Marantz M-CR603 best bookshelf speakers £500 - £1000

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Hi,

Ok, first an apology as I've been asking all kinds of questions over the last couple of days on these Forums and rather than clog up two or three seperate threads I thought I'd start a new one.

Thanks to all the people who have replied...I have taken a journey which started off with me dead set on getting a Naim Uniti...this changed to a UnitiQute....and I've finally settled on a Marantz CR603 (which I was not aware off to begin with!)

Now for the speakers!

Obviously I've saved a bit of cash by choosing the Marantz over the Naim so I've got a bit to play with for speakers.

Speakers need to be bookshelf and will be sited close to wall on shelves, maybe 10cm max distance from wall.

Contenders so far are:

PMC DB1i - Although I read they are a bit fussy about placement

EB Acoustics EB2 - Though I have to admit the looooooonnnnngggggg wait times being reported puts me off

ATC SCM11 (or SCM7) - Current front runners due to the sealed design

There are others I'm sure, but I am keen to avoid too much Bass boom and also the wall they will be close to is a party wall. I prefer a fuller sound to a forward/bright sound and listen to all genres but mostly Jazz/Rock/Prog/Electronic

So....all and any advice is gratefully received...

Thanks,

Mark
 

chebby

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Spendor S3/5R² £850 (or S3/5R if you can find any discounted/ex-demo)

Same 84db sensitivity as the ATC SCM7s but a more refined sound (warmer too). Sealed cabinet design. Bit of a classic. Great for your jazz. 8 ohms impedance (with 6.2 ohms minimum).

I'd say if you want amp (and neighbour) threatening volume levels for rock then get the SCM7s (but keep them on a leash for now and save up for a 100+ watt amplifier in the meantime).

If you are happy with normal domestic/neighbour friendly volume levels then try the Spendors. (A very 'grown up' sound but less fireworks.)

In my opinion, find some way of getting neither and get the easier to drive (87db) and better PMC DB1is :)

Further down the pricelist (but good on shelves suprisingly) are the £400 Rega RS1s. Don't worry about their rear port.

Quoting Rega...

"The RS1 has an unusually even bass response for a small loudspeaker. It allows them to be mounted directly onto the wall, or alternatively to be placed on shelves or stands. This allows the user greater flexibility in positioning than is normal."
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Chebby,

Thanks for your reply (on this and other threads) as always it's vey helpful :)

I hadn't considered the Spendors I'll have a look into them...

I am tempted by the PMC's but I'm just concerned about the placement....do you think it would compromise them too much by being situated so close to a wall on a shelf?
 

chebby

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I would suggest calling PMC and having a chat about it. (T 01582 405694 )

Close to a wall is not a problem. They are fine about 3.5 inches from wall (the distance PMC's own brackets keep them at) and another member here (True Blue) experimented and found 3.5 inches was optimal for him.

The shelves are the issue you need to discuss with PMC.
 
Hi Mark

ATC's SCM7 and SCM11 monitors are likely to be the easiest to positioning close to walls in your room without the bass in particular getting itself into a twist.

The ATC monitors are flat and honest and therefore will not sweeten, round or warm up the recordings or the tonal character of the CR603. They will instead reproduce the sound in (amongst their other qualities) a highly detailed, clear, precise, uncoloured, natural and powerful manner.

As i said before the best thing to do is to try the various option (with the CR603) in your room and on the shelves you intend to use to see which speaker offers you the ideal compromise.

Btw, i would also add Dynaudio's DM 2/6 speakers to the list.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

Ambrose

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Hi Mark Morb
I have been playing around with different setups recently and will shortly be collecting Naim Nait 5i-2 to go with Neat Motive 3 speakers. Source is Marantz DV6001 DVD player + Dacmagic 1, for now at least.....

I would be curious to see how Marantz M-CR603 compares but never did.

I have restricted speaker placement and maybe able to suggest a couple of other speakers worth an audition. I will be using on a solid oak sideboard (using little carbon fibre isolators) and close to rear wall (10-15cm) and side chimney stack.

I have listened to the Neat speakers and also Rega RS1 speakers at home so can say these both worked well and sound quality not dramitically compromised. Ok stereo imaging restricted and soundstage too but in terms of listening enjoyment, still good.
The RS1 are more tolerant of the 2 and some songs sounded better with these than the Neats but in the end the Neats to me were more engaging / exciting and less leaner than RS1. Would have been happy I think with either. The Neats tweeter does need more careful system matching as could be bright in wrong combination but fine with mine from what I heard so far. Note - I don't like bright sounding system either.
I did listen to ATC SM7 although not in the configuration I ended up with but these did not gel together for me.

