Marantz MCR 603 speakers: Focal, Dynaudio, B&W or what...

[admin_exported]

Hi everybody. I am thinking about upgrading my BR2 which I never liked and really need some advice what to go for. Unfortunately Im not able to demo all the speakers due to location and work commitments.

The source of my music is mainly compressed (Mac via air tunes) and internet radios played on Marantz MCR 603 through Ixos silver cables.

I listen to many kinds of music with preference for electronic. I like my sound broad, dynamic, with tight and well articulated lows. I like bassy but not boomy. I dont listen too loud too often unless drunk :cheers:

The room is small (4.5m x 3.5m), carpeted with some furnishings. The speaker would be placed on Atacama stands close to the wall.

After reading many reviews I cant set my mind on any particular model but here is my shortlist. Im willing to spend up to £400-500 for the set I would enjoy. Oh, and I love unusual finishes eg. whites, piano blacks, reds, yellows...

Boston Acoustics A26 Q Acoustics 2020i Rega RS1 B&W 685 AE Radiance 1 Focal 706v MA RX1 AE Neo1 Dynaudio 2/6 EB Acoustics EB1 Triangle Color Scandyna Mini

Would any of these be noticeably superior to MA BR2 in this price bracket?

I am open to your suggestions folks. I would also consider floorstanders.

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Robert,

My advice to you would be to forget about those speakers you cannot audition yourself.
Every man has his own unique taste in speakers, so it won't really be of much use to you to get recommendations for a zillion different loudspeakers.

Which dealers are present in your area and what product lines to they carry?

That's where I'd start.

Don't just jump into buying a pair of speakers - look at it as a process that will take a little time to complete. But then, in the end, you'll be much happier than if you just rushed into buying something.

Best,
Henrik

 

[Helmut80]

the Dynaudios get my vote.

 

[moon]

the Dynaudios get my vote.

close to the wall might be an issue with these.

 

[moon]

front ported might be better, KEF q 300

 

[Sizzers]

Agaimst the wall Rega RS1's. However, their bass doesn't really extend but they major on clarity and detail and follow every line of the rhythm (forget that they're rear ported, you can throw 'em anywhere).Focal 706V's. Give them at least 30cm from the wall and they have all of the above (they can't beat the Rega's on clarity, though), but I love their bass line which does extend a lot further. However, these are large speakers so you may also need to factor in new stands as well. Planning on getting them out for a whirl over the weekend as I haven't heard them for ages.

Agaimst the wall Rega RS1's. However, their bass doesn't really extend but they major on clarity and detail and follow every line of a rhythm (forget that they're rear ported, you can throw 'em anywhere), and they do work well with the 603.

Focal 706V's. Give them at least 30cm from the wall and they have pretty much all of the above (they can't beat the Rega's on clarity, though), but I love their bass line which does extend a lot further. However, these are large speakers so you may also need to factor in new stands as well. Planning on getting them out for a whirl over the weekend as I haven't heard them for ages but they worked brilliantly with my CD6003/PM6003 and only gave them up because they were too overbearing sizewise for my room.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for replies guys.

The only dealer closeby is Richer Sounds. Not much of a choice in there though.

Ill do my best to audition Regas and Focals if I find who stock them in NorthEast.

Tbh Regas are on the top of my list.

How much of an improvement soundwise they would be over BR2's?

Thanks.

 

[Sizzers]

What particularly don't you like about your BR's? And at what volume level do you normally have your 603 set at?

If I have time over the weekend I'll dig my 603 out and do some comparisons with the Rega's and Focal's to see what happens. Faithless are totally spot on at the mo, Kraftwerk before a bit bright-ish, and next a couple of Swedish sisters (thanks Womaz!)

 

[atanakata]

Hiya,if Richer Sounds is close by why don`t give a demo to the Tannoys ( DC 4 and DC 6 ) and definitely the Mordaunt-Short Mezzo 2 .The Mezzo 2 are suppose to be a great stand-mounts.But they also shouldn`t be too close to the wall... Good Luck

 

[matthewpiano]

Quad 11L Classic might suit you. They are excellent - the speaker that should have followed the original 11L instead of the less impressive 11L2. Spatially and in terms of providing a really involving soundstage they are well ahead of the BX2s (which I have also owned and like).

The other speaker I would definitely recommend trying is the Dali Ikon 1 Mk2, particularly for close to wall set-up. They are brilliant speakers and work extremely well with Marantz amplification.

The Focal 706v are excellent too. I love Focal speakers - very open sounding and extremely involving.

The ultimate ideal if you really wanted to push the boat out would be the fabulous PMC DB1i, but they do also like a bit of space around them. Incredible small speakers though.

 

[Anonymous]

+ 1 Rega RS1 (Have a look at ebay for RS1 in Gloss Red :dance: )

 

[Anonymous]

I might be able to audition Focals and Rs1 some time next week.

In the meantime I was offered brand new, boxed with manyfacturer warranty Focal 706v for just £270. Its very tempting I must say...

 

[cayorob]

Focal are rarely spoken about around these parts, and in my opinion are one of the best kept secrets.

 

[matthewpiano]

I might be able to audition Focals and Rs1 some time next week.

In the meantime I was offered brand new, boxed with manyfacturer warranty Focal 706v for just £270. Its very tempting I must say...

Bargain. Personally I think they are a more balanced sounding speaker than the RS1s. Focal deserve a lot more recognition than they get.

