What's wrong with your current setup?

If your system is very new....suggest you give it a 400hour run.....
judging from your comment, can i assume you find the bass is lacking since you put in a sub?

bro.....its hard to tell bcoz it depends on the type of speaker you drive

LX57 is RM5999 retail price.
If you ask me about audio....these amps are not meant for real audio....they are made for home theatre

LX87 is top of the range from pioneer running around 8999 if i'm not mistaken

yup....htkaki is right....
even the normal marantz int amp or some of the good used int amps will sound better.

the reason is that the amps are built for different purposes.....

if you are not picky over the music quality and you can accept the AVR playing music....its totally fine....
then try to fine tune your speaker placements, perhaps invest in some better source....and yes....your source is ultimately important
as the saying ' garbage in, garbage out'

i'm going to be brutal in this....so i hope you don't get offended

you took a wrong amp to drive the speakers

1. marantz may not be powerful enough to drive your dm 2/7.......ur dynas are 86db and you need at least a 200watts 'min sine' wave to drive your dynas. you also need to understand that the role off frequency for d dyna is 50hz....naturally you will find the 40hz range and below lacking. a full 3way would be better.....although if you look at high end bookshelves like SF Guaneri...those r different level of playing
2. your speaker positioning might be wrong. how do you position your speakers from the rear wall and side walls?
3. your speaker stands, the spikes and foot and might be setup wrongly. how tight you tighten up your spikes and shoes?
4. your speakers need 200hours run in....especially the mids
5. your power feed might not be clean or filtered too much or might even be not enough

i'm very familiar with dynaudio because i have been using them for many years and even have them in my car now...dynaudio is well known for its punchy mids and bass.....so if you are not getting such sound....something wrong with the setup
yes.....i have the dynaudio 240mk2 installed in my car.....and the only amp that can make it really sing is a macintosh....you are welcome to audition it in my car

krell S-550i in my opinion is not the full picture.....albeit it is a better amp compared to the marantz...driving the dynaudio with it is the right thing to do
without the right setup....your sound is still shitty...so you need to understand what went wrong with your current setup

next issue is going to be your power supply for the Krells....really power hungry
i hope you have dedicated power cable from your fuse to your wall socket.....and you have to have a high current cable like 10mm to 14mm otherwise it might make your amp sound limped

and your krells have XLRs....naturally they will sound more meat and louder.....which also means good XLR interconnects come into the picture

with such budget......you may want to look at Audio Research or Mcintosh

personally i'm running Audio Research cd and amps, Sonus Faber speakers, transparent Reference mm2 and Ultra interconnects and speaker cables, nordost power cables, quantum resonant power stuffs and harmonix tuning feets

at this level, even the damn rack makes a difference
a platform for the power makes another improvement

my final journey is the ultimate room dimension setup with the right power factor, floorings, sound proofing and the entire works

as to answer your question about which speaker is right...there is no right or wrong
focus on the very basic fundamentals and right setup

you can find my setup in the Sonus Faber tread.....some many post back

1. since you have ordered your Krells.....use them to drive your current dynaudios......let the system run in, then find the right spots and tuning.....understand where are your limitations....then only start to find things to compliment. buying a higher end speaker does not mean you get better sound. the more high end the equipment means the more precise and accurate; less tolerance for errors; in reproducing music.
that also means if you setup it up wrongly or put it in your current spot for example; it may amplify the wrong things and become worse

2. 2 dedicated power lines.....can i assume one for amp and the other for cd? if yes, make sure the cd power line is not too thick, otherwise it might get too coarse. power conditioner will help but becareful in choosing one.
try to use wattgate gold for your sockets.

3. spikes are resonance grounding......your sound will be impacted by it. your current issue might be due to resonance deadening too fast


there are many good bookshelves out there

those bookshelves that impresses me (not in sequence order)

1. Sonus Faber Guaneri
2. Sonus Faber Cremona M Auditor
3. Opera Callas
4. Dynaudio Confidence C1 Signature
5. Focus Audio FS6 SE
6. Focal Electra (can't remember the model)
7. B&W 805s

pgkt.......i wished there is a straight forward answer to this but it does not happen that way usually and unfortunately the combination of amps, speakers and other stuffs are too high

more importantly is for you to understand basic fundamentals

1. type of speakers with matching amp. Watts produce by an amp does not = to the speaker wattage. it also depends on the speaker detailed specs like db response, xover points and etc. then comes the speaker types, ie; aluminium tweeter, silk dome, paper pulp mids, aluminium mids......

