Marantz PM6005 with KEF LS50's

[AndyCC72]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and need some advice from people far more knowledgeable than me.

My current system is:

Marantz 6005 amp
Bluesound Node 21i streamer
Yamaha CDS-300 CD Player
Tannoy Mercury V4 floor standers

I ordered a pair of KEF LS50's today to replace the Tannoy's

After reading loads of comments about the speakers needing a powerful Amp i'm wondering now if the Marantz PM6005 is up to the job?

I love the amp and it drives the Tannoy's superbly but would be interested to hear your thoughts about it matched with the Kef's.

it's probably worth stating that whilst I appreciate good sound I don't have an audiophile's ear and suspect I'm more easily pleased than a lot of you guys/girls on here

 

[gasolin]

The speakers need more power to sound best, 2x45 is not enough.

 

[Gray]

....I don't have an audiophile's ear and suspect I'm more easily pleased than a lot of you guys/girls on here

Be grateful you don't have an audiophile's ear Andy, some of them are never pleased.
You will soon be in a position to judge whether your 6005 is up to the job.
According to the specs I've seen, the Kefs are 6dB less sensitive than your Tannoys. That's a lot. You might find your volume control needs to be quite a bit higher.
If you decide you need more power, there are plenty here willing to spend your money for you

 

[Surly Sid]

Return the LS50s! They are way too fussy about the amp used, and aren't worth it.

 

[manicm]

Return the LS50s! They are way too fussy about the amp used, and aren't worth it.

Good ‘ol Surly, still at it eh. But yes the LS50 is probably a bit too demanding for that amp.

 

[plastic penguin]

Biggest problem the OP has IMHO is going from floorstanders to small standmounts. There's no question the Marantz will drive the LS50s, albeit he won't get the best out of the Kefs.
When I had the RS6s I wanted to go to mini monitors (PMC DB1is) and they were great but couldn't get my head around the lack of bass, hence why I went to TB2i - a mid-sized speaker that was a happy compromise.
I would suggest the Kef R3 would fill that gap to certain degree.

 

[Deleted member 116933]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and need some advice from people far more knowledgeable than me.

My current system is:

Marantz 6005 amp
Bluesound Node 21i streamer
Yamaha CDS-300 CD Player
Tannoy Mercury V4 floor standers

I ordered a pair of KEF LS50's today to replace the Tannoy's

After reading loads of comments about the speakers needing a powerful Amp i'm wondering now if the Marantz PM6005 is up to the job?

I love the amp and it drives the Tannoy's superbly but would be interested to hear your thoughts about it matched with the Kef's.

it's probably worth stating that whilst I appreciate good sound I don't have an audiophile's ear and suspect I'm more easily pleased than a lot of you guys/girls on here

Firstly Welocme!

Well they will make sound and probably sound better then what you have but at higher volumes, they will
start to lose control, they're not very amp friendly ar the kef ls50's, I've read that the newer Metas are little friendly though.

In all honesty, if you have no plans to replace the amp i think you would be better off saving your money and returning them.

BUT if still want some new speakers I think with that amp and I generally don't like spending more on speakers then amp, but the Wharfedale lintons might be a good shout! and with better amps in the future, they'll only get better. End game speaker for many! The bad they can go as low as 3.5ohms, so really you'd need to go and listen to make sure the amp can handle them, the upshot is their sensitivity is nice and hight so you have more than enough watts to rock out with them.

More price comparable speaker I think for your amp would be a nice pair Dali Speaktors. They should pair nicely with the amp.

But as i said I'm sure you'll love the ls50's if you decide to keep them just be aware they could be a lot better. They wouldn't be out of place with 2-3k of amp on them. So plenty of scope for further upgrades

Hope that helps a little

 

[AndyCC72]

Firstly Welocme!

Well they will make sound and probably sound better then what you have but at higher volumes, they will
start to lose control, they're not very amp friendly ar the kef ls50's, I've read that the newer Metas are little friendly though.

In all honesty, if you have no plans to replace the amp i think you would be better off saving your money and returning them.

BUT if still want some new speakers I think with that amp and I generally don't like spending more on speakers then amp, but the Wharfedale lintons might be a good shout! and with better amps in the future, they'll only get better. End game speaker for many! The bad they can go as low as 3.5ohms, so really you'd need to go and listen to make sure the amp can handle them, the upshot is their sensitivity is nice and hight so you have more than enough watts to rock out with them.

