Stereo speakers to go with the Marantz M-CR610

[daanodinot]

First off, thanks for this awesome site. A few months ago, I bought the excellent Marantz M-CR610, not least because of its top spot in the 2013 Systems awards. It replaced the CD-player – a component of the Yamaha MCR-E300 system that I've had for almost 10 years. So my CD-player is replaced, but I still actually use the speakers that are part of the MCR-E300. Initially, I wanted to keep them, but I've slowly changed my mind as I Angel noticed that it's probably smarter (and more satisfying) to sell the whole set instead of only the CD-player and (b) have the irky feeling that I'm probably not fulfilling the M-CR610's potential with those speakers. Lazy as I am, I had a look at the 2014 awards to see the top stereo speakers. The B&W 685 S2 earns the top spot and definitely seems a lot of people's favorite. I also noticed that Zensor 3 is mentioned a lot in the forums. The one set I'm now most seriously considering is the 686 S2, as it is considerably smaller than the 685. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a review that directly compares the two models, so I've no idea how good it actually is. My main question is what variables I should take into account to find out how well a pair of speakers will work the M-CR610? I'm a bit confused by the wattages and the Ohms. Of course, any recommended products are welcome as well. Some relevant things you should know are: The room in which the stereo system resides is a 3m x 3m bedroom. So I imagine I don't need a lot of power.<br>I don't use a seperated amplifier, and I'm not really planning to either. As you could figure from the previous point, I'm not looking for big punchy bass. I use Samsons MS100 stands, and it would be nice if I could use them with the speakers. I realize, that the best way to find this out, is by audition. But let's just see how far paper takes us. Thanks in advance.

 

[manicm]

While the B&W 686S2 may be an excellent speaker and slightly cheaper, if you have the space the 685S2 will be the better buy - it's more efficient and will pump out more from your 610.

 

[DocG]

Hi, my parents use a M-CR610 to drive a pair of Tannoy Mercury V1s (not the current "i" version, but the previous model). They work together very well. The V1s can be put pretty close to the wall too (they have a frontal bassport, no rear port), which may be an advantage in a 3 x 3 m room.

What's your speaker budget? The current V1is come in at £150 a pair (but I haven't heard those, to be frank).

 

[daanodinot]

Thanks for your responses!

It seems that my decision has become a little bit easier. My stands just broke – which I'm kind of happy about because they were awful. Lesson learnt: never buy stands with plastic screw thread.

This means that the speaker size is less of problem now, since I'll have to buy new stands anyway. The B&W 685 S2 is 650 euro for both speakers, which is probably the max I'm willing to pay for the speakers. So between the 686 S2 and 685 S2, I'm now quite convinced that the 685 S2 is the best option.

Are you sure though that the 685 S2 will work well with the Marantz M-CR610? I've heard someone say that the Marantz is not powerful enough to drive the speakers to their full capacity. How should I interpret this? Is this "capacity" only relevant for party-level volumes, or does this also apply to lower volumes in a small room? To be clear: buying a seperate amp is not an option for me, since it defeats the purpose of why I bought the Marantz.

One other stereo set that is of interest to me is the Q Acoustics Concept 20, mainly because its design is similar to that of the Marantz M-CR610. I haven's seen a direct comparison between the two, but it seems the 685 S2's bass is definitely better. According to the What Hi-Fi review: "While the 26cm tall Concept 20s can dig deeply into the bass for their size, they’re never going to match larger rivals such as B&W’s 685s or KEF’s Q300s when it comes to bass quantity or absolute dynamic reach. Yet they still sound excellent." How do you think the sound quality differs between the two pairs of speakers?

If I decide to go for the 685 S2, I must still choose the right stands and if I'm going to use bi-wires. I found relatively cheap bi-wires here. What do you think?

 

[manicm]

If I decide to go for the 685 S2, I must still choose the right stands and if I'm going to use bi-wires. I found relatively cheap bi-wires here. What do you think?

Forget bi-wiring, get a pair of good stands instead, B&W's own are a bit pricey but worked very well with the 685 S1s.

 

[matthewpiano]

Don't ignore KEF. The Q100s are a bit of a gem, and would work very nicely with the Marantz. They image beautifully and are, IMO, actually better than the larger Q300s all-round.

 

[daanodinot]

@matthewpiano I don't know... I don't think What Hi-Fi has done a review of the Q100, which makes it hard to compare it with other speakers in that way. But if I'm going to do an audition, I might add them to the list.

@manicm Is it that bi-wiring a bad thing or does it just make little or no difference? Or is it that it wouldn't work well in combination with the Marantz? Some people seem quite convinced that bi-wiring is a little bit better, although admittedly not by a lot. Also, are there any official stands that should be used with the 685 S2?

Have any of you managed to compare the the 685 S2 with the Concept 20? I'm still tempted by the Concept 20's design and the fact that it has dedicated and attachable stands. That said, I'm still undecided about whether I actually like the stands. One part of me says they're different and original, the other part finds them rather ugly. I'm also wondering what is true about What Hi-Fi's claim that the stands are "essential" to hear the speakers in full glory. If it doesn't make a lot of difference, I'm willing to consider buying the Concept 20 with seperate stands.

 

[hybridauth_Twitter_706561405]

Hi, sorry to disturb in this thread, can anybody answer to the question I asked in the other cr610 thread?

..........................................

I'm considering to buy this object.... my first Hi Quality buy!

Just to know, can flac files (and mp3 too) be played on USB drive through a playlist?

Can I enter url for a webradio? Otherwise where does it search / list/ suggest web radios?

Does it have an equalizer / tone adjustment? Is needed or best to keep them flat?

thanks

 

[mitch65]

"Is it that bi-wiring a bad thing or does it just make little or no difference?"

I'd personally spend the difference on better speaker cable or more music than bi-wiring......just not worth it

 

[paulselwood]

I had a pair of Epos Epic 1 hook up to 610. It sounded very good. But be warn, all speakers sound diffrent when you get them home. So make sure when you do buy, that you can take them back.

 

[peterpiper]

I can confidently say the zenzor 3 sound really nice with the 610, recomended, this thing still blows me away, for such a little lightweight unit it can handle some decent speakers , as long as they are fairly sensitive and you dont go to stupid ear bashing volumes,

 

[manicm]

@manicm Is it that bi-wiring a bad thing or does it just make little or no difference? Or is it that it wouldn't work well in combination with the Marantz? Some people seem quite convinced that bi-wiring is a little bit better, although admittedly not by a lot. Also, are there any official stands that should be used with the 685 S2?

The 685 S1s were good enough single-wired. B&W made a universal stand which I had and worked pretty well, but have released a cheaper one as well. I would go with the older, heftier stand. The 685, old and new, benefits from solid stands.

 

[matthewpiano]

@matthewpiano I don't know... I don't think What Hi-Fi has done a review of the Q100, which makes it hard to compare it with other speakers in that way. But if I'm going to do an audition, I might add them to the list.

If you can get to hear them yourself it really doesn't matter one jot whether WHF has reviewed them or not. If you like them, great. If you don't like them, great.

 

[daanodinot]

So I've decided to go for the Concept 20 speakers, mainly because I like the fact that it has dedicated stands it doesn't look like your average workhorse speakers. Plus I managed to get a really good deal on them.

They haven't arrived yet, so it might be a good time to get some speaker cables as well. I was thinking the QED banana plug cables. I'm only going for one pair because, as I understand it from you, bi-wiring is a bit of waste of money. So should I connect the cable to one of the two speaker connection pairs and use the metal bridge thingy at the back?