Help-Speaker suggestion for Marantz PM6004

[hector2013]

Hi Everybody,


A warm hello to everybody. Although I am a newbie to this forum already I think I have spent around 1 month going over most of the threads. I am overwhelmed to find so many like minded audiophile with such a wealth of invaluable information.

I am planning to acquire my 1st hifi audio system & I need a little help & guidance from you all in finalizing my system.

My requirements: A good old 2 channel stereo system for listening to music mainly

Taste: Natural & warm sound without boomy bass or too much treble leading to listening fatigue

Music of my choice: Rock songs (Pink Floyd, Enigma, Scorpions, Dire Straits etc), old & new hindi movie songs, western classical etc.

Budget: Around 70 K

Room Size: 15 ft x 10 ft

After having set the requirements, I have ventured to do lots of demos.

I have demoed the following combinations: (Amplifier + Speakers)

1. Cambridge Audio Topaz AM5+ Wharfedale 10.1 - Low on clarity & bass/treble quite subdued

2. Cambridge Audio Topaz AM5 + Paradigm Atom - cluttered sound with boomy bass. mid range not clear

3. Denon PMA 720AE + Wharfedale 10.1 - boomy bass, lacking in clarity/ abnormal mid range

4. Denon PMA 720AE + Mordaunt Short Mezzo 1 - Very clear mid range, highly musical, very much natural sounding

6. Marantz PM6004 + Jamo 626 - Boomy bass, very shrill treble, too warm sound

8. Marantz PM6004 + Wharfedale 10.5 Diamond - Low on clarity & bass/treble quite subdued, mid range rough, avg sounding

7. Marantz PM6004 + Mordaunt Short Aviano 1 - Extreme clarity in sound, very musical, clear mid range, bass distortion at slightly higher sound

5. Marantz PM6004 + Mordaunt Short Mezzo 1 - Extreme clarity in sound, very musical & sweet, very much natural & balanced sound, clear mid range, balanced sound, it seemed as if the speaker has virtually disappeared.

I have played the same set of songs in all these combinations & after listening to all of them, I have shortlisted the Marantz + Mordaunt Short as my preference.

Due to the great reviews of the Norge systems, tomorrow I am planning a trip to the Norge outlet in Mahim to give it a try also.

I have almost decided on the Marantz PM6004.Now the big question is on the speakers. From all the great reviews I have heard about the Mezzo 6, I am more inclined towards it. But the major roadblock is the price. It is way above my budget.

However, finally I have listed down the following speaker options & the costs:

1. Mezzo 1 @ 26K

2. Mezzo 2 @ 34K (The sound of Mezzo 1 was very nice althogh the bass was slightly limited. SO, I feel that Mezzo 2 will be able to compensate that))

3. Mezzo 6 @ 68K

4. Aviano 6 @ 27K (Haven't heard it but saw good reviews in net about this. I can get it at that cost from my freind in US who is coming here next month)

Questions to the seniors for an advice/guidance:

1. As per my requirements, room size & sound taste, which speakers I should go for from the above mentioned 4 options?

2. If we compare Mezzo 2 vs Aviano 6, which one will be better? People who have experienced both, can you please comment?

3. If I go for Mezzo 2 instead of Mezzo 6, am I going to miss something? I mean is it worth paying such a high price for Mezzo 6 or with Mezzo 2 we can have a good balance?

3. Sorry for asking the cliche question again. Considering my room size & music taste, do you think that FS like Aviano 6 or Mezzo 6 will be a overkill?

4. People who have Mezzo 2, can you please share your experience?

I would like to request all of you to guide me with your experience & knowledge to take a decision on the speakers.

And the way the Rupee is weakening against the dollars, I think the sooner I buy these items the better.


Thanks in advance.

 

[AmitKumar]

Hello!

Before you make final decision, i suggest you listen to KEF Q300 and Monitor Audio BX2 with Marantz PM6004. I heard KEF Q300, Aviano 2 and MA BX2 with MArantz PM6003, i liked KEF Q300 the most.

Marantz PM6004 is not very high powered one, you may want to avoid floor standers with this amp.

Regards

 

[hector2013]

Hi Amit. Thanx a lot for your prompt response.