 

[Sizzers]

I might be able to audition Focals and Rs1 some time next week.

In the meantime I was offered brand new, boxed with manyfacturer warranty Focal 706v for just £270. Its very tempting I must say...

Bargain. Personally I think they are a more balanced sounding speaker than the RS1s. Focal deserve a lot more recognition than they get.

Got mine for £250 ex-dem with full warranty last year. I'm really looking forward to digging them out again but very much doubt if that will be today. From memory I would agree that they are probably a better balanced speaker than the Rega and I'm really looking forward to doing a comparison (pity they're so damned big!)

 

[Anonymous]

Sizzers mate, I would appreciate if you could drag them out for direct comparison.

They are roughly same price and I like the looks of them both.

How demanding they are when it comes to source? Most of my library is converted to aac and I dont have and use cd's anymore.

Such a hard decision without auditioning.

 

[Sizzers]

I listen to many kinds of music with preference for electronic. I like my sound broad, dynamic, with tight and well articulated lows. I like bassy but not boomy. I dont listen too loud too often unless drunk :cheers:

The room is small (4.5m x 3.5m), carpeted with some furnishings. The speaker would be placed on Atacama stands close to the wall.

I don't have to get them out to say if you want the bass then I would have the Focal's over the Rega's. As mentioned they are pretty large speakers, though, and you will have to give them some rear and side wall space otherwise they will boom.

Edit: I'm basing this on my experience with the Marantz CD6003/PM6003 combo, not the 603.

 

[audioaddict]

i heard the marantz with dali zensor 5 in richer sounds was blown away

 

[Sizzers]

Hi Rob, and I finally dug the Focal's out.What I am about to comment on is based on the set-up in my sig below and not paired with the 603. It would take me the best part of an hour of fiddling in a cabinet to set the 603 up and the same again to set it all back again, so basically I couldn't be bothered!It's a very long time time since I've heard the Focal's so a couple of revisions of what I've stated earlier. I'm not sure where I got their needing 30cm rear clearance from (old age memory probably!); currently they are 6.5cm away but and could probably do with a little more but there's no boom etc., and the bass line isn't quite what I remember either.They are really open sounding and detailed speakers, great soundstage, good tonal balance and - for me - just the right amount of bass extension. Unfortunately, having now heard them after all this time the Rega's just blow them away to my ears. The Rega's clarity and detail is just stunning, and although they don't really extend the bass they follow every single line. The Rega's excite me - sadly, the Focal's no longer do but both are exceptional for low level listeningProviso to add is that I only listen to CD, and in that respect at least I don't particularly rate the 603. Bought it on a whim after all the "hype" as I had the "urge" to downsize and glad that I did as I probably wouldn't have ended up with what I have now. After around 4-hours of listening I had to go back to my CD6003/PM6003 as it had robbed too much detail and warmth from the music.If you can I would really try to make the effort to get a listen of the Dyn 2/6 on your list. I was so close to buying those blind on an ex-dem deal but was too concerned about positionong amongst other things so I never went ahead . Anyway, good luck!

Hi Rob, and I finally dug the Focal's out.

What I am about to comment on is based on the set-up in my sig below and not paired with the 603. It would take me the best part of an hour of fiddling in a cabinet to set the 603 up and the same again to set it all back again, so basically I couldn't be bothered!

It's a very long time time since I've heard the Focal's so a couple of revisions of what I've stated earlier. I'm not sure where I got their needing 30cm rear clearance from (old age memory probably!); currently they are 6.5cm away but and could probably do with a little more but there's no boom etc., and the bass line isn't quite what I remember either.

They are really open sounding and detailed speakers, great soundstage, good tonal balance and - for me - just the right amount of bass extension. Unfortunately, having now heard them after all this time the Rega's just blow them away to my ears. The Rega's clarity and detail is just stunning, and although they don't really extend the bass they follow every single line. The Rega's excite me - sadly, the Focal's no longer do but both are exceptional for low level listening.

Proviso to add is that I only listen to CD, and in that respect at least I don't particularly rate the 603. Bought it on a whim after all the "hype" as I had the "urge" to downsize and glad that I did as I probably wouldn't have ended up with what I have now. After around 4-hours of listening I had to go back to my CD6003/PM6003 as it had robbed too much detail and warmth from the music.

If you can I would really try to make the effort to get a listen of the Dyn 2/6 on your list. I was so close to buying those blind on an ex-dem deal but was too concerned about positionong amongst other things so I never went ahead . Anyway, good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers to all of your for the input, especially Big Thanks to Sizzers.

I made my mind and ordered Focals cos I think these would suit best my taste in music and I like the looks over the others.

They should be delivered tomorrow and once received I post my comments.

Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Just got my shiney new Focals :bounce:

Of course they need run in time but ever straight out of the box the sound improved big time comparing to my old BR2.

Bass is much tighter and soundstage impressive.

The size is just about right and they look the part in glossy piano black!

More to come...

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Just little update cos speakers still ain't run in.

The size of 706 is only little bit larger than MA BR2, good build quality overall although some slight white glue seams on one speaker. Unfortunately couldn't return as these were the last ones in piano black. Black Sharpie marked did the trick.

They are on atacama stands which are positioned right to the wall leaving about 4 inches clearance between the wall and speakers. The sound is just right, open and not boomy at all.The bass is controlled, well defined and dynamic.I am very happy with the purchase and speakers blend in and compliment my decor.No regrets.