Good amp for Monitor 60s
seannc
Posts: 3
I have a pair of Polk Monitor 60s that I'm using as front channel speakers for my 5.1 system. I plan to set up a simple 2 channel system with an integrated amplifier, CD player, and turntable. I've read good reviews of both the Marantz PM5004 and PM6004 amplifiers. Can anyone provide some insight regarding whether these amplifiers are good matches with the Monitor 60s? Thank you.
Post edited by seannc on
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I don't know what you mean by a good match for the monitor 60 but pretty much anything will drive them fine, they have a 90db sensitivity rating and are 8 ohm speakers. I just upgrade to Rti8 but I've been using Monitor 60's for the past year with a HKAVR 525 rated at 85 wpc in stereo mode and the loudest I've ever had it was -15 (which I assume means under reference level) and that was absolutely cranked in my smallish room. So basically they're pretty easy to drive to loud volumes.
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Either should do the trick for you, plenty of power ... Looker at the 6004 and the 8004 myselfMains: Polk Audio SDA-2Bs
Center and Surrounds: Bic Acoustech
AVR: Pioneer 1015tx
Amp: Anthem Amp 1
Turntable: Project Debut III
Inputs: Xbox 360, Samsung BDP-1000, Apple TV -
Unless you plan on upgrading speakers later, I dont think either of those are a good match only because the monitor 60's may not benefit that much from the lower distortion those amps provide. And further the lack of digital inputs limits you to a pricier cd player with a good dac(maybe you have one already). Im sure it will sound very good but I think I would check around craigslist for a nice avr with a with a digital input, phono input and preouts so if you want a lower distortion amp later you can add one. I know a guy who just bought a used Denon 3300 for $100 to power his monitor 70's sounds very nice and has a inputs and outputs that I mentioned.Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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jeremymarcinko wrote: »Unless you plan on upgrading speakers later, I dont think either of those are a good match only because the monitor 60's may not benefit that much from the lower distortion those amps provide. And further the lack of digital inputs limits you to a pricier cd player with a good dac(maybe you have one already). Im sure it will sound very good but I think I would check around craigslist for a nice avr with a with a digital input, phono input and preouts so if you want a lower distortion amp later you can add one. I know a guy who just bought a used Denon 3300 for $100 to power his monitor 70's sounds very nice and has a inputs and outputs that I mentioned.
I don't understand why you are suggesting an AVR with digitsl inputs, when the OP mentioned that he wanted a 2 channel system.
The newer Marantz gear is very nice and well regarded.Main System:
Proton AA-1150 ~ Yamaha C-4 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Sennheiser HD600 ~ Monitor Audio Silver RS8 & FB210 ~
(2) Martin Logan Dynamo ~ Marantz CD5003 ~ Squeezebox Classic ~ Music Hall dac25.2 ~
Dual 1229/Acutex M312 III STR ~ Music Hall mmf-5.1/Goldring 1012GX ~ Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0
Home Theater:
Yamaha RX-V800 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Marantz DV6001 ~ EPI M90 ~ Polk Audio RT35i ~ CS400i ~ (2) Polk Audio PSW450 -
classic carl wrote: »I don't understand why you are suggesting an AVR with digitsl inputs, when the OP mentioned that he wanted a 2 channel system.
The newer Marantz gear is very nice and well regarded.
I agree with you the marantz is very nice, He did say he wanted a cd player(digital), 2ch over pcm. He will need optical inputs or digital coax at least to stay away from the cd players internal DAC which there are a few out there with a good DaC inside but they are as expensive as the marantz he is looking at. He can acquire a good DAC in a quality AV receiver. Regardless marantz or not using the analog inputs of the integrated the sound quality will be affected by the source.Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant -
jeremymarcinko wrote: »I agree with you the marantz is very nice, He did say he wanted a cd player(digital), 2ch over pcm. He will need optical inputs or digital coax at least to stay away from the cd players internal DAC which there are a few out there with a good DaC inside but they are as expensive as the marantz he is looking at. He can acquire a good DAC in a quality AV receiver. Regardless marantz or not using the analog inputs of the integrated the sound quality will be affected by the source.
