New all in one.

Callum J

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Nov 18, 2013
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Hi all.

For the past while, i've been using the Marantz MCR 610.

An excellent system for the money; but lately i've been toying with the upgrade bug.

Would it be a really worthwhile upwards move, for sound quality, to invest in a Naim all in one, such as the Unitilite?

I have a small room (4mx 4m) with Dali Zensor 1s mounted on wall brackets due to space constraits.

My main music listening is classic rock, on DAB, FM, Internet stations, CD, and even good old cassette tapes.

Any help is much appreciated.

Callum.
 

mond

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Hi Callum,

Depending on budget, maybe listen to a Linn Sneaky or Majik streamer and amp combo. The majik DSM has a built in amp that you could connect any legacy components to, such as a tuner, although you would have built in internet radio so probably wouldn't need a tuner. These will not play cd of course, but I'd much rather rip my discs to flac and play via a computer or other control point . (which is what I have been doing for years now)
 

Nelis87

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With all respect to the Dali Zensor 1, if you plan on keeping them there is no real reason to upgrade the Marantz. It will drive them perfectly and its functionality is top notch.
 
To my mind..it's only really worth upgrading the electronics if the speakers are going to be upgraded also....A good amp/streaming section can only take the dali's so far...and since you are very much limited with the speakers wall mounted.....you have to ask yourself what you can realistically achieve with these constraints......naim uniti atom /or qute 2 or superuniti if you crave the extra control and power of it's amp section with some pmc db1i's is what would spring to my mind for such a system...and I think you might need to ditch those cassettes.they are truly offal things that should be thrown back to whenever/wherever they came from.lol.
 

nick8858

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You can wall mount these and they would be an upgrade from the Dali but then you will probably bust the budget big time. You can sometimes get them as "slight cosmetic seconds". Mine were and I can't find a mark anywhere. Mine are on a bookshelf faily close to the wall. Work perfectly. Anyway I digress as you were talking about an all in one box.
 

Callum J

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Hi all.

Thanks for all the comments.

Hey! the cassettes are'nt all that bad. I keep them mainly for sentimental reasons....me and them go back years :) Actually, the the best of them don't sound bad at all through a Yamaha KX-390 cassette deck and the Marantz. I'm quite happy with them.

But, but back to the original question....would a Naim UNitilite (for one) be a worthwhile upgrade in a small room? With the Dalis? or upgrading to the likes of the Neat Iotas?
 

davedotco

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Given that you want a decent upgrade on your Marantz unit but have restricted space for speakers, how about this...

Upgrade to the new ND8006 streamer which includes a CD player and use the variable output to drive a pair of Acoustic Energy AE1 actives.

Very simple, one box plus speakers setup, about £2k all up. Not cheap but it does a lot, has plenty of up to date technology and the advantage of fully active speakers.

The Marantz unit is really only just released so this is very much a 'try before you buy' but looks very good on paper. The AE1 actives seem to have a good reputation among those who have had hands on, best on stands though they may work on brackets, they are small enough and have bass shelving controls.
 

drummerman

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davedotco said:
Given that you want a decent upgrade on your Marantz unit but have restricted space for speakers, how about this...

Upgrade to the new ND8006 streamer which includes a CD player and use the variable output to drive a pair of Acoustic Energy AE1 actives.

Very simple, one box plus speakers setup, about £2k all up. Not cheap but it does a lot, has plenty of up to date technology and the advantage of fully active speakers.

The Marantz unit is really only just released so this is very much a 'try before you buy' but looks very good on paper. The AE1 actives seem to have a good reputation among those who have had hands on, best on stands though they may work on brackets, they are small enough and have bass shelving controls.

Like that.
 

davedotco

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JamesMellor said:
I bought a 611 over Christmas the preout on that is fixed or variable, maybe check if the 610 is aswell ?

The MCR 611 has proper variable pre outs, the older MCR 610 has fixed line level outputs to feed a second 'Zone'. Or what we used to call a tape output.

A pair of good budget actives such as the Yamaha HS7 (about £300) connected to the pre-outs will give the unit a hell of a lift.
 

rainsoothe

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I'm with the others that say that without upgrading the speakers, it's rather not worth upgrading the all-in-one.

And you should try to audition for yourself, of course. That being said, I'm a Naim fanboi, so you'll get a recommendation from me. Either Unitilite or UQ2 + Nap100 if you wanna store all your CD-s on a network or use a separate player into the Unitiqute Dac would be great upgrades over the Marantz, into something like Neat Iotas or Guru speakers. The other options are worth considering too, but so far I haven't found anything that can beat the way music flows with Naim stuff. For MY ears!!!

If you want a Unitilite, you should try getting one with a warranty, as some early units had issues with the CD mechanism (I'm not sure what, exactly, and they were few, but still, if you don't have access to a Naim dealer, it might be a pita to repair if you don't). For used, you can find great deals on a UQ2 and Nap100 (which is not mandatory, but it does make a difference) and these are a pretty safe bet.
 

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