PinoyDVD: The Pinoy Digital Video & Devices Community
Home Theater => Audio => Speakers => Topic started by: raptor on Nov 23, 2020 at 07:55 PM
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Hi PDVD Gurus,
I'm highly considering buying a pair of MartinLogan Motion 20 tower speakers as there is a big discount for display units. I would like to setup a HiFi system (just stereo for music listening, not AV). I'm considering either Cambridge Audio AXR100 or Marantz NR1200 for my stereo amp. Those amps go for 27.5k and 34k respectively - that is within my target budget of up to 35k. My sources would be purely digital - FLAC files from USB, Spotify, and I'll be trying out Tidal when I have acquired the system.
The Cambridge Audio AXR100 looks to be solid and has good reviews but its features are limited. For my digital sources, it only has optical/coax inputs and Bluetooth. If I decide to get this one, I plan to use my Xbox One X as my digital music source, plus the Bletooth for streaming music from my phone. Forgot to mention that it also has an AM/FM receiver.
The Marantz NR1200 is an all-in-one network receiver and stereo amp. I can simply plug a USB storage or stream from Spotify/Tidal with this unit. This looks to have all that I'm looking for, except that it has a lower power output than the Cambridge Audio - it has 80W per channel, compared to 100W for the Cambridge Audio. The other thing is that there are very few reviews available for this one that is really convincing. I'm also worried that sound quality may have been sacrificed with the added features that they have. The advantage for this one is that it will be a standalone for me, no need to connect the Xbox for the digital source.
I've used Kenwood, Pioneer, Onkyo, and Denon receivers/amps before but never Cambridge Audio nor Marantz, hence I would like to get your opinions and suggestions. By the way, the recommended amp power for the MartinLogan Motion 20 speakers is 20-200W.
Below are the pictures and links for reference -
Cambridge Audio AXR100 - https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/row/en/products/hi-fi/ax/axr100
Marantz NR1200 - https://www.marantz.com/en-gb/shop/amplifier/nr1200
MartinLogan Motion 20 - https://www.martinlogan.com/en/product/motion-20
(https://scontent.fmnl13-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/125981780_2160586610731733_5838769436450087820_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=2&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_eui2=AeGxcbn2f7T71peAKWzCw3CTn3majhKrFd2feZqOEqsV3YMtfPrCCII84Kp5RrDCvok&_nc_ohc=E4SqrXT1H8gAX-HtslK&_nc_ht=scontent.fmnl13-1.fna&oh=fefd864a931df2d50574ab7e6f93e5a0&oe=5FE08E98)
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I did not get any feedback but I pulled the trigger anyway. My first choice on amp was the Cambridge Audio AXR100, but it was out of stock, hence I went with the Marantz NR1200. I also went with the brand new MartinLogan Motion 20 speakers instead of the display units as the seller could not immediately confirm the condition. I'm very happy with this decision after a couple of hours listening, I can honestly say that this is the sweetest sounding set of speakers that I ever owned, and that the Marantz NR1200 amp is very capable of driving them - good thing is that the speakers are not even broken in yet, hence I was limiting the volume.
It was a blessing in disguise that the Cambridge Audio was not in stock, otherwise I would've purchased a plain amp with AM/FM tuner - I would have needed another source for my digital music. The NR1200 has all that I need to playback music from online sources, USB, media servers (via WiFi or wired connection), and via Bluetooth.
I've connected the Motion 20 speakers on a bi-wire setup. I used to own speakers that have the capability for bi-wiring or bi-amp, but I never knew what it was even though I've been a member here for so many years. While researching on speaker and amp reviews, I came across different articles on bi-wiring, and it seems to improve sound quality, hence I tried it on my new setup. I do not have a comparison on the quality if these speakers are not bi-wired, but I won't be trying that, I'm pretty satisfied with the bi-wired setup.
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Congrats! May I ask who/where is the current ML dealer?
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Congrats! May I ask who/where is the current ML dealer?
They are currently selling online via Lazada (AV Tech) or contact them directly via their FB page (AVX) ... sila yung AV shop dati sa Harrison Plaza, after HP closed, they are just selling online and their warehouse is in Baclaran (Airport Road a block away from Roxas Blvd.) ... found them accidentally through their FB post, I actually purchased most of my AV equipment on that store when I was starting the hobby
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Got this NR also last week..... Very satisfied user here :)
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They are currently selling online via Lazada (AV Tech) or contact them directly via their FB page (AVX) ... sila yung AV shop dati sa Harrison Plaza, after HP closed, they are just selling online and their warehouse is in Baclaran (Airport Road a block away from Roxas Blvd.) ... found them accidentally through their FB post, I actually purchased most of my AV equipment on that store when I was starting the hobby
So pickup at Pasay warehouse?
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So pickup at Pasay warehouse?
you can pickup at Pasay Warehouse or arrange for delivery ... they allow COD