Other speaker maybe worth a listen are Spendor S3/5R2 also closed box design.

Hope this helps a little.
I am sure there are other much more qualified members who can help further.
Ambrose
 

chebby

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I can sense Rick packaging up a pair as I write :)

ATC SCM11s, Neurofen and I have a close relationship every time I visit a friend who owns them. (Used with a Primare i30).

They are good but 8 - 9 hours of them at a time is very wearing even at relatively modest volumes.

OTOH all the Naim/PMC combinations I have heard (quite a few now) are very easy on the ear and sound delicious.

I have not heard the M-CR603 with either but ATCs are a choice I would leave well off my list if I were upgrading speakers.
 

Ambrose

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I see I am late to the party!!!!

Note if it makes any difference the ATC SCM7 are very very heavy! You are putting on shelf.
The Rega are light as a feather if this is anything to consider.
Ambrose
 
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Anonymous

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Hi Mark,

I would think that the Dali Mentor Minuet should a least be on your audition list .A beautiful midrange.
 

BenLaw

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chebby said:
ATC SCM11s, Neurofen and I have a close relationship every time I visit a friend who owns them. (Used with a Primare i30).

They are good but 8 - 9 hours of them at a time is very wearing even at relatively modest volumes.

I'm staggered by that. I have never found my system wearing. The neutrality of ATC means I can listen for hours even at high volume. Either there's something else wrong in the system / room acoustics or you must like a very syrupy sound.
 

John Duncan

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chebby said:
Hmmm. In which case Rega RS1s might need to move up the list a bit! (At just over £400 you'll save another bundle.)

Indeed.

Just for clarification to the OP, in case my experiment is nothing like his proposed positioning: they were placed in alcoves approx. 95w x 60h x 35d, close in to the chimney bre@st, toed in reasonably heavily, tweeter a touch over ear height (though I knelt up a bit on the sofa to replicate normal listening height a bit more), firing across the room. Horribly overpowering bass and midrange. Put them back on the stands in the bay window and it all went away.

Possibly wall-mounting just reinforces the bass, rather than trap it and amplify it horribly?
 

jiggyjoe

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For something different maybe try some monitor audio apex with an active sub.

The apex dont go very low in the bass so would suit close to wall placement/in bookshelves, and you can then dial in as much bass as you want with the active sub.
 

jiggyjoe

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Just spotted this feature on the marantz that could really help.
smiley-smile.gif


Speaker Setup:[/b] The receiver's Speaker Setup menu lets you match your speakers and their location to the Marantz integrated CD/network receiver. Five types of settings can be selected. A different setting can be selected for Speaker A & B.
Response 1:[/b] Cuts low frequencies of 60 Hz or under by -12dB/oct.Response 2:[/b] Cuts low frequencies of 100 Hz or under by -12dB/oct.Response 3:[/b] Cuts low frequencies of 60 Hz or under by -12dB/oct. Also, raises the 400 Hz region by 3 dB.Response 4:[/b] Cuts low frequencies of 100 Hz or under by -12dB/oct. Also, raises the 400 Hz region by 3 dB.Flat:[/b] The crossover is set to flat. This enhances bass frequencies when speakers are placed directly on furniture or on a rack.[/list]
 

chebby

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BenLaw said:
Either there's something else wrong in the system / room acoustics or you must like a very syrupy sound.

Far from it. Until a couple of months ago I spent 2 years enjoying a complete Naim set-up (including nSATs for most of that time).

I have rejected many warm/smooth/'syrupy' components in the past and prefer a clean sound. In fact my natural preference is towards a sound that many might consider a little too bright or forward.

That ATC SCM11/Primare i30 combination is too much for me though. Realism is one thing. Feeling that one's head has been gaffer taped to the drum kit is quite another!
 
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Anonymous

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Wow..thanks for all the replies guys...loads of great info there...and big thanks to John for actually moving his speakers to check it out for me, much appreciated. The position you moved them to is very close to what I have so I think that can probably rule out the PMC's (and it does back up what I've read elsewhere about them being superb but fussy)

I'm still torn over the ATC's...the way Chebby describes them puts me off a great deal, I can't bear over bright systems, I find them very weary to listen to and headache inducing...I can relate to the Nurofen comment. However, others say they have not experienced the same thing, the weight wouldn't be an issue as they are substantial "fitted" shelves...damn all this subjectivity, lol...

