Question Amp upgrade dilemma (Marantz to Marantz...)

[Eddie982002]

I've been slowly tweaking my rather modest system over the past year or so to get the best out of it and I am reaching a junction where I want to make a decision.

I currently own a Marantz M-CR610 CD Receiver which has been pretty good for the past 10 years as a one stop shop CD player, radio, streamer amp. It's connected to a pair of Q Acoustic 2010i, mainly because they are the only speakers which will fit in the space I have. Also connected to the Marantz is a Technics SL-1500c turntable, using the built in phono stage.

Earlier this year I added a Wharfedale SW150 subwoofer to give the sound a bit more oomph. At the same time I replaced the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge with an Audio Technica AT-VM95 ML/H which has added some much needed sparkle to my records.

Everything sounds, well, pretty good actually. But the upgrade itch still needs scratching...

I am now pondering replacing the M-CR610 CD Receiver with a Marantz PM7000N network amp and CD6007 CD player. This would come to about £1,000, the top end of my budget. I would not be adding any features to my set up as a result of the upgrade (in fact I'd be losing access to DAB/FM which I have with the CD Receiver) but presumably sound quality should be a marked jump up from what I already enjoy. And the tweaks I made a few months ago would carry across.

I play mostly vinyl but have started to dust off my CD collection again and cheap charity shop CDs are hard to resist!

I'll struggle to get to a local shop which has a PM7000N and CD6007 in stock so would be buying without hearing but have identified stockists online who have a money back guarantee. Do you think this is the right upgrade path?

 

[WayneKerr]

Plenty on here own the Marantz combination you are considering and should be along with comments soon.

 

[hifi]

I've been slowly tweaking my rather modest system over the past year or so to get the best out of it and I am reaching a junction where I want to make a decision.

I currently own a Marantz M-CR610 CD Receiver which has been pretty good for the past 10 years as a one stop shop CD player, radio, streamer amp. It's connected to a pair of Q Acoustic 2010i, mainly because they are the only speakers which will fit in the space I have. Also connected to the Marantz is a Technics SL-1500c turntable, using the built in phono stage.

Earlier this year I added a Wharfedale SW150 subwoofer to give the sound a bit more oomph. At the same time I replaced the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge with an Audio Technica AT-VM95 ML/H which has added some much needed sparkle to my records.

Everything sounds, well, pretty good actually. But the upgrade itch still needs scratching...

I am now pondering replacing the M-CR610 CD Receiver with a Marantz PM7000N network amp and CD6007 CD player. This would come to about £1,000, the top end of my budget. I would not be adding any features to my set up as a result of the upgrade (in fact I'd be losing access to DAB/FM which I have with the CD Receiver) but presumably sound quality should be a marked jump up from what I already enjoy. And the tweaks I made a few months ago would carry across.

I play mostly vinyl but have started to dust off my CD collection again and cheap charity shop CDs are hard to resist!

I'll struggle to get to a local shop which has a PM7000N and CD6007 in stock so would be buying without hearing but have identified stockists online who have a money back guarantee. Do you think this is the right upgrade path?

Everything sounds, well, pretty good actually. But the upgrade itch still needs scratching...

If i was you i would start with the speakers first they have changed a lot over the last few years they will make the biggest diffrence too start with.
Marantz is very well built and is almot faultless. So a good choice i have all Marantz .

Have a relook at your space and where you could put every thing not just the speakers can you move the room around ?

If you need any help with the 7000n feel free to ask.

Have Fun 👍

 

[Eddie982002]

If i was you i would start with the speakers first they have changed a lot over the last few years they will make the biggest diffrence too start with.
Marantz is very well built and is almot faultless. So a good choice i have all Marantz .

Have a relook at your space and where you could put every thing not just the speakers can you move the room around ?

If you need any help with the 7000n feel free to ask.

Have Fun 👍

Thanks hifi. I've wracked my brains reviewing the space but I'll struggle to to move anything around that would keep everyone else happy (it's a shared family space). And one of the downsides of vinyl is of course the amount of room it takes up!

The 7000n looks like a very appealing proposition, especially given the price is now about half of what it was when it came out a few years ago. I have a feeling a new model is on the way so they are discounting to shift stock, which is one of the reasons I wanted to strike sooner rather than later. Perhaps a room rejig (& speaker review) could follow later?

 

[matthewpianist]

Here's my suggestion...

Buy the PM7000N and a pair of Dali Oberon 1 speakers. Use the MCR-610 as a CD source for now (connect the line output on the MCR to an input on the PM7000N) until you can get a CD6007. You'll then have an exceptional system for the money.

 

[Nico69]

Here's my suggestion...

Buy the PM7000N and a pair of Dali Oberon 1 speakers. Use the MCR-610 as a CD source for now (connect the line output on the MCR to an input on the PM7000N) until you can get a CD6007. You'll then have an exceptional system for the money.

I concur. The PM7000n has a very respectable Phono stage and is what I am using right now. Love it.

 

[Eddie982002]

Here's my suggestion...

Buy the PM7000N and a pair of Dali Oberon 1 speakers. Use the MCR-610 as a CD source for now (connect the line output on the MCR to an input on the PM7000N) until you can get a CD6007. You'll then have an exceptional system for the money.

Here's my suggestion...

Buy the PM7000N and a pair of Dali Oberon 1 speakers. Use the MCR-610 as a CD source for now (connect the line output on the MCR to an input on the PM7000N) until you can get a CD6007. You'll then have an exceptional system for the mo

Here's my suggestion...

Buy the PM7000N and a pair of Dali Oberon 1 speakers. Use the MCR-610 as a CD source for now (connect the line output on the MCR to an input on the PM7000N) until you can get a CD6007. You'll then have an exceptional system for the money.

It's a great idea and I have considered using the M-CR610 as a CD & DAB source. Sadly the Dali's wouldn't fit the space - slightly too tall for the shelf they need to sit on I'm afraid! My QAs are 235mmH, 200mmD. The Dalis are about 20mm too tall.

 

[Eddie982002]

I concur. The PM7000n has a very respectable Phono stage and is what I am using right now. Love it.

It would be interesting hearing which stage is better - the one in the Marantz or the built in one on the Technics turntable, which has been excellent so far.

 

[manicm]

So damn tempting, locally we have an offer of the PM7000N + MA Silver 100s for 1500 pounds, it doesn't look cheap on paper, but that's the cost without the import duties etc.

 

[matthewpianist]

So damn tempting, locally we have an offer of the PM7000N + MA Silver 100s for 1500 pounds, it doesn't look cheap on paper, but that's the cost without the import duties etc.

Nice speakers but they won't fit the OP's space sadly, and if they did they need plenty of room around them to avoid bass boom/blurring. I had a pair and experienced this first-hand. Unfortunately the excellent Silver 50s are also too large for the OP's needs.

 

[Eddie982002]

Nice speakers but they won't fit the OP's space sadly, and if they did they need plenty of room around them to avoid bass boom/blurring. I had a pair and experienced this first-hand. Unfortunately the excellent Silver 50s are also too large for the OP's needs.

Yes, the QAs I have are spot on for the space I have - they were sold by QA on the basis that you could place them anywhere. As they are close to a wall I have the foam bungs in place and an SW takes care of lower frequencies (there's also variable speaker response settings on the M-CR610 to help with that too).

I think speakers would be my next consideration if I ever manage to move things around. For now I guess I need to consider whether the outlay on the new amp (& poss CD player - it's in budget) will make a significant enough difference over the M-CR610, which I will probably pass onto my music loving son if I do upgrade.