budget hifi amp recommendations

[steviedee]

I am potentially going to get a rotel for buttons but there is a Cyrus 2 for a bit more

[51m0n]

[quote name='voxpop' timestamp='1351194500' post='1848616']
I manage the Weybridge store of Sevenoaks.

Always a good deal for fellow Basschatters.

[url="http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/products/category/Amplifiers/1765.0.4.3.46510.46510.0.0.0"]http://www.sevenoaks...510.46510.0.0.0[/url]

Let me know if we have an amp that is of interest.
[/quote]

Now that is worth remembering

[voxpop]

[quote name='ChrisB' timestamp='1351267203' post='1849524']


What's the "new" audiolab gear like? As good as before? Been meaning to get somewhere and have a listen for ages....
[/quote]

It sound great, just like the old Audiolab from 15 years ago.
It's very punchy with strong drive and good quality bass.
Highly recommended.

[Big_Stu]

Another vote for Richer Sounds & also NAD.
On the Richer Sounds site they have a "Clearance" icon which shows various cheap options by each branch; so you'll have an idea what you might get before going.
IME of the Edinburgh shop - and to a lesser extent Glasgow & Manchester theses are typically, reboxed but new, discontinued, repairs but as new or trade-ins.

[4 Strings]

[quote name='voxpop' timestamp='1351269942' post='1849572']
It sound great, just like the old Audiolab from 15 years ago.
It's very punchy with strong drive and good quality bass.
Highly recommended.
[/quote]

Yep, recommendation here too. Built to last (I understand some people just leave them 'on'), fab sound, plenty of power, s/h can be had for just over £100.

And British!

[hollywoodrox]

cambridge audio

[BassPimp66]

I got a Marantz 6004 amp from Richer Sound. Fantastic value. I love the sound.

[steviedee]

Potentially looking at a Cyrus 2 proper old school but it looks great.

[mentalextra]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1351267704' post='1849536']
Now that is worth remembering
[/quote]

Oh yeah! I saw this too. Maybe we should have a secret sign to identify ouselves to him as bass chat members!

[Dingus]

[quote name='steviedee' timestamp='1351322830' post='1850005']
Potentially looking at a Cyrus 2 proper old school but it looks great.
[/quote]

The Cyrus 2 is a fantastic amp and a classic piece of British hi-fi, but be aware that it tends to have a forceful and forthright sound and earlier models can sound slightly harsh with some digital sources and it is an amp that can be slightly fussy about what speakers and cables you partner it with . This is because the amp was designed primarily for use with vinyl and in certain situations it can sound a bit strident with some digital sources such as early cd players from the late eighties or very early 90s. I am not telling you this to put you off it in any way - I would buy a decent used Cyrus 2 like a shot because I have always loved it's exciting high-resolution sound- and partnered with a balanced -sounding source ( i.e. one that doesn't have excessive treble) it should sound great. If you can get one for cheap then it's a great bet . especially if you like your music to sound intense and exciting. The Cyrus 3 that replaced it in around 1994 was optimized more for digital playback and is a slightly bigger and more powerful sounding amp , but doesn't have as good a phono stage as the Cyrus 2 if you were contemplating using your amp with a turntable. In any case , if you pick up a Cyrus 2 for sensible money it could quite easily turn out to be a very good investment that will give you a lot of very pleasurable listening. If you can add the optional PSX power supply at some point then it's performance improves very significantly.

The Audiolab amps that a few people mention here are also fantastic British hi fi amps and are famously well-built and reliable. I bought a new Audiolab 8000A amp in 1996 and used it continuously for twelve and a half years before giving it to my Dad who uses it day in and day out and it has never had the slightest problem or needed any servicing whatsoever in over sixteen years . The only reason I didn't mention them previously is that I thought you would favour something compact whereas the Audiolab equipment is full-size and is housed in very weighty thick metal casing. If you would consider a full-size amp then Audiolab are a fantastic choice for a secondhand buy because of their reliability and great sound. Try and go for the later models in the black casing. The earlier ones in grey casing are optimised for vinyl rather than c.d.

p.s Can I just say how old it makes me feel when you descibe a Cyrus 2 as looking " proper old school". I remember when these amps came out and everyone who saw them marvelled at how modern and futuristic they looked .

Edited October 27, 2012 by Dingus

[dmccombe7]

I have an old NAD 3020 from 80's and still going strong. Only servicing done was to clean the volume pot with switch cleaner when it started crackling.
I've used this at some quite high volumes too during the odd drunken party and no issues what so ever.
Dave

[Dingus]

The NAD 3020 a lot of people keep referring to was a groundbreaking amp when it came out in 1979 because it was the first budget real hifi amp. It retailed for well under a hundred quid, sounded fantastic and lasted forever. More than half a million were sold by 1983 . NAD were ahead of their time in so much as they used a British -based design team whilst manfacturing a quality product under licence in the far east to keep costs down . You can pick up a 3020 for bargain prices and they are another classic amp that will give you a lot of satisfaction for peanuts.

[Cameronj279]

I use one of these and I love it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-SA-50-TDA7492-stereo-Amplifier/dp/B008KLJWGO/ref=sr_1_8?s=receiver-speakers&ie=UTF8&qid=1351351220&sr=1-8

more pricy but my dad has 2 of these in his set-up and they sound fantastic

http://www.lintone.co.uk/integrated-amplifiers/rega-brio-r-amplifier-black-2014-117-3050.php

Cambridge audio are always good as well.

[molan]

[quote name='voxpop' timestamp='1351194500' post='1848616']
I manage the Weybridge store of Sevenoaks.

