Question Improve my Sound on my Fronts in Stereo mode

[B&WforLife;)]

Hi all
New here

Need help
I got
-Marantz SR 6015 AV
Dolby Atmos Surround set up
with
-B&W DM603 S3 -Fronts
(150W @8 ohms -down to 3ohms
-Sensitive 90db)
the rest of the speaker set up are from the same series

I find that the Marantz can’t bring out the full potential of my Fronts , i guess due to limitation of power supply ! Sounds bright

I was thinking of adding a
-2 channel power amp !
To bring more
Clarity, Dynamics , and good tight bass
Something that would make a deference but not overly expensive in the same time

I got permanent disability and listen to a-lot of Music
-I like LOUD to forget about my misery

Any input appreciated
Thx

 

[abacus]

B & W speakers are naturally bright by design (They add zing to the sound) which can become irritating . (Did you compare them with others before purchase)
So long as your not in a massive room or like ear bashing sound levels the Marantz should be capable enough , (Its the bass that normally suffers if you have lack of power) however Audyssey is not the best room correction software and usually requires manual tweaking to get the sound at its best. (Experiment with the settings before thinking of changing your equipment)
You may find that just turning the treble down will solve your problem.

Bill

 

[jjbomber]

Need help
I got
-Marantz SR 6015 AV
-B&W DM603 S3 -Fronts
the rest of the speaker set up are from the same series

I find that the Marantz can’t bring out the full potential of my Fronts , i guess due to limitation of power supply ! Sounds bright


Thx

That's a great system. One of the great fantasy stories in hi-fi is that AV receivers can't do stereo very well. It's utter nonsense. Your AV amp doesn't know if the film soundtrack is from a CD or DVD; it amplifies it to the same standard. As you are B&W for life, it may be a case of closing the curtains and covering any other glass! Another option is to try out a pair of headphones to see what they sound like. It won't be the amp that is causing the bright sound.

 

[B&WforLife;)]

Hi Abacus and jjbomber
Thank you for your response

I know the speakers well
Had them since 2004
I used Onkyo AV most of dose years.sounded way batter then the Marantz AV ! Nice clean tight sound.

They had way bigger toroidal transformers in them back then.
Not anymore

Had Rotel pre/amp -sold them years back .sounded very good on them

I do use the Audessy app as well
I tried adjusting the curve a bit
Shortened the Frequency range
Etc

Just when I crank up the volume, it struggles i can tell , can’t feel the seperation and dynamics !
Like the Rotels gave

I was thinking of adding
-2 chanel power amp
To boost the power
But pre outs on this AVs not the best !
I emailed 15 retailers they told me to
Get Rotel, Marantz power amp as i
“Need more power to get the full potential of the speakers “
They quoted
Bi-amp
Get Rotel 1582 or 1552 or
bi amp with 1555 and use the fifth for centre
Don’t get Rotel
Get Marantz 7025 similar sound signature
Don’t bi-amp
Some sad bi amp with AV and power amp for batter sound separation
But others sad don’t, as you get noise from AV
and the list goes on ..,

 

[TrevC]

If you don't like the sound change the speakers. It's as simple as that.

 

[jjbomber]

Hi Abacus and jjbomber
Thank you for your response


But others sad don’t, as you get noise from AV
and the list goes on ..,

Ultimately you need to listen for yourself. Find a good retailer who will let you home demo these. Even the best hi-fi shop in the world can't tell you what's best for your ears.

 

[B&WforLife;)]

what you mean change the speakers
They are great sounding speakers made in England
I understand the sound of my speakers
The AV it’s just not good enough for them has 200gr power supply

I need advise on options
On how to improve the sound stage
- Not change speakers Lol

I clearly stated that in my post
The idea of
2 chanel amp
Bi amp etc
I got no advice on that
!!!

 

[nopiano]

what you mean change the speakers
They are great sounding speakers made in England
I understand the sound of my speakers
The AV it’s just not good enough for them has 200gr power supply

I need advise on options
On how to improve the sound stage
- Not change speakers Lol

I clearly stated that in my post
The idea of
2 chanel amp
Bi amp etc
I got no advice on that
!!!

You’ll get the same variety of views here as you did from dealers. Everyone has different experiences. Not everyone would have chosen your B&W speakers. Some have heard AV amps sound great; others think they’re all compromised by too much gubbins in one box and all the processing and socketry.

