Marantz v. Emotiva v. Someone else? Need help!

[J-Mac]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to make my first Martin Logan purchase within the next two months or so. I'm most likely going with a pair of theos for my fronts, a stage for the center, a pair of motion fx2's for the SR's and the descent for the sub. I would like to get the correct power for this system and i am no expert by any means, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I really want to do separates but my budget really only allows for me to get in on the entry level. I was thinking at first going with the Marantz AV7005 for my pre and getting the MM7055 for the power. Phone calls to both Martin Logan and Marantz has me a little skeptical about that choice with the 4ohm rating on the ML speakers. A sales rep from Martin Logan told me to check out Emotiva as he had heard good things and it was sufficient power for 4ohm speakers. After some research i'm getting mixed reviews. I was hoping someone on here would be able to make my choice a little more clear for me.

With Emotiva i was looking at the UMC-1 and XPA-5, but the UMC-1 seemed to have a lot of complaints. Further research and then i thought about using the Marantz AV7005 for the pre and the XPA-5 for the power. Does anyone know if the XPA-5 4ohm rating of 300w all channels driven is inflated at all from Emotiva's website? What does anyone think about these options? I'm open to other brands in a similar price range and any suggestions. I really want to place that order for the speakers, but refuse to pull the trigger until i have my power situation figured out. Thanks everyone!

 

[shakham]

The Marantz AV7005 is a good choice based on what I have read (reviews & comments). I'm planning on getting one too. It's a great blend of technology and quality.

For the amp, you can also consider a used Sunfire. They can handle a dead short and are easily 2ohm stable. Probably the same price as the XPA-5. Used for amps work well as their technology hasn't really changed that much, and a good quality brand is almost bulletproof.

 

[J-Mac]

The Marantz AV7005 is a good choice based on what I have read (reviews & comments). I'm planning on getting one too. It's a great blend of technology and quality.

For the amp, you can also consider a used Sunfire. They can handle a dead short and are easily 2ohm stable. Probably the same price as the XPA-5. Used for amps work well as their technology hasn't really changed that much, and a good quality brand is almost bulletproof.

Thanks shakham,

I can't get Marantz to give me an honest answer as to whether they will be updating the AV7005 soon or not. They have recently rolled out their new receiver line, so i was hoping they would update their separates as well. I'll look into finding a sunfire, thanks for the input.

 

[vette69]

I am running a HK 7550HD in a pre-pro front config with a Emotiva XPA-2 for the LR channels driving Vistas...the predecessor to the Theos. the HK drives the rear and center but my focus is mainly 2 channel. I can speak to the XPA-2 dealing with the 4 ohm load of the Vistas. I have no problem driving the Vistas to high levels with no stress, distortion, heat or other problems. The XPA-2 is rated at 500 Watts into 4 ohms. Diffrent than the XPA-5, but a similar design. For what it is worth, I have never reached the limits of the XPA-2 nor had a problem with this amp in over 2 years of daily use.

 

[Northy]

J-Mac, that is a great shopping list. Theos will be my next front speakers also. An advantage of this speaker is bi-amplification. That means, among other options, you can connect two seperate amplifiers that sound different to this speaker. Many users including myself on this forum recommend hooking up a solid state amp to drive the woofer. Choices would be brands suchs as Bryston, Adcom, Krell, etc. which exert tight control over the driver resulting in taut, accurate low frequency. For the panel, you could go with tube amps or solid state ones that mimick tube amps without the fuss of maintaining or replacing the vaccum valves on a periodic basis.

I currently have a 5-channel Adcom amp which will drive the bass driver of the Theos. I will also buy a Pass Lab amp. They are pricey but worth every penny. I have the X150.5 model in mind which is the chepest in the lineup. You could get one used for around $2,500 on Audiogon.com.

Lastly, do not under-power your Stage centre channel. I have the Matinee. ML Stat centre speakers deserve a lot of high quality power. You would be rewardered with great home theatre / surround music reproduction.

Please share your impressions once your system is all setup.

 

[J-Mac]

Vette69,

That's not a bad idea, i didn't think of going with a pre-pro that could power the other speakers if i wanted to increase my amplification on the theos themselves. Maybe i should do that and then by another amp when i have the money for the center and SR's. I have been told the stage should most definitely be amplified separately so maybe i should consider an xpa-3 off the bat if it offers more wattage at 4ohm versus the xpa-5. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for the information.

 

[J-Mac]

J-Mac, that is a great shopping list. Theos will be my next front speakers also. An advantage of this speaker is bi-amplification. That means, among other options, you can connect two seperate amplifiers that sound different to this speaker. Many users including myself on this forum recommend hooking up a solid state amp to drive the woofer. Choices would be brands suchs as Bryston, Adcom, Krell, etc. which exert tight control over the driver resulting in taut, accurate low frequency. For the panel, you could go with tube amps or solid state ones that mimick tube amps without the fuss of maintaining or replacing the vaccum valves on a periodic basis.

I currently have a 5-channel Adcom amp which will drive the bass driver of the Theos. I will also buy a Pass Lab amp. They are pricey but worth every penny. I have the X150.5 model in mind which is the chepest in the lineup. You could get one used for around $2,500 on Audiogon.com.

Lastly, do not under-power your Stage centre channel. I have the Matinee. ML Stat centre speakers deserve a lot of high quality power. You would be rewardered with great home theatre / surround music reproduction.

Please share your impressions once your system is all setup.

Northy,

I wondered about the bi-amping i saw that was a possibility on the theos. Is there that much of a difference when going that route versus standard amplification. I've heard mixed things about bi-amping. I would have to look more into the details to figure out the best way to do it. I'll check into the amps that you suggested. Believe me once i make the final decision on this amplification situation i will be putting that speaker order through and getting everything set up. I'll share once i accomplish that