Need advice on buying my first hifi system

[sagittarianajay]

Thank you sagittarianajay for the info. I was not aware of this showroom. I found some contact details at their page: https://www.watthifi.com/contact-us.html
Are these correct? Otherwise, please do share the details and I will reach out to them.

That is the contact.

Even in Chandigarh there should be HiFi audio system outlets. Google and calls can help you reduce travel time. You can check audioguruji channel on YouTube and Instagram. The channel owner responds within 1 hour.

 

[chander147]

That is the contact.

Even in Chandigarh there should be HiFi audio system outlets. Google and calls can help you reduce travel time. You can check audioguruji channel on YouTube and Instagram. The channel owner responds within 1 hour.

I found 1-2 possible options in Chandigarh. Will check

 

[chander147]

Sorry for the long gap.
I finally got a chance to visit Melody house in Chandigarh. They did not have Marantz 6007 or 7000n in store but said that they would be able to arrange it. Instead, they had Denon pma-600ne in store. In speakers they had Polk Audio ES20 in display as bookshelf speakers. They did not have any Qacoustics speakers They said they also have Elac 5.2.

a) How does Denon pma-600ne compare with Marantz 6007?
b) The dealer also suggested Yamaha RN803 . Although it is discontinued by Yamaha, he said he may be able to arrange. Any thoughts on this amplifier?
b) Any feedback on Polk Audio ES20? I heard some sound test on youtube comparing these speakers with Elac b6.2 and the Polk ES20 actually sounded better to me.
c) They said I can visit again to listen and try. I plan to go soon to try the Denon amplifier with Elac and Polk Audio speakers that they have. Does anyone also know any good dealers in Delhi as I may be visiting Delhi soon.

 

[chander147]

Hello All,

I interacted with a few authorized dealers of various amplifier and speaker brands. Unfortunately, 2 channel hifi is not popular in my region and most of the hifi speakers and amplifiers are not available with the dealers for audition. So I have watched a lot of reviews of both amplifiers (such as NAD, Marantz, Denon, Cambridge) and speakers (Elac, Polk, Qacoustics, PSB, Dali) and enquired about the price of a few products.
Regarding amplifiers, based on the reviews, inputs from fellow forum members, and price, I have shortlisted Denon PMA600NE and Marantz PM6007 to pair with Wiim for streaming. I will buy whichever is more easily available.

Now I need your inputs regarding speakers. I have listened to many online speaker sound tests and gone through a lot of reviews of a limited set of budget bookshelf speakers. I have shortlisted the following (I could not review other brands and speakers, so my survey is nowhere near exhaustive):
a) Elac b5.2 or 6.2 (there are mixed reviews but some reviewers like Cheapaudioman rate b5.2 highly)
b) Polk ES 15 or ES20 (not many reviews available but I liked ES20 in one sound test I could find online on youtube)
c) Qacoustic 3020i (Both Qacoustic 3020i and 3030i are highly rated. I would prefer 3030i from among these two but looks like it is too large for the space available to me. I describe the room space below)
d) Dali Oberon 1 or 3 (reviews say Dali Oberon 3 may be better but again I may run into space issues)
e) PSB Imagine XB (again highly rated but seems to be most costly compared to the above speakers)

I will be using the hifi system in the living room or in the bedroom. I have attached a pic of the two rooms' plan (Bedroom A and Living room B). My home is not designed for hifi and I don't have a dedicated space/room for music listening. I went through a lot of videos on speaker placement wherein it is recommended to keep bookshelf speakers on stands and some inches away from wall (irrespective of whether the speaker is front or rear-ported). But currently, I have no space to keep such stands and will need to place the speakers on shelves made for traditional LCD setups in Indian homes. So essentially the speakers will be kept close to the wall.

Keeping this view, which speakers (from the above shortlist or otherwise) should I go for that can provide a good listening experience in my situation? The main requirements are:
a) speakers would need to be kept close to the wall on a shelf due to space issue
b) speakers should not be tiring to listen to over a long duration (I suppose in hifi terminology, they should not sound "bright"?) but still should be suitable for the room sizes and arrangement as shown in the attached pic.
c) Music would be mostly old Hindi songs, Indian classical, and on some rare occasions, western classical


Thank you for inputs again !

 

[argho]

Marantz amps pair well with Dali speakers.
I would reccomend the Maraantz PM6007 + Dal Oberon 1 combo.

I have not heard the Denon PMA-600NE, but Denon amps are fairly well regarded.

The Q Acoustic 3020i will be a better buy than the Polk ES 20.

If your only option is Polk, try and audition the Polk R100 or Polk R200.

 

[Yogesh]

Within your budget, you are on right track.

Streamer - Get a Wiim. (pre loved also available freely)
Amp - Denon 600, Marantz 6007.
Speakers - Also have a look at QA 3030i and Indiq Diamond Mishra.

This combo will be well within your budget.

 

[Phew]

@chander147 you can read up about the new yamaha amps recently launched, the yamaha r-n600a appears to be a decent all in one amplifier. For speakers the psb xb is more expensive because it's a segment above the rest, the psb alpha p5 will be more in line with your other options in price and sound. The price the psb xb is being offered is a no brainer.

 

[chander147]

Within your budget, you are on right track.

Streamer - Get a Wiim. (pre loved also available freely)
Amp - Denon 600, Marantz 6007.
Speakers - Also have a look at QA 3030i and Indiq Diamond Mishra.

This combo will be well within your budget.

Thanks Yogesh. Yes Q3030i may be better than Q2020i but it is too big for my bookshelves Qcosutic speakers physically have a lot of depth

 

[chander147]

Marantz amps pair well with Dali speakers.
I would reccomend the Maraantz PM6007 + Dal Oberon 1 combo.

