Amplifier Misery

[Scorps]

I’ve also a old Bryston 8b st power amp you welcome to borrow can come wi densen pre if u don’t have a pre

[Jac Hawk]

Thanks for the offers guys, i've gone and bought a Sony ES integrated amp circa 1989 which i got very cheap so i couldn't really pass it up it should arrive early next week and in the mean time i've got a loan of a HH power amp and passive pre

[Haselsh1]

Lovin' the humour in this thread and sorry to the OP but the sense of humour here is first class unlike the postage on the amp.

[Jac Hawk]

So i've just got this as a stopgap and i must say it sounds sweeeeet.

[IMG]IMG_2346 by mike davis, on Flickr[/IMG][IMG]IMG_2347 by mike davis, on Flickr[/IMG][IMG]IMG_2348 by mike davis, on Flickr[/IMG][IMG]IMG_2345 by mike davis, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Lawrence001]

I've just bought a stopgap as well (top one, to replace the previous stopgap below it )

[Jac Hawk]

I've just bought a stopgap as well (top one, to replace the previous stopgap below it )

Yeah I've come to realise that a spare amp is a must you literally never know what's going to get in the way of your enjoyment.

As you can see from the photo's the Sony is in good condition and they where taken just after unboxing it in my kitchen, i've cleaned it since and i must say the old Sony gear especially the ES range was built to last, everything feels smooth and precise, there's no crackles or noise from any of the switches or buttons and this beast is the best part of 30 years old.

Sound wise this is a powerful amp, you can tell by the way it grips the speakers keeping the big Kralk 12 inch bass units in check, reportedly this is an 80w into 8ohm amp but from the amount i need to turn the volume control it's way more, previously i had a HH 150w pa amp running them and i needed it turned up a lot more than the Sony to get the same amount of volume. I'm not one for bass and treble adjustment and thankfully it has a source direct button that bypasses the tone and balance controls, i'm not sure if i can hear the difference but my thinking is it's a shorter signal path so it should be better, overall i'm very happy with the noise it makes which is best described as neutral, my old Marantz was a bit brighter sounding i think. the only thing i'm surprised about is the lack of any remote control which is odd for an early 90's Jap amp.

So once the Primaluna finds its way to me, i'll get the Sony properly checked and serviced and it will have its spot on the reserve bench just in case the unthinkable happens again.

[walpurgis]

Yeah I've come to realise that a spare amp is a must you literally never know what's going to get in the way of your enjoyment.

Keep a little TPA3116 mini amp handy. It sounds decent, drives most speakers no bother and is tiny, so can be tucked away when not needed.

[Lawrence001]

Keep a little TPA3116 mini amp handy. It sounds decent, drives most speakers no bother and is tiny, so can be tucked away when not needed.

I've got one of those too, and an Ice power ASP1000 power amp with Glasshouse stepped attenuator. In fact I have several stopgaps but no "main" amp

[Jac Hawk]

Keep a little TPA3116 mini amp handy. It sounds decent, drives most speakers no bother and is tiny, so can be tucked away when not needed.

Is that a class D Geoff? The Sony is anything but small but as i've said in other posts it was a bargain so i'll hang on to it. i've noticed HiFi gear in general on ebay and other sites is either not selling or selling at a lot less than before the lockdown started.

[walpurgis]

Is that a class D Geoff? The Sony is anything but small but as i've said in other posts it was a bargain so i'll hang on to it. i've noticed HiFi gear in general on ebay and other sites is either not selling or selling at a lot less than before the lockdown started.

Yes, it is.

I bought a couple from China, plus suitable power supplies. I'm very pleased with them.