Upgrade from a Marantz PM6003

DMorris

New member
Dec 27, 2010
5
0
0
Visit site
About 6 years I bought my first hifi set up which consisted of a Denon PMA 250SE amp, Sansui Sr222 turntable and then some cheap Mordaunt Short MS10 speakers. Slowly I've upgraded everything with the exception of the speakers, I now have a Pro-jet Essential III turntable and a Marantz PM6003 amp.

I've got some money coming my way quite soon and have again thought about upgrading, I love the turntable so the amp and speakers seem good candidates. Initially I thought about the amp and have been looking around. I have around £500 to spend and have been offered a Roksan K2 Kandy for that but I'm unsure.

Anyone got any advice on amps? Or should I upgrade the speakers first?
 

Gray

Well-known member
Many here will tell you that speakers have the greatest influence on the sound of a system.

There's also a few of us with a high regard for the phono stages in Marantz amps - maybe a big part of the satisfaction with your current TT sound.

Chances are that a speaker change could be your best option. There will be many suggestions, based on people's experiences once you give an idea of what you think is lacking and the sort of sound that appeals to you most.

You'll get recommendations for amps (maybe including the K2) and speakers, but only you can decide after listening as it's all so subjective and tastes (and perception) vary wildly.
 

DMorris

New member
Dec 27, 2010
5
0
0
Visit site
Thanks for the advice.

It was only yesterday that I realised that my speakers only cost me £30!! I'm planning on heading over to a local-ish shop to demo some speakers next weekend so will see what happens then.

For me I think the bass and a bit of warmth is missing from my current set up.
 

rainsoothe

Well-known member
The above suggested speakers should all be in your list. Imo, the k2 is still a very capable amp, that has sufficient power to drive a wide range of speakers. It's looks are an aquired taste, although it does look better in person. For that money, I also like Arcam A19 a lot, and if you like the Marantz sound, the PM 8005 should be on your list as well. Try to hear the new Brio R, maybe you'll like it.

Were it me, I'd look at the Roksan or Arcam + Dynaudio Emit.
 

drummerman

New member
Jan 18, 2008
540
3
0
Visit site
I don't know how much used K2's go for but it's a powerful amplifier with a lot of bass albeit somewhat soft.

It would probably pair well with smaller stand mounts or speakers that have good inherent damping/tight bass.
 

robdmarsh

Well-known member
As I've done elsewhere on this forum, I'm beating the drum for Elac. If you can hear them, I would give the Elac uni-fi ub5 a listen. I haven't heard them myself so you might wonder I'm recommending them. Well, I have the debut b5 which I think are marvellous and the uni-fi ub 5 are supposed to be also very good in their £500 to £600 price bracket.

Strange that Elac's new speakers have not really taken off in the UK. Their celebrated designer, Andrew Jones, is a Brit.
 

newlash09

Well-known member
Aug 28, 2015
226
50
18,870
Visit site
robdmarsh said:
As I've done elsewhere on this forum, I'm beating the drum for Elac. If you can hear them, I would give the Elac uni-fi ub5 a listen. I haven't heard them myself so you might wonder I'm recommending them. Well, I have the debut b5 which I think are marvellous and the uni-fi ub 5 are supposed to be also very good in their £500 to £600 price bracket. 

Strange that Elac's new speakers have not really taken off in the UK. Their celebrated designer, Andrew Jones, is a Brit.

The Andrew Jones designed elac's have been getting rave reviews. Atleast worth a audition .
 

DMorris

New member
Dec 27, 2010
5
0
0
Visit site
Now that is rather tempting. Where abouts are you based?

Sadly I wasn't able to make it to the shop on Saturday so I wasn't able to demo anything.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
If you decide to upgrade the amp, I'd suggest the Exposure 1010. This is a superbly involving sounding amplifier and, IMO, something of a bargain at the price. It will really get the best out of your little MS10s, but then be more than good enough to grip something better. I'd be inclined to look at KEF Q150 or KEF Q350 to go with it then, but you might also wish to try the Dynaudio Emit 10 and Emit 20 as an alternative. The other £500-ish amp I'd recommend is the latest Rega Brio, for similar reasons.
 

Blackdawn

Well-known member
May 7, 2010
88
1
18,545
Visit site
I would keep the Marantz amp for now and upgrade the speakers - I've seen the Wharfedale Reva 2's for just over £400 online. Wharfedale recommend 20-80w for an amp driving the Reva 2's so your Marantz would fall somewhere in the middle. If you can stretch a bit then the Dali Opticon 2's might be worth considering.
 
Blackdawn said:
I would keep the Marantz amp for now and upgrade the speakers - I've seen the Wharfedale Reva 2's for just over £400 online. Wharfedale recommend 20-80w for an amp driving the Reva 2's so your Marantz would fall somewhere in the middle. If you can stretch a bit then the Dali Opticon 2's might be worth considering.

I might agree but as the EB2s speakers mentioned earlier are cheaper than these I know what I would buy first ;-)

They are likely to take you to places your MS10's have never been irrespective of room size.
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts