Any one driving a 3 way / 2.5 way Floor Stander using Marantz PM 6004?

john_k_antony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2009
Messages
1,104
Points
83
Location
Bangalore
Hi,

Would like to know if any one is driving a 3 way/2.5 way FS with Marantz 6004? Is 45W/ch@8Ohms PM6004 capable of driving a KEF FS?

Thanks,
John.
 
All right.. 64 views and no replies. So I guess the answer to my question is NO :).

BTW, I have send an email to Marantz customer support regarding the ability of PM 6004 in driving FS speakers like Kef Q series. I am waiting for their reply.

Thanks,
John.
 
Hi John,

Check following link, it may be useful.

http://www.hifivision.com/amplifiers/19154-wharfedale-9-5-pm6003.html

It seems for marantz pm6004, the best suited are the bookshelves like KEF Q300, MS Aviano2 or Monitor Audio BX2. Some people are of the view that Marantz PM6004 is not sufficient to drive the floorstanders.

Some where i read that marantz pm6004 can drive entry level floor standers, it may not be able to drive the large floor standers very well. So it may drive KEF Q500 but not beyond that.

I dont have any practical experience, it is based on whatever i have read about speakers for marantz pm6003/pm6004 as i am also in the process of finalising speakers for marantz pm6003.

Regards, Amit
 
Thanks Amit,

I guess PM6004 will struggle driving my KEF iQ7. I think the best bet is to go with either of the following combos

1. Marantz CD5004 (20K) + CA Azur 641A @75W (40k) - 60K total
2. Marantz CD5004 (20K) + Yamaha AS500 @85W (25K) - 45K total

I need to find out whether the 15K I am paying additional for CA 641A really worth it.

Thanks,
John.
 
Thanks Amit,

I guess PM6004 will struggle driving my KEF iQ7. I think the best bet is to go with either of the following combos

1. Marantz CD5004 (20K) + CA Azur 641A @75W (40k) - 60K total
2. Marantz CD5004 (20K) + Yamaha AS500 @85W (25K) - 45K total

I need to find out whether the 15K I am paying additional for CA 641A really worth it.

Thanks,
John.

You can audition both of them along with your speakers and then take a call. Yamaha AS500 has got good reviews, infact i thought about that earlier but then got a good deal on marantz.

Regards, Amit
 
You can audition both of them along with your speakers and then take a call. Yamaha AS500 has got good reviews, infact i thought about that earlier but then got a good deal on marantz.

Regards, Amit

Auditioning them with my speakers is the challenge. I don't know if the dealers can bring the amp to my home for a home audition. I will check with the dealers though.

Yamaha AS500 fits my bill perfectly - Cheap, Decent performance, Has Sub out, Bi-wire option, Adequate power, Neutral sounding.

Thanks,
John.
 
The ability of an amplifer to drive a speaker does not depend on the size of the speaker it depends on 3 other factors:

a. ability of the amplifier to drive low impedance loads and the load of the speaker (aka amplifier - speaker matching)

b. the sensitivity of the speaker (a speaker with high sensitivity requires few electrical watts for a desired SPL)

c. the room, speaker position there in and the listener's requirements

I would hence try the PM6004 with the KEF Q700/900 before deciding.

Please note that manufacturers tend to have different processes to compute the published sensitivity of their speakers. A speaker rated at 86db/1w/1m from Manufacturer A might in reality be more sensitive than a speaker rated at 90db/1w/1m from Manufacturer B.
 
I get what you are saying.

On the paper, the KEF iQ7 that I have has the following specs. It has 90db sensitivity that is good for pairing with a low power amp and the impedance is 8 ohms that is again very amp "friendly".

Impedance : 8Ohms
Sensitivity : 90dB at 1m for 2.83V
Amplifier Requirements: 15-150W

So theoretically, 45W@8Ohms PM6004 can drive iQ7 as per the specs. However as you said, I would really love to check if PM6004 can drive my iQ7. But have to see if any dealer is kind enough to give me a home demo of PM6004.

One disadvantage with PM6004 though is that it doesn't have sub woofer out / pre out. So to connect a sub woofer, I would need to use the high level speaker line in the sub woofer. I am little skeptical about using the speaker level option in the sub woofer. Both Yamaha AS500 and CA 641A has a sub out.

Thanks,
John.
 
One disadvantage with PM6004 though is that it doesn't have sub woofer out / pre out. So to connect a sub woofer, I would need to use the high level speaker line in the sub woofer... Both Yamaha AS500 and CA 641A has a sub out.

Why do you want a subwoofer out for 2 channel audio?

