Stereo Amp for Floor standing speakers

[6th Gear]

Afternoon All,

Currently have a pair of ProAc Studio 140 Floor Standing speakers.

Specs:
Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
Frequency Response: 25hz to 30Khz
Sensitivity: 91db linear for 1 watt at 1 metre

http://www.whathifi.com/proac/studio-140/review

I am looking to purchase a Stereo amplifier and am tempted to go for the Marantz PM6005 based on good reviews and budget.

http://www.whathifi.com/marantz/pm6005/review

The PM6005 is rated at 45 watts per channel (8 ohms) and 60 watts per channel (4 ohms).

Is this going to be powerful enough to drive the ProAc speakers?

Living room size approximately 300 square feet.

Thanks.

[Frances The Mute]

Techincally, they'll be fine. The question is, have you heard them together before?

Pro Ac are fairly neutral sounding speakers and the Marantz (in my opinion) can be quite bright and forward sounding, so this presentation may not be to your liking; particularly if you listen for long periods of time. Also, your source(s) need to be considered.

Try and get a home demonstration before buying as comparing specs is a small part of the story.

[bristolracer]

The 6005 is on offer at £239 at richer sounds.
It's a tempting price if only for a second system

[anonymous-user]

Frances The Mute said:

Techincally, they'll be fine. The question is, have you heard them together before?

Pro Ac are fairly neutral sounding speakers and the Marantz (in my opinion) can be quite bright and forward sounding, so this presentation may not be to your liking; particularly if you listen for long periods of time. Also, your source(s) need to be considered.

Try and get a home demonstration before buying as comparing specs is a small part of the story.

I have ProAc studio 150s and they are wonderfully detailed speakers that work better the better the amp they are paired with. I've just bought a NAD C 275BEE and it sounds amazing. Rather than Marantz, I'd look at Yamaha but don't be a cheapskate, those speakers deserve a quality, natural to warm sounding amp. By the way, they will work really well with a sub. I have mine paired with a BK and they sound amazing together.

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 19th August 22:21

[Some Gump]

OP,

Hifi is all preference. Personally, I'd not pick a Marantz amp ever. I'd also never own mission speakers again, so it proves I'm not the barometer of everyone!

Review says avoid bright, IMO Marantz is very forward / bright sounding. I'd go Rotel / NAD as first preference, or Arcam if you want a more relaxed sound.

[gizlaroc]

I on't think the Marantz amps are bright at all, they were always some of the wermest sounding amps, especially when you consider how bright their CD players were.

But I would put a much bigger amp on ProAc 140s.

[anonymous-user]

gizlaroc said:

I on't think the Marantz amps are bright at all, they were always some of the wermest sounding amps, especially when you consider how bright their CD players were.

But I would put a much bigger amp on ProAc 140s.

My brother has a newish Marantz integrated amp powering two massive Kef speakers and I would agree it sounds warm but a little muddy and loses composure at high volumes.

If it were me I'd be looking at one of the premium amps from Yamaha or NAD with an output of at least 150 watts into 8 ohms, preferably more.

Alternatively, these look good value
http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/hypex-amps

Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 20th August 08:21

[gizlaroc]

There are loads of nice amps for sale on hifiwigwam forums.

[Crackie]

6th Gear said:

Afternoon All,

Currently have a pair of ProAc Studio 140 Floor Standing speakers.

Specs:
Nominal Impedance: 8 ohms
Frequency Response: 25hz to 30Khz
Sensitivity: 91db linear for 1 watt at 1 metre

http://www.whathifi.com/proac/studio-140/review

I am looking to purchase a Stereo amplifier and am tempted to go for the Marantz PM6005 based on good reviews and budget.

http://www.whathifi.com/marantz/pm6005/review

The PM6005 is rated at 45 watts per channel (8 ohms) and 60 watts per channel (4 ohms).

Is this going to be powerful enough to drive the ProAc speakers?

Living room size approximately 300 square feet.

Thanks.

What Hi-Fi's 6005 review is a little vague; they praise the 6005 for having great timing and good energy but also say it could be punchier. As mentioned above by Frances The Mute "Try and get a home demonstration before buying as comparing specs is a small part of the story."

The Proacs are sensitive and its not a big room so you don't need a lot of power unless you want 'accurate' volume levels at home. A 50 watt amp will still generate 105db 2m away and 99db 4m away. That's still pretty loud.

[TheGuru]

Rotel RA12 is another option

[6th Gear]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I had a demo as recommended with the Marantz PM6005. It has more than enough power to drive the speakers and provides plenty of punch.

For the budget it's a great little amp IMO and fits my needs for now.