OK. I misunderstood you. A good quality external DAC would be preferred over the DAC in an AVR, IMO. The OP could always add one later if cost is an issue. A used Grant Fidelity TubeDAC-09 can be had for less than $200. I have one in my laptop/secondary system and it sounds very good.Main System:
Proton AA-1150 ~ Yamaha C-4 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Sennheiser HD600 ~ Monitor Audio Silver RS8 & FB210 ~
(2) Martin Logan Dynamo ~ Marantz CD5003 ~ Squeezebox Classic ~ Music Hall dac25.2 ~
Dual 1229/Acutex M312 III STR ~ Music Hall mmf-5.1/Goldring 1012GX ~ Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0
Home Theater:
Yamaha RX-V800 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Marantz DV6001 ~ EPI M90 ~ Polk Audio RT35i ~ CS400i ~ (2) Polk Audio PSW450 -
YeahpOh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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Depends on the quality of the cdp. Some dacs in stand alone cdp's will wipe the floor with those in a AVR. Dac chips aside, it's the better built analog output stage in a quality cdp that can make a difference over a midline AVR. If however the cdp is just so-so, then digital to an AVR would be the prefered method.
For 2 channel, look for a Yaqin tube integraded. Connect your cdp by analog and you'll be in for a treat.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Thanks for the replies. I should preface by stating I'm a bit of a novice. I grew up listening to my dad's Carver receiver, Denon CD player, Dual turntable, and Magnat All-Ribbon 6 speakers and fell in love with the sound they produced. My Polk Monitor 60s are currently powered by a Sony STR-DN1000 AV receiver. While Blu-ray movies sound great, when I play back audio CDs I'm a little underwhelmed. For this reason I'm considering purchasing an Marantz amplifier and CD player (perhaps the Marantz CD5004), and dusting off my dad's Dual turntable to build a system for music playback only. Assuming that a system is limited by its weakest component, my question is whether the Monitor 60s are in the same league as the Marantz amplifier and CD player. I know this question is a little crude, but if I invest the cash in a new amplifier and CD player it would be great if the speakers I already have were up to the task. Thanks!
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My take on it is, speakers make the most difference. Start there and work your way back. The marantz combo will sound better than your current avr. But If it were me I would upgrade speakers. its a personal preference though the marantz might get you there.Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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I have a pair of 60's, and use a Parasound HCA 500 ...The sound is so good, I can't see how it can improve
I got the amp on ebay for $80 and had it rebuilt for $300 ... still going strong... it is 50 honest WPC, and more than enough...my wife describes the sound as effortless, and I agree*************************
** Bill Clark Windham, VT **
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wont a 2ch setup benifit from digital inputs ??
I figured the better the signal going in the better the sound quality ! -
Depends on which piece is doing the conversion from digital to analog and the quality of that piece. Talking 2 channel, you hardly ever see a pre amp with digital inputs. Most don't use a receiver for 2 channel either, not that you can't, but if sound quality is the goal, a receiver usually doesn't enter that equation.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Depends on which piece is doing the conversion from digital to analog and the quality of that piece. Talking 2 channel, you hardly ever see a pre amp with digital inputs. Most don't use a receiver for 2 channel either, not that you can't, but if sound quality is the goal, a receiver usually doesn't enter that equation.
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However, Digital inputs are becoming more popular on the 2ch preamps, I believe all of the current offerings from peachtree have internal Dac's.Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant -
I've successfully upgraded! I found an early 80s Denon integrated amplifier on eBay (PMA-750) and purchased an Onkyo C-7030 CD player. I was also handed down my dad's Dual 621 turntable. What an improvement! This Denon drives the Monitor 60s so much better than the Sony AV did. The Onkyo apparently has a pretty good built-in DAC (Wolfson) and I'm thrilled with it for price I paid. The Monitor 60 Series II speakers sound great with the right equipment. Thanks for everyone's previous suggestions and insights. Has anyone else here had their hands on this amp? I can't imagine the Marantz PM 5004 sounding that much better.
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I'm a big believer in shopping used for 2 ch equipment too. You can find some nice equipment reasonable, and if you get sick of it, you can resell it for what you paid. I'm currently working out a system around Monitor 70's, so I've been watching this thread with interest. Enjoy the new toys.
