Marantz PM6006 or Yamaha RN602?

[mattbye]

Hi, first time post and a relative newbie to hi-fi equipment. Wondering what thoughts people have / recommendations for amps please.

I want to setup a hi-fi system for my average sized living room and i'm torn on which amp to get. I've bought a pair of Castle Acoustic Avon speakers from a friend which is the 1st part done. I don't have many CDs at present and no source equipment to date.

I've been looking at the Yamaha RN602 Network Reciever Amp (£340) as it seems to be a great option to include all my streaming needs (internet radio, spotify, and NAS connections). i can use it out of the box whilst i decide what other equipment i'll need. It has decent reviews and plenty of options for future expansion.

However, i've heard it's best to get a seperate amp and i'm able to pick up an open box new Marantz PM6006 for just over £300. Whilst i've read a few good reviews on this amp there are a few comments saying it's lacking in a few areas. Plus i'd have to buy a seperate network tuner and can't seem to find a good option other than the Yamaha CDN301 which also has a CD but not as fully loaded with features.

My gut tells me go with the RN602 but i'm nervous about not having a dedicated amp... such as the Marantz. i'd like to keep budget to £600-650 ish for Amp, Network Streamer and CD player if it's at all possible.

Any thoughts welcome or alternative options? what would you do?

Thanks in advance, Matt

 

[Al ears]

Hi, first time post and a relative newbie to hi-fi equipment. Wondering what thoughts people have / recommendations for amps please.

I want to setup a hi-fi system for my average sized living room and i'm torn on which amp to get. I've bought a pair of Castle Acoustic Avon speakers from a friend which is the 1st part done. I don't have many CDs at present and no source equipment to date.

I've been looking at the Yamaha RN602 Network Reciever Amp (£340) as it seems to be a great option to include all my streaming needs (internet radio, spotify, and NAS connections). i can use it out of the box whilst i decide what other equipment i'll need. It has decent reviews and plenty of options for future expansion.

However, i've heard it's best to get a seperate amp and i'm able to pick up an open box new Marantz PM6006 for just over £300. Whilst i've read a few good reviews on this amp there are a few comments saying it's lacking in a few areas. Plus i'd have to buy a seperate network tuner and can't seem to find a good option other than the Yamaha CDN301 which also has a CD but not as fully loaded with features.

My gut tells me go with the RN602 but i'm nervous about not having a dedicated amp... such as the Marantz. i'd like to keep budget to £600-650 ish for Amp, Network Streamer and CD player if it's at all possible.

Any thoughts welcome or alternative options? what would you do?

Thanks in advance, Matt

Welcome to the forum.

I am not familiar with the Yamaha but think you have answered your own question. If the Yamaha has all the features you need then go and audition it. You are not likely to find many decent seperates that will fall into your current budget as, if you require CD as well you would be looking, generally, at three boxes rather than two if you bought the Yamaha. Assuming then £200 per box you would not get the same quality as Yamaha plus decent CD player.

 

[muljao]

If it were me I'd veer towards the Yamaha. No point in buying an amp and having no sources. The Yamaha allows you play music straight away with your speakers. Add a modestly priced CD DVD or bluray with a digital out and your sorted as the Yamaha seems to have its own built in dac

 

[rainsoothe]

Hi. Before I make any recommendations, I must advise you to go and audition some amps for yourself. If you find a nice dealer, you can even audition in your home, which is the best thing you can do. Auditioning for yourself, at least with your own speakers, will beat any recommendation. Your ears are king.

If you want to buy all the separates at once, you could do a lot worse then Marantz PM6006 (I haven't heard it yet) or Marantz PM6005, and with the rest get an Onkyo C-N 7050. The Onkyo is a CD player with streaming capabilities which has a digital out, which means you can use the DAC in the Marantz.

But, if it were me, I'd look for a better amp, and use a stop-gap source until I can budget for a new one. For instance, Arcam A19 has recently seen a nice price drop, and it sounds great. If you are ok with not having a remote and are able to stretch your budget, Croft Phono Integrated. Add to that an Audioquest Dragonfly or even a Behringer UCA202 dac and use it straight out of a laptop into the amp.

Or, you could get a used Naim Unitiqute (1 or 2) and be done with everything (except a CD player, but you can use any cheap Sony Blu-ray player with digital out into the Qute's DAC). This is also a budget stretch, but it's a clean, one-box sollution, that will outsound a LOT of stuff.

For the record, I find Yamaha amps VERY wimpy (at least their entry level ones). They do have a very spacious soundstage, but the sound is very, very laid back (there's zero punch to them), and the bass is smeared as *insert metaphor or curseword*. This doesn't mean YOU won't love it, so if you can audition, do it.

And if people tell you that all amplifiers sound the same if they have the same power rating, go audition for yourself anyway, and let your ears decide. Take your time and enjoy