Will Marantz MP5004 enough my Focal Corus 714v ?

[cbhagawat]

Folks,

After three years of auditions in India and the US (and many hours of reading of this forum), I bought Focal Corus 714v. (temporarily connected to a very old kenwood AVR). Now, i want to buy an intergrated amp to complete version 1 of my audio system.

Will Marantz MP5004 suffice? I am looking at spending just enough money for a respectable setup.

Some data:
1. My wife and i are music lovers and mostly listen to classical music (90% Hindusthani classical, 10% western classical).
2. My local dealer suggested Marantz MP 5004 (which ia at great price on HiFiMart). Another dealer tried to say that Focal 714 will need at least Marantz MP6004.
3. Focal 714v are 8 ohm speakers and specs say that Recommended amplifier power is 25 - 150W.
Marantz MP 5004 specs say Output Power: 35 W (8 ohms)
Marantz MP 6004 specs say Output power: 2 x 70 Watts at 8 Ohms

Thanks!

 

[Safar]

Folks,

After three years of auditions in India and the US (and many hours of reading of this forum), I bought Focal Corus 714v. (temporarily connected to a very old kenwood AVR). Now, i want to buy an intergrated amp to complete version 1 of my audio system.

Will Marantz MP5004 suffice? I am looking at spending just enough money for a respectable setup.

Some data:
1. My wife and i are music lovers and mostly listen to classical music (90% Hindusthani classical, 10% western classical).
2. My local dealer suggested Marantz MP 5004 (which ia at great price on HiFiMart). Another dealer tried to say that Focal 714 will need at least Marantz MP6004.
3. Focal 714v are 8 ohm speakers and specs say that Recommended amplifier power is 25 - 150W.
Marantz MP 5004 specs say Output Power: 35 W (8 ohms)
Marantz MP 6004 specs say Output power: 2 x 70 Watts at 8 Ohms

Thanks!

PM 6004 is only 45 w @ 8 ohms.

I am on a similar research now, keep posted about your fi dings

 

[Safar]

PM 6004 is only 45 w @ 8 ohms.

I am on a similar research now, keep posted about your fi dings

To add on, an opinion from my French colleague who is a focal fan

7 series requires min 40 w and 8 series requires min 50 w power to get decent performance out of it.

 

[cbhagawat]

Thanks, Safar!

That means MP6004 sounds like a safer choice.

 

[Nikhil]

There are some excellent amps on sale here on the "For Sale" area.
Take a good look there and you will find some very nice options.

http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/30385-marantz-pm6100sa-sm6100sa.html

 

[cbhagawat]

Thanks, Nikhil. I will check this out.

I am confused about how to select. For example, if i find some amp with more than 50 WPC, would that suffice?

 

[Nikhil]

Sorry for the late reply. Can you give us an idea of the budget you have in mind?
Lots of really good options available at different price ranges.

Ideally you could use an amp that matches your speakers specs as that would give them great control and headroom in case you need it. But this is not really cheap for entry level imported amps. Its also not necessary. You can manage with much less with well designed setups. There are a few very good Indian Amps that will do the job if you are open to the idea. If you would like to develop a serious system I would highly endorse Acoustic Portrait who offer a very good solution at a reasonable price. They are ideal for Hindustani music.

 

[jaudere]

Sensitivity of your speakers is 91 dB which is good. So if your listening distance is <12 feet (approx) and if you don't listen to music very loudly (which i don't think you must be doing given the type music you listen to), PM 5004 will do just fine. I use pm 6002 (power same as pm 6004). With my high sensitivity speakers and crossover-less design, I do not cross 9 o'clock position on volume dial any time. Hope this helps.

having said that, quality of amp also does matter as much as quantity and that is where the budget is important.

 

[Ashenden]

Sensitivity of your speakers is 91 dB which is good. So if your listening distance is <12 feet (approx) and if you don't listen to music very loudly (which i don't think you must be doing given the type music you listen to), PM 5004 will do just fine. I use pm 6002 (power same as pm 6004). With my high sensitivity speakers and crossover-less design, I do not cross 9 o'clock position on volume dial any time. Hope this helps.

having said that, quality of amp also does matter as much as quantity and that is where the budget is important.

+1 to this post. It's true, every 3dB increase in sensitivity for the speaker will effectively double the output for the same amplifier power. I'm using speakers which has sensitivity of 87dB with PM6004, rarely I go beyond the 10'O clock position for comfortable listening levels in my room [200 sq ft. area]

 

[apk]

You can also check out the Rega Brio-R amplifier which is available in HFVMart for around Rs 50K. The latest iteration of the Rega is supposed to be more similiar to the Naim Nait than ever. Lots of good reviews all around, though I do not know if there are any owners on this forum.

 

[marsilians]

I would suggest a min of 40W for the focals. Rega, arcam, the newer CA or marantz are all good matches.

 

[Safar]

I would suggest a min of 40W for the focals. Rega, arcam, the newer CA or marantz are all good matches.

Any idea about the build quality of rega brio ? By looking at the pictures, it doesn't give a comfortable feel with the custom case. In between , if it is in the same range as naim nait, that will be a great choice where it comes for half the price as nait 5i.
New ca + focal is being promoted by some hifi dealers in uk. I was hearing positives about the exposure + focal combination compared to focal + ca. Again, in hifi world, it will be subjective to listener ears

 

[cbhagawat]

Thanks, NIkhil, Jaudere, Sandeepss and APK. This really helps.

Nikhil, I had pegged my budget at 30k. But now I have realized that once I buy something, I am unlikely to make any changes for many years. So, I am ready to increse it.

I was only looking at per-channel wattage. Your responses are saying that factors like sensitivity play an important role.

I will also chek out Rega Brio-R and Acoustic Portrait as suggested by Nikhil and APK.

Thanks!

 

[milestoneseeker]

Any idea about the build quality of rega brio ? By looking at the pictures, it doesn't give a comfortable feel with the custom case. In between , if it is in the same range as naim nait, that will be a great choice where it comes for half the price as nait 5i.

From what I have heard from more learned members, Rega is a step below the likes of Naims and Exposure when it comes to musicality. I do not know if any stock is available for Rega now as when I last spoke with the Bangalore dealer, he had no stock. This is an issue as I too have no clue to sound signature of Rega while I have heard (and loved) the Exposure brand.

 

[marsilians]

Any idea about the build quality of rega brio ? By looking at the pictures, it doesn't give a comfortable feel with the custom case. In between , if it is in the same range as naim nait, that will be a great choice where it comes for half the price as nait 5i.
New ca + focal is being promoted by some hifi dealers in uk. I was hearing positives about the exposure + focal combination compared to focal + ca. Again, in hifi world, it will be subjective to listener ears

Rega is fairly sturdy and their customer service and response are top notch. Wrt comparison, lots of people compare it with naim but its not a fair one esp. due to pricing differences. For about half the price it provides more than 80% of the value. Sound signature is warm and typical British. Dynamics is great as well as separation.

CA is not as warm as Rega but also a decent pairing.

Another option is NAD.