If you do want a subwoofer out then the best option would be to get the Yamaha A-S700 or strech a bit to the 1000. The other option is the NAD 326BEE.

Maybe PM this seller
http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/32035-nad-356bee-sale.html
 
1. The specifications may look good on paper, however not sound good to your ears.
2. Like what Navin has mentioned, the rating of amps given by different manufacturers are not uniform. A 45 watt amp might be able to drive heavier loads than a 85 watts rated amp. NAD and Marantz for eg usually are rated conservatively and can drive loads much higher than what their specifications suggest.
3. Matching of the cdp + amp + speakers is a must and you have to go by what your ear likes. So listen to a combination before you buy. what sounds good to me may not sound good to you and vice versa.
4. Try to buy what you can audition (CDP + amp + Speakers.... not an easy task) rather than than buy components based on reviews/opinions.
5. Sub woofer for stereo listening may actually spoil the music if the settings arent right and are best avoided.

Regards
Raj
 
Auditioning them with my speakers is the challenge. I don't know if the dealers can bring the amp to my home for a home audition. I will check with the dealers though.

Yamaha AS500 fits my bill perfectly - Cheap, Decent performance, Has Sub out, Bi-wire option, Adequate power, Neutral sounding.

Thanks,
John.

I have compared PM 7004 and Azur 650A with Dali ikon 6 nad also Dali Zensor 7. PM 7004 had struggled to drive both the speakers in comparison to 650A which drove them with ease. Probably, though both the amps are similarly rated, the reason is 650A has torroidal transformer to that of PM 7004 which has EI transformer.
 
spk,

transformer weather EI or toroidal does not have anything to do with this.

it is more the transformer capacity or KVA rating besides the points navin advani has mentioned in previous few posts.

simply put a larger transformer will be able to plumb deeper into sound freq on the lower spectrum.

Please note speaker impedances are never constant they vary with the sound output. For lower frq the impedance will decrease and vice versa.

For lower freq sound ( read mid bass or bass control )= lower speaker impedance = more current demanded by speaker = the transformer on the amp must supply else clipping occurs.

I hope i have answered the OP too..atleast to some extent.

mpw
 
Dear Friends,

I really appreciate all the great feed backs and suggestions. This is going to be my secondary system and will be placed in the living room. Read as no acoustics and lots of open space. As I mentioned earlier, I am looking for a budget system with decent performance. The reason I need a sub is that the iQ7 are very bass shy and I will use the same setup for watching movies as well. The sub I am going to get (Velodyne EQ Max 8 or 10) seems to have a musical option.

So my priorities for this system are

1. Cheapest
2. Decent Performance
3. Sub Out
4. Can drive KEF iQ7 to moderate to loud volumes in a 23x15 room with no acoustics done.

So Yamaha AS500 @26K seems to fit my bill pretty well. I just wanted to see if PM6004 can do the same as I was getting a good deal on PM6004 for 30K from HiFi mart.

However, my main stereo setup is going to be very carefully built and will take a while.

Thanks,
John.
 
I have compared PM 7004 and Azur 650A with Dali ikon 6 nad also Dali Zensor 7. PM 7004 had struggled to drive both the speakers in comparison to 650A which drove them with ease. Probably, though both the amps are similarly rated, the reason is 650A has torroidal transformer to that of PM 7004 which has EI transformer.

I guess the answer lies in the power consumption of both the amps

PM6004 draws a maximum power of 150W where Azur 651A draws a whopping 600W.
 
Last edited:
Avino 6 specs are very similar to KEF iQ7. Lemme see if I can get a home audition of PM6004. I would prefer Marantz over Yamaha if PM6004 can drive my iQ7s

-John.
 
Hi,

Would like to know if any one is driving a 3 way/2.5 way FS with Marantz 6004? Is 45W/ch@8Ohms PM6004 capable of driving a KEF FS?

Thanks,
John.

Just FYI in case you have still not decided..

I have paired the PM6004 with Paradigm Monitor-7 V6 (no longer available) which are 2.5 way FS speakers. They AMP drives these speakers well, no loss of power; note these speaker have a sensitivity of 90db+ as far as remember.
 
Marantz pm-6004@45 watts amp can't drive a floor stander, If you're using loudness control, you can drive it. But in this situation amp will produce a distorted sound
 
I personally auditioned both Yamaha and Marantz .. found Marantz to be better with AViano as well as Wharf 9.5s

Marantz has loudness control, that's why you're saying marantz pm-6004 is better, but its waste in my view point. Yamaha A-S500 is very good tonal quality amp (like audiophile grade)
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
Back
Top