Recommended Amplifier for Monitor Audio RX6

[dakchi]

Hi,

I have just bought MO RX6 speakers today and I was looking for an amplifier that can match them. I am looking for warm sound with good mediums without an agressive high pitch. I mainly listen to rock, pop and jazz music. My budget is limited to 350£

So far, I have identified the following amplifiers:

1) Denon PMA720 which has a warm sound but I'm wondering if it will have enough power to drive the speakers

2) Yamaha A-S500: I heard a lof of good things about this amplifier, but I have been told that it gives agressive high pitch

3) Cambridge 651: According to a lot of websites, it will be the best match for me, but it costs 350£ in UK while in Belgium where I live it costs 600£. I couldn't find a seller in UK who wants to ship it to Belgium

4) Others?

Many thanks for your help

 

[plastic penguin]

Welcome to the forum.

Did you buy these speakers without auditioning? If you did hear them first, what amp were they rigged to?

Next question is, what is your room acoustics like? What is your maximum budget? The last question is most important.

If you're after a warmish sound don't listen to budget Cambridge amps or Yam AS-500. Think they will be too much for MAs metal domed tweeter.

 

[dakchi]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

The first time I heard those speakers it was with Denon PMA720, Yamaha A-S300 and Audio crescendo. For some reasons, the latest was not enough powerful for the speakers. The Denon PMA720 was more near to what I am looking for but was lacking a lot of details and I'm not sure if it will be sufficient to drive the speakers. The Yamaha was more detailed but agressive in some Rock tracks, and was not giving the warmish sound I was looking for. I'm wondering if the A-S500 would be better in this area

My room is 35m² and that's the reason why I invested in floorstanding speakers.My maximum budget would be +/-350£. I know it's not a lot but if the Denon (190£) was OK with the RX6, I believe that with that budget I can have a good amplifier

I heard good things about the NAD 326 with the RX6. Do you confirm?

 

[dakchi]

Hi,

Any recommendation?

Thank you

 

[Andy Madden]

Hi dakchi.

Have you considered the Rotel RA-10 (http://www.whathifi.com/review/rotel-ra-10) It's a great amp, but just to warn you it doesn't come with a remote control. Some find this a little off-putting, but the Rotel's still a great amp. If you can stretch a little more then there's the NAD D 3020 (http://www.whathifi.com/review/nad-d-3020). This is our current favourite at this end of the market. I hope this helps?

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

The first time I heard those speakers it was with Denon PMA720, Yamaha A-S300 and Audio crescendo. For some reasons, the latest was not enough powerful for the speakers. The Denon PMA720 was more near to what I am looking for but was lacking a lot of details and I'm not sure if it will be sufficient to drive the speakers. The Yamaha was more detailed but agressive in some Rock tracks, and was not giving the warmish sound I was looking for. I'm wondering if the A-S500 would be better in this area

My room is 35m² and that's the reason why I invested in floorstanding speakers.My maximum budget would be +/-350£. I know it's not a lot but if the Denon (190£) was OK with the RX6, I believe that with that budget I can have a good amplifier

I heard good things about the NAD 326 with the RX6. Do you confirm?

As regards Nad, yes they are well matched with MAs. However, they are fairly ruthless when it comes to bass (bass heavy) and if your room acoustics are echoey this can (IMHO) exaggerate the heavy bass. Personally I love Arcam and Creek with MAs. They both have a smooth midrange and are well balanced when it comes to bass.

That said, if you could stretch your budget, so much the better. The MA Silver range really does benefit from high quality amplification.

The first amp I owned with my old RS6s was Arcam A65+, which was fine in isolation. Nevertheless the Leema has such a grip on the tweeter it made the MAs sound totally different.

Hope that helps.

 

[dakchi]

Thank you Andy.

Do you think Rotel RA-10 will be sufficient to drive the RX6 with its 40W? what type of sound can I expect from this setup? As said, I'm looking for warmish sound

The technical spec of the NAD D3020 seem to be very light for the RX6. Do you agree?

 

[dakchi]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

The first time I heard those speakers it was with Denon PMA720, Yamaha A-S300 and Audio crescendo. For some reasons, the latest was not enough powerful for the speakers. The Denon PMA720 was more near to what I am looking for but was lacking a lot of details and I'm not sure if it will be sufficient to drive the speakers. The Yamaha was more detailed but agressive in some Rock tracks, and was not giving the warmish sound I was looking for. I'm wondering if the A-S500 would be better in this area

My room is 35m² and that's the reason why I invested in floorstanding speakers.My maximum budget would be +/-350£. I know it's not a lot but if the Denon (190£) was OK with the RX6, I believe that with that budget I can have a good amplifier

I heard good things about the NAD 326 with the RX6. Do you confirm?

As regards Nad, yes they are well matched with MAs. However, they are fairly ruthless when it comes to bass (bass heavy) and if your room acoustics are echoey this can (IMHO) exaggerate the heavy bass. Personally I love Arcam and Creek with MAs. They both have a smooth midrange and are well balanced when it comes to bass.

That said, if you could stretch your budget, so much the better. The MA Silver range really does benefit from high quality amplification.

The first amp I owned with my old RS6s was Arcam A65+, which was fine in isolation. Nevertheless the Leema has such a grip on the tweeter it made the MAs sound totally different.

Hope that helps.

Hi,

Do you recommend any Arcam or Creek amplifier in particular? I can try to stretch my budget a bit but it doesn't have to be a 100£ amplifier

Will the Arcam and Creek provide a warmish sound?

Thank you

 

[Stereosane]

Hi

Newbie to this forum, but an active member on the forum in my country.

I just recently went through a change of amplification, also looking for a warmer sound. I also have the MA Rx6's previously partnered with a Nad C316 amp, I loved the combo except for a slightly to forward midrange and a bit of harshness at higher volumes. I went out and took a chance on an Arcam FMJ A18 and all I can say is I'm in love again. It's the perfect sound for me, it's a very smooth relaxing sound filled with plenty detail and crispness without Any harshness from the tweeter.

Personally I don't think you can go wrong with Arcam, but a demo is the best as it might be to laidback for you. Compared to the Nad it lacks a little bit of excitement, but the Nad got to much after 30min of listening, whereas the Arcam I can listen to at high volumes for hours without any fatigue to my ears. The Arcam has a subtle way of drawing you deep into the recording.

Hope this helps

 

[BigH]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

The first time I heard those speakers it was with Denon PMA720, Yamaha A-S300 and Audio crescendo. For some reasons, the latest was not enough powerful for the speakers. The Denon PMA720 was more near to what I am looking for but was lacking a lot of details and I'm not sure if it will be sufficient to drive the speakers. The Yamaha was more detailed but agressive in some Rock tracks, and was not giving the warmish sound I was looking for. I'm wondering if the A-S500 would be better in this area

My room is 35m² and that's the reason why I invested in floorstanding speakers.My maximum budget would be +/-350£. I know it's not a lot but if the Denon (190£) was OK with the RX6, I believe that with that budget I can have a good amplifier

I heard good things about the NAD 326 with the RX6. Do you confirm?

As regards Nad, yes they are well matched with MAs. However, they are fairly ruthless when it comes to bass (bass heavy) and if your room acoustics are echoey this can (IMHO) exaggerate the heavy bass. Personally I love Arcam and Creek with MAs. They both have a smooth midrange and are well balanced when it comes to bass.

That said, if you could stretch your budget, so much the better. The MA Silver range really does benefit from high quality amplification.

The first amp I owned with my old RS6s was Arcam A65+, which was fine in isolation. Nevertheless the Leema has such a grip on the tweeter it made the MAs sound totally different.

Hope that helps.

Hi,

Do you recommend any Arcam or Creek amplifier in particular? I can try to stretch my budget a bit but it doesn't have to be a 100£ amplifier

Will the Arcam and Creek provide a warmish sound?

Thank you

Yes the old Arcam were pretty warm, I have the Arcan Alpha 3, I think the A 19 is less warm than the older ones. You can get Alpha 9s for about £160 or A18s for around £300 and plenty of others in between. I believe Creek are alos a bit on the warm side but maybe not as much as Arcam.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply.

The first time I heard those speakers it was with Denon PMA720, Yamaha A-S300 and Audio crescendo. For some reasons, the latest was not enough powerful for the speakers. The Denon PMA720 was more near to what I am looking for but was lacking a lot of details and I'm not sure if it will be sufficient to drive the speakers. The Yamaha was more detailed but agressive in some Rock tracks, and was not giving the warmish sound I was looking for. I'm wondering if the A-S500 would be better in this area

My room is 35m² and that's the reason why I invested in floorstanding speakers.My maximum budget would be +/-350£. I know it's not a lot but if the Denon (190£) was OK with the RX6, I believe that with that budget I can have a good amplifier

I heard good things about the NAD 326 with the RX6. Do you confirm?

As regards Nad, yes they are well matched with MAs. However, they are fairly ruthless when it comes to bass (bass heavy) and if your room acoustics are echoey this can (IMHO) exaggerate the heavy bass. Personally I love Arcam and Creek with MAs. They both have a smooth midrange and are well balanced when it comes to bass.

That said, if you could stretch your budget, so much the better. The MA Silver range really does benefit from high quality amplification.

The first amp I owned with my old RS6s was Arcam A65+, which was fine in isolation. Nevertheless the Leema has such a grip on the tweeter it made the MAs sound totally different.

Hope that helps.

Hi,

Do you recommend any Arcam or Creek amplifier in particular? I can try to stretch my budget a bit but it doesn't have to be a 100£ amplifier

Will the Arcam and Creek provide a warmish sound?

Thank you

Either Arcam or Creek are a fabulous match for MAs. No, in the strictest sense, they're not warm but they do offer a wonderful solidity and natural sound that other price compatible amps can't: Naim IMO is too fatiguing with MA Silver, likewise Rotel and Cyrus.

As Big H has pointed out the older Alpha range was fairly rich in presentation, but the newer FMJ and Creek Evo range isn't.

TBH, If I was after a warm sound I wouldn't pick Monitor Audio Silver range. Fabulous speakers but need careful partnering.

 

[stevee1966]

Either Arcam or Creek are a fabulous match for MAs. No, in the strictest sense, they're not warm but they do offer a wonderful solidity and natural sound that other price compatible amps can't: Naim IMO is too fatiguing with MA Silver, likewise Rotel and Cyrus.

As Big H has pointed out the older Alpha range was fairly rich in presentation, but the newer FMJ and Creek Evo range isn't.

TBH, If I was after a warm sound I wouldn't pick Monitor Audio Silver range. Fabulous speakers but need careful partnering.

Sorry to hijack this thread (i realise that the OP was looking at a smaller budget) but in your opinion how would the Roksan M2 or K2 match with the MA Silver RX6 ?

 

[plastic penguin]

Either Arcam or Creek are a fabulous match for MAs. No, in the strictest sense, they're not warm but they do offer a wonderful solidity and natural sound that other price compatible amps can't: Naim IMO is too fatiguing with MA Silver, likewise Rotel and Cyrus.

As Big H has pointed out the older Alpha range was fairly rich in presentation, but the newer FMJ and Creek Evo range isn't.

TBH, If I was after a warm sound I wouldn't pick Monitor Audio Silver range. Fabulous speakers but need careful partnering.

Sorry to hijack this thread (i realise that the OP was looking at a smaller budget) but in your opinion how would the Roksan M2 or K2 match with the MA Silver RX6 ?

TBH, Stevee, not heard the M2, but if they're a mirror image of the M1, tonally, then should be fantastic. The Kandy K2 i a slightly different proposition. Not sure why but wasn't taken by the K2/MA combo. IMO, I prefer the older Kandy LIII, although for my living room the combo was a little too boisterous for certain styles of music. But if somebody said, "Decide! K2 or LIII? or the cat gets it!" then the flag would wave towards the LIII camp.

 

[Esra]

I am happy with 2xAudiolab 8200MB firing up my MA RX6.

 

[aliahk]

Hey Dakchi,

I recommend a Roksan Kandy K2 or an Naim nait 5i.

Having tested them both and owning Ma Rx6 myself.

Ps: I'm from belgium too.

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

Hi Dakchi,

I Think PP got it right, for your music taste and the sound you like Arcam and Creek are SPOT on, let just add one amp to the list as I demo MA RX6 2 years ago with a NAD 326BEE, it has the power to handel and have a very smooth, detail and warm sound.

you can go rong with NAD, Arcam and Creek! 8)

:cheers:

 

[dakchi]

Hi aliahk,

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately the 2 amps are out of my budget. Have you tested other amps before buying the RX6?

