Hello all, just purchased a marantz pm8006 amp, and am wondering what to buy next, I have been advised to get a streamer and DAC. Would the marantz ND8006 be suitable or should I get all separate items? I probably would prefer to buy marantz items, as they can all look roughly the same shape. Am very interested in hearing your advice
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Do you stream hi-res music or download hi-res tracks? We want your opinions!
Newbie saying Hello
- Thread starter watkins58
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The amp is purely analogue so you have to add sources.
I don't think you can go wrong with adding the ND8006, an incredibly versatile piece of kit. I like the fact that it has a CD player included.
It will sound great and it looks great with the PM8006.
I don't think you can go wrong with adding the ND8006, an incredibly versatile piece of kit. I like the fact that it has a CD player included.
It will sound great and it looks great with the PM8006.
Florestander
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It rather depends on your budget in my opinion. But do listen to lots of speakers if you can to see what sounds good to you.
I am also a relative newbie, but Marantz seems to be good place to start - and indeed finish, if that is what suits you, your ears and your budget, Denon are also good and there have been some other longstanding products around that are not too expensive from Arcam, Cambridge, Rega, etc, etc. No doubt you have already discovered a lot of these from doing some reading (as I did), and this can lead to confusion - as it did with me! 🙂
Above all, I consider that the best advice I can give is set yourself a budget and stick closely to it, using the principle of buying the best that your budget allows. Constant tweaking, as it appears some hobbyists are drawn to, is the quickest way to burn good, hard earned cash. This is after all an expensive hobby and some higher end equipment changes hands for eye -watering sums.
For the same reason, take your time. some equipment, for apparently strange reasons, take time to 'burn in' (to use a technical term that I do not fully understand and therefore really should not really do, but I am sure you get the gist). But again my limited experience has already taught me that components sometimes sound better after a period of use, rather than straight out of the box - and this can obviously have an impact when listening to units which have stood in dealers premises without power for some time.
Nevertheless, for me at least, part of the joy of the hobby is the journey, which involves seeking the opinions of others. Hopefully, you will arrive at a 'musical nirvana', relatively unscathed - but of course, this cannot be promised!
I am also a relative newbie, but Marantz seems to be good place to start - and indeed finish, if that is what suits you, your ears and your budget, Denon are also good and there have been some other longstanding products around that are not too expensive from Arcam, Cambridge, Rega, etc, etc. No doubt you have already discovered a lot of these from doing some reading (as I did), and this can lead to confusion - as it did with me! 🙂
Above all, I consider that the best advice I can give is set yourself a budget and stick closely to it, using the principle of buying the best that your budget allows. Constant tweaking, as it appears some hobbyists are drawn to, is the quickest way to burn good, hard earned cash. This is after all an expensive hobby and some higher end equipment changes hands for eye -watering sums.
For the same reason, take your time. some equipment, for apparently strange reasons, take time to 'burn in' (to use a technical term that I do not fully understand and therefore really should not really do, but I am sure you get the gist). But again my limited experience has already taught me that components sometimes sound better after a period of use, rather than straight out of the box - and this can obviously have an impact when listening to units which have stood in dealers premises without power for some time.
Nevertheless, for me at least, part of the joy of the hobby is the journey, which involves seeking the opinions of others. Hopefully, you will arrive at a 'musical nirvana', relatively unscathed - but of course, this cannot be promised!
Hi
Can i ask why have you been advised to get a Streamer and DAC Do you need one? or has someone said that's what you "need". Is that how you digest your media?
Having said that -
There are plenty on the market, personally, even though aesthetics are important, function, in this case, is what I'd be looking at first, and Blusound is where id start that journey. When it comes to off the shelf streamers, they're one of the biggest hitters, the ecosystem is second to none with great software that is supported for a very long time.
If you go the DAC route (personally what id do), pick your poison really as long as it has enough inputs and you don't need anything specific like MQA. There are plenty of great-sounding options starting from 100 quid. Schitt springs to mind at that price point. If you're feeling flush a Chord Qutest will be the last DAC you'd need for a very long time.
If you go this route, for the streamer if you want to buy a new dedicated machine it doesn't get much better than a mac mini or intel nuc. These would be absolutely fantastic as streamers and more functional, with mac's especially having great resale value after the fact. Can be used headless as well (no screen) though has an HDMI so could be used as a great little media centre.
But as you're here I'm guessing you already have a smart/computing device of some sort and they just so happen to be amazing streamers, who knew! USB straight into the DAC, job done.
As mentioned above you don't need to go mad a Schitt DAC would do the trick very nicely, 100 quid.
In all good concision, i couldn't and wouldn't recommend spending any more than 500quid on a streamer after that there are better things at this price point like the mac mini until you get up t the 2K mark that's where things really start to change.
Hope that ramble makes sense and helps a little.
GSV Ethics Gradient
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I think kit warms up, rather than burns-in. Other than speakers, where we're talking about moving parts which will tend to loosen up. Based upon my personal experience, anyway.
plastic penguin
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Who's advised you to buy a streamer and a Dac? Is streaming your main source?
Most streamers have a built-in Digital to Analogue Converter (Dac)
I was having a conversation with a colleague, and i said that I had purchased pm8006 and he then stated "you need a proper streamer and a DAC" but as I'm new to all this I took his word. I am glad that I've asked the question on the forum. I do have quite a number of CD's and the wife still has her favourite vinyls. I do tend to listen to music through Spotify, but am willing to listen if there are other options to listen to music.
Beware when people use words like "proper". It usually means that they're quite happy to suggest that you spend a lot of money on equipment you may not need. 🙂
Obviously the ND8006 network CD player is a very nice box of tricks as it is a CD player, a streamer and a DAC in one box. Proper kit.
Obviously the ND8006 network CD player is a very nice box of tricks as it is a CD player, a streamer and a DAC in one box. Proper kit.
plastic penguin
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plastic penguin
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I would suggest, unless you can connect the phone to the amp via USB or some other connection then the ND 8006 is the ideal solution. It has a built-in Dac so no need for a separate Dac.
However, as you have vinyl you'll probably need a Dac to play your favourite records. That said, there are posters with better knowledge than me on the digital side.
My system is purely analogue: CDs, vinyl and FM tuner.
PM8006 = amp with phono stage, so that's your LP playback connection and amp sorted
ND8006 = steamer, DAC and CD player sorted
If you have the cash to stretch to the ND8006 then it's a no brainer IMO and will match perfectly with the PM8006.
Do you already have speakers sorted?
ND8006 = steamer, DAC and CD player sorted
If you have the cash to stretch to the ND8006 then it's a no brainer IMO and will match perfectly with the PM8006.
Do you already have speakers sorted?
plastic penguin
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Personally I would sell the PM 8006 and purchase the ND streamer then use the money towards a good outboard phono stage.
Err, unless I've missed something, the OP still needs the amp as the ND is only a CDP/streamer? The only other way to go with your suggestion would be adding active/powered speakers.
plastic penguin
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Oops! My bad. Thought it had a built-in amp.
There is this one that is a streaming device, amp and a MM phono stage.
There are even a couple of one box solutions: amp with phono stage, streaming and DAC. But since @watkins58 already has a very nice amp the ND8006 would be a perfect companion.
A one box solution from Marantz could have been the PM6007N but that's not in the same league as the PM8006 + ND8006.
A one box solution from Marantz could have been the PM6007N but that's not in the same league as the PM8006 + ND8006.
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