What's next? Looking for recommendations...

[alexk0il]

Update in bold below. I'm a noob, still learning the language. :D

My Amp seems to be getting out of whack. Not sure where to go next. Will appreciate all ideas.

Background:
My current system is:

DAC - Beresford Bushmaster II
Speakers - Klipsch RP-150M
Amp - Hitachi SR-604


Got my Hitachi amp of ebay a few years ago, upgraded capacitors and fixed ground issues that was tripping the fuses in the house. The amp is really amazing, G-class, 35W per channel, THD 0.05% but above all it magically fills the sound and makes it full and rich without any distortions. Just found the right term that describes that feeling, this amp adds texture and meatiness to mids without making the sound muddy or losing details. Definitely not a neutral sound, but that's how I like it. I prefer to use it with headphones instead of plugging them directly into my super rich and super detailed DAC.

So here is the problem.
Over the years the radio had died, then the meters, then the left channel started to lose volume and finally the right channel started to make spontaneous low frequency pulses.

The Amp is a nightmare to work on, almost impossible to detach PCBs from the chassis and I think I'm now ready to move on to a next Amp.

Any recommendations? The Hitachi cost me around £100 including parts, I'm kind of afraid that I will end up spending
£200—400 but the sound will not be as good. After all, the SR-604 was $400 in 1970s which is £2k+ today, must had been a really good system back then.

So what are my options?

Thanks

[struth]

Should get a nice amp second hand. The quad vena maybe would be affordable at under 400 second hand and has a very good dac. The mk2 also has a phono. You could then sell your dac and recoup

[Macca]

If you don't want to spend that much then a second hand NAD 320BEE is what I would recommend. Won't be more than £150. Not as pretty as that Hitachi though.

[Pigmy Pony]

If you don't want to spend that much then a second hand NAD 320BEE is what I would recommend. Won't be more than £150. Not as pretty as that Hitachi though.

Is that the model you have? I thought it was quite good looking (by NAD standards), esp in silver. Better than the usual cacky brown-grey.

[Sherwood]

I have an Optoma Nuforce DDA-100 amp that will soon be surplus to requirements due to downsizing. In excellent condition with remote control. For further info check out http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/nuforce17/2.html

Would be looking for 180 quid collected. Can ship at cost.

Geoff

[Macca]

Is that the model you have? I thought it was quite good looking (by NAD standards), esp in silver. Better than the usual cacky brown-grey.

It's very plasticky when you get close up though.

[alexk0il]

NAD 320BEE is what I would recommend

Thank you. NADs look interesting, checking a few options, split between vintage and later options.

Any ideas how the following models compare in terms of sound quality? Don't need phono.
* 320 BEE (based on the original 3020, right?)
* NAD 3150
* NAD C352 (are C352T or C352CT the same?)

Thanks

[struth]

I have an Optoma Nuforce DDA-100 amp that will soon be surplus to requirements due to downsizing. In excellent condition with remote control. For further info check out http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/nuforce17/2.html

Would be looking for 180 quid collected. Can ship at cost.

Geoff

good amp that

[walpurgis]

The NAD 3150 only has spring clip bare wire terminals which some find annoying. Otherwise it's good, very punchy!

[walpurgis]

A quad 306 power amp and a passive pre-amp could give you what you want. The sound quality would be very good.

[alexk0il]

good amp that

Reading reviews, looks like a great bargain. Too bad no headphones :(. Also, seems to be tuned for amazing accuracy and details rather than for vintage rich sound, right?

[Sherwood]

Reading reviews, looks like a great bargain. Too bad no headphones :(. Also, seems to be tuned for amazing accuracy and details rather than for vintage rich sound, right?

It is a superb amp. Operates entirely in digital domain using very high speed pulse wave modulation. Sound is very neutral with quite a lot of grunt.

This has been barely used in recent years due to ill health (just home after nearly a month in hospital). I have the original box somewhere and the amp itself looks almost new.

Geoff

[walpurgis]

This has been barely used in recent years due to ill health (just home after nearly a month in hospital).

