Choosing a second-hand amp for my near field monitors
 

Hi folks,

I'm doing some milti-track recording at home, andI need to obtain an
amplifier to power a pair of near field monitors (possibly Tannoy
Reveals) which I'll be using for mix-downs. I'm on a tight budget at
present, so I'm looking at second-hand hi-fi amps. A local junk shop
usually has a selection of them. I gather the amp needs to be
flat-response i.e., uncoloured, accurate and clear. Can anyone give me
any tips on selecting one? I'm not a hi-fi buff, despite my recording
pursuits.

Many thanks for any suggestions,

Alan W

Choosing a second-hand amp for my near field monitors
 

On Fri, 03 Sep 2004 23:14:17 +0100, "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
AlanW1, UK wrote:
I'm doing some milti-track recording at home, andI need to obtain an
amplifier to power a pair of near field monitors (possibly Tannoy
Reveals) which I'll be using for mix-downs. I'm on a tight budget at
present, so I'm looking at second-hand hi-fi amps. A local junk shop
usually has a selection of them. I gather the amp needs to be
flat-response i.e., uncoloured, accurate and clear. Can anyone give me
any tips on selecting one? I'm not a hi-fi buff, despite my recording
pursuits.

NAD 3020i? Plenty around, and pretty reliable as well as sounding good.
I've had one in use about 10 hours a day for many years and it's great.
Wouldn't expect one to cost much - 30 quid or so?

Dave, Thanks for the tip. What about those tuner/amps? Are they
generally suitable (provided they have auxiliary inputs and enough
wattage)? And how about older (70's) transistor amps - which tend to
be cheaper?

Thanks again,

Alan W

Choosing a second-hand amp for my near field monitors
 

In article ,
AlanW1, UK wrote:
I'm doing some milti-track recording at home, andI need to obtain an
amplifier to power a pair of near field monitors (possibly Tannoy
Reveals) which I'll be using for mix-downs. I'm on a tight budget at
present, so I'm looking at second-hand hi-fi amps. A local junk shop
usually has a selection of them. I gather the amp needs to be
flat-response i.e., uncoloured, accurate and clear. Can anyone give me
any tips on selecting one? I'm not a hi-fi buff, despite my recording
pursuits.

NAD 3020i? Plenty around, and pretty reliable as well as sounding good.
I've had one in use about 10 hours a day for many years and it's great.
Wouldn't expect one to cost much - 30 quid or so?

--
*Who are these kids and why are they calling me Mom?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Choosing a second-hand amp for my near field monitors
 

In article , AlanW1, UK
wrote:


Dave, Thanks for the tip. What about those tuner/amps? Are they
generally suitable (provided they have auxiliary inputs and enough
wattage)? And how about older (70's) transistor amps - which tend to be
cheaper?

It's quite possible that an older amplifier would be fine. However the
problem is that this becomes a matter of how well that particular unit has
been treated, and if any components have deteriorated significantly. Hence
the state of the individual unit probably matters.

Since I have an interest in 'Armstrong' equipment I can risk saying that
some of the old '600' range amps and tuner amps still can work very nicely
for general use. (One advantage being that the signal switching uses simple
electronic diode gates soinput switch deterioration is less likely to be a
problem than with some other designs.) However you might find one unit that
worked like new, and another that was a mess after 30-odd years of misuse.

FWIW I'm listening to an Armstrong 626 at the moment. BBC Radio 3 Jazz into
a pair of LS3/5A's. Sound quite good to me. But the 626 in question has
been carefully looked after.

Also, the above might well not suit your use if you need steady high power
levels. So I'm only really quoting it as an example which I happen to know.

Also, some of the 1970s/80s Pioneer and similar high power amps were much
better than people perhaps now recall or admit. But again, once you're
talking 10+ years old your best bet is to try the individual unit as
otherwise you are taking a chance.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

Choosing a second-hand amp for my near field monitors
 

On Sat, 04 Sep 2004 17:20:39 +0100, Jim Lesurf
wrote:


Also, some of the 1970s/80s Pioneer and similar high power amps were much
better than people perhaps now recall or admit. But again, once you're
talking 10+ years old your best bet is to try the individual unit as
otherwise you are taking a chance.

Jim, That's very helpful; thanks. I'll take your advice on that.
It's goot to know that the tuner amps are a viable option too.

Alan W

Choosing a second-hand amp for my near field monitors
 

On Thu, 02 Sep 2004 19:20:54 GMT, (AlanW1, UK)
wrote:


Hi folks,

I'm doