Best amp for my needs?

jasonf

jasonf

jasonf

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9 May 2012
Posts
10
:) I am trying to find an amp to suit my needs, but the more I look, the more confused I get.
Basically, it has to be secondhand, with and without the following:
1 - HDMi not essential
2 - Component in/out IS essential.
3 - Upscaling would be nice, but not essential, as I presume my HDTV can do this - yes? Oh, I wish I understood this stuff.
4 - Maximum output wattage to be no more than 75watts, as my poor little speakers will fry.
5 - At the moment I only have the two L/R front speakers, so 3.1/5.1/7.1/3000.1 etc really isn't necessary.
Yes, I know I can buy a "made in a back street in peking" for 69p secondhand, but my overriding principal is SOUND QUALITY!!!
Actually, that's a bit of a tall one, as my overiding principal is actually a maximum expenditure of £150.00!!!!!!
"Oh my god!!!" I hear you say, "IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Well, maybe, but I'm sure that someone out there who might just have their finger on a pulse that I've not yet discovered. ;)
Any ideas folks???;
 
No.4 is irrelevant. You can have a 1 million watt amp driving 2 watt speakers, it won't blow. The important point is impedance, ohm, basically how easy or difficult it is to drive.

Personally, I'd get a secondhand stereo HiFi amp, get one with component in/out.
 
Raymond - thanks for that, but you really have me confused. A hifi amp with component socketry? I thought hifi amps were audio only. Can you suggest some for me to investigate?
Poker - I'm off to investigate your Technics suggestion. Having said that, I thought Techics were not on the list of good sounding amps, but being a novice, I am more than open to correction. So, off we go - thanks.
 
jasonf said:
Raymond - thanks for that, but you really have me confused. A hifi amp with component socketry? I thought hifi amps were audio only. Can you suggest some for me to investigate?
Poker - I'm off to investigate your Technics suggestion. Having said that, I thought Techics were not on the list of good sounding amps, but being a novice, I am more than open to correction. So, off we go - thanks.
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Component is a video signal type.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video

I think you're referencing to RCA connections?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA_connector

Do you just want a audio amplifier or a A/V receiver?


Edit: And Technic's old school stuff was simply amazing. I'm still using one of their amps now and it sounds miles better then a Onkyo Amp I repaired last week.

Edit 2: And after reading your initial post, I think you need to do some more research. It may be best for you to go instore to somewhere like Richer Sounds.

A word of warning: Do NOT buy expensive HDMI cables. The signal is digital (i.e. 0v or 5v on HDMI I *think*) and you do not need a expensive one. A £2 one of the bay has worked perfectly for me for years.

Also, they'll try and rip you off on speaker cable. Again, I wouldn't bother. I've got some Gale wire and some cheap stuff we got in a big roll. I couldn't tell any difference. Speaker wire does transmit analogue so it is prone to interference but I wouldn't worry about it. So don't get ripped off.
 
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Most Denon AV receivers over 5 to 10 years old should suit your needs. There's always a few for sale on the auction site. go for a AVR 280* or 380*

(the * usually denotes the year it was made, so a 2802 for example would have been made in 2002 & so on) the HDMI models came out in 2007 or thereabouts. :)
 
More confused?

Oh no, it looks as though I have managed to confuse others as well as myself - eeek!!! :confused:
Anyway - Ash - yes, the component I was talking about is the VIDEO connection that uses three RCA cables, NOT the Phono connection that also uses RCA cables. Answering your question, I want an AV Receiver.
Also Ash, without going through the life history, I perfectly understand your helpfullness with cables, but fortunately I am already well stocked in that direction, and with a wide variety of experience.

Grimley - Denon sure are good, and I have been looking, but so far, nothing has caught my eye in my price range.

Anyway, just to throw caution to the wind, I'm presently investigating a:
Sony STR-DH810
Yamaha RX-V361
ONKYO TX-SR506
SONY STR-DE400
and an ONKYO TX-SR309.
Does any one of those look to be a good buy for less than £150???
Thanks.:)
 
A second hand Pioneer AV receiver would be a good bet.
A older Marantz model would also be a good choice,probably the best sound quality as far as music is concerned anyway...they really do sound good!!
Both of them will have the component inputs that you require.
 
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Madforjags - I like your suggestion re: Pioneer, as I have an old Pioneers DVD player, and one assumes that it will mate with a Pioneer Av Receiver better than anything else. I may be wrong of course.
Re Marantz - I always thought these to be the cheaper quality cousins in the AV world. How wrong I may be. I certainly like the look of the new NR range - just cannot afford them yet. Oh well :o
 
Jasonf,I think you will be in for quite a surprise if you happen to listen to a Marantz amp,I would say they are one of the best sounding AV receivers,more akin to a good hi-fi amp than the usual mediocre AV offerings.
Build quality is also formidable,very well made.
 
jasonf said:
Re Marantz - I always thought these to be the cheaper quality cousins in the AV world. How wrong I may be.
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Marantz has always been a step up product. They're less about the "bells & whistles" of your typical Denon/Pioneer/Onkyo/Yamaha AV amps and more performance.

I have to say, that Marantz 8500 does look very nice nice. It also has a 7.1 input. That's interesting because it means that it is an exceptionally cheap 7 channel power amp too.
 