More price comparable speaker I think for your amp would be a nice pair Dali Speaktors. They should pair nicely with the amp.

But as i said I'm sure you'll love the ls50's if you decide to keep them just be aware they could be a lot better. They wouldn't be out of place with 2-3k of amp on them. So plenty of scope for further upgrades

Hope that helps a little

It does help thank you. I'm open to upgrading the AMP but budget wouldn't be much more than £800. Around that budget what would you recommend to drive the LS50's?

Also, as you appear to know what you're talking about, how much do you think i could get for my PM6005 if I were to sell it (without box and remote control)?

 

[AndyCC72]

Firstly Welocme!

Well they will make sound and probably sound better then what you have but at higher volumes, they will
start to lose control, they're not very amp friendly ar the kef ls50's, I've read that the newer Metas are little friendly though.

In all honesty, if you have no plans to replace the amp i think you would be better off saving your money and returning them.

BUT if still want some new speakers I think with that amp and I generally don't like spending more on speakers then amp, but the Wharfedale lintons might be a good shout! and with better amps in the future, they'll only get better. End game speaker for many! The bad they can go as low as 3.5ohms, so really you'd need to go and listen to make sure the amp can handle them, the upshot is their sensitivity is nice and hight so you have more than enough watts to rock out with them.

More price comparable speaker I think for your amp would be a nice pair Dali Speaktors. They should pair nicely with the amp.

But as i said I'm sure you'll love the ls50's if you decide to keep them just be aware they could be a lot better. They wouldn't be out of place with 2-3k of amp on them. So plenty of scope for further upgrades

Hope that helps a little

Apologies for the numerous questions. but would the Cambridge Audio CXA61 or the
Musical M2si be a good match with the LS50's.? They have decent reviews and are within my budget.

 

[plastic penguin]

It does help thank you. I'm open to upgrading the AMP but budget wouldn't be much more than £800. Around that budget what would you recommend to drive the LS50's?

Also, as you appear to know what you're talking about, how much do you think i could get for my PM6005 if I were to sell it (without box and remote control)?

Why did you plump for the LS50s? They are fantastic speakers but they need a really good, punchy amp to make the most of them. Having had these on home demo a few years ago, they really need an amp in the ballpark of my Leema: So Roksan Caspian, Creek Evo 100, Arcam A39 and so on and so forth.

There's a nice Marantz Pearl Lite for sale (clickety) and well within your budget. What that will give you is better quality to drive the LS50s over your current Marantz.

But my main concern is still going from floorstanders to small monitors. Why not look at better Tannoys, such as Precision standmounts or the later compact floorstanders.

Great hi-fi isn't about the best 5 star reviews lumped together but what matches best with your current kit. Synergy is everything when it comes to a great sound, regardless of budget.

 

[AndyCC72]

Why did you plump for the LS50s? They are fantastic speakers but they need a really good, punchy amp to make the most of them. Having had these on home demo a few years ago, they really need an amp in the ballpark of my Leema: So Roksan Caspian, Creek Evo 100, Arcam A39 and so on and so forth.

There's a nice Marantz Pearl Lite for sale (clickety) and well within your budget. What that will give you is better quality to drive the LS50s over your current Marantz.

But my main concern is still going from floorstanders to small monitors. Why not look at better Tannoys, such as Precision standmounts or the later compact floorstanders.

Great hi-fi isn't about the best 5 star reviews lumped together but what matches best with your current kit. Synergy is everything when it comes to a great sound, regardless of budget.

I heard them at friend of a friends house in a room size similar to mine (20ft by 14ft-ish) a few years back and was blown away by them. and I'd be lying if I wasn't also somewhat swayed by the reviews and the current price.

I'm seriously starting to have second thoughts now ..they seem to polarise opinion. Some people utterly adore them and others loather them.

I have enjoyed the Tannoy's but they don't perform that well on lower volumes. .. plus I've saved to upgrade my system so have a money burning a hole in my pocket

I've got 4 weeks to return them to Sevenoaks so I'll try them for a few weeks and if I don't like them I'll send them back.

