Upgrade advice needed!! (1 Viewer)

[John Dunlap]

I am currently using a Rotel RSP-985 Pre/Pro with a Marantz MM-9000. When driving my Paradigm Studio 60's and Studio CC I feel that my system is a bit on the bright (harsh sounding) side. This is not really an issue with HT but more so with music. Admittedly some of this is due to room acoustics which will be solved once I finish my basement as a dedicated HT.

In the meantime I am wondering if I could do a little better than that Marantz amp that I have now. It is generously rated at 150wpc but at higher volumes it is definitely not the cleanest sounding amp I've heard. I'm considering the following options and I would like to hear some opinions. Thanks!!

1. Option 1-Sell MM-9000 and replace with an RMB-1066 whihc will be bridged to drive the L/C/R channels. I will use my old Denon to power the surrounds.

2. Option 2-Sell MM-9000 AND RSP-985 and replace with RSX-1055-new Rotel surround receiver.

3. Option 3-Sell MM-9000 and replace with B&K AV5125

 

[chung_sotheby]

I think that the brightness (harshness) that you may be hearing is from your speakers, not from your amplification. Both Rotel and Marantz gear tends to be on the warm side, while Paradigms are known to be a bit bright (some call this neutrality). If you are driving the amp really really loud, then you should probably look for something over 200 wpc, even though this will only get you about .75 db more sound than a 150 wpc amp. If I were you, I would first see if you can compare your paradigms to another, warmer set of speakers, and if you still feel like you want to keep the paradigms, go for a 1066 with a warm amp.

 

[John Dunlap]

Chung,

I agree that a lot of the harshness is due to the Paradigm's. They are known for being bright/revealing. But I have heard these same speakers being driven by better amplification and they sounded incredibly smooth.

The Marantz is a fine amp for what I paid for it, I just think that there may be something out there better suited to my needs. For about the same or slightly more $$ I could have a Rotel amp which I think will be a step up. tell me if you disagree.

Thanks.

 

[chung_sotheby]

I think that a rotel amp would be a great step up. I was just letting you know that a lot of the perceived harshness was probably from your speakers. Since you already knew this, then it seems that you were just looking for better amplification for your speakers. That is a valid question, as the marantz, while one of the best price/performance ratio amps out there, is not the last word in amplification. I would suggest looking for a used RB991 or RB1090(if you need more power), and Odyssey stratos (if you want real high end sound), or possibly looking into something like the norh monoblocks for biamping your paradigms. The Stratos may be what you are looking for, as it is known as a very musical and forgiving amp. while the norh le amps are seen as a little more analytical. Either way, you cant go wrong.