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Mike
31-01-2009, 17:27
Hi All,

My HiFi is a bit dual purpose in so far as it gets connected up to my HD projector from time to time for movies & Xbox use by the kids. It also gets used occasionally in 'broadcast mode', by which I mean non serious listening - just blasting out music and generally filling the house. And sometimes garden/street! :eyebrows:

This sort of malarkey is eating into, and frittering away, the life of my lovely valves, which just won't do. Not at all!

To that end I'm looking for recommendations for a cheap and reasonably powerful SS amp, say 80W+, to use as a general workhorse for this sort of thing. It doesn't have to be a dedicated power amp, an integrated would do just fine, but I'd like something that sounds 'nice', not high end 'nice', just not shite! And the cheaper the better. :)

What say the AoS massive?


Cheers...

alb
31-01-2009, 18:35
The only sensibly priced SS amp that really impressed me was the Audio Analogue Puccini.
But finding one second hand?

Mike
31-01-2009, 19:05
Think 'cheap & nice' with plenty of oomph... impressive is not needed! ;)

pentode10
31-01-2009, 19:09
What about something from Cambridge Audio..

Andy.

Marco
31-01-2009, 19:25
I second the Cambridge Audio suggestion - no nonsense high quality amps and decently powerful, too. Also, Mikey, have a look at some of the Rotel amps. I believe that they do some frankly silly and very 'naughty' monoblocks, around 250-odd watts per channel into 8ohms and they can also be bridged! Brand new they're about £600 or something like that. You may also find some second-hand.

Try googling for them. Another option is either Crown or Laney pro-audio amps. They sound pretty good (I've heard a few of them) and kick out something ludicrous like 400WPC, and they're around the same price as the Rotels. Again, try Goggling for them.

Failing that, if you've got a spare £2k rattling around in your back pocket (interest free monthly repayment plan also available ;)) you can have my ECS monoblocks - you'll be able to hear those f*ckers in Timbucktoo! Party on... :fingers: :eyebrows:

Marco.

Marco
31-01-2009, 19:46
Here's a nice Rotel to look at:

http://www.rotel.com/NA/products/ProductDetails.htm?Id=8

And another (less expensive):

http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/1082

I've heard this one 'in action' and it's got serious balls!

And a Crown:

http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Crown-XLS-202~ID~3511.asp

And another:

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/1345611/art/crown/crown-xls202d-2-x-300w-se.html

Have you got a preamp, though?

Marco.

Primalsea
31-01-2009, 21:34
Hi Mike, CA is a defo to look into but if you want more welly try to get a Carver amp. One of the TFM series will do the job but they are not too common in UK though. I repaired a TFM25 once, it has +/- 100V power supply rails

alb
31-01-2009, 23:52
Or you could get your iron out and build one of the Gainclones. Think of the satisfaction.

Mike
01-02-2009, 07:31
Or you could get your iron out and build one of the Gainclones. Think of the satisfaction.

You know Al, I hadn't even thought of that! :doh:

I'll have a google.

jandl100
01-02-2009, 08:59
Some folks rate the older Harmon Kardon integrateds - high current and good boogie factor for around £100 on eBay.de.

greenhomeelectronics
01-02-2009, 09:45
Hi Mike, we have quite a few in stock at the moment, have a look at www.greenhomeshop.co.uk, you should find something in there. If you want really cheap power we have a Sherwood a/v amp that puts out 100 watts per channel, it's only 75 quid, it's in our home cinema receivers / systems section. There are quite a few others in there at the moment and we also have some others in www.usedhifishop.co.uk if you want to spalsh out a bit more. don't be afraid to call and haggle if something takes your fancy, I will always do AoS members a good deal.
Dave.

tubehunter
01-02-2009, 10:00
Hi,
I have a Laney CA1500 Power amp for sale.

