Zensor 3 and PM6004

[Dougal1331]

Morning all! (With a particular nod to Matthewpiano)

Just- on a total whim- purchased a Marantz PM6004.

First impressions were less than convincing- dull, flat and boring compared to my Rotels. I decided to attribute this to 'fresh from the box' syndrome, and left it powered on overnight and all the next day.

It made quite a difference... The soundstage has developed, and the bass has improved significantly. I'm still debating whether I prefer the sound over the Rotels, but it's quite a difficult comparison as their characters are quite different.

My Rotels are- to make a bizarre automotive analogy- like a Ferrari, while the Marantz is more of a Jaguar. They both have tremendous power and control, but the Jag is more refined and not so upfront...

Was sorely tempted by the Denon 720, but as I bought the speakers after reading Matthewpiano's lyrical waxings, I thought that to then get the same amp would have been a bit creepy! The price on the Marantz swung the deal anyway. And being a tad easier to carry than the Zensors, I managed to make it halfway across town before my arms gave out, and I went to the pub for a pint and a taxi.

I'm going to give it a few more days- mainly to give my ears and brain a chance to adjust to the new sound, and I shall then report back to this thread... It's definitely a good amp, and it certainly grabs hold of the Zensors pretty well- time will tell if it stays or goes again.

All the best!

Jon.

PS WHF?- are you going to take a look at the Zensor 3 anytime soon?

 

[Dougal1331]

Oh lordy. That post took so long to write (after the first one disappeared mysteriously in a cloud of profanities) that I'm now going to have to jog to work. Rats...

 

[Blackdawn]

Did you try the Zensor 3 with either the Rotel RA10 or Pioneer A series?

 

[Dougal1331]

Nope. I did it all wrong, I'm afraid.

I liked the look of the Marantz, the reviews were good, and at the price I got it for, I considered it a good gamble...

 

[Cypher]

It's a good gamble in my opinion.......the PM6004 is a very good amp for the price. You can get it for a very nice price these days

 

[Dougal1331]

Right, time for an update!

I have been not disappointed as such, but let's say underwhelmed by the Marantz so far. It lacks the last degree of something-or-other, in comparison to my Rotels.

I was just about to reinstate the Rotels (RA02/RB03) and consider other duties for the Marantz, when on a whim, I decided to swap the van Damme speaker cables for my spare QED Revelation.

What a difference. Bass is deeper, soundstage is much more defined and the slightly recessed midrange is back where it should be. The Rotels sounded better with the vD, the Marantz with the QED. And I'm talking significantly better.

This current batch of kit has really surprised me- both speakers and amp have changed more with 'running-in' than any kit I've ever owned before, and only once has cable made such a noticeable difference to me. The 6004 is staying put for now, while I lap up the glorious soundstage a while longer!

A quick summary, Rotel vs Marantz:

Rotel- FOR: Immense punch, exciting sound, great looks, upgrade potential

AGAINST: All-or-nothing volume control, cheap remote, good but not amazing soundstage.

Marantz- FOR: Great looks, excellent volume control, rock-solid spacious soundstage, lovely remote which controls my Arcam CD player too. Terrific overall balance and tone.

AGAINST: In my case, fussy about cables... Get it wrong, and it sounds a bit 'distant'. That's all I can think of right now...

Verdict: Happy bunny once again. TTFN! :cheer:

 

[Garett]

Dougal, kind of in the same vein I have been running my Zensor 3s for over 12 months with my Rotel RA-02 and Marantz CD6004 and I'm very happy with it. This is an old thread now but I was wondering if you did ever reach a conclusion as to which you preffered?

On a whim I saw a Marantz PM6005 2nd hand for an absolute steal so snapped it up, I was interested to see if there would be much improvement due to the so called synergy of 2 components from the same stable. So far I have been slightly underwhelmed by the Marantz, it just sound a bit dull and lifeless compared with the vivacious Rotel. The Marantz does have a touch more subtley about it but the Rotel just seems to grip the rythmns better and sounds more muscular.

I still need to give it some time, I've only had the Marantz a few days and it does have the added benefit of a built in DAC and the fact I have 1 less remote cluttering up the coffee table. Maybe I need to try another speaker cable, I've been using QED silver anniversary for a long time now and have never felt the need to change.