Advice for 2.1 stereo system

[Knightrider]

I'm sorry guys, was off for months and had to abandon the plan for few months due to some medical exigency in family and the budget was gone too.
Sorry for not replying to posts.

Now, coming to issue, I'm back at it. But a new confusion has crept in.

I'm getting inclined towards Marantz PM7005/8005. Cheapest online rates i have found is on SAY HIFI .Com for 64k and 81k respectively.

Would have gone for Marantz PM6006 @ 35k, but it doesn't have USB input (PC will be my only player/Source for music).

Audition is not possible due to non availability of dealers here, also I'm unable to travel for audition, so its be blind purchase. hence require your guidance.

My primary requirement is sound quality + ability to play from PC as source. Almost finalised Dali Zensor 3 or 7 for speakers.


1. I have a new dilemma @ these two PM7005/8005 are in price range of some 5.1/7.2 AVRs, How much difference (just a vague approximate % ) in sound quality for music will be there if i go for similarly priced AVR?.

2. Is there anyway I could feed music from PC to Marantz PM6006 without extrenal USB DAC?

3. Anyone has experience buying from SAy HIFI. com online? Is it safe to buy from them online? Do they provide Official Warranty?

Regards.

 

[Rajeshh]

Knightrider,
Ive heard the PM6006 extensively, and i'd suggest that you go for that as opposed to the PM7005/8005 for the following reasons.

1. The PM6006's power @ 45 watts is more than enough for your requirements. (a friend used to drive the ELAC UB5 with this Amp, the Zensors are earlier to drive from specs)
2. The PM6006 is the latest gen, whereas the 7005/8005 is circa 2015. Which means that a)The 7005/8005 is due for refresh. b) The DAC inside the 6006 is probably much better, should you ever use it via optical.
3. The PM8005 has no DAC.

I can see on Hifimart that the PM6006 is going at 35k.
For about 10K you can pick up a Audioquest Dragonfly USB DAC on Amazon India. The Dragonfly Dacs are quite good, and are whathifi mag's pick at the price point.
If you computer is a MAC laptop, the headphone out has a built in optical/Toslink out, in which case you can avoid a outboard DAC altogether.

A few pointers, considering its your 1st Hifi purchase (i'm sure other FMs would have pointed these out too)

1. Fix a budget & stick to it. You will find that your taste will change, and so will your system in a year or so. (mine has some 3 times in the last 12 months )
2. If music is your goal, stick to a 2 channel system.
3. From experience - a 1000$ AVR will be beaten by a half price Stereo Amp from a similar vendor/make.
4. Spend the most on speakers & build your system around the speakers - 60-70% of Budget.
5. Get good quality cables - I have high regards for Monoprice cables, sadly they are not available in India, other FMs may suggest options. - 5%-10% of total system cost.
5. Skip the subwoofer for now, you can add that at a later stage.
6. If you are getting bookshelves, get stands.
7. Your room determines whether a bookshelf or a Floorstander works better (in mine a floorstander overloads bass)
7. As a rule, buy amps with warranty & from India. - They are the most likely components to fail because of power issues.

Sidenote - If you can get the ELAC UB5, id suggest you do so. They will be a clear step up from the Zensor., and will last you a few years and a few amp upgrades., but im not aware of ELAC's Indian pricing.