2. placement of speakers. Cardas guidelines are good as a baseline.....do understand that poor speaker placement does impact your sound reproduction

i recently helped my friend setup a very simple HT/audio rig
Pioneer VSX1009, Wharfedale Diamond 10 speakers, basic Kimber Kables, media player as the source

the sound is pretty decent albeit it is not an audiophile level, but it is still very decent sound

so the question is what would be your expectations from a sound perspective?

personally...i liked the Marantz or NAD AVR sound over Pioneer/Denon/Onkyo for these 3 brands sound bright to my ears

as far as feature is concern......all these amps are feature pack....

i think A&L Audio has both.

No......i'm not a hifi retailer.

Sent you a PM.....



This post has been edited by hushymushy: May 29 2014, 11:22 AM

Rule 1......never make the same mistake after you buy your first set of hifi.....which is 'RUSH'

dlyz is right....dynaudio are fantastic speakers
i love them but i also hate them.....coz once i have it......i will anything to make it sound better....hehehehehehe

GI JIE.......since you r receiving d krells...
I suggest you give it time to run in, both cd and amp.
Good amps n cd player need time to run in say 200hours of playing time
The sound gradually changes
Same goes for every brand new component

Dont RUSH into getting a new pair of speakers
Your cables are important too
Your sound is as good as its weakest link

I recently tried a studio pro grade balanced xlr cables from fellow forumer....Black Octogon
It blew my mind away.....while its not a transparent reference or ultra standard but it surely beat the crap out of many cables

Next your power setup
Good solid power cords makes a difference

My audio research gear took me 400hours or more to run in

Then the setup part
How tight is your rack
How stable is your cd player
Your speaker stand setup...how tight your tighten the screws
Placement of it......

Like I mention before......basic fundamentals brings the best out of your system

The Guaneri is top of the range....expect top of range price...hehehehe

Dlyz..go for audio research d.

I think there's a set of audio research sp7(or is it ls7, cant remeber) pre and vs100 power going on used market

I had that combo driving my domus grand piano last time
It was crazy!!!!!

This post has been edited by hushymushy: May 30 2014, 11:44 AM

feelfree......you can check out perfect hifi at their Wisma MPL branch
they have most of the models on demo

dlyz.....the unit i saw was at perfect hifi recently....not sure their price though

GI Jie....the stands for Guaneri should come with the speakers
they are not meant to be bought or sold separately

some pix for you guys.....might be loading abit slow

my cremona over the past 2 years of playing....
now with harmonix 909mk2

my Audio Research CD5 and DSi200
recently changed the rubber foots for CD5 and DSi200
CD5 removed the rubber foot and replaced with Syn-100 tips & 900mk2 foot
the sound pace is more harmonious and somehow the entire stage is fuller

DSi200 rubber foot replaced with TU-666M......very musical as a result of it

Transparent Ultras....haven't took pics of my Reference cables
no matter what people criticize Transparent for being expensive or overly sold......blind test is still great
i have listened over and over again.....they are still top notch cables









my replica Harmonix measurement solid wood rack with solid steel bars sitting on 900mk1 foot. am thinking of changing to 900mk2 once i have my audio room ready

yes....there are in fact a lot of good stuffs out there

starting with Dynaudio Xeo series
Audio Pro
B&W


depending on your budget.....audio pro starts at 1k plus if i'm not mistaken

what is your sitting distance away from your speakers?

room size?

NAD3020 probably needs a speaker in d range of 90db response

many out there to be explored
you might be able to source entry level sonus fabers or dynaudio

otherwise psb, mission, kef will hv something within ur reach
audio pro is not bad too
suggest you audition before buying
do remember that source, cables, power factor and everything comes into the equation when you want something good

i'm in d mids of working out a diy speaker

planning to make a scanspeaks ring radiator and revelator 4" & 7" 3 way speaker system
either that ring radiator with 6" mids
target with a 12db 3k xover point

essentially perhaps will look at vifa for budget setup

This post has been edited by hushymushy: Jun 15 2014, 11:44 PM