landmanmj Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 currently running a marantz 1060 integrated amp. sound is amazing, but hoping to find something with a similar sound but a little more power. sounds excellent with volume up to about half, but once you get over halfway im getting alot of back ground noise. does anyone have any recomendations? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticotico Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 id sell it and look for a power/pre amp combo. ive been content with NAD as far as the combos go. but that marantz looks lovely i will admit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 yes it does look lovely and it sounds incredible but its only pushing 30 watts, my speakers are 120 w speakers, dont get me wrong if im just jamming it inside the house it sounds fantastic, but being as how its summertime and im doing alot of grilling outside and like to rock it while washing cars, id just like something pushing a bit more juice so i can turn it up loud enough to hear it while im messing around outside without the extra noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Getting this sound quality with more power will cost you a lot, you're looking at $500 minimum. Unless you decide to go vintage again. From the Marantz line you can find models 1120, 1150, 1180 and 1200 for up to $350, while the top two models (1250 and 1300) would cost you a few grand. You can calculate the output power from the model name, you take away the first "1", then split the remaining number in half. That's the power per channel. Those would naturally be the closest to your 1060 sound-wise. For newer equipment, I'd recommend something from top of the line at Cambridge Audio. You can find a used CA 840A for a bit over $500, while the 740A sells for maybe $80 less. Both amazing amps, with heaps of power. If you'd like to stay with Marantz, nothing below the PM8003/8004 is really worth looking at. I have no idea what they'd go for on the used market, but I'm guessing no less than $600. There are also some really good offerings from NAD, a 370 sells for around $400, and the newer 755BEE should go for roughly the same. A used Rega MIRA would set you back $50 more. Though the Rega lacks power in comparison with others. If you want to buy something brand new, there's little chance you'd get the wanted power in this price range without it sounding like crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I used to love my 1060, perfect bedroom integrated. Anything more than that, it was a little weak. You said background noise... in what input? Phono or all? If its phono, you could always buy a better preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 I used to love my 1060, perfect bedroom integrated. Anything more than that, it was a little weak. You said background noise... in what input? Phono or all? If its phono, you could always buy a better preamp. yeah ive only used it for phono, you know what i mean? when the volume gets to a certain point you can hear this noise coming through the speakers, kinda hard to explain what it sounds like, but i dont hear it until i get the volume a little past halfway, then i can turn it down a little and its gone, so im wondering if its from the amp not having enough power for the speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Getting this sound quality with more power will cost you a lot, you're looking at $500 minimum. Unless you decide to go vintage again. From the Marantz line you can find models 1120, 1150, 1180 and 1200 for up to $350, while the top two models (1250 and 1300) would cost you a few grand. You can calculate the output power from the model name, you take away the first "1", then split the remaining number in half. That's the power per channel. Those would naturally be the closest to your 1060 sound-wise.For newer equipment, I'd recommend something from top of the line at Cambridge Audio. You can find a used CA 840A for a bit over $500, while the 740A sells for maybe $80 less. Both amazing amps, with heaps of power. If you'd like to stay with Marantz, nothing below the PM8003/8004 is really worth looking at. I have no idea what they'd go for on the used market, but I'm guessing no less than $600. There are also some really good offerings from NAD, a 370 sells for around $400, and the newer 755BEE should go for roughly the same. A used Rega MIRA would set you back $50 more. Though the Rega lacks power in comparison with others. If you want to buy something brand new, there's little chance you'd get the wanted power in this price range without it sounding like crap. awesome thanks for the help. ill definitely stick with vintage and more than likely marantz, i love the sound and everyone that uses marantz seem to say the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 I used to love my 1060, perfect bedroom integrated. Anything more than that, it was a little weak. You said background noise... in what input? Phono or all? If its phono, you could always buy a better preamp. yeah ive only used it for phono, you know what i mean? when the volume gets to a certain point you can hear this noise coming through the speakers, kinda hard to explain what it sounds like, but i dont hear it until i get the volume a little past halfway, then i can turn it down a little and its gone, so im wondering if its from the amp not having enough power for the speakers It has nothing to do with amp power or speakers. It has to do with the preamp. So you can get another phono preamp or a whole new integrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 awesome thanks for the help. ill definitely stick with vintage and more than likely marantz, i love the sound and everyone that uses marantz seem to say the same thing Awesome, if you do decide to get a new (old) marantz post it here, I'm a huge fan of vintage marantz equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 yeah ive only used it for phono, you know what i mean? when the volume gets to a certain point you can hear this noise coming through the speakers, kinda hard to explain what it sounds like, but i dont hear it until i get the volume a little past halfway, then i can turn it down a little and its gone, so im wondering if its from the amp not having enough power for the speakers It has nothing to do with amp power or speakers. It has to do with the preamp. So you can get another phono preamp or a whole new integrated. i was under the impression running a preamp with the integrated wasnt going to make