I have not heard the Denon PMA-600NE, but Denon amps are fairly well regarded.

The Q Acoustic 3020i will be a better buy than the Polk ES 20.

If your only option is Polk, try and audition the Polk R100 or Polk R200.

Thanks argho. No I don't need to stick to Polk. Do you think any of Dali Oberon 1 or Q3020i would be fine in terms of keeping them pacrtcially right next to wall?

 

[Yogesh]

Thanks Yogesh. Yes Q3030i may be better than Q2020i but it is too big for my bookshelves Qcosutic speakers physically have a lot of depth

Are you open to Indiq? I own them and love them.

 

[argho]

Thanks argho. No I don't need to stick to Polk. Do you think any of Dali Oberon 1 or Q3020i would be fine in terms of keeping them pacrtcially right next to wall?

Should be fine. You will need to use the port plugs.

 

[Analogous]

Thanks argho. No I don't need to stick to Polk. Do you think any of Dali Oberon 1 or Q3020i would be fine in terms of keeping them pacrtcially right next to wall?

This might help you figure it out

How close should speakers be to the wall?

How close should I place my speakers be to the back wall? We answer this question in Dynaudio Ask the Expert.

dynaudio.com

 

[chander147]

Its been a long time coming in terms of my search to buy my first hifi system but I was finally able to audition two bookshelf speakers at a dealer: q acoustics 3010i and Elac debut b5.2. They were paired with the amplifier Denon PMA 600 NE. I listened with the amplifier tonal controls off and with the bass knob slightly increased. I liked the q acoustics 3010i better as their sound seemed more natural and open comparatively. They sounded especially better with the bass knob slightly increased. Since q acoustic 3020i are slightly larger and I expect a bit more bass from them than 3010i, I think I will go with 3020i based on my good experience with 3010i. The 3020i are about 7k costlier than 3010i.

Now coming to the amplifier, I need to decide between Denon PMA 600 NE and Marantz PM6007. I wanted to audition Marantz but it is not available at any of the dealers in my region. Although both have very similar specs (except additional Bluetooth in Denon which I don't care about), the PM6007 is nearly 35% more costly than PMA600NE as per the price quoted by the dealer! I did not expect such a big difference in price between the two. I had made up my mind to go for PM6007 but now rethinking after seeing the price difference. Not sure why Maratnz is so much more costly but one reason could be that the Denon amplifier here is a demo unit and is already available with the dealer.

Is it worth spending the extra money for PM6007 or shall I just go for PMA600NE?
Also, I have seen in some reviews that the volume control of PMA600NE via the physical knob and via the remote is not easy. Instead of increasing gradually, volume suddenly increases while turning the volume knob or pressing the volume button on remote. Has someone experienced this issue? I did not know about this while auditioning and so did not check this.

 

[argho]

If you can afford it, go for the Marantz. Its an amp that will keep you happy for many years.

 

[Analogous]

I understand you asked about two specific amplifiers. You also indicated it’s for your first Hifi setup. You also have asked this in a self selected group of people who share a passion and interest in Hifi.

A few thoughts for your consideration:

Listen to a variety of set ups and then decide. If possible a mix of sales outlets (audio demos +salesmen), audio enthusiasts (eg: Forum members in your town) and try to understand what good audio means. I am sure if you reach out a few FM in Pune would be happy to share their insights with you.

in my experience one component alone does not create great audio playback quality. There are several threads on a variety of aspects here and elsewhere online. Investing time and effort reading, discussing and understanding woul be worthwhile.

The easy-lazy approach could also work. it all depends on what you are looking for.
if you have only heard a Marantz PM 6007 and liked it then you can get it. But there is a whole audio world there to be discovered if you are interested.

 

[chander147]

I understand you asked about two specific amplifiers. You also indicated it’s for your first Hifi setup. You also have asked this in a self selected group of people who share a passion and interest in Hifi.

A few thoughts for your consideration:

Listen to a variety of set ups and then decide. If possible a mix of sales outlets (audio demos +salesmen), audio enthusiasts (eg: Forum members in your town) and try to understand what good audio means. I am sure if you reach out a few FM in Pune would be happy to share their insights with you.

in my experience one component alone does not create great audio playback quality. There are several threads on a variety of aspects here and elsewhere online. Investing time and effort reading, discussing and understanding woul be worthwhile.

The easy-lazy approach could also work. it all depends on what you are looking for.
if you have only heard a Marantz PM 6007 and liked it then you can get it. But there is a whole audio world there to be discovered if you are interested.

Thank you Analogous for your suggestion. But Unfortunately in my region 2 channel hifi is not popular and so dealers do not keep many components in stock. So I can only audition limited set of options. Rest I depend on advice I get here and the reviews available online.

 

[chander147]

Hello All,

Finally went ahead with wiim pro + marantz pm6007 + Q acoustics 3020i. I set up the system today and it sounds great!

Thanks a lot for all your inputs!

 

[argho]

Hello All,

Finally went ahead with wiim pro + marantz pm6007 + Q acoustics 3020i. I set up the system today and it sounds great!

Thanks a lot for all your inputs!

Hope you have connected the Wiim to the Marantz using digital optical.

The DAC in the Marantz should be better than in the Wiim.

 

[ShaQ.Blogs]

Hello All,

Finally went ahead with wiim pro + marantz pm6007 + Q acoustics 3020i. I set up the system today and it sounds great!

Thanks a lot for all your inputs!

What's the damage...?
Can you share the breakup, would help others in need.

 

[EswarReddy]

Hello All,

Finally went ahead with wiim pro + marantz pm6007 + Q acoustics 3020i. I set up the system today and it sounds great!

Thanks a lot for all your inputs!

Congratulations. Give some time for burn in.