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In Reply to: RE: Advice for a newbie posted by Audio Curious on February 24, 2014 at 12:55:03
What amp do you presently have and what do you like and dislike about it. Your question is very broad and responses may be meaningless. While I suspect ss will do better the the ARs there are more than a few owners who do run tube gear with it.
I am not sure what is available over there in quantity but Radford comes to mind as a UK company amp that has a following over here. Leak not as much but, another vintage possibility. QUAD never made an integrated or receiver that I am aware of but if you can manage to go with separates, another possibility. Also, if I were there I would look at come of the continental manufacturers such as SABA, Grundig, Philips, etc. as they produced some fine units that never saw the light of day over here. However, I tend to look for under rated bargains that have not been on the collector's lists but are excellent performers.
While receivers are a way to go, due to because of the changing landscape of radio, maybe the better option would be an amp and tuner and an item on the checklist for the amp would include maybe the ability to separate the preamp section from the amp so you can grow the system as time and money permit. While at it, consider what is important and what is a nicety to have in terms of flexibility or things such as defeatable tone controls, mc phono input, muting, whether multiple tape capability may be useful in your planned system, power meters, physical size, etc.
Do not worry about high power as you have a smaller room and cost per watt is has less roi than the quality of that first watt.
There are seve3ral avenues you may travel including the helter skelter of buying and then finding out it is not what you want or need and planning in advance and then finding the unit that fits the bill. The former may be more fun in you can load up the basement and meet all manner of persons but the latter may be less costly and allow more time to listen to music and in the eyes of a significant other both saner and livable.
Welcome to the nut house full of crazies. You may never be the same again.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada
Follow Ups:
I am with Brian on the QUAD. AR speakers like power and a current dumping amp like the QUAD 405 would be just the ticket. Of course it would work fine with a QUAD preamp, but they will work with most any good SS preamp. If you are using CD only, you could consider passive or direct.
I don't know what Yamaha prices are like across the pond, but if Yamaha gets the lack of respect there that it gets here, there are good deals to be had. Go with separates if possible, that way, wit QUAD or Yamaha, if you decide to upgrade to Spendor or Harbeth, your electronics will be up to it.
Dave
I'm with you on the Quad 405 power amp. It's been driving my a/d/s 1230s for 31 years.
It is a breakthrough design, IMO!
Dave
But one that got a less than positive review in either Stereophile or Absolute Sound, can't remember which, in the 1970s. The reviewer said it lacked the punch required for the sort of base one might expect from a 100w/ch amp.
The sound is one thing, but I like it for its rugged durability. Mine blew a channel in 1989. I then had it overhauled and its performed flawlessly ever since.
Thanks for all the advice and recommendations. Plenty further research for me to do.
Any tips on the best places to source items. I'm based in London.
Thanks,
Peter
I am just outside of Washington DC, so I haven't the foggiest about London. If I were in London, I would be looking for Parlophone Beatles and Harvest Pink Floyd pressings!
Dave
It's so much easier living in a communist country. Less to think about. They tell you what to get or what is offered and that's it.
With that said! Don't go crazy over this. Too much research ruins the fun unless fun to you is research. Keep it simple. An integrated with phono, a CD player, and a turntable of decent quality.
Most or all will have their opinions but it's your ears. It seems like those speakers need power. If they are saying minimum 15 watts that is probably bare minimum before they won't perform at all. I would double that for safety and that is just getting by to me.
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