 

[plastic penguin]

I heard them at friend of a friends house in a room size similar to mine (20ft by 14ft-ish) a few years back and was blown away by them. and I'd be lying if I wasn't also somewhat swayed by the reviews and the current price.

I'm seriously starting to have second thoughts now ..they seem to polarise opinion. Some people utterly adore them and others loather them.

I have enjoyed the Tannoy's but they don't perform that well on lower volumes. .. plus I've saved to upgrade my system so have a money burning a hole in my pocket

I've got 4 weeks to return them to Sevenoaks so I'll try them for a few weeks and if I don't like them I'll send them back.

Okay, you've heard the LS50s at a friends house and loved them. Totally understandable. Have you ask yourself could you live with them on a day to day basis? Some speakers give you, what I call, an instant impact where it's impressive from the first guitar or piano note. Quite often those types of speakers are not good for long listening sessions or ownership over months or years.

Generally speaking the best speakers at lower volumes are ones that are efficient: 8 ohms with minimum 86-87 dbs. Below those ohms and dbs they tend not to be good at idling levels. Of course, there are a few exceptions that buck that theory.

Given you have a months trial it's win, win... if I'm wrong "my old man's a mushroom..."

 

[matthewpiano]

I own LS50 Metas, Wharfedale Linton 85s and B&W 606s. Amp-wise I have a Musical Fidelity M2si and a NAD C368.

The LS50 Metas are capable of great things but they aren't what I would call a complete speaker, and they are very demanding of amplification. They sound best with the M2si, with a highly detailed and rhythmic sound, albeit lacking some body in the mid-range and some depth at the bottom end. I like a lot about them, but I'm currently happier with the Linton 85s. Now the Lintons have run-in they sound wonderful across the board and pair very well with either amp. Given a direct choice between the two speakers I'd now choose the Wharfedales without question.

I had a Marantz PM6007 (the latest iteration of your 6005) for a while. It's a great budget amp but it wasn't up to getting the best out of the Wharfedales or the LS50 Metas, and sounded better by far with the B&W 606s.

 

[AndyCC72]

I own LS50 Metas, Wharfedale Linton 85s and B&W 606s. Amp-wise I have a Musical Fidelity M2si and a NAD C368.

The LS50 Metas are capable of great things but they aren't what I would call a complete speaker, and they are very demanding of amplification. They sound best with the M2si, with a highly detailed and rhythmic sound, albeit lacking some body in the mid-range and some depth at the bottom end. I like a lot about them, but I'm currently happier with the Linton 85s. Now the Lintons have run-in they sound wonderful across the board and pair very well with either amp. Given a direct choice between the two speakers I'd now choose the Wharfedales without question.

I had a Marantz PM6007 (the latest iteration of your 6005) for a while. It's a great budget amp but it wasn't up to getting the best out of the Wharfedales or the LS50 Metas, and sounded better by far with the B&W 606s.

Thank for taking the time to respond.

There's been a change of Amp since my last post (about two hours ago). I called an old friend who's opinion I value on this sort of thing and he suggested that the Cyrus One would drive these well. I also spoke to the Richer Sounds team at London Bridge who I bought the Bluesound Node 2i from and they also felt it would be a good match So like the impetuous fool I am literally just bought one. It should be arriving tomorrow.

I am now going to stop my neurotic googling and reading of forums on the subject of which amps pair well with the LS50 's and get it all set up when they arrive (hopefully tomorrow along with the Amp).

The Linton 85's look superb and everything I have read about them is promising but they're double the price of the LS50's that I bought and my budget won't stretch to that.

The new set up is now:

Cyrus One Integrated AMP
Bluesound Node 21
Kef LS50 bookshelf speakers
Yamaha CDS-300 CD Player

I hugely excited to get it all up and running.

I may add a sub woofer at a later date but for now my budget is spent .....

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I may add a sub woofer at a later date

I hope you do because in our experience a subwoofer is the most important component

 

[AndyCC72]

I hope you do because in our experience a subwoofer is the most important component

That's next.....

I'll start saving

 

[MUSICRAFT]

The speakers need more power to sound best, 2x45 is not enough.

It can be enough as long as its got a good dose of current to back it up. Best to have current rich power rather then current starved marketing and brochure impressive but ultimately weedy 'paper' watts.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

That's next.....

