Amp/cd combo for Mordaunt Short Performance 6

[admin_exported]

Hi There

Recently bought a pair of Performance 6 speakers, was a deal too good to be true! Problem, got nothing to hook it up to - have an old HK AVR 4550 so need an amp. Dealers here in Berlin are full of great ideas... small power amp connected to the receiver ( Rotel RB-1070, Myryad MA240, T+a 1230 ) or an intergrated amp and mothball the receiver ( Naim NAIT5i, T+a etc ) I'm not sure if using the receiver still in the system will kill the quality. Heard the Naim with a CD5i cd player and was amazed, but was demoed with a smaller pair of Dynaaudio speakers. I know the Naim has grunt, but 50w to drive the MS's ... not sure. Hope you guys can help, I feel some of these dealers are just trying to push their own kit!!

 

[Andy Clough]

Well you've got a great pair of speakers, that's for sure! They deserve some seriously good electronics to make the most of them, so you'll have to ditch the AV receiver, I'm afraid. It's not really designed for serious hi-fi duties.

Had a quick word with our technical editor, Ketan Bharadia, and he suggested the Primare I30 amp and matching Primare CD31 CD player. They're not cheap -ÿ£1500 each - but they're both superb pieces of hi-fi and are five-star best buys.

The Naim kit you suggest is good, but the Mordaunt-Shorts need something even better if they are to perform at their best. Hope that helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Andy. Thanks for the feedback. I had already made up my mind that the reciever had to go, will dust it off when watching DVDs only. Will have to see if the Primare kit is available here, I seem only to be able to track down the "standard lines" here in Berlin - nad, maratz, rotel, cambridge.

I have demo-ed the Naim twice now, second time with my own CD's and really like it, but haven't heard it at home with my own speakers. Lack of overall power could be a problem... Will look around for Primare and see if i can demo it. Importing from the UK could be an option, but taxes really kill this option at this end.

Will let you know how I get on!!

 

[Andy Clough]

If you really like the Naim sound, then why not consider a CD/amp combo further up the Naim range if your budget allows? The Naim CD5x is a similar price to the Primare (£1575) here in the UK, and it should work well with a pre/power combo such as the NAC 122X (£750) and NAP 150X (£850).

Alternatively, try out some of the Cyrus kit, such as the Cyrus CD6s (£650) - our 2006 Product of the Year - or the CD8x (£1000), and the Cyrus 6vs2 amp (£600) or 8vs2 (£800). Choices, choices!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well...

Mordaunt-Short is distributed in Europe by Marantz, so a solid bet would have to be a player and amplifier from that company's range. You could go crazy with the set-up, as Marantz Brand Ambassador Ken Ishiwata did at the Munich High End Show a couple of months back



But then he was using the company's new SA-7S1 SACD/CD player, plus the latest preamp and monoblocs, which might put the whole package slightly beyond your budget. Oh, and stacked pairs of P6s!

You could, however, try the rather more affordable Marantz SA-15S1 and PM15S1 player and amp, which sell for around £1000 each here in the UK, or about ?1500 a pop in Germany. The PM15S1 has decent power and plenty of grip, and would work well with the player to drive the P6s. The SA-11S1 and PM-11S1 would work even better, but you're talking twice the money...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys and thanks for the help again

Phew, is getting interesting.. have checked out the i30 range in Germany, about euro 2500 each, outside my budget I'm afraid, was looking to spend say half that for both units. I heard the uprated Naim kit as well and the lower end version yesterday, nice but again at about euro 5500, outside my range. deatail suggested looking at a power amp upgrade later on..

So, maybe it's a question of the Naim 5i amp and player or the i21/cd21 option from primare. i know both would be a bit underpowered but I think it's a case of getting too good a pair of speakers at the outset!

Recommendations?? Marantz, Japan.... I'm not sure, I like the Naim for it's brilliant clarity but maybe I can get some of this with a decent cable upgrade. Thanks again