I have also heard great reviews about KEF Q300 and Monitor Audio BX2. Unfortunately I am not able to locate a store where I can demo them with a Marantz pm 6004. Can u plz suggest where I can have a demo the Marantz with KEF or MA?

 

[Brajendu]

Marantz + KEF 300 are very very well regarded as a "Match made in Heaven". I've a Marantz PM 5004 which I've listened with KEF 300...the best match I've ever heard!!

If I m not wrong, ProFX at Atria mall is the dealer for KEF. If U R decided on the Marantz, please get it for yourself and carry that ..of you can ask them to arrange for a Marantz Amp to check the sound signature.

 

[shuv]

B&W 685, Q Acoustics 2020i, Usher S520 and Focal Chorus v706 should be on your audition list. These are all stand mounters though. The 6004 could be hard pressed to drive floor standers.

 

[gcpraveen]

There is kefq300 in for sale thread for 26.5k.

 

[murali_n]

Hi Hector,

I was using PM6003 with Aviano-2 a year ago. I felt the combo was a bit bright with the source of CD5003. I would suggest you to go for the Boston Acoustics A26 bookshelves, which is available at Hifimart. It will be very much within your budget. Pl also use good interconnects and speaker cables. You can speak to the forum chief moderator for this, Mobile no. is available in the hifimart section.

N.Murali

 

[yahoo0212]

If we compare Mezzo 2 vs Aviano 6, which one will be better? People who have experienced both, can you please comment?

Hiii
Mezzo 2 .. excellent choice... Well I was in a similar dilemma , I had purchased the Aviano 6 s earlier,.... for my Marantz PM6003 amp (similar in specs with 6004)..used it for few months.. They have very clear vocals/midrange and excellent bass..

....Later I auditioned the Mezzo 2 s .... and Just fell for these musical beauties. Now what I have down is that shifted my Aviano 6 s to my HT Setup with Onkyo 609 @ Living room (Renovation work going on...) ..
and installed the Mezzo 2 s with Marantz PM6004 in my personal room. (renovation going on...pics soon ) so not using the setup now..)
IMHO I would suggest Mezzo2s with the Marantz amp... musical combo indeed

Well, from where did u get a qutoe of 27k for the aviano 6

Before you make final decision, i suggest you listen to KEF Q300 and Monitor Audio BX2 with Marantz PM6004. I heard KEF Q300, Aviano 2 and MA BX2 with MArantz PM6003, i liked KEF Q300 the most.

Marantz PM6004 is not very high powered one, you may want to avoid floor standers with this amp.

I have a similar audition exp. Reviewed the Mezzo2 at THE AUDIO SHOP,ANdheri Mumbai. then KEF Q300 at ProFx Atria Mall, Mumbai....
COMPARITIVELY, I felt that in KEF Q300 s the vocals were recessed and bass was less...


Secondly the PM6003 is sufficient to drive the AViano 6s, i never crossed post 70% volume in a 12*17*10 feet room...
Just my suggestions... still audition extensively and decide..!!!

 

[hector2013]

Hi Yahoo,

Thanks a lot for your suggestions.

Now what I have down is that shifted my Aviano 6 s to my HT Setup with Onkyo 609 @ Living room (Renovation work going on...) ..
and installed the Mezzo 2 s with Marantz PM6004 in my personal room. (renovation going on...pics soon ) so not using the setup now..)
IMHO I would suggest Mezzo2s with the Marantz amp... musical combo indeed
Well, from where did u get a qutoe of 27k for the aviano 6

Just my suggestions... still audition extensively and decide..!!!

Will definitely do more auditions before I take a call on the speakers.

The Aviano 6 is available in US at around 27K in Amazon.com. One of my friend is coming to India from US in August, so I had thought about bringing it thru him. Unfortunately, the Mezzo series is not available in Amazon. And some of the retail stores are keeping the Mezzos in US, but the price is more than the Indian price!! Only the Avianos were cheaper than India in US.

Once your Renovation work is complete, do please share the pics.

 

[hector2013]

Hi Friends,

Thanks a ton for your valuable inputs. :clapping:
Frankly speaking I am overwhelmed with so many feed backs & suggestions & decided to go for further auditions to take a final decision.

So today again started with my pair of CDs & the 1st stop was the PRO FX store in Mulund.

