I am new to home theatre so I will appologize now if this has been asked before. I have just finished a family room 16x27. What I have read here over the last while has led me to the marantz 5400. My local dealer carries Misson and PSB. I am not really familiar with either. These are the combinations I listened to. I thought they were pretty similiar, but I need to go back with some of my own music to test further.
Mission M34 towers and M3C2 center
PSB Image 4T towers and Image 8C center
I know sound is a personal choice but I would appreciate any comments or experience people may have on these set-ups. If there are other brands of speakers that match with Marantz better please let me know. Thanks for the help.
I will be adding matching rear and sub to either set-up also.
At Homecinema-FR some people have Cambridge Audio 540R + Mission combo and they praise it very much. The CA isn't sonically too different from the Marantz, so the Missions could be a good match.
When selecting a center speaker you should make sure that it uses the very same drivers than the mains. Otherwise it will sound different and spoil the front soundfield.
A couple of experiences with older and inferior SR4300 (I think technology is similar, unless we're talking audio enhanced SR5400 OSE):
- Fairly linear frequency response, which allows focusing on match speakers versus room acoustics. - Distortion on low volumes, a typical electrical phenomenon for cheap-o amps. If you don't like to play it loud, It might be better to go for receiver with lesser Watts or even speakers with fewer dBs. The idea is to make amp work moderately hard.
The Marantz I would characterize as a very neutral receiver (it has dynamics, but is not dynamic if that makes any sense). It's pretty flat and some would say a bit dull (although I enjoy the sound). The Missions should be exciting and dynamic and pretty accurate. The PSBs should be natural, neutral, and extremely flat. I think the Missions and the Marantz would be a better match.
Alot of people like the Mission/Marantz pairing. The laid back nature of the Marantz go well with the forward delivery of Mission speakers. I think the PSB's would be better suited to something like an NAD receiver.
Mark P
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Thanks for th help. One more question. I have read here that Paradigm is not a good match for marantz, but in the case of the sub, does it matter? I have found a great deal on a PS1000. A friend has the same sub and I found it very impressive. The matching mission sub only goes to 35 HZ while the Paradigm goes down to 22, Any comments on which way to go? Thanks
The PS1000 sub is fine and so is the Marantz SR5400. It is a great step up from the 5300 much better output with all channels driven. The Mission's slightly forward sound will be a fairly decent match for the Marantz.