Always a good deal for fellow Basschatters.

http://www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk/products/category/Amplifiers/1765.0.4.3.46510.46510.0.0.0

Let me know if we have an amp that is of interest.
[/quote]

Big vote of confidence from me for Marc - helped me choose some speakers for a small music room and got me a great price as well

[steviedee]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1351351520' post='1850461']
I use one of these and I love it.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-SA-50-TDA7492-stereo-Amplifier/dp/B008KLJWGO/ref=sr_1_8?s=receiver-speakers&ie=UTF8&qid=1351351220&sr=1-8"]http://www.amazon.co...51351220&sr=1-8[/url]

[/quote]

These look great

[VTypeV4]

Not really budget but I do love my old Leak Stereo 20..

Maybe you could find one in need of restoration on the cheap?

[Cameronj279]

[quote name='steviedee' timestamp='1351381450' post='1850765']
These look great
[/quote]

For such a cheap and cheerful little box it's astonishing how good the sound quality is! Think you could easily pay 3/4 times the amount and get not much better audio-wise.

[steviedee]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1351337314' post='1850232']p.s Can I just say how old it makes me feel when you descibe a Cyrus 2 as looking " proper old school". I remember when these amps came out and everyone who saw them marvelled at how modern and futuristic they looked .
[/quote]

Unfortunately I remember that as well and no-one is fooled by my attempt at hip chat!

Thanks for your posts they've been really helpful the Cyrus is no longer an option but I've been offered a Marantz PM4400, which looks good it's actually only a few years old but I believe the model was unchanged for years, I think it's in great nick, do you have any opinion on this model?

Because the airport express has an optical out an amp with an optical input would be great but they seem thin on the ground, certainly on a budget. The TEAC AH01 looks great but I'd just be buying a new amp and this is just meant to be something for the spare room and I don't want to start getting into hi fi and developing another expensive hobby!

[Dingus]

I have never heard that particular Marantz amp, but looking at the spec . it looks like it was an entry-level model, and I'm sure it will sound perfectly adequate for your needs

. As far as I know , you should be able to plug your airport express into any auxillery input on an amp that doesnt have a optical out. I'm not very well versed in the digital side of things when it comes to amps , but I think if neccesarry you can add an outboard DAC such as the fine and affordable range from FIIO ( company who specialise in affordable and great sounding computer audio devices and well worth checking out.) to an ordinary analogue amp and you will probably end up with a better sound overall. I do most of my listening nowadays via my p.c which is connected to the auxillary input on my Exposure amp ( a minimalist analogue hifi amp) via a FIIO E10 headphone amplifier /DAC ( [url="http://www.fiio.com.cn/product/index.aspx?ID=39&MenuID=020302"]http://www.fiio.com....9&MenuID=020302[/url]) and I get a superb sound both via headphones and through speakers . The FIIO will almost certainly improve the sound you get through headphones as well as the DAC enhancing the overall sound from the airport express.Something like the Rotel amp ( a fine Japanes company with a history of making good amps) that you mentioned in an earlier post was available at a good price would be a good bet and combined with the FIIO or something similar might give you an overall sound that was pleasing without spending a fortune. You can also use the FIIO in other systems and it could be useful to you in the future . You will almost certainly end up with a sound which will knock spots off any mini-system ect. Any system is limited by the quality of the sound of it's source component, and computer audio/ipod has it's sonic limitations and so it's a question of making the best of the sound that is available from those devices . A cheap secondhand amp is a much better option than a new amp because you are going to get as good or better final results and as you say, it's only a second system for the spare room.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Dingus

[morsefull]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1351193549' post='1848604']
See what you can source second-hand?
[/quote] +1

[gafbass02]

I used to be a richer sounds manager so I could probably help with the odd hi fi query too. I'm not very up to date these days though having moved into teaching now.

[tonybassplayer]

Time to get my old NAD 3020E out of the loft I think !!

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='tonybassplayer' timestamp='1351434735' post='1851131']
Time to get my old NAD 3020E out of the loft I think !!
[/quote]

Quality mate - you couldn't beat this amp with a big stick

Dave

[Dingus]

A lot of older hifi amps still sound great nowadays , for the simple reason that hifi manufacturers have known how to make good-sounding amps for a very long time , now. Despite the fact that the whole industry is geared up to trying to convince people that the latest thing is the best and everything that went previously is obsolete, the truth is that ( depending on the model, of course ) you can plug in a well-chosen hifi amp from twenty or thirty years ago and it will still sound as good now as it did back then. Anyone who listened to hifi back in the eighties will know that it didn't neccesarilly sound any less "hifi" ( for want of a better term) than it would if you listened to a new system today. A lot of the components were better made back then , as well.

Edited October 28, 2012 by Dingus

[gafbass02]

+1 to that. Over my ten years at richer I watched manufacturers stick a higher model number on and reduce the build/ performance quality (thus improving the margin) on their lines year on year.
Sony and toshiba were the worst.
All they had to do was bung a few quid/holidays/cars at a certain well known hi-fi mag to spout off how their latest model was life changing and voila! People would line up for them endlessly. Toshiba reached a new low as their line moved from well made dvd players like the sd2109 to much later models with bendy plastic chassis, appalling failure rates and rubbishy innards. But according said certain magazine each was more impressive than the last. The Sony STRDB av receiver series was another series that got worse and worse.
I always enjoyed the time said magazine lauded a very reputable brands £1000 DVD player as a wonderful machine etc etc. while it was later revealed to be nothing but a three year old supermarket own brand cheapo that they had previously derided inside the casing! Being sold for £1000.
Oh the stories I could tell
Mission speakers, now there's a story

Edited October 28, 2012 by gafbass02