WTB: Integrated Amp with MM phono built in

[Vinyleyes]

Continuing to buy xmas presents I am now looking for an integrated amplifier with MM phono built in. I like the old Sony designs and Japanese tank built huge integrated of the 70's and 80's and I am looking at various options on Ebay. Pioneer A400, Sony TA F30, Sony FB 940R, TA FE319R and various Marantz ... Any other recommendations and offers would be most welcome and I would also consider AV receiver amp. Budget is around 150 punds.
Thanks for looking

[ourdogmax]

Brian, see if you can find a cyrus 2, they have a great phono stage.:)

[Rare Bird]

I've just re-capped the power supply (fitted Kandeils K05) in an old Cambridge 'P55'..be up for grabs in a bit.

[YNWaN]

I would discourage you from the Pioneer A400 as I found it profoundly disappointing (and hugely over-hyped) back in the day - certainly the Cyrus 2 is very much better.

[Vinyleyes]

Thanks for that .. I am currently watching the Marantz PM7200 / Sony TA-FA 3AS / Sony F542E and the Technics SU V90D ........... they all seem to have garnered pretty decent reviews in their day ,,,, I don't have a clue really which one ................ :scratch:

[DSJR]

I'd put all of them a very poor second to an A&R A60 myself, which i remember sounding better than almost anything else at the price except a Nait mk1 or 2.

The A400 could sound dire, or bloomin' marvellous depending on the gear it was used with. A Cyrus 2 is similar in my opinion and again, IMO, it should have a PSX with it to fully realise the quality it's capable of. A shame they chose to deliberately cripple the standard article (it sounds too lean and brightly lit without) so that a bigger power supply becomes necessary, but that's business for you.

[Vinyleyes]

I never got on with that lean sounding fashion of the 80's .. even though I had an LP12 at the time I used to partner it with valves .. does the A60 fall into that category .. I like a lot of acoustic stuff and like others here my old ears cannot abide any hardness or lack of depth .. Hence me looking at these muscle (ish) amps from JApan: I have a Nak 730 receiver needing repair that blew the socks off a Naim 250 back then .. ( to my ears anyway haha! ) The eminent Linn dealer was embarrassed and tried to cheat by setting the gain on the NAk half way down hoping I would not notice on the A/B comparison in his shop !! ....

[Vinyleyes]

Thanks for the ideas gents ............ I just picked up a 405-2 off the bay .. but now I need a preamp of course.

[YNWaN]

Umm..you do realise that the volume control on the Naim and the Nakamichi use quite different laws -setting both to the same position does not give the same volume. A typical Naim volume control setting, of the time you mention, would be 1 o'clock but an equivalent setting on the Nakamichi would be more like 10 o'clock.

My experience of the Japanese amplifiers you were considering is that their sound did not match their looks (I can't say I was deeply impressed by any of them and would second the thoughts of DSJR).

[DSJR]

The japanese made Alps pot in many Naims has a perfectly standard log law in a Naim - 9 o'clock for CD, 11 o'clock for tuner/tape and 1 o'clock or even higher for vinyl, as Naim never changed the gain of the phono stage.

The 405-2 may need re-capping (again) depending upon whether it's been done or not. Have a look at the dada kits for the supply caps at least. the input sensitivity of the 405 series is quite high as well, so a lower gain preamp would be good.

Good cheap preamps are few and far between, although my race-tuned Quad 33 is a lovely thing and very honest sounding - I love using it too. Early croft Micro's are great, but the increased input sensitivity of the Quad may increase the noise floor and you'll need a decent L-pad type of attenuator to reduce the gain. a LATE Quad 44 (darker grey case, chocolate coloured buttons and IEC sockets on the back) would be wonderful, but they're not cheap sadly, fetching nigh on £300 and not far behind the 66 pre, which I like except for its total dependance on the remote.

[Vinyleyes]

Umm..you do realise that the volume control on the Naim and the Nakamichi use quite different laws -setting both to the same position does not give the same volume. A typical Naim volume control setting, of the time you mention, would be 1 o'clock but an equivalent setting on the Nakamichi would be more like 10 o'clock.

My experience of the Japanese amplifiers you were considering is that their sound did not match their looks (I can't say I was deeply impressed by any of them and would second the thoughts of DSJR).

Hi Mark ........... The thing on the Nak I was talking about is not the volume control ... It is a sliding controller of some sort and when not set in the optimum central position the amp does not sound it's best. I don't have the amp to look at right now as I'm not home so I cannot be more specific .. an being non techyy I have no idea what it's real name/function is .. All I can say is that the 250 was blown away and the dealer knew it .. The 730 Nak is quite highly regarded by a certain few who regard it as the best thing in amplifier terms that they ever made. At any rate it is out for repair now so when it comes back I will comment again on how it sounds up against my Radford .. and the Quad in my son's embryonic 1st ever system .... Lost os things coming for xmas to play with ... including as well a huge Nakamichi PA-7 power amp ... :-)