MajorFubar said:Biggest bang for buck is always speakers. Not that all amps sound alike: anyone who thinks they do has clearly just been privileged enough to have only heard good ones. But I doubt you'd notice earth-shattering difference between the 5004 and 6004, to be honest.
knaithrover said:MajorFubar said:Biggest bang for buck is always speakers. Not that all amps sound alike: anyone who thinks they do has clearly just been privileged enough to have only heard good ones. But I doubt you'd notice earth-shattering difference between the 5004 and 6004, to be honest.
hmmm food for thought - i was under the impression that a better amp would bring out the best in my speakers
BigH said:knaithrover said:MajorFubar said:Biggest bang for buck is always speakers. Not that all amps sound alike: anyone who thinks they do has clearly just been privileged enough to have only heard good ones. But I doubt you'd notice earth-shattering difference between the 5004 and 6004, to be honest.
hmmm food for thought - i was under the impression that a better amp would bring out the best in my speakers
Yes but there is hardly any difference between those amps, for an improvement I think you need to be looking at something like a Creek 50A, RK K2 and Arcam A19.
knaithrover said:BigH said:knaithrover said:MajorFubar said:Biggest bang for buck is always speakers. Not that all amps sound alike: anyone who thinks they do has clearly just been privileged enough to have only heard good ones. But I doubt you'd notice earth-shattering difference between the 5004 and 6004, to be honest.
hmmm food for thought - i was under the impression that a better amp would bring out the best in my speakers
Yes but there is hardly any difference between those amps, for an improvement I think you need to be looking at something like a Creek 50A, RK K2 and Arcam A19.
Good point but then i suppose i would have to upgrade my speakers to do the amp justice wouldnt i?
the record spot said:The stock PM7001 (i.e. the non-KI version) enjoyed a good write up when it came out. I think John Duncan on here had one for a while. From memory it's around 70w? If you can get that for a good price then it's worth considering. If you were looking to change speakers (I've no experience of the S70), then another Cambridge pairing in the new Aero 2 at £350 might tick the boxes. New-ish technology, but this month's review in Hifi World was very positive.
Other considerations are how big a room space you have, how loud do you want to go, do you want to consider adding digital services or sources in time.... Just some stuff to mull over. May or may not be relevant.
kefrdm2 said:I suppose it depends on how much it costs you to upgrade it - think if it was £50-£100 it might be worth it as the PM6004 is a much better amp in my opinion. Possibly worth looking at a PM7200 original or KI on ebay though as that was a cracking amp and better than the PM7001 from what I can remember. Suspect they still might be quite expensive though as I had a PM7200ki about 5 years ago and sold it for a really good price on ebay when I upgraded.
the record spot said:£150 for the 7001 seems like a fair price especially if the condition is good or better. I think it went for around £350 when it came out. I saw the Cambridge speakers in Glasgow recently and thought they looked like they could be a good option. I'm not looking for a new speaker just now (albeit they're too big for my current space anyway) but they have a real wood finish I think and the BMR technology is fairly recent (last twenty years or so according to the HFW review). Seeing as Marantz amps are often slightly leaner in the sound, I think this might make a decent partnership with the bassier Aero 2.
And for £500 all in, that's a pretty decent return. Assuming you wanted to go down that route of course!
DougK said:I would defintely say that the difference between the 5004 and the 6004 will not be significant in any way at all.
Speaking as someone who asked advice on here quite recently regarding a Marantz upgrade, (PM/CD6004 to PM/SA KI Pearl Lite), and then went on to buy with my heart instead of my head, (and against the advice given to me here); I bought the Pearl Lite CD/Amp package. I was very disappointed at the difference between the PM/CD6004 and their Pearl Lite stablemates; it was bordering on very insignificant indeed.
I am still running-in the Pearl Lites, (if a run-in period actually exists and is not just a familiarisation effect). However, I am starting to notice a subtle difference as time goes by; this pairing does seem to control my RX2's better and I am hearing details in music which I did not hear with the PM6004.
So go with the better amp, not the PM6004. I should have possibly gone with the Creek amp.......only time will tell in my case.
DougK said:You know if you lived close-by I would gladly lend you my PM6004 for a few weeks. The 6004 is a cracking amp for the money, it's full of spit, swagger and clarity; it astounded me when I first got it, (my first purchase in over 20 years), but I guess to all intents and purposes it will not be too disimilar to the 5004 in performance.
I know the predicament that you find yourself in, which way to turn for the best?
For me personally the next logical upgrade was towards the Pearl Lites and as each day goes by with regular use they are becoming a much more acceptable upgrade. The only comparison I can utilise here is with headphones: I started with some Grado SR80i's and was enthralled with their detail, however, I then purchased some Senn HD598's and was blown away by their sound, but more recently I took the plunge on some Senn HD650's and now there is no turning back. They aren't as much "fun" as the HD598's but wow are they sublime headphones. In a nustshell the 598/650 comparison is the difference between the 6004 and the Pearl Lites.
I've made many mistakes over the last 18 months or so purchasing equipment semi-blind by using the online reviews like WHF etc, but never actually auditioning anything before purchase. I sold my original BX2's to my sister and these speakers totally rejuvenated her 1980's Aiwa system; I then went on to purchase BX5's, (wonderful speaker), and then finally onto the RX2's, (sound great with the Pearl Lites).
Sorry to waffle-on.
DougK said:Unfortunately I'm a southerner - live in Essex; sorry on both counts,(for living so far away and for living in Essex )
I've got a brilliant retailer near me, Sevenoaks SAV, great guys but they've never got what I want to audition in stock, so I've always been forced to purchase blind from the cheapest online retailer. I said I'd made mistakes but I think that is a little harsh as really I've been reasonably lucky as everything that I've purchased I've been happy with; it's just that I caught the upgradeitis bug over the last year and it's a B to shake-off. But with my most recent purchases I'm sure I've cured it for good!
Go with the Dali's, I'm sure there will be difference in performance, and hopefully it will be very positive I know when I connected the BX2's to my sisters old system I was astounded by the difference they made, (I actually gave her that system back in the 80's, kinda wished I hadn't when I heard it through the BX2's ). I also loved the BX5's and the current RX2's, I know they're not the same make as you are considering but I'm sure you know where I'm coming from.
Please report back with your conclusions on the Dali's.