Amp and Speakers Advice

Loverobot

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Jan 2, 2022
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Total newbie here so some advice would be helpful
I have had for years a Pioneer system - an old amp - a TA FE370 paired with some S-Z71 100W 8ohm speakers
Until recently in my garage and playing from an Ipod
I have brought the system in and added a Planar P2 turntable and Marantz Cd6007 CD player
All works fine but I suspect I could do a lot better with clarity of sound and overall presentation
I have been looking at amps and speakers but tbh there is so much choice its dificult to know where to start
I listen to literally every type of music you could imagine depending on the mood and do like to crank it up volume wise from time to time so power matters
Room size where the speakers are sited doesnt have huge amounts of space for a v large pair of speakers (thinking floorstanders)
Budget wise I am not looking for bleeding edge or even leading edge but want something decent and therefore assume I need to pay £500 - £1000 for each
I was looking at the Marantz PM6007 the Cambridge CXA81 or even going down the used route and picking up something (if available) higher end
Speakers wise I am steering towards the Evo 4.2
My worry is in sheer numbers terms the system may not have as much power as my current inferior setup ? I confess though the wattage and power calcs are confusing me
Sorry its such a wide ranging question
I do intend to demo whatever we come up with if i can and realise everybody has different taste
My question is more about capability I guess

Thanks
 

Tinman1952

Well-known member
Total newbie here so some advice would be helpful
I have had for years a Pioneer system - an old amp - a TA FE370 paired with some S-Z71 100W 8ohm speakers
Until recently in my garage and playing from an Ipod
I have brought the system in and added a Planar P2 turntable and Marantz Cd6007 CD player
All works fine but I suspect I could do a lot better with clarity of sound and overall presentation
I have been looking at amps and speakers but tbh there is so much choice its dificult to know where to start
I listen to literally every type of music you could imagine depending on the mood and do like to crank it up volume wise from time to time so power matters
Room size where the speakers are sited doesnt have huge amounts of space for a v large pair of speakers (thinking floorstanders)
Budget wise I am not looking for bleeding edge or even leading edge but want something decent and therefore assume I need to pay £500 - £1000 for each
I was looking at the Marantz PM6007 the Cambridge CXA81 or even going down the used route and picking up something (if available) higher end
Speakers wise I am steering towards the Evo 4.2
My worry is in sheer numbers terms the system may not have as much power as my current inferior setup ? I confess though the wattage and power calcs are confusing me
Sorry its such a wide ranging question
I do intend to demo whatever we come up with if i can and realise everybody has different taste
My question is more about capability I guess

Thanks
Welcome! Nothing wrong with your choice of speakers. The 4.2s are excellent... but be aware they are quite tall at 46cm and heavy at 13 kg so site them carefully. If you find them too large you could look at the Evo 4.1...?
As for the amps, they will both drive these speakers fine but will have a different presentation. The Marantz sound is typically rich and focusses on 'musicality' whereas the Cambridge is more analytical and 'leaner' sounding. Many on this forum would also suggest the Audiolab 6000a (me included...) a bargain for its price.
Make sure you do demo as sound quality is such a subjective thing and nobody else can (or should ) tell you what you prefer....
Good luck! 👍
 

RoA

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Feb 11, 2021
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Analytical & lean comes across as negatives Neutral is more of a positive.

That is how I would summarise Cambridge and Audiolab.

Marantz, for me, is too bright and coloured.

I would certainly recommend the Audiolab, capable of so much more than price comparable speakers or a s/h Hegel.
 

Tinman1952

Well-known member
Analytical & lean comes across as negatives Neutral is more of a positive.

That is how I would summarise Cambridge and Audiolab.

Marantz, for me, is too bright and coloured.

I would certainly recommend the Audiolab, capable of so much more than price comparable speakers or a s/h Hegel.
Not meant to be a negative...just 'in comparison' for a self confessed 'newbie'.
I have to disagree with Marantz being bright though....just shows how subjective sound is....one man's lean is another man's neutral. 🙂
 

Loverobot

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Jan 2, 2022
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Hi all and thanks for the replies
So I have been for a couple of demos at my local Richer Sounds - who were so amazingly helpful (thanks Tim and Mikey at Leeds branch)
Its fair to say I had my mind blown lol
I demo'd quite a few amps and speakers
The choice came down to for amps -
CXA61 or 81
The 81 delivered more low down punch to my ears and the price diff was marginal plumped for the CXA81

Speakers was more difficult
I had really wanted to steer away from some floorstanders due to the size but after listening to a few I had to admit the difference they make to the overall space and range to me made a vast difference
I ended up with back to back testing on
Monitor Audio Silver 100's
Monitor Audio Silver 200's
Dali Opticon 6 mk 2

The Dalis won me over just because of the sheer space and definition
TBH though I would have been very happy with any of the above

Realised I need a phono stage so gone with the Cambridge Audio again

Not yet taken delivery and assume the speakers will need running in but will report back
Quite excited!
 

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