Sony Walkman with Marshall Speaker?

[Shivam]

I need a simple music solution for my living room. I am planning to opt for a Marshall Stanmore II (either Bluetooth or Voice version) with a portable player to feed music to it. For the player I am planning to opt for Sony Walkman NW-A55 or maybe a Fiio M6. My budget for both speaker and player is less than INR 50000. Lower the better!

I will be listening to Jazz, Blues, Oldies, Country, Old Rock (very rarely though) and maybe some western classics (small ensembles, no symphony orchestras or similar). Most of my listening will be at below-average volumes.

Any recommendations for other alternatives or anything I should be looking at? I am very new to this Bluetooth music scene. So consider me a beginner in this.

 

[fLUX]

I need a simple music solution for my living room. I am planning to opt for a Marshall Stanmore II (either Bluetooth or Voice version) with a portable player to feed music to it. For the player I am planning to opt for Sony Walkman NW-A55 or maybe a Fiio M6. My budget for both speaker and player is less than INR 50000. Lower the better!

I will be listening to Jazz, Blues, Oldies, Country, Old Rock (very rarely though) and maybe some western classics (small ensembles, no symphony orchestras or similar). Most of my listening will be at below-average volumes.

Any recommendations for other alternatives or anything I should be looking at? I am very new to this Bluetooth music scene. So consider me a beginner in this.

Are you planning to use the Stanmore wired or via bluetooth ? The Stanmore are wonderful and when I demoed alternative at a similar price range i found the JBL/Harman Kardan and other offerings to be not as good as the stanmore.

If you are looking for a DAP to pair along look at the Hiby R3/Hiby R3 Pro as they are much more smoother UI wise and have very good UX in comparison to Fiio. They provide all the popular streaming apps by default and support bi-directional bluetooth.

 

[moktan]

I have a Marshall Kilburn 1 with gorgeous retro looks. The sound isn’t really hifi though it does pack a punch and goes reasonably low for its small size. Being a Marshall rock sounds good in it.

 

[Shivam]

Are you planning to use the Stanmore wired or via bluetooth ? The Stanmore are wonderful and when I demoed alternative at a similar price range i found the JBL/Harman Kardan and other offerings to be not as good as the stanmore.

If you are looking for a DAP to pair along look at the Hiby R3/Hiby R3 Pro as they are much more smoother UI wise and have very good UX in comparison to Fiio. They provide all the popular streaming apps by default and support bi-directional bluetooth.

Thanks for the information. I am planning to connect via Bluetooth but I am totally fine with a wired connection too. I'll surely check out those alternatives. Apart from UI, how does sound quality defer across these? By the way, most of my music is in FLAC files (from my CD and LP collection).

 

[Shivam]

I have a Marshall Kilburn 1 with gorgeous retro looks. The sound isn’t really hifi though it does pack a punch and goes reasonably low for its small size. Being a Marshall rock sounds good in it.

What exactly do you miss or notice when you say that the sound isn't really hifi? Can you recommend any other alternatives around that price range?

 

[moktan]

What exactly do you miss or notice when you say that the sound isn't really hifi? Can you recommend any other alternatives around that price range?

Its lacks imaging, resolution, soundstage .. I don’t have much experience with hi end hifi but the sound isn’t anywhere what I get from my primary listening system , which is understandable..

 

[fLUX]

Thanks for the information. I am planning to connect via Bluetooth but I am totally fine with a wired connection too. I'll surely check out those alternatives. Apart from UI, how does sound quality defer across these? By the way, most of my music is in FLAC files (from my CD and LP collection).

The Hiby R3 is based on ESS DACs , sound signature is neutral /warm whereas Fiio is based on AKM and has a more pronounced treble region (observations based on IEM/HP usage). There are many options with well regarding in that price range - Hiby R3 Pro/R3, Fiio M6/M7 , Shanling M2X and Sony NWA55

What exactly do you miss or notice when you say that the sound isn't really hifi? Can you recommend any other alternatives around that price range?

Cant compare Hifi stereo setup to a single box setup like Marshall Stanmore which is aimed at providing portability/aesthetics/decent sound as a package. The Stanmore would fill your room with good amount of sound and details , wont really have the imaging/layering/details you can expect out of a stereo bookshelf setup. Alternatives would be to get active studio monitors which are well received like Presonus Eris 3.5 or the likes (check Bajaao.com) and use your DAP as the source.

 

[saketgyani]

How about an Allo Boss Player with Mackie CR5BT or some Edifier bookshelves?
Will definitely be cheaper and better sounding.

 

[Shivam]

How about an Allo Boss Player with Mackie CR5BT or some Edifier bookshelves?
Will definitely be cheaper and better sounding.

This is not my main system. It's going to be something for the living room and looks are as important as sound. The only permission that I have got from my family is for a single speaker kept on top of a shelf.

The Hiby R3 is based on ESS DACs , sound signature is neutral /warm whereas Fiio is based on AKM and has a more pronounced treble region (observations based on IEM/HP usage). There are many options with well regarding in that price range - Hiby R3 Pro/R3, Fiio M6/M7 , Shanling M2X and Sony NWA55



Cant compare Hifi stereo setup to a single box setup like Marshall Stanmore which is aimed at providing portability/aesthetics/decent sound as a package. The Stanmore would fill your room with good amount of sound and details , wont really have the imaging/layering/details you can expect out of a stereo bookshelf setup. Alternatives would be to get active studio monitors which are well received like Presonus Eris 3.5 or the likes (check Bajaao.com) and use your DAP as the source.

I also don't expect imaging, layering, soundstage from a single speaker placed in a compromised location. I'll check out the studio monitors too. Thanks for the suggestion. However, I'll have to use just one of them and not a stereo setup.

 

[fLUX]

If you are getting a single one I would still recommend to go for Marshall Stanmore, looks very neat and i too have kept it in the living room (picture attached fyr) .

 

[moktan]

My Kilburn in my small living room ..