I'll start saving

Nice one

An effectively aligned, calibrated and dialled in subwoofer is likely to make the most profound difference to the overall performance of your system

 

[Deleted member 116933]

It does help thank you. I'm open to upgrading the AMP but budget wouldn't be much more than £800. Around that budget what would you recommend to drive the LS50's?

Also, as you appear to know what you're talking about, how much do you think i could get for my PM6005 if I were to sell it (without box and remote control)?

Apologies for the numerous questions. but would the Cambridge Audio CXA61 or the
Musical M2si be a good match with the LS50's.? They have decent reviews and are within my budget.

Sorry for the slow reply. But yes your on the track. Lots of bang for the buck there.
and some of the others suggestions above are just as good.

for 800 quid I’d also look second hand. I’ve found that rotel work well with kef. Maybe one of the higher end Yamaha’s.

as for subwoofers I would and see if it really needed might be to much of a good thing. Bk or rel is were I’d start in my experience very ummm “musical”(nice and fast and will keep up with the kefs)

 

[AndyCC72]

Sorry for the slow reply. But yes your on the track. Lots of bang for the buck there.
and some of the others suggestions above are just as good.

for 800 quid I’d also look second hand. I’ve found that rotel work well with kef. Maybe one of the higher end Yamaha’s.

as for subwoofers I would and see if it really needed might be to much of a good thing. Bk or rel is were I’d start in my experience very ummm “musical”(nice and fast and will keep up with the kefs)

I've since bought a Cyrus One on the recommendation of an old pal who's opinions and systems I've always respected. No turning back now

I am now going to stop my neurotic googling and reading of forums on the subject of which amps pair well with the LS50 's and get it all set up when they arrive (hopefully tomorrow along with the Amp).

The new set up is now:

Cyrus One Integrated AMP
Bluesound Node 21
Kef LS50 bookshelf speakers
Yamaha CDS-300 CD Player

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll let you know how I get on with the new set up. Cheers !!!

 

[Deleted member 116933]

I've since bought a Cyrus One on the recommendation of an old pal who's opinions and systems I've always respected. No turning back now

I am now going to stop my neurotic googling and reading of forums on the subject of which amps pair well with the LS50 's and get it all set up when they arrive (hopefully tomorrow along with the Amp).

The new set up is now:

Cyrus One Integrated AMP
Bluesound Node 21
Kef LS50 bookshelf speakers
Yamaha CDS-300 CD Player

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll let you know how I get on with the new set up. Cheers !!!

have fun! sound like a nice system

 

[plastic penguin]

No idea what the Cyrus One sounds like. If it's anything like their celebrated amps, not sure it'll be right tonally.

 

[gregvet]

I used to have a Cyrus pre power combo with the original LS50 and to my ears the combo worked really well. Hopefully you enjoy the system you have bought blind (or should that be deaf lol), look forward to hearing your thoughts once it’s all set up 😀

 

[AndyCC72]

I used to have a Cyrus pre power combo with the original LS50 and to my ears the combo worked really well. Hopefully you enjoy the system you have bought blind (or should that be deaf lol), look forward to hearing your thoughts once it’s all set up 😀

That's what I like to hear. I've read on a few forums where people say they match well. They're arriving Monday, I'll let you know.

Cheers
A

 

[AndyCC72]

The LS50's arrived today and I've been blown away and mildly concerned in equal measure.

I've heard things I've never heard when playing, Pop, Rock, some Reggae and some slower Soul, but for House music, which accounts for 50% of my listening I'm not totally convinced. The detail is superb (compared to my Tannoy Mercury V4's) and I can definitely see what all the fuss is about.

I've never heard Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine and Joan Armatradng's, Love and Affection sound so good, nearly moved my soppy middle aged ass to tears......superb.

I'm running them on the Marantz PM6005 until Monday when my new Cyrus One amp is arriving. Be interested to hear the difference.

Overall very pleased and think once I get the new amp in, mess about with placement and they've run in I'll be even happier. Thus far I'm optimistic

Also just put in the new AKG KZ12 headphones after the Mrs insisted i turn the music off....they're the first pair of HiFi head phones i've owned and they're excellent, well pleased with them too. A good day all in all.