What sort of Amp should I get

almoststew1990

almoststew1990

almoststew1990

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I have recently bought a house and one thing I was looking forward to that I couldn't do whenr renting was getting a proper amp and wall mounted 4 speakers for 2x stereo for my "office". I have quite basic requirements for input - 3x RCA or 3.5mm inputs. The thing is, I like retro things, so I am tempted to get a retro amplifier. How will this differ to a modern amp?

For instance I have found this which has the following specs

Power output: 18 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo)
Frequency response: 5Hz to 60kHz
Total harmonic distortion: 1%
Damping factor: 40
Input sensitivity: 2.8mV (MM), 150mV (line)
Signal to noise ratio: 70dB (MM), 90dB (line)

I look at a basic modern amp like this which is the cheapest I could find with 2x stereo output has specs like this:

90Watts(!) 8ohm
20Hz to 20KHz
0.09% HD
Input Sensitivity = 500mv (audio in)
Signal to Noise = 80db (Phono in)
The room is quite small so I don't need lots of volume (I'm sure I don't need 4x speakers, that is just for the novelty of having sounds coming from everywhere)

I don't know what most of that means but the office is a small room so I'm not too bothered about the output watts. I'm more interested in sound quality.

What sort of Amp do I need? Are either of those going to be any good? Is 4x speakers not worth it for a box room?
 
In my box room/man cave used my old Cyrus 8VS amp when I moved to a dedicated DAC downstairs. I paired this with a second hand Linn MIMIK CD player. Record player and some wall mounted Wharfedale Diamond 9.1's I got on the rain forrest for a bargain £90 brand new.
This little setup is way more than is required for such a small room but it sounds great and didn't break the bank.

I had an 80's Rotel amp / tuner / CD player about 10 years ago and it served me well and sounded great in a small room. A 70's amp might be pushing your luck though??

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Where you're looking for sound quality, then you don't want 4 speakers; not in a large room and definitely not in a small room. Totally OTT.

Rotel is decent gear. Good value, not pretentious. As long as it all works then it will sound pretty good. Issues will be crackling as the volume and tone controls are used due to dirt and some oxidisation of the contact tracks. If the sound is unbalanced when the amp is cold then the capacitors for that channel might be on the way out, and the other channel will follow shortly after.

Are there equal and better sounding s/h amps available for under £100? Yes.

Will they look as retro as this Rotel? Some will, but others will be from the beginning of the 80s British Hi-Fi boom, so they won't.

IMO, something close to £100 for a late-70s mid-market Hi-Fi amp is a bit toppy. £50-ish is probably closer to real value for the performance, but there's a lot of people paying too much for things punted as vintage because it's trending. Sonically, the Rotel will probably sound a bit fatter and maybe mellower than the purist Hi-Fi amps, but that's no bad thing where listening volumes may be low and benefit from a little extra weight in the bass.
 
Thanks, a very useful post.

I've found a Technics SA-101L for £20. Similar specs but no idea how it would actually sound! I might just give it a try for £20. It's also an FM receiver not that I have a proper aerial.
 
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