Pudding - well, that be a nice little monster :) Unfortunately, I be a right little wimp in the lifting stakes, and "she who must be obeyed" says my limit is £150 - sucks eh.
Mad4jags - looks like I will have to stand corrected, which I'm quite happy about, as I have absolutely no idea why I thought why I did. I will certainly investigate the brand more closely now - thanks :)
Lucid - I hear you clearly with that one, but to be honest, at this stage, as a beginner you understand, 7 channels doesn't really do it for me - - - yet!!! I would be quite happy with an excellent picture and a crystal clear stereo pair, with the ability to add a sub and surrounds at a later date.
Raymond - who, pudding? I'm not offended. He's only taking an opportunity and going with it. Good luck to him I reckon.
Hey, thanks all you guys. I'm slowly getting to grips with this new tech stuff for me, and begginning to realise that there are very divergent opinions. The more the merrier though. It certainly confuses the hell out of me, but I am starting to learn. If only there weren't so many *loody holes in the back of these receivrs!!!
 
Yes, you are confused... :D

jasonf said:
Raymond - who, pudding? I'm not offended. He's only taking an opportunity and going with it. Good luck to him I reckon.
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"I'd snap his hands off personally for that." means it's a bargain, a steal, a gift. It's not a reprimand.

jasonf said:
Lucid - I hear you clearly with that one, but to be honest, at this stage, as a beginner you understand, 7 channels doesn't really do it for me - - - yet!!! I would be quite happy with an excellent picture and a crystal clear stereo pair, with the ability to add a sub and surrounds at a later date.
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You're the one looking for an amp with component inputs, and scaling. You don't get those features on a Hi-Fi amp as has been explained to you earlier. So automatically you're looking at an AV amp. Quite honestly whether it has 5 channels or 7 channels is irrelevant. You'll be using it in stereo mode, and since your aim is to get "crystal clear stereo" then you've made an implicit request for a big high quality AV amp of the caliber of the Marantz. The lesser AV amps and the newer AV amps just aren't in the same league.

There are times when the phrase "Looking a gift horse in the mouth" comes to mind. This is one of those times. I suspect you'll end up spending £150 on something quite inappropriate, and then look back at this thread as a huge opportunity missed. That's your prerogative of course, and you haven't paid any money for the advice you have been offered here so it's no skin off your nose either. As the saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."
 
Lol..wise words indeed......a stubborn thing a horse!!
As far as crystal clear stereo sound goes,the Marantz is head and shoulders above any other AV receiver of comparable price,it will impart your movie soundtracks and any stereo music you choose to listen to with that gorgeous "Marantz" sound,clear as a whistle but never harsh,almost analogue in its presentation,which is very high praise indeed.
Pioneer receivers tend to be more focused on movies,they seem a bit slow in the bass stakes for serious music listening and can struggle to drive low impedence speakers(I know as I've fried a couple!!)although they have a nice weight to their sound.
Take a long hard look at Lucid's last post,a lot of truth there.
 
The Marantz may be superb for sound quality, but it can only be as good as the speakers connected to it.

What speakers do you have Jason? Apologies if it's already be answered. Didn't see it browsing through the thread.
 
Agreed,however a first rate amplifier driving second rate speakers will still always sound better than a second rate amp driving say.... a pair of Linn Isobariks for instance.The good speakers only serve to show the amps limitations...System hierarchy I think they call it.
 
Oh dear, I'm really being taught a few lessons here, but I'd rather be told I'm way off track than some mumbbly fumbbly retorick that hides being half truthes for the sake of a gentlemanly approach.
As to the speakers, I'm using Mission M71's, only because that's all that remains of my Naim Audio and Linn isobarick setup I recently sold. I used to find them useful when the Iso's couldn't quite give me the clarity I needed ( I used to notate music from recordings for publishing), so I do have a very critical ear.
The musicality of the Marantz information certainly interests me.
Oh, I've just spotted mad4jags comment about the Isobaricks - absolutely agree there.:)
 
You sold a Linn/Naim set up??? Audio nirvana cant get much closer than that!!
Out of interest what front end were you listening to....ie Linn LP12,Naim cd player?
The reason I ask is because I think you will struggle to find an AV reciever/speaker combo that will give you anywhere near the quality that lot is capable of.A pair of Isobariks,set up and driven correctly with suitable amplification is quite simply like no other(a proud previous owner)The bass just hits you square in the chest,unbelievable!!
I owned a Linn LP12 way back in the 80,s and have yet to find a source,including super audio cd,that can match the Linn in terms of sheer scale and dynamics,hi-fi equipment today is futile stacked up against that!!
 
Mad4jags - I used an Oracle Dephi with SME tonearm for the round ones, and a Nakamichi Dragon for cassette. CD I never bothered with, as it just didn't have the ability to produce harmonics capable of delivering the colouration for individual identification. However, when things got tough, I had to resort to my Nemesis Parametric, just to focus in on frequencies.
No, time has moved on, and my critical listening days are over. Sure, I will never match the open sound of my Naim system with AV receivers, but then I don't intend too. But at least while the ears are still working, I would like to listen to my HDTV with something other than a pair of cotton wool stuffed buckets on my head ;)
 
I think a Marantz receiver paired with your Mission's would be a very nice sounding system indeed,and as you stated in your original post,easily upgradable to multi channel status at a later date. A huge step up from your current cotton wool buckets..ha ha.
You certainly know your hi-fi,the Nackamichi Dragon was(and probably still is) about the best cassette deck money could buy,an engineering masterpiece!!
I saw one for sale around a month ago on the auction site,it ended up going for a tad over £300.....it breaks the heart.
 
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