SA7007 (bi-amped), thus far I've listened to classical & rock SACDs and Blu Ray audio plus 192kbps radio stream. CNO is right, you would need at least PM8005 to significantly improve, IMHO.

 

[Anthrow]

What would you use as source, DAC or CD player?Are you planing to integrate stereo amp in 5.1 system or you are planning to leave 5.1 completly?

I have SR6008 and R100 and overall music is very good, but not as good as for example Arcam A19 that I had for few months. But from functionality stand point - SR6008 is much better proposition with bunch of different things (and I use all of them) in one box (Airplay, network, media player, DAC, FM radio, HDMI switcher, decoder for DTS and DD,...).

Main question is what you really need.

Thanks for your input John,

I mainly use DAC. I can't be bothered with cd's so I stream my music through Spotify and occasionally listen to digital radio. I also use allot of Chromecast supported services. If future speakers are truly revealing I will switch to Qobuz's flac quality streaming. Besides listening to music I also watch allot of movies/series and enjoy DTS gaming allot (I am sort of a same user as you). I am still a rookie when it comes to Hi-fi and I don't find it mandatory yet to get the best in my reach straight away. In other words, the dedicated stereo amp will have to wait a bit.

I also contacted KEF for their opinion about the SR6008 being good enough to drive their LS50, R300 or R500. Their feedback was that the AVR would drive A pair of those speakers with satisfying results, but I had to trim down the sub already present in my current setup if i was going for the R-series speakers.

I think the real answer to my question is that if I want to enjoy good stereo I can hook those speakers up just fine. If I want to enjoy great stereo however... a dedicated good quality stereo amp is desired.