 

[GCE]

If you want to tame the MA natural brightness,

I would point to Marantz PM 6004/6005/7004;

mine drives B&W towers with ease:

I can listen for hours w/o fatigue to a warm but detailed,

authoritative but never aggressive sound...

PM 6004 now maybe discounting for new 6005... 8)

 

[dakchi]

If you want to tame the MA natural brightness,

I would point to Marantz PM 6004/6005/7004;

mine drives B&W towers with ease:

I can listen for hours w/o fatigue to a warm but detailed,

authoritative but never aggressive sound...

PM 6004 now maybe discounting for new 6005... 8)

Hi GCE,

Marantz PM6005 seems to be a very good option for someone who listens a lot to FLAC and MP3. However, I see that it has no pre out or subwoofer out. How would I connect the amp with the subwoofer?

 

[dakchi]

Hello,

I finally decided to buy the Marantz PM6005 and I thought it would be good to share with you my experience.

I was always been told that the PM6005 is not enough powerful to drive the RX6. I really don't share the same opinion. With its 45W per channel, the Marantz did never show that it is weak to drive the RX6. I have never exceeded half of the volume in the amplifier because the music was incredibly lound but still very detailed. The moral of the story is that we should not take into account the Watts. The quality of the amp is much more important

Regarding the Marantz PM6005, I can tell you that this is a very good amp that provides a detailed and warm sound. It can fit with any kind of music (rock, electro, pop...etc). Another advantage is that it has a built-in DAC which will allow to save a lot of money. The 2 options I had in the begining were: either I buy the Marantz (300£) or I buy a NAD 326 (350£) + a DAC (230£). I simply saved almost 280£ by going for the first option and I don't regret this decision. The quality of the Marantz is amazing for the value. I'm also convinced that having a built-in DAC is much better than having separated Amp and DAC.

Conclusion: I strongly recommend the Marantz PM6005 to anyone who has the MO RX6 or any similar speakers. You should not worry about the specifications

 

[ID.]

I have never exceeded half of the volume in the amplifier because the music was incredibly lound but still very detailed.

Just so you know, at about halfway the amp would be playing at full volume, although it would depend on how compressed the recording is. For some recordings I expect it would be clipping, while others might still have a bit to go on the volume dial.

Glad you are enjoying the sound. While I'm sure it sounds great, the speakers are capable of much more than the PM6005 is capable of providing, so you can hold on to them if you ever decide to upgrade the amp.

 

[GCE]

>>> save a lot of money

Not only for DAC, but with Marantz 6005 you have a good phono input too:

with Nad you have to pay other 80 € or more for an external phono,

if you want play vinyl... :dance:

and when spk impedance fall near 4 Ohm, with Marantz you can have more than 65 W rms,

with Nad always 50 W rms

>>> However, I see that it has no pre out or subwoofer out.

How would I connect the amp with the subwoofer

Sorry, I've not seen this before...

You can link a sub from spk out B of the amp

to high level spk in put of the sub;

look that >>> http://www.bowers-wilkins.it/Downloads/Product/Manual/ENG_FP26573_ASW-610_manual.pdf

and go to: fig 4 - pag 4

And now, 2 Q 4 U :

What difference can you see in sound of your 6005 vs pm 6004?

How do you find bass management of 6005 driving MA?

Tanks vm

 

[plasterman]

While the marantz is good for it's price point I found it to be severely lacking for low level listening. The pm 6004 was the amp I had so I doubt the 6005 is any better. The amp I have now(audiolab 8200p) is 100watts and low level listening is so much better so you could say watts do matter. From my experiences I'd rather have an amplifer that has more than enough power for my speakers than one that has just enough. As ever you can only buy what you can afford.

 

[dakchi]

Hi,

I doubt you will notice any difference between PM6004 and PM6005. The only reason I see why you should maybe consider to get a PM6005 is if you listen to FLAC, MP3...and you don't have a DAC. A part from that the sound is awesome and the bass is well controlled

 

[cannibal_ox77]

Marantz definitely partner the MA speakers well. The speakers will benefit from the extra power from PM7004 or Pearl Lite though.