Marantz M-CR603 / Naim Uniti Question?

Jason36

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As good as my Roksan Caspian M1 pre / power / CD combo is I am thinking of bowing to peer pressure (the other half) and reducing the box count of Hi-Fi equipment and moving to an all in one solution (obviously this would also allow me the option of streaming from my laptop and also more importantly means the Hifi can be moved back into the lounge)

I know that a few of you guys on here have moved across to the Marantz M-CR603 and that also some of you use the NaimUniti.....however the naimuniti is a considerable jump in price over the Marantz.

Is the Marantz really that good? How would the Marantz compare to my three box system?

Also probably a silly question, but I take it that I would still be able to connect my Rega Planar 3 to the Marantz via a phono Amp?

I can get a demo of both the Marantz and Uniti at my local hi-fi store, but just wanted to find out what other peoples experience and recommendations are.
 
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Anonymous

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I've found the move to the Marantz from my 2nd system (NAD C£55BEE amp, Arcam CD72 CDP and M/A RX2 speakers) to be superb

I'm amazed by the quality of the Mrantz sound as it's not the Marantz sound I'm used to (i.e. a bit overly smooth and lacking in bass weight at times etc...)

The system is plenty powerful enough to drive decent speakers and with the added wifi functionality; it's opened up my musical library 10 fold
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Is it worth it's price in comparison to the Naim Uniti; IMO yes BUT in saying that I do not like the Naim sound and didnt get on with the Uniti. However the Arcam Solo Neo is a superb option as well but I personally didnt want to spend that amount as it's a 2nd system
 

chebby

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I owned a Naim Nait 5i/CD5i/NAT05 system for two years until recently and have heard the NaimUniti on a number of occasions with a range of speakers from Rega RS1 and RS3 to PMC GB1i and DB1i.

I now have the system in my signature below.

It would be pushing things too far to say the M-CR603 was as good as a NaimUniti or my old Naim 'entry level' seperates system. It's not as good. Simple as that.

However, it sounds a lot better than the £450 it cost me and is nowhere near as much of a drop in quality as I thought it might be. The NaimUniti is now £2500 (unless your dealer has ex-dem or pre-April stock in his store) and the Marantz around £450.

I suggest you try to hear both machines and decide if there is a £2000 difference. There IS a difference but - I would argue - not £2K's worth.

Yes, there is a spare analogue RCA input on both machines to plug in a phono stage.
 

DIB

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As an ex Uniti owner, and very shortly a MCR603 owner, I can concur that yes the Uniti is a fantastic bit of kit and superior to the Marantz, but based on my 2 hr demo this weekend of the 603 not by much.

The 603 is a lovely piece of equipment, I found it to be very user friendly, and when it came to navigating internet radio stations a lot easier and smoother operation than I found with the Uniti.

I had gone in to specifically hear it teamed up with a pair of ex demo Epos M22i floorstanders ( speakers that I had nearly bought 12 months previous and one's I'd always had in the back of my mind if I was ever to move to floorstanders in the future). I wanted to be sure that the 603 could drive them sufficiently well to justify the outlay. Well after 1 hour of listening at my moderate level of volume, I had no further concerns. They sounded spectacular, and when the shop streamed a 24/96 HD Queen track (Another One Bites The Dust) through the 603 it was just awesome and my mind made up.

Do I think the Uniti is a great product? Absolutely. If circumstances had been different for me I would still have it now.

Do I think it's worth 5 times the MCR603? Not in my opinion, but others might disagree. I'm just cutting my cloth accordingly.

.
 
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Anonymous

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Really it's quite simple. The Naim allows you to run better speakers than the Marantz can. If you're unlikely to upgrade the speakers, then stick to the Marantz.
 

John Duncan

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Grottyash said:
Really it's quite simple. The Naim allows you to run better speakers than the Marantz can. If you're unlikely to upgrade the speakers, then stick to the Marantz.

Though as Andrew has pointed out elsewhere, the Marantz copes perfectly well with PMC DB1is...

If I were going round again, I suspect I'd consider the Marantz very carefully. It has blue lights :)
 
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Anonymous

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I don't really know the PMCs that well so can't comment. I was thinking more of how well the Naim (OK, it's a 5i) sounds with £2500 - £5000 speakers. I doubt the the Marantz would get the best out of those.
 
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Anonymous

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Well I heard the Marantz CR603 yesterday with the PMC GB1i's and it/they sounded SUPERB
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Also demo'd the Marantz with the Monitor Audio PL100's and again; sublime...

It CAN handle a lot more expensive speakers with ease BUT where do you stop?!

I understand the price differences between the Marantz and the Naim but as above (i agree) that the Naim isnt worth it's price tag IMO...

If you can listen to them side by send then go for it; use the same speakers and see how it goes
 

John Duncan

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Grottyash said:
I don't really know the PMCs that well so can't comment. I was thinking more of how well the Naim (OK, it's a 5i) sounds with £2500 - £5000 speakers. I doubt the the Marantz would get the best out of those.

No, agreed. But the fact that a 450 quid box isn't shown up by a grand's worth of speakers bodes well for it.
 
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Anonymous

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John Duncan said:
Grottyash said:
I don't really know the PMCs that well so can't comment. I was thinking more of how well the Naim (OK, it's a 5i) sounds with £2500 - £5000 speakers. I doubt the the Marantz would get the best out of those.

No, agreed. But the fact that a 450 quid box isn't shown up by a grand's worth of speakers bodes well for it.

Yup...
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Cant wait to hear it with the Neat Moltive 2's tomorrow/Thursday...

Currently running it with the M/A BX5's and it's still damn impressive. The BX5's are superb speakers for their price.

I'm just wondering if the Neat Motive 2's will show the BX5's up or whether the M/A's will hold their own...
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Anonymous

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Grottyash said:
I don't really know the PMCs that well so can't comment. I was thinking more of how well the Naim (OK, it's a 5i) sounds with £2500 - £5000 speakers. I doubt the the Marantz would get the best out of those.

If the marantz does a decent job as a source, once can always add an amp if and when they decide to spend that amount on speakers later, right? Just curious someone around here had a chance to try this.

I was seriously considering this option just incase my SA-8260 decide to die on me some time soon. But then i got a used SB Classic for a good deal and decided to postpone this. Too bad it doesn't come with digital outs
 
A

Anonymous

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IMO it'd be a waste of a perfectly good all-in-one system if it had an extra amp added to it...

It does a good enough job as it is

For me the middle ground would be the Arcam Solo Neo... No adding an Arcam Alpha 10P or FMJ P35 power amp to that would make more sense IMO but again it is defeating the object of the system really...
 
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Anonymous

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hifilover1979 said:
IMO it'd be a waste of a perfectly good all-in-one system if it had an extra amp added to it...

It does a good enough job as it is

True in a way...but then, it's really up to the expectation.
 

chebby

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Jason, I have just noticed... "Castle Richmond Speakers soon to be ATC SCM11's", in your signature.

Will you still be committed to the ATC SCM11s with the new 'all-in-one' hifi?
 

Jason36

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chebby said:
Jason, I have just noticed... "Castle Richmond Speakers soon to be ATC SCM11's", in your signature.

Will you still be committed to the ATC SCM11s with the new 'all-in-one' hifi?

Why do you ask Chebby? Do you think the Marantz will struggle to drive the ATC's power wise?

That was going to be the plan initially......but that may be the deciding factor either way.....for instance would the Castle's be adequate enough for the Marantz?
 

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