New amp and speakers

[admin_exported]

Hello again,

I've decided to go for one of these two amps with about £500 to spend:

1) Denon PMA-1500ae

or

2) Marantz PM7001KI

At the moment I am leaning towards the Denon. It seems to have more sound quality features and looks better too.

If anyone has any views or suggestions, feel free to shout them out.

As for the speakers, I saw the good review of the Mordaunt Short Mezzo 2's in WhatHifi magazine so am still looking at those. Alternatives were the B&W 685, though I'm open to more suggestions or feedback on what you think.

The source components I am using are a PC with audiophile soundcard and uncompressed WAV's.

So, what do you think of this setup and components? I'd very much appreciate your views and thank you in advance.

Thankyou.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I would go for the Marantz...but then again, I wouldn't go for the Mezzos...have you looked at the offerings from NAD?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd opt for the Marantz, very capable amplifier with a lovely sweet sound and wide soundstage. As for speakers, I don't know how much you're willing to spend, but both amplifiers are able to drive better speakers than the Mezzo's.

What kind of sound are you after, what kind of music do you listen to? How big is the room the set-up will be placed in? Try to answer these questions as best as you can, then everyone here will be much more able to recommend you a good pair of speakers.

And lastly, I'm not a fan of computer based audio, but I know some here are. Getting a dedicated cd-player may also be a wise decision.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your help,

I'd like to spend about £500 on amp and £500 on speakers.

I will look into getting a good Cd player later on down the line.

I mostly listen to electronic music and ambient music, and then soundtracks so like some good bass and also good midrange.

Music I listen to: BT, Chicane, Royksopp, Dido, Orbital, Sasha, Dousk, Olive, Way Out West, Orkidea, Ulrich Schnauss, etc.

Room size is approx 5metres by 6 metres but this is likely to change once I move out.

Why do people seem to dislike the Denon brand ? After all Denon and Marantz are the same company ?
I thought that the Marantz boasted a lot but didnt seem as strongly built as the Denon.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[the record spot]

If your budget is flexible, you could consider Exposure 2010s which has plenty of bang for your buck at £600 and likewise Roksan's Kandy LIII for around £650. This would leave you £350-400 for some speakers and Acoustic Energy's Neo Three's seem like a tasty proposition at £370-odd.

Not sure if you've considered it, but Rotel's RA-04 is apparently rather dextrous at the low end, so if you like you dance and electronica nimble underfoot, this might be a worthwhile consideration. At £250 it might be worth a quick listen. If the AE's and Rotel work well together, this might open some funds to towards a dedicated CD player in either the new or used market; plenty of either around near the £400 mark.

 

[shooter]

Hello,

Not sure of the Denon but i'm running the Marantz at the moment and it's a very nice amp with 70 (w) output. It's driving a pair of Epos M12.2 that can take upto 120(w) and they get driven well by the Marantz. It's used for cd, vinyl & compressed files.

Theres no distortion from the Marantz even when its got its foot down!

Definitely worth an audition.

Regards Shooter69

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Hughes123"]Well I would go for the Marantz...but then again, I wouldn't go for the Mezzos...have you looked at the offerings from NAD?[/quote]

Thanks for your advice.
What makes you not like the Mezzo's if you don't mind me asking ?
I'm looking to spend about £500 maximum on the speakers, hopefully more £450

It look's like a lot of you recommend the Marantz. I thought to me it was very similar in ability to the Denon.
I'll check out the Rotel and Roksan although I had heard it had to be connected to certain equipment to truly sound it's best.
I've read good reviews of the Denon, such as here:

http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/uan/600

I'll definately check out the Epos speakers too and look into the Marantz again. It's just I had high hopes for the Denon and thought it was good, but I take all your comments on board.

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats alot of money to spend.

Audition them at a store first IMO