1. Denon PMA 520AE + KEF Q300:

Decent bass, but low on sweetness, less musical, the highs were not great & I found less clarity. Also, the vocals were not very prominent.

In fact when I was playing the song "Tere bina jiya jaye naa" from Ghar, it was not able to handle the fantastic bass guitar piece during the starting of the song with aplomb. As told by the store person, KEF Q300 pairs were brand new & burn-in has not been completed.

It may be due to my choice of music or may be the newness of the speakers or may be due to a not so great Denon amplifier, but I did not find the Q300 too exciting although its a decent speaker at 35K level.

Anyway, as the opinion on the speaker sound output differs from person to person, I leave it that.

Next I moved to the Norge office/factory in Mahim & have done the following auditions:

2. Norge MOSFET Reference 2000 + Norge Ultimo:

Decent bass, less musical, the highs were not great but clear voice

3. Norge MOSFET Reference 2000 + Norge TWR 125 MK III Tower Speakers:

Boomy bass, less clarity

4. Norge 2060 + Norge Ultimo:

Decent bass, good clarity & mid range. However, at lower volume, the clarity & musical details are missing.

5. Norge 2060 + Norge TWR 125 MK III Tower Speakers:

Boomy bass, less clarity, very subdued voice.

Overall I think the Norge series is quite a decent piece of equipment with an extremely attractive price. It can be an excellent option for slightly lower budget & much better than some of the so called imported hifi equipments.

The Norge 2060 + Norge Ultimo is around 28K. A killer price for such a nice system.

However, decided to move further & do some more auditions.

The next stop was The Shop in Andheri west. As I had already called them for my preferences, they have kept everything ready.

CD player: CA Topaz CD10

6. Arcam A19 + Mordaunt Short Mezzo 1:

The Arcam was without any bass/treble control so the amplifier output was the unadulterated pure sound.

I was immediately overwhelmed by the sound clarity & the balanced neutral sound coming out of those pairs. In fact the pairs looked quite small & the sound they were generating was astounding. I found them very musical & balanced with a nice & clear mid range. The high frequency output was very clear without sounding harsh or too bright. It may be because of the ATT technology. However the bass was slightly on the lower side & the store guy told that it may be because of the amplifier having no bass control & the speaker being a new one, the burn in is still not completed.

7. Arcam A19 + Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6:

Similar to the above feedback with more bass & deep voices. I was able to hear each & every detail of the sounds. I played the "Hotel California" song from Eagles-Hell Freezes Over along with the Pink Floyd song "Wish you were here". The reproduction & the clarity of the guitar chords were simply amazing. Even in lower volume the same sound clarity was there.

No doubt, lots of people comment that Mezzo 6 is one of the best FS speaker available at that price range.
I was simply blown away by the sweetness, clarity & the naturalness of the sound.

8. Onkyo TX8050 + Mordaunt Short Mezzo 6:

The output was more punchy as the Onkyo was a high wattage amp but some of the output sounded more bright.

Although I haven't listened to Mezzo 2, I have almost decided on it. I liked the Mezzo 1 very much & I think with Mezzo 2, I will get the same sound quality with more bass to make it a balanced pair.
Unfortunately, Mezzo 6 is out of my reach due to the high price tag although I would have just loved to have them.

For the time being I have just booked the Marantz PM6004 today.

Regarding the speakers, I will try another rounds of negotiation & decide by Monday. Will keep you all posted on the same.

Ciao!

 

[yahoo0212]

Hi Yahoo,

Once your Renovation work is complete, do please share the pics.

SURE

Hi Friends,

Although I haven't listened to Mezzo 2, I have almost decided on it. I liked the Mezzo 1 very much & I think with Mezzo 2, I will get the same sound quality with more bass to make it a balanced pair.
Unfortunately, Mezzo 6 is out of my reach due to the high price tag although I would have just loved to have them.

For the time being I have just booked the Marantz PM6004 today.

Regarding the speakers, I will try another rounds of negotiation & decide by Monday. Will keep you all posted on the same.

Ciao!

Good decision. !! and M sure ur gonna land up buying the the Mezzo 2s now.. :lol::lol:

 

[AKS_Indore]

Hello Hectar

Please update about your selection and further experience.

 

[randhir_s]

In my opinion the best speakers with Marantz PM6004 is Dali Zensor 3