This uses the ClassT Tripath TA0104 processor .This is the same chip that Audio Research used in their 150.2, http://www.audioresearch.com/150.2.html.
Specification is 350W per channel into 8ohm, 550W into 4ohm and 750W into 2ohm.(silent, no cooling fans)
Balanced Inputs with an impedance of 15K ohms
Input Sensitivity is selectable 0dB, +4dB and 26dB fixed. I have fitted two phono sockets so you can also bypass the preamp section completely and connect directly to the poweramp board.

Sounds very good with excellent bass control, better than most ClassD, and I have built Hypex and various lower powered Tripaths.
I have built various gainclones and think they might be under powered for your needs, although sound very good.

http://i514.photobucket.com/albums/t350/halx00/IMG_4168.jpg
http://i514.photobucket.com/albums/t350/halx00/IMG_4169.jpg

£120 plus p&p

Duncan

Marco
01-02-2009, 10:15
Nice one, Dunc.

I've heard that very amp, Mikey, and it's a stunner (hence my earlier recommendation of Laney)! :)

It'll be a hoot - let's just say that it has 'party animal' written all over it... :eyebrows:

Marco.

Mike
01-02-2009, 10:43
Bloody Hell!!! :stalks:

I'll need to have a wee think about that one. This is something that Mrs H & the kids will be let loose on! :mental:

Marco
01-02-2009, 11:07
I've heard it in Ian Walker's system and it's at least as good, if not better, than a pair of Naim 135s. But it's not just a 'muscle' amp, it has also has bags of subtlety and finesse, mainly through the amount of headroom it affords all types of music such that the amp (and the speakers connected) is never under any strain.

Think of it as just a really good sounding hi-fi amp, but with the ability to blow your bollocks right off ;)

It's a bit like driving a sports car, or a car with a big engine...most of the time you enjoy the thrill of its acceleration and its 'effortlessness' without taking advantage of its top speed.

Marco.

Mike
01-02-2009, 11:20
Marco, I'm fine with that.

It's retrieving large chunks of loudspeaker (from God knows where!) once 'The Tribe' has been messing about that worries me! :lolsign:

Marco
01-02-2009, 11:37
Just lower the gain controls on the front of the Laney to a level you think is appropriate, thus restricting the maximum volume available, then tuck the amp out of sight, leaving 'the tribe' with access only to the volume knob on the preamp - easy peasy, and they won't have a Scooby-doo! ;)

Also, the advantage of using a pro-audio amp in the application you intend is that it's 'unburstable' and will survive all manner of abuse in the way that would have 'domestic' hi-fi amps raising the white flag and giving up the ghost. It'll probably last you, oh, 25 years or so! I'd say that's not bad for £120.

Marco.

Sand Dancin Donkey Walker
01-02-2009, 11:42
Hi Mike

Have a Cambrodge Audio A500 Integrated amp at home, let me know if you are interested, or want to drop by for a look

I also, as of last night have a Audio Analogue Maestro Integrated. But that bugger's not going anywhere, it weighs 52Kg and does 600W into
2 Ohms.

Andy - SDDW

Mike
01-02-2009, 12:07
Cheers Andy, I might just take you up on that. :)

I'm in no rush BTW everyone, just 'thinking out loud' (!?) so to speak.;)

DSJR
01-02-2009, 12:45
I think the other posters have just about covered all the avenues - A&R A60's and Creek 4140's just won't cut it in this company I feel.

That Laney looks good for the price (I wonder what it would do with (and to) Isobariks - hehe!). The better "pro" power amps are amazing, with sensible design (good technical specs), stability and a pretty damned good sound too as long as you don't try driving old Apogee ribbons (the reason why Krell got so successful twenty years ago I reckon).

If looking at new, I'm told there's an Alesis at under £200 that sounds pretty good, but I've never heard it.

I owe it to the A60 designer Chris Evans (no, not that one ;)) to give a shout for the early Myryad MI120 integrated and matching pre/power, as well as the large power amp they did in the nineties. Very beefy sound with a good deal of finesse. I much prefer this quality to the over ripe recent Sugden "class A" mush that seems to throw a blanket over the music ('cos that's what class A is supposed to sound like.....).