Geoff

Hope you're feeling better Geoff.

[struth]

Hope you're feeling better Geoff.

+1

[alexk0il]

It is a superb amp... This has been barely used in recent years due to ill health (just home after nearly a month in hospital).
Geoff

Sorry to hear that, wish you to get better soon. I'm sure DDA-100 is more refined than my old school Hitachi, I'm seriously tempted, though I don't see how I can live without the headphone socket. There is no way to add it, right?

[alexk0il]

A quad 306 power amp and a passive pre-amp could give you what you want. The sound quality would be very good.

Like the idea of power amp and pre-amp. Looking at Hitachi HMA/HCA 6500/7500 combos, though these are way above my price range. Plus would need to recap them, which adds costs and time. Confused :)

Anyway, if I am after the sound with clarity and added rich texture, would this be down to the properties of the pre-amp, power-amp or both? :doh:

[Sherwood]

Sorry to hear that, wish you to get better soon. I'm sure DDA-100 is more refined than my old school Hitachi, I'm seriously tempted, though I don't see how I can live without the headphone socket. There is no way to add it, right?

It has a single TosLink digital output so you can add a budget headphone amp if required.

[Macca]

Thank you. NADs look interesting, checking a few options, split between vintage and later options.

Any ideas how the following models compare in terms of sound quality? Don't need phono.
* 320 BEE (based on the original 3020, right?)
* NAD 3150
* NAD C352 (are C352T or C352CT the same?)

Thanks

as far as I know the 320BEE isn't based on the 3020, it has three times the power output of the 3020, is from 25 years later and different designer. It does have the 'warm' balance you seem to be after though.

No idea about the C352T, sorry.

[walpurgis]

Like the idea of power amp and pre-amp. Looking at Hitachi HMA/HCA 6500/7500 combos, though these are way above my price range. Plus would need to recap them, which adds costs and time.

The Hitachi power amps of that era were OK, but the pre-amps were not great, a bit dull and two dimensional sounding.

[Macca]

I read that early 1980s is best for Hitachi, JVC, that whole bunch. Better transistors became available and it was before the cost-cutting started.

[alexk0il]

I read that early 1980s is best for Hitachi, JVC, that whole bunch. Better transistors became available and it was before the cost-cutting started.

Yeah... Discovered Hitachi by accident, just wanted to see what it takes to take an amp and recap it. My audiophile experience is not very rich, but it has always been a jaw dropping experience for me.

My first shock was when I switched from a B&O enhanced phone audio to the proper USB valve DAC (Aune T1 with a rare Russian cold war military tube), then I was knocked down by Beresford Bushmaster II DAC and later finished off by attaching it's output to that Hitachi of mine. It shines both with excellent sources and more importantly with less than perfect sources on youtube, Spotify or internet radio, I guess I was lucky to come across this ancient piece of the Dynaharmony technology.

I'm still a newbie, but I'd hate upgrading it to something that technically has a cleaner and more neutral sound (shouldn't be difficult, right?) while being less enjoyable and less unforgiving for the quality of the source.

[alexk0il]

Thank you everyone for trying to help. I just realized that while you replies were helpful, it's kind of silly to expect you to give me recommendations that will be aligned with my own ideas of how I like my sound and I am not in any position to appreciate them to the fullest. I can't listen to these system before buying and trying to understand the character of the sound of each of these systems from public reviews turned out to be a bit more difficult than I expected.


See this post that explains my journey (https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?73168-What-s-next-Looking-for-recommendations&p=1276454#post1276454)

I guess I need to get back to the learning bench and start reading about signature sounds of different brands, texture vs details, airiness vs brightness, bass accuracy vs punchiness. Too bad I can't register to a workshop where I could listen to the best of Rotel, NAD, Audiolab, Onkyo, Sansui, etc. from 80s, 90s, 2000s, etc.. :lol: I still might ask a few silly questions in separate threads, but hey, if you have more great ideas of what I might be looking for, feel free to add it here. I will read and learn something about that system too. :)