Mini Hifi Systems
- Thread starter gman76
- Start date
It's not a common feature. Just the ability to drive two sets of speakers alone requires a bit of power, and that means fitting a decent sized amp - even if using a switchmode-based one - which is why many of the cheaper mini systems don't have the feature. It also goes part way to explaining why the Melody MCR412 is £450 and the MCR612 is over £600. Quality costs money.
If all you need is streaming plus independent volume, have you thought about a couple of Sonos One speakers?
These are bigger than they appear in pictures, surprisingly potent, and very easy to control either singly (zone 1 / zone 2) or as a group. The control app for iOS and Android devices is supremely flexible. The speakers are also voice controlled.
A pair of Sonos One (gen 2) will set you back roughly £400. The gen 1 versions are selling out at £170 a piece, but they're going fast so don't hang about. Where you don't need voice-control then the Sonos Play 1 is a bargain at £140 ea. There are no additional speakers to buy, so if you haven't already got speakers then the total savings on the project could be much higher.
Bear in mind that you've only provided the briefest of details about your requirements, so if these suggestions aren't hitting the mark then tell us a bit more about what you're planning and the gear you have. It may be that there are other solutions which might fit the bill.
If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then please do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.
If all you need is streaming plus independent volume, have you thought about a couple of Sonos One speakers?
These are bigger than they appear in pictures, surprisingly potent, and very easy to control either singly (zone 1 / zone 2) or as a group. The control app for iOS and Android devices is supremely flexible. The speakers are also voice controlled.
A pair of Sonos One (gen 2) will set you back roughly £400. The gen 1 versions are selling out at £170 a piece, but they're going fast so don't hang about. Where you don't need voice-control then the Sonos Play 1 is a bargain at £140 ea. There are no additional speakers to buy, so if you haven't already got speakers then the total savings on the project could be much higher.
Bear in mind that you've only provided the briefest of details about your requirements, so if these suggestions aren't hitting the mark then tell us a bit more about what you're planning and the gear you have. It may be that there are other solutions which might fit the bill.
If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then please do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.
Thanks Lucid for your in depth reply.
A bit more info - my next door neighbour has enlisted me to design & install a hifi system for her.
There are already two speakers installed in the kitchen ceiling (which she would like to keep), but these appear to be wired in parallel.
I have read some damming reviews of reliability issues with the marantz.
I work for a world renowned hifi company, but I don't normally dabble at this level.
Regards
Neil
A bit more info - my next door neighbour has enlisted me to design & install a hifi system for her.
There are already two speakers installed in the kitchen ceiling (which she would like to keep), but these appear to be wired in parallel.
I have read some damming reviews of reliability issues with the marantz.
I work for a world renowned hifi company, but I don't normally dabble at this level.
Regards
Neil
Yeah, don't name names about who you work for.
I'm generally sceptical of online customer reviews. Too often there are bad reviews that are nothing to do with the product. Other times it's the user trying to do something that the gear won't do. I also factor in the keyboard warriors who love to tell a tale of woe. Having said all that, Marantz does seem to be going through a bit of a tough patch right now.
A lot has happened with the brand. The mid-Fi market is weak, and AV is under tremendous pressure with the advent of ATMOS and 4K requiring manufacturers to throw a lot of tech in to ever-cheaper product lines. That's gotta hurt the bottom line. It could be the reason for the Denon/Marantz consolidation, and then the purchase recently by a venture capital group.
Whatever it is - and probably a combination of factors, that's usually the way - Marantz isn't alone, and it won't be the last.
Where you have qualms about a brand or product, and particularly when recommending for someone else, I think you should follow your gut instinct. Doing someone a good turn has a habit biting one on the bum. It does leave you with the problem though of how to control the volumes in two zones individually. It doesn't appear that Marantz offers that facility in anything but the Melody products. I haven't seen Speakers A/B on many mini-systems either.
The closest facility in something reasonably compact is the Zone 2 assignable speaker outputs of the 7.1ch compact AV receiver, the Marantz NR1609. The catch is that Z2 sources are limited to analogue audio, the radio, and maybe internet radio. You wouldn't be using it as a multichannel receiver for Zone 1. Instead, it would be configured for stereo speakers.
Thinking about the ceiling speakers for a minute, parallel wiring will give you a 4 Ohm load unless the speakers have built in impedance switching. The bigger problem though is that the channel is mono. These aren't 100V line speakers, are they? You'd tell this if they had transformers on the back of each speaker.
If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then please do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.
I'm generally sceptical of online customer reviews. Too often there are bad reviews that are nothing to do with the product. Other times it's the user trying to do something that the gear won't do. I also factor in the keyboard warriors who love to tell a tale of woe. Having said all that, Marantz does seem to be going through a bit of a tough patch right now.
A lot has happened with the brand. The mid-Fi market is weak, and AV is under tremendous pressure with the advent of ATMOS and 4K requiring manufacturers to throw a lot of tech in to ever-cheaper product lines. That's gotta hurt the bottom line. It could be the reason for the Denon/Marantz consolidation, and then the purchase recently by a venture capital group.
Whatever it is - and probably a combination of factors, that's usually the way - Marantz isn't alone, and it won't be the last.
Where you have qualms about a brand or product, and particularly when recommending for someone else, I think you should follow your gut instinct. Doing someone a good turn has a habit biting one on the bum. It does leave you with the problem though of how to control the volumes in two zones individually. It doesn't appear that Marantz offers that facility in anything but the Melody products. I haven't seen Speakers A/B on many mini-systems either.
The closest facility in something reasonably compact is the Zone 2 assignable speaker outputs of the 7.1ch compact AV receiver, the Marantz NR1609. The catch is that Z2 sources are limited to analogue audio, the radio, and maybe internet radio. You wouldn't be using it as a multichannel receiver for Zone 1. Instead, it would be configured for stereo speakers.
Thinking about the ceiling speakers for a minute, parallel wiring will give you a 4 Ohm load unless the speakers have built in impedance switching. The bigger problem though is that the channel is mono. These aren't 100V line speakers, are they? You'd tell this if they had transformers on the back of each speaker.
If this or any other reply was helpful to you, then please do the decent thing and click the T-H-A-N-K-S button. It appears when you hover the mouse pointer near the Quote Multi-quote buttons. This is the proper way to show your thanks for the time and help someone gave you.
Yes, I agree with you about customer reviews. I think I'm just being overly concerned about being bitten in the bum!
The ceiling speakers appear to be car speakers, so I think I'm looking at 2ohm if they are wired in parallel. Unfortunately, pulling a new cable in really isn't going to be possible, so I might have to wire them in series & accept the mono limitation. They must have been installed like this years ago & my neighbour has been happy with them, hence wishing to keep them.
Thanks for your reply.
The ceiling speakers appear to be car speakers, so I think I'm looking at 2ohm if they are wired in parallel. Unfortunately, pulling a new cable in really isn't going to be possible, so I might have to wire them in series & accept the mono limitation. They must have been installed like this years ago & my neighbour has been happy with them, hence wishing to keep them.
Thanks for your reply.