Help deciding between Marantz/Music Hall/NAD & B&W/Boston/Dali

[Bastien]

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a new Hi-Fi and have demoed a couple of amps and loudspeakers. I've also read a couple of reviews, forum posts on these. I'm pretty close to making a final choice, but was wondering if anyone had any experience with any of this gear, if someone considered the same options or owned these devices, what your general impression was, if you're satisfied with your set and whether you think the amp/cd player is a good long-term investment.

These are the amps/CD-players I'm considering:

- Marantz PM15S2 & SA15S2

- Music Hall A70.2 & CD35.2

- NAD C 375BEE & C 565BEE

The speakers:

- B&W CM1

- Dali Ikon 2 mk2

- Boston Acoustic M25

Maybe a couple of you may think that the loudspeakers are a bit cheap for the amps, but they are more or less temporary and should fit in a small room. Later, I'll definitely consider more substantial speakers.

My choice will mainly depend on the sound of these devices, but I'm hoping to make an informed decision, so any comments you may have on these products (not only sound, but also durability, features, etc.) are welcome. There's a lot of information available on some of these products, but less on others (like the fairly new Music Hall).

A final note: the Marantz is obviously more expensive, but I can have it at a significant discount (new). Previously I was considering the pearl lites. Price aside, does anybody see a reason to pick the pearl lites over the Marantz?

Anyway, thanks a lot!

 

[BigH]

The Pearl Lites are pretty cheap now if you can get them around £670 each maybe less. I would have thought the Marantz PM15S2 & SA15S2 would be better depends on the price.

As for speakers the only ones I have heard are the CM1s, they are good looking and sound OK a bit coloured and not sensitive so need some driving, if I were you I would try some KEF R100s and LS50s.

 

[Bastien]

Thanks! I haven't had the chance to actually listen to the 15s2 series, but I did listen to the pearl lites and these already sounded very good, but sometimes a tad too dreamy with the cm1s.

I also listened to the R100s. I liked them, but for some of my music, the sound became too crowded, while the cm1s were more balanced in this respect. I will definitely ask for a demo of the LS50s.

 

[BigH]

I also listened to the R100s. I liked them, but for some of my music, the sound became too crowded, while the cm1s were more balanced in this respect. I will definitely ask for a demo of the LS50s.

RE sounding crowded this maybe to do with speaker placement, I found when setting mine up that even moving them 1 foot further apart had a significant effect on the space and soundstaging of the music. It could be something like toeing-in less or having straight on. The CM1s are not bad althought some say they are unnatural sounding. Depends what sort of music you play?

With your budget I would be looking to spend more on speakers, have you looked at Harbeth/Spendor? Speakers make the most difference, I don't think I could pick out different amps in a blind test.

WIth the Pearl Lites I thought the Tannoy Precision 6.1s were quite good.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a new Hi-Fi and have demoed a couple of amps and loudspeakers. I've also read a couple of reviews, forum posts on these. I'm pretty close to making a final choice, but was wondering if anyone had any experience with any of this gear, if someone considered the same options or owned these devices, what your general impression was, if you're satisfied with your set and whether you think the amp/cd player is a good long-term investment.

These are the amps/CD-players I'm considering:

- Marantz PM15S2 & SA15S2

- Music Hall A70.2 & CD35.2

- NAD C 375BEE & C 565BEE

The speakers:

- B&W CM1

- Dali Ikon 2 mk2

- Boston Acoustic M25

Maybe a couple of you may think that the loudspeakers are a bit cheap for the amps, but they are more or less temporary and should fit in a small room. Later, I'll definitely consider more substantial speakers.

My choice will mainly depend on the sound of these devices, but I'm hoping to make an informed decision, so any comments you may have on these products (not only sound, but also durability, features, etc.) are welcome. There's a lot of information available on some of these products, but less on others (like the fairly new Music Hall).

A final note: the Marantz is obviously more expensive, but I can have it at a significant discount (new). Previously I was considering the pearl lites. Price aside, does anybody see a reason to pick the pearl lites over the Marantz?

Anyway, thanks a lot!

Ooops - just noticed it's CDP. Sorry.

Try this. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Creek-Destiny-2-Integrated-Amplifier-/121130476432?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item1c33f06390

 

[Bastien]

RE sounding crowded this maybe to do with speaker placement, I found when setting mine up that even moving them 1 foot further apart had a significant effect on the space and soundstaging of the music. It could be something like toeing-in less or having straight on. The CM1s are not bad althought some say they are unnatural sounding. Depends what sort of music you play?

With your budget I would be looking to spend more on speakers, have you looked at Harbeth/Spendor? Speakers make the most difference, I don't think I could pick out different amps in a blind test.

WIth the Pearl Lites I thought the Tannoy Precision 6.1s were quite good.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I'm afraid my dealer doesn't carry these speakers. They all appear to be U.K. brands, and I live in Belgium. So I wouldn't be able to demo them.

 

[Bastien]

Ooops - just noticed it's CDP. Sorry.

Try this. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Creek-Destiny-2-Integrated-Amplifier-/121130476432?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item1c33f06390

Looks great Retail price of around £1600 (€1900) is slightly over budget though..

 

[plastic penguin]

Ooops - just noticed it's CDP. Sorry.

Try this. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Creek-Destiny-2-Integrated-Amplifier-/121130476432?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item1c33f06390

Looks great Retail price of around £1600 (€1900) is slightly over budget though..

True but it'll probably sell (this auction version) nearer to £1000.