Stereo Amp ideas....

[letmetalktomark]

am well over due a separates amp replacement as the hum is almost as loud as the music from the speakers

Problem is I have lost track over the years as to what is good these days. Not looking to spend mega bucks......just cant

The Amp it would be replacing is a middle of the range Sony from 11 years ago. The rest of the kit will be looked at as it dies.

I keep getting emails from Richer Sounds re their Cambridge stuff but know nothing about it.

Any thoughts?

 

[legrandefromage]

A former work colleague designed the higher end Cambridge Audio amps but they are still assembled in China.

My Cambridge Audio Azure amp always over heated.

I would look at an '80's early '90's top end Jap amps from Pioneer, A-656, 676, Reference series and so on. These are proper Japanese built and have huge amounts of power backed up by massive power supplies.

They can last for years without so much as a pop.

I do have a nice Sony, Rotel, Sherwood and Technics amps cheap if you want to stop by

 

[peteteamtig]

Naim

I mate , I would look at early Naim stuff as it is genrerally bullet proof and very , very sweet sounding . It is also infinatley up gradeable from the likes of Avondale Audio .

I think with careful looking on fleabay you could kit yourself out for £350 .

I run a nap90 power amp , nac62 control amp and a snaps power supply .

Source material comes from a PinkTriangle Export GTI Linn Asak cart and a Rega rb 600 sounds wonderful .

I also run a Rotel RCD965 BX Descreet CD player and although the Naim doesn't have a dedicated CD stage I run it through Aux , it sounds totally brilliant and very analougey .

Go for second hand British weather it be Naim , Creek , Musical Fidelity , Sugden , Cyrrus or Quad you wont regret it .

 

[legrandefromage]

Not really budget equipment though is it

 

[peteteamtig]

I disagree

If you look carefully you can pick up bargins , I've had my Naim set up fifteen years and paid a lot second hand but a mate got a similar set up for £375 a few months ago and it's all mint too . It even came with all the relevent Snaic interconnects .

Musical Fidelity stuff can be reasonable . £100 to £350 for a nice amp .

I suppose it all depends what you want ? I had a Pioneer reference amp A 7 something or other and was impressed by the build quality , until it tried to be an arsonist and burn my house down !

I'm not saying Jap stuff is bad , far from it . The Japs made hifi affordable and accessable to the man in the street .

But most British stuff can be serviced and up graded back at the factory and doesn't have to be thrown away when something goes wrong with it .

 

[legrandefromage]

we're talking £40 for an amp to drive two very small speakers. Nothing fancy.

 

[Mr Panda]

Don't buy anything new unless you have an Ipod, in which case I highly recommend the JBL Radial ipod dock - got one for my daughter's xmas and its nearly converted me. Not the mini version - the biggest one. Excellent, for what it is.

Anyway - amps - get something s/h (yes 80s/90s) off ebay, local hifi "pre-owned" store, or indeed Ol' Javier here You won't be dissappointed, and if he's offering you a reasonable Technics I'd go for it. Got Panda 4 a Technics set up off freecycle last year - very good for the money :twisted:

 

[legrandefromage]

thanks for the recommendation

We have settled on a tidy Rotel.

 

[dyna-ti]

I've got a cambridge A5 integrated .Got it off a mate in exchange for some joinery work
I needed to replace my sony amp[strangely 11yrs old too :? ]
Its been great so far,nice sound overall[using the computer for tweaking the sound/equalizer]
Only problem is theres no headphone jack :shock:
For me that wasnt a welcome find :evil: .i used to love sitting listening to my sounds turned up high.Saved fall outs with the neighbours and was great for online gaming
I know i can get it through my computer sound card but it isnt the same,and it sounds poo.
Despite its lack of headphone socket i've found the A5 to be a good amp