a difference, is that wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Yes it is wrong. You can run a separate preamp through you're integrated amp and it wil make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 It has nothing to do with amp power or speakers. It has to do with the preamp. So you can get another phono preamp or a whole new integrated. i was under the impression running a preamp with the integrated wasnt going to make a difference, is that wrong? Given the nature of phono stages - the amount of gain in the signal path - there's always going to be some level of hiss or white noise. Of course some are quieter than others, but crank it up the volume enough and stick your ear to the speaker and chances are you'll hear something ... even if it's faint. As long as that noise isn't interfering with the music at normal listening levels, you'll be just fine. It's hard to tell you any more without hearing it for myself, but it doesn't seem like it's affecting the enjoyment of your system. Having said that, as much as I love vintage equipment, I'm a big proponent of people upgrading to a standalone pre-amp. There's a lot of great vintage amps with nice, enjoyable phono stages, but a even a new, moderately priced preamp (Cambridge Audio 640p, Musical Fidelity V-LPS MKII or the Hagerman Bugle, for example) is going to be an upgrade in sound quality. Unless your amp has been serviced / recapped, you've got components inside that probably aren't performing as well as they were 30-40 years ago. Capacitors, transistors, op-amps, resistors, etc etc ... it's quality stuff inside your Marantz, but they still tend to wear down over time. As to your original question about upgrading your amp, if you like the Marantz 1060, look for another Marantz integrated higher up in the food chain as Slinch mentioned. I'm also a big fan of vintage Luxman amps. Sansui, Yamaha and even Sony made some great stuff in the 70s. You can do lots of research here ... http://www.thevintageknob.org/ http://www.classic-audio.com And let me just throw out one more idea; I don't know what speakers you're using, but maybe consider spending your money on a more efficient pair? It will take much less power to make a speaker with an efficiency of 94 db SPL (Sound Pressure Level) get loud than one with an efficiency of 88 db SPL. Basically, your Marantz certainly isn't a beast or anything, but it shouldn't have any problem making an efficient pair of speakers get sufficiently loud. Your speakers may say 120 watts, but that's the limit. More than likely, they're probably rated at something like 15 RMS min - 120 RMS max. At the end of the day, I guess it just depends on how big your back yard is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 Yes it is wrong. You can run a separate preamp through you're integrated amp and it wil make a difference. a difference as far as increasing output? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 i was under the impression running a preamp with the integrated wasnt going to make a difference, is that wrong? Given the nature of phono stages - the amount of gain in the signal path - there's always going to be some level of hiss or white noise. Of course some are quieter than others, but crank it up the volume enough and stick your ear to the speaker and chances are you'll hear something ... even if it's faint. As long as that noise isn't interfering with the music at normal listening levels, you'll be just fine. It's hard to tell you any more without hearing it for myself, but it doesn't seem like it's affecting the enjoyment of your system. Having said that, as much as I love vintage equipment, I'm a big proponent of people upgrading to a standalone pre-amp. There's a lot of great vintage amps with nice, enjoyable phono stages, but a even a new, moderately priced preamp (Cambridge Audio 640p, Musical Fidelity V-LPS MKII or the Hagerman Bugle, for example) is going to be an upgrade in sound quality. Unless your amp has been serviced / recapped, you've got components inside that probably aren't performing as well as they were 30-40 years ago. Capacitors, transistors, op-amps, resistors, etc etc ... it's quality stuff inside your Marantz, but they still tend to wear down over time. As to your original question about upgrading your amp, if you like the Marantz 1060, look for another Marantz integrated higher up in the food chain as Slinch mentioned. I'm also a big fan of vintage Luxman amps. Sansui, Yamaha and even Sony made some great stuff in the 70s. You can do lots of research here ... http://www.thevintageknob.org/ http://www.classic-audio.com And let me just throw out one more idea; I don't know what speakers you're using, but maybe consider spending your money on a more efficient pair? It will take much less power to make a speaker with an efficiency of 94 db SPL (Sound Pressure Level) get loud than one with an efficiency of 88 db SPL. Basically, your Marantz certainly isn't a beast or anything, but it shouldn't have any problem making an efficient pair of speakers get sufficiently loud. Your speakers may say 120 watts, but that's the limit. More than likely, they're probably rated at something like 15 RMS min - 120 RMS max. At the end of the day, I guess it just depends on how big your back yard is! the noise is definitely noticable at a higher volume, you dont have to stick your ear to the speaker to hear it. im using 120w sony speakers, which sound suprisingly good considering i was going to go with a piar of klipsch. ill probably start tracking down a marantz with a bit more juice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 or if using a preamp as ajxd is suggesting will boost output, then ill go that route. im not trying to throw a block party or nothing but id like to be able to turn it to where i can hear it crisply while in my driveway washing the car or manning the grill as i mentioned earlier. again no problems at all while listening to it inside the house, just that when i crank it up to do said outside activities im getting the noise. and your gain commment helps explain it alot, thats exactly what it sounds like, when you crank the gain up on your amp before playing anything(guitar amp i mean) thats exactly like the noise im getting at the higher volume level Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landmanmj Posted May 17, 2012 Author Share Posted May 17, 2012 well maybe not exactly but pretty close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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