What amp?

[Oddball]

I have spent the last few months getting my vinyl fit to play again , by cleaning them ,and have added a 1973 Pioneer PL-A35 to my old Triumph stack system (circa 1978 Currys ) to play them on!
The amp is an Hitachi made under licence , and is rated at 220 watts , 50 watts per channel at 8 ohms.

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj205/anthyyyyy/213_zps8406fdb8.jpg (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/anthyyyyy/media/213_zps8406fdb8.jpg.html)
Previously to that I used the Rotel direct drive that came with it , but after adding an AT35e cart to the Pioneer its here to stay.
So having added a pair of nice Mission 752's as well , have been a bit concerned about clipping them and so in the search for a much better amp(The Mission seller insisted a tube amp was the way to go)
I have been trawling the Bay for a suitable second hand amp nearby me ,but to no avail , as firstly I am unsure as to what I really want, make or price , but I wanted someones opinion of what would be a good match for the Missions 725's ?? , as I intend to put the Hitachi to my Rotel or Ferguson deck and have a second system in the spare room.
Thanks :youtheman:

[walpurgis]

(The Mission seller insisted a tube amp was the way to go)

That was a bit of a sweeping statement and not true. There are plenty of decent solid state amps that will sound fine with the Missions. Not to say that you shouldn't use a valve amp though. It'll just cost more for a good one.

Did you have a budget to work to?

[Oddball]

A budget , good question !!
Being a bit of a cheapskate I was thinking £ 2-300 , but If I was convinced that I would appreciate the sound improvement from a better amp , might go higher :)
Saw a biggish Pioneer amp a couple of days ago ,and was tempted , as it was near enough to collect , although I suppose shipping an amp is much better bet than shipping a TT

[roob]

A used Cyrus integrated.
Such as this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cyrus-7-integrated-Amplifier-in-Black-Preowned-/191470115673?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiF i_Amplifiers&hash=item2c94821b59

[Oddball]

Thanks roob, I had taken a look at Cyrus after googling an suitable amp for those speakers a day or 2 ago!
Cant decide if they are or not . I did like the look of a Pioneer A400 , but I think its gone now!

It seems that amp stuff of any quality is making daft money in some cases .:eek:

Been looking at an old Technics SU 8080 which I quite fancied . 75 watts per channel , I know it is old , but possibly a big enough girl for the Mission 752's , or is that not essential ??

[Jason P]

IIRC the Missions are reasonably easy to drive - so don't get hung up on watts! Bigger isn't necessarily better in most cases. That Technics would be more than enough - as to whether it's a decent amp or not, that's another question entirely. I'd look for an 80s/90s era classic amp and see how that fares - maybe a NAD, Creek 4040 or one of the early Regas - all great VFM.

[fatmarley]

Whatever you buy, I'd compare it to the Cambridge Audio Topaz AM1 (http://www.richersounds.com/product/amplifiers-receivers/cambridge-audio/topaz-am1/camb-topaz-am1-blk) (assuming you have a Richersounds near you and that they still do the 7 day, no quibble, money back guarantee) - You may be surprised!

[Oddball]

Interesting Fatmarley !! :) In all honesty ,I wont be trying to blow the doors off the music room :eyebrows:
I must do a bit more research but the reviews on that look promising

[DSJR]

The 752's used a heavy? aerogel cone in the largest ported box it could be used in and it's my recommendation that a good modern solid state amp is the way to go to give some form of superior control. The Cyrus mentioned above should be perfect methinks :) Don't bother about an A400 at the moment, as this thing polarises opinion of those that knew it.

[Robprog]

I have been reviewing amps and shortlist is Sonneteer Alabaster, Rogue Audio Sphinx and Croft Phono Integrated. All have inbuilt phono stages and in your price range. The Rogue is really interesting as it has a valve line stage that people seem to rave about combined with a class D power stage and rated at 100 W. I am edging to that as my B&W Matrix 1s need a bit of power. Otherwise the Croft would be in pole position.

[lewis]

I still have fond memories of my 752's, from way back in the mid nineties. They used an advanced (at that time) hda drive unit, (high definition aerogel) that was light and stiff, and helped make the 752 an easy to drive speaker with an 88db sensitivity, and high overall impedance of 8.9 ohms. I still have the Hi-fi world review from October 1994! They loved it, and recommended it could be used with valve amps due to it's easy to drive characteristics. I drove mine with a Pioneer a-300r precision, which suited it well.

If you are on a budget, you could do a lot worse than an Audio Analogue Puccini - there's one for sale at the mo on hififorsale.co.uk for £150 with a phono stage built in. Bargain!:)