Stereo Amplifier and Speakers

alex24

alex24

alex24

Soldato
Joined
1 Jan 2008
Posts
11,594
Having seen that a lot of people on here have a amp/speakers setup for their PC, i've been thinking about what I could get to replace my ageing Creative Inspire 5.1 set, which is 5/6 years old, and was entry level back then.

I have no use for 5.1 now I have a dedicated HTPC in another room, so looking at a cheap stereo amp and bookshelves if possible. Maybe AV forums would be a better place to ask, but would just like the opinions of some of the guys on here too.

Budget ~£150 - £200 Low I know, but this is for a first kit, I imagine even at that price it'd blow my creative set away. Worth going second hand? Would like a warranty with the amp really, unless it's much better buying second hand.

The main uses are music listening (rock/alternative) and gaming (fps/racing mainly).

For new, what about:

Cambridge Audio A1 Amp (about £70)

Tannoy F1 Custom (about £90)

Is there better value to be had?

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
you can find some decent second amps, for example I bought a 1 month old nad c315 with warranty for £110 delivered.
that would be a good start.
as for the speakers, the f1s are great for the money indeed.
you can also look at wharfedale diamond 9.1s for second hand.
 
I'd definately recommend the A5 over the A1, the extra oomph allows a lot more control over the sound at higher volumes before you can hear it loosing control a little. Then Tannoys are well commented on for the price, the Mordaunt Short 902i are also popular new in that price region. If you go second hand then you should be able to find something even nicer :)
 
Thanks for the comments guys. The A5 does look better, and the mordaunt shorts look nice too, though that basic combo is pushing my budget unfortunately. Might be able to dig deeper, i'll see.

What should I be looking for in a second hand amp then? Any real difference in input types from my PC (and possibly mp3 player)? I don't think my budget will allow digital.

Are there any issues with buying speakers second hand, anything except the obvious it's important to check? Can anyone recommend good brands to look out for at the £100 or less mark? Will anything be better than new?

Sorry about all the questions, i'm new to the world of A/V equipment!
 
Personally with your budget I'd look to split it about 50/50 for an amp and speakers and I'd go second hand. You should be able to pick up an ARCAM Alpha 7R for less than £100 and then I'd look to pair it with either some wharfdale diamonds or some KEF speakers.
 
Not so much of a problem with speakers, but for an amp i'm not sure if I want to go second hand because of warranty etc, and I don't really know what i'm buying since i'm new to this, just in case it's a lemon.

What does the ARCAM have over a similarly priced new amp? 60W per channel amps (basic) come in around £150 it seems.
 
alexhull24 said:
Not so much of a problem with speakers, but for an amp i'm not sure if I want to go second hand because of warranty etc, and I don't really know what i'm buying since i'm new to this, just in case it's a lemon.

What does the ARCAM have over a similarly priced new amp? 60W per channel amps (basic) come in around £150 it seems.
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Just a good quality old skool amp.

Arcams are a great start 2nd hand, picked up mine years ago for £100 off 'the bay'.

Consider NAD kit also, and Monitor Audio speakers which produce a nice lively sound :D
 
Cool, it's a starter setup i'm after, with room to easily upgrade.

I did have a look at the NAD C315BEE as mentioned by cristi above, and it seems like a good'n, it's just getting hold of one.

Auction sites the best place for this or is there anywhere else?
 
I took the advice of the forum and got myself onto everyone's favourite auction site. Managed to get a very nifty rotel stereo amp for £55 delivered. Blows my friends ca a1 amp out of the water.

Theres some propper bargains to have on there for very little effort. Just keep an eye out for anything by rotel, nad, acram, cyrus and the bigger amps of technics and pioneer.
 
Is the NAD 320BEE any good in that case then? There is one available, seems a little long in the tooth, but plenty powerful enough.
 
yes, a c320bee is very good.

it is however a matter of luck, I bought a c320 a year ago that worked perfectly for 3-4 months then one of the channels started cutting off. used it for a while simply by wiring both speaker to one channel but in the end I wanted stereo sound so I just sold it as faulty on the popular auction site. (I got about £35 less than I paid for so it was a loss but not a huge one)

My point is, there's always a bit of risk, the c320bee is a bit newer and if you're not feeling unlucky then go for it.
 
Yeah, I might try and source one through friends, I know someone who may have one, at least they can say it's 100%. If that fails i'll probably go new and consider it an investment, may be able to alter the budget.

Thanks for all the comments chaps
 
alexhull24 said:
Yeah, I might try and source one through friends, I know someone who may have one, at least they can say it's 100%. If that fails i'll probably go new and consider it an investment, may be able to alter the budget.

Thanks for all the comments chaps
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Honestly you'll be missing out if you don't go second hand, there are some crazy bargins out there that less than 10 years ago would have blown you entire budget and more for the single component. Amps are pretty risk free second hand as they are all solid state and pretty robust, generally if it looks externally like it's been looked after it will be fine.
 
The AV forums for sale section is excellent, people are always upgrading and looking to move kit on. Put up a wanted add with your budget and see what people offer you.
 
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