Suggestion for DAC with Marantz PM6004

[Somtirtha]

Hi I am a newbie here, I am getting Marantz PM6004 with KEF Q300. But I am confused with the DAC. I have two options Arcam rDac and Cambridge audio Dacmagic. I was all settled for Arcam one, but some of my friend told me Marantz PM6004 is warm and Arcam rDac is bass heavy, so my ultimate system might get too much bass. Now I am confused. Is there anyone in this forum who use Marantz PM6004 with Arcam rDAC? Pls help me to sort this thing out!:sad::sad:

 

[thebronzecat]

Hy,

I too have the Marantz pm6004 amp, getting the same Kef Q300 speakers soon.
Here's my take on the Dac situation as I almost bought the Cambridge Dacmagic I started to wonder...
would you really spend 300 on a audio "converter" your amplifier costs that much!
Now, I'm guessing you're connecting it to a pc/laptop.
At the moment I'm using the Iconnex Usb Soundcard, (Products - iKey Audio) which was recommended to me by a specialist retailer. What it does, it gives a line level output to the apm bypassing the on-board soundcard of a computer.
The beauty of it is that it only costs 40 euros.

The sound can not be made better by up-scaling the bit rate or sampling rate.
It can only be as good as the source. What could the Arcam rDac do with a 16-bit 128kbps mp3? Nothing. And would you need a 300 hardware to play your flac music which is 24-bit in depth and goes at 999kbps?
I agree that Dac's make the music sound different, but is it really improved?
Think about that.
To give you a paralell example, you take a picture with a 0.9 megapixel camera, and try to zoom in on it, you wont get far until you can see the pixels. That is low resolution, now there's no software or hardware on earth that can make your low resolution picture razor sharp poster sized.
But take that picture with a 20 megapixel camera, and you already have a poster sized picture. It's high resolution.


So, the source matters the most imo.

ps. what stands are you using with the Kef's


Regards,

 

[jaudere]

I don not know about either of the DACs but I cannot call Marantz as warm. I have pm 6002 myself . In generla, I have seen that the sound signature of Marantz is considered to be slighly toward bright side where as I consider it as neutral.

 

[tirthankar]

To give you a paralell example, you take a picture with a 0.9 megapixel camera, and try to zoom in on it, you wont get far until you can see the pixels. That is low resolution, now there's no software or hardware on earth that can make your low resolution picture razor sharp poster sized.
But take that picture with a 20 megapixel camera, and you already have a poster sized picture. It's high resolution.
,

What happens if you take a 20 megapixel picture with the tiny sensor present in most pocket sized digital cameras? You get a poster sized picture which when you blow up, is filled with chroma and luminous noise artifacts which ruin the photo.

A dac is as good as the digital signal fed to it. If you play 128 kbps mp3 then a high quality dac is a waste. But if you play higher resolution flac then the cheap dacs won't have the resolution needed to pull out all the musical information from the digital signal. You will see minute, if any, difference between a low bitrate mp3 and a lossless flac with a poor dac, while a high quality one will show it as day and night. The more resolving your system is, the better you perceive the difference.
Speakers and amps dont deal with digital signal of a flac or mp3 but with the analog signal generated by the dac. A dac is more than just a converter, it is a cobverter AND a generator. Using a lower quality dac with good amps and speakers is injustice to the latter.
A good dac doesn't make music sound different. It makes it sound closer to the original signal present in the source file. Source quality is of paramount importance, but without a dac resolving enough, you won't get what is there in the source.
A quality audio system does not add anything to the music, but it doesn't remove anything either.

OP: the rdac is considered a warm dac with good resolution and detail but slightly less dynamics. Marantz in the other hand is not considered warm, but has with a warmer midrange than other amps of its class with articulate highs. So as FM jaudere says, it can be called neutral, but not warm.
What sort of music do you listen to? If you like a lot of rock and heavy metal stuff, the rdac may not be the best choice.

 

[raghavkrishna17]

Hi Guys

I have Marantz OM 6004 and i too am looking for a DAC..please let me know which DAC u guys bought and how was your experience...i am looking for a warmer sound as im into a lot of classic rock.

Thanks

 

[jerin]

you can consider Schiit modi as well which is a under 120$ to your list.
I am using schiit Modi as of now along with Denon PMA510AE and KEFQ300 and I think its on the warmer side(its my perspective)...While auditioning I felt the Marantz with Jamo (with out Schiit) to be on the brighter side which pulled me away from Marantz. So cant comment on how Marantz+KEF+Schiit Modi will go.

 

[raghavkrishna17]

where did u buy one and moreover how did u audition it.

 

[jerin]

I got the Schiit Modi from US and I didnt get a chance to audition it before buying. it was purchase done purely based on positive reviews.
Regarding the Marantz Jamo Combination I heard it in Cinebels Bangalore.

 

[randhir_s]

I have audio gd NFB 15 with Marantz PM6004 and the combination is very nice

 

[amit_s]

I have been a silent reader of this forum. After knowing the concept of DAC, I baught audio gd NFB11. The texture it adds to sound is excellent to my ears. Doesn't feel like leaving up while listening. Recently, installed audiophile Linux on my laptop and high frequency notes became more pleasant. Even bollywood songs of 80s and 90s mp3 190 kbps sound very good. This was the only DAC fitting in my budget. Total landing cost was around 27k.

 

[sound_cycle]

Deleted .

 

[noblejose]

Hey, I know its an old thread! But I'm using the same setup with Cambridge Audio DACMAGIC PLUS. Sounds awesome!

Once you listen to any good DAC, you'll believe the kind of details that you're getting is worth the money and effort! Do listen to a good DAC (irDAC, Schiit, CA Dacmagic Plus, rega dac, etc) before comparing 20MP vs 2MP images/ cameras etc.

 

[panditji]

Do try a Chord 2Qute if possible also...you will not need an external power supply or USB noise cleaner ...Simple one small unit solution with fantastic detail retrieval.