Some think all amps sound the same (like TrevC). I wouldn’t want your speakers, but I would try to hear another amp or two at home - you’ll learn very little at a dealers in your case.

My answer:- I’d prefer a stereo amp for music, even though I’ve heard stunning AV amplifiers - at What Hifi’s former London premises, no less. Forget bi-amping. Post a picture in case your setup is not good. But first - what is your budget?

Find a dealer prepared to let you listen at home, even if you need to pay a shipping or restocking fee. Or toss a coin and choose from the advice you’ve had and will get!

 

[abacus]

what you mean change the speakers
They are great sounding speakers made in England
I understand the sound of my speakers
The AV it’s just not good enough for them has 200gr power supply

I need advise on options
On how to improve the sound stage
- Not change speakers Lol

I clearly stated that in my post
The idea of
2 chanel amp
Bi amp etc
I got no advice on that
!!!

Then it definitely sounds like your Marantz is not up to the job of driving your speakers, so providing you have pre-amp outputs on your receiver, adding a more powerful 2 channel power amp is a good idea.
The only fly in the ointment is that you may then find you don't like the sound coming from your other speakers, so a better receiver may be the better option.
Providing you can find a dealer that has the same equipment as you, then you don't need a home trial as you will just be trying out different amps/receivers to see which works best with your speakers. (The room is irrelevant as you already know what the speakers sound like in your room)
TIP: Make sure whatever you choose is happy with 4 0hm loads (It gives a significantly higher output compared to 8 ohm loads) as the B & Ws can be difficult to drive.
Remember it is the current of the amplifier that does the work, and if it can easily drive 4 ohm loads then this indicates it has a quality power supply and output stage.

Bill

 

[leemccann1]

welcome to the forum. I have recently just decided to go down the AV route having sold my KEF LS50 wires less 2's which I loved for stereo.

I have gone down the AV route as moved into a houe which is set out well for AV and already had 5 ceiling speakers all built in. I was using these with an old Denon amp for AV and the KEF;'s for stereo but wanted more form AV.

So I sold the KEfs and bought a Denon 6700 receiver, Used the ceiling seakers a bit then I have just bought some MA Gold 100's standmount as fornts and a Gold C250. Ive then used 4 of the ceiling ones for atmos and am currenlty using some old radius as rears. The plan is to get the Gold 200's foloorstanders next and move the 100's for rears.

Anyway back to your point, in purchasing the gold fronts from Richer sounds I did set up a couple of demos, they were really helpful and one of the tests involved the Gols 100's and 200's using a 6700 but also with a power amp for the fronts.

They set up an Emotiva XPA 2 gen 3 - https://www.richersounds.com/emotiva-xpa-2-gen-3-black.html

I would highly recomend this set up the sound was noticably better than a direct comparision to using just he 6700 av amp.

The beuty of the emotiva is that is is modular and extra channels can be added for a smallish outlay, it can also be bought for just a little more as a 3ch to start with or 5ch.

This is definatley my next upgrade after the 200 fronts. I initally intended to go for a stereo amp to connect to the AV receiver but it would not integrate as good (messing with volume etc unless it has an AV feature) and you will be paying for extra feature you dont need (pre amp section, probably a DAC etc). I actually considered getting a stereo amp and just changing the speaker cables over when I wanted to listen to music, effectively having two systems but again a little pointless when the power amp option is so seamless. The other benefit of using the Emotive (or other 2/3/5 ch power amps) is the front 3 or all 5 will have the same amplification so should integrate better. You could go the whole hog and get 7 or 9 channels and power the atmos but not sure that is needed. Also although i dont find HEOS as good as the streaming facility on the KEFs it does allow me to stream through the 6700 and still sounds good.

Final point, and probaly one that some may cringe over ive started to enjoy listenin to music via my current 6700 (no power amp yet) in 5ch stereo, it does sound very good even without the power amp.

Richer sounds do the 603's so im sure they would set them up for you if you have one local and you could test the difference. The Emotiva range has a step up option from the XPA gen 2 also with the suffix of 'DR' on the model which is supposedly even better as it has seperate amps for each terminal and has more power but does get costly.

Have look and see if you can get an audition im sure you will be impressed.