which speakers for a Marantz 90% music man? (1 Viewer)

[David Walker]

receiver: Marantz SR7200

speaker price: $650 max
speaker size: bookshelf

I've demoed the Paradigm monitor 3's and the B&W 602's. Any other comprable speakers out there within my size and budget constraints that will sound great with the SR7200 that I should look into?

Keep in mind, I only want 2 speakers. (No sub, at least for now)

Also, what is your opinion b/w the monitor 3's and the 602's (Because I'll probably end up getting one of these)?

Thanks for your help!

 

[HarryR]

Maybe you could get a good deal on Paradigm Studio 20's.

 

[Alex Prosak]

Both the Monitor 3s and 602s are excellent speakers, of the two I definitely prefer the 602s. Another speaker to consider, if you can find a place to audition them, are the Alon 'Lil Rascals. Personally, I haven't heard them but I have heard very good things about them. They retail for ~$500.

 

[Bry_DD]

I'll vote for the 602s and also recommend Axiom's M22 plenty of good reviews here.

 

[Angelo.M]

David:

Both are great choices. I'd personally go with the Paradigms, having heard both. I like the 602s, but there's something about the B&W sound that just doesn't grab me.

Do yourself a favor. Just for grins, see if you can arrange an audition of the JBL S38IIs as a comparison. They're a step down in price, but maybe a quarter-step down in performance. Judge for yourself.

--AM

 

[Jeff Adams]

PSB Image 6t's are fabulous with music. They absolutely rock on home theater. I picked up a pair for $749.

 

[ChrisAG]

Try Mordaunt-Short 902. Marantz is the distributor for MS in the US, and for good reason. The "warm" sound of the Marantz goes nicely with the MS speakers.

 

[John Garcia]

I would skip the Monitor 3 and move to the Monitor 5, a much more controlled speaker and better for music. Between the Monitor 3 and the 602, I would also go for the 602s.
In the price range, I would also have to say Axiom M22s would be a good bet.
If you are looking for some serious stuff, the GR Research AV1 or AV1+ DIY kits are exceptional for music, and can be had within that budget.

 

[Pablo Abularach]

S38 are very good for the money, and also AXIOM M22

 

[John A. Casler]

Another option for those audiophile listening sessions is the QSO626 from VMPS.
Balanced, deep bass, excellent soundstage, and matches the Marantz to the T. (treble) Stock version has the seas tweeter, but it can also be upgraded to the focal (usually found in $5000 pr speakers)
It lists for $700 pr but can be had street for less than $600.
www.vmpsaudio.com
I have a used one as my center channel and it is amazingly dynamic, powerful and clean.
It weighs almost 45#., so it is "substantial"
Regards,
John

 

[David Walker]

Thanks for all your advice guys! Questions though...

What about Paradigm Studio 20's? I'm not sure if they're even in my price range. My dealer can give me the Monitor 3's for $425 + tax, so based on that, what do you think the Studio 20's would run? Or are the B&W 602's ($540 from my dealer) going to be even better than the Studio 20's?

I would be totally gung ho for the B&W's, it's just that they're big (even for bookshelf) and space is definitely a premium in this little college apartment.

BTW, the Axioms sound intriguing, but I want to be able to actually set foot in a store and listen to them before I take them home.

 

[Nick V]

I personally prefer the Studio 20's to the B&W 602's. But, my opinion shouldn't matter all that much to you. You should try to listen to all of these speakers in your room, or at the least in the same room with the same electronics.

BTW, if you're gonna go with Paradigm Monitor series bookshelves, IMO you should definately go with the 5's over the 3's. You will give up a little bit of extension, but you will have much more refined bass and midrange in my opinion.

 

[Paul_Scott]

at the moment i'm trying out Ascend Acoustic CBM 170s.
these are really incredible speakers for the price ($300 shipped until the 8th- $350 after that).
i bought them for HT use, and while i find them to be
OK for that, they are very impressive musically.
i realize you may not want to order online or over the phone, but i'm sold on this method for purchases like this.
to me, nothing beats having the product in your own home for a month to test and see, with your own equipment and room acoustics.
especially something that is so much to personal taste as a speaker.
i've heard others say that Ascend pays for shipping back if your not satisfied, but i actually didn't ask.
main reason i bothered to chime in was because they are also quite compact (about 8-9" square i believe).
the only problem might be the rear porting, otherwise i think these would be perfect for smaller rooms.
from what i''ve heard of them so far,
i'd rate them as *** for HT use
and ****1/2 for 2 channel music.

 

[Scott Tucker]

More than you wanted to spend, but check out Definitive Technology's Power Monitor 500's. They retail for 850.00, but maybe you could find a deal.

Scott

 

[Myki Cantero]

I have B&W 601 S3's with my Marantz SR7200 and the "warm" Marantz sound is a perfect complement for the detailed metal-dome tweeters of the 601's and 602's.

Try to get the S3's since it has new cabinet bracing and the sound is tighter than the older ones.

I would have gotten the 602's but I have a tiny room.

 

[Wendell]

I agree with John Garcia, the gr-research diy kits are great speakers. I have some Paradox 1's which I assembled for my tube set-up and they sound great. I also have a H/T system which consist of a marantz sr4200 and Axiom speakers.
I tried hooking up the Paradox 1's with the marantz receiver and it mated just fine with the marantz's warm sound. The P1's are ususally described as being on the bright side.

I suggest you try giving Danny Richie at Gr-research a call, I know they're based somewhere in TX and maybe you can get an audition.

BTW, the P1's sound better than the Axioms IMO. Much smoother and refined, the detail is amazing from these little bookshelves. And best of all the P1's can be had for about $600 factory assembled.

Ihave no doubt that the GR kits will sound better than the B&W or Paradigm speakers that are in the same price range.

Good luck!

 

[David Walker]

well, guys...I just thought I'd let you know that I ended up with the *drumroll* B&W 602S3's. They're breaking in as we speak, as they'll be doing for the next 48 hours or so. These are great looking (and sounding of course) speakers! I've got the covers off just admiring the yellow kevlar woofer. They are pretty damn big, but hey, I couldn't resist! My extra studious roommates will just love me.... Thanks for all the help!

 

[John Garcia]

Good choice My friend has an SR5000 with CDM 1NTs. I thought they would be under powered, but I was surprised at how well that setup paired up.

 

[Myki Cantero]

Congrats David.

I was just immersing myself with my 601 S3's last night and I was really amazed at how much bass it can produce in source-direct mode. I'm sure your 602's will truly rock!

As for the CDM 1NT with the SR7200, it's still my dream system (for my budget that is). I'll also look into the Dynaudio Contour... but my next speaker upgrade would be a long time from now...

Myki