I have still to read up on the Spendors and the Rega's so I will have to do that....

The brightness of the Neats has been mentioned in a few reviews so that goes against them slightly in my eyes...although I am not sure what the charateristic of the M-CR603 Amp is, warm or bright?

the Dynaudio DM 2/6's get great reviews but again lots of reviews mention keeping them a good 12 inches or more away from a wall, not practical in my situation...

The Dali Mentor Minuet is a new one to me...research required on those...

I would rather not go down the speaker/sub route as I'm after a minimal system....

Thanks again, lots of great opinion and advice :)
 

John Duncan

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I heard the Mentor Menuets and found them too lightweight in open space, which disappointed me and may count in your favour because of positioning. And they're bloody gorgeous.

You might also consider the AVI Neutron V, which I found leaner than my previous DB1+ but still very good indeed, and almost as beautifully finished as the Dalis and the PMCs. Oh, and whilst you might take any publicity pictures with a pinch of salt...

neutron_books.jpg
 
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Anonymous

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John Duncan said:
I heard the Mentor Menuets and found them too lightweight in open space, which disappointed me and may count in your favour because of positioning. And they're bloody gorgeous.

You might also consider the AVI Neutron V, which I found leaner than my previous DB1+ but still very good indeed, and almost as beautifully finished as the Dalis and the PMCs. Oh, and whilst you might take any publicity pictures with a pinch of salt...

I'll have a read up on the AVI's...

...although I've just been doing research into the Spendor S3/5R's and Mentor Menuets and so far they are sounding right up my street....in fact I think I may have found my final two choices...with the Dali's edging ahead slightly due to the fact they were designed for exactly the situation I would be using them..and they do look lovely (especially in white)...
 
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Anonymous

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Well yes the Dali speakers are designed to work in tight spaces and near walls. They are as John says beautiful. Probably by favorite designed speakers ever. If I had the cash then they would be mine in the blink of an eye.

My precious
 

macipod

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Hi

Have a look at the leema Xero, very good speaker 5 Star winner originally retailed for £700 you can find them for £400 very well made and brill customer service and 5 year warranty.

Luke
 

BenLaw

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chebby said:
BenLaw said:
Either there's something else wrong in the system / room acoustics or you must like a very syrupy sound.

Far from it. Until a couple of months ago I spent 2 years enjoying a complete Naim set-up (including nSATs for most of that time).

I have rejected many warm/smooth/'syrupy' components in the past and prefer a clean sound. In fact my natural preference is towards a sound that many might consider a little too bright or forward.

That ATC SCM11/Primare i30 combination is too much for me though. Realism is one thing. Feeling that one's head has been gaffer taped to the drum kit is quite another!

As I say, that's not my experience at all. I'm sure it can't be put down to excess 'realism' as I can't think many engineers would be going for the drum kit / gaffer tape sound! So either your friend has something very different going in with his source or room or we have very different hearing / perception! No biggy, I just reckon the OP ought to have a listen to the ATC if he can get an audition, if he likes the sound it seems they will tick all the other boxes.
 

Craig M.

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BenLaw said:
chebby said:
BenLaw said:
Either there's something else wrong in the system / room acoustics or you must like a very syrupy sound.

Far from it. Until a couple of months ago I spent 2 years enjoying a complete Naim set-up (including nSATs for most of that time).

I have rejected many warm/smooth/'syrupy' components in the past and prefer a clean sound. In fact my natural preference is towards a sound that many might consider a little too bright or forward.

That ATC SCM11/Primare i30 combination is too much for me though. Realism is one thing. Feeling that one's head has been gaffer taped to the drum kit is quite another!

As I say, that's not my experience at all. I'm sure it can't be put down to excess 'realism' as I can't think many engineers would be going for the drum kit / gaffer tape sound! So either your friend has something very different going in with his source or room or we have very different hearing / perception! No biggy, I just reckon the OP ought to have a listen to the ATC if he can get an audition, if he likes the sound it seems they will tick all the other boxes.

having heard a i30 on my scm19s, chebbys friend could do well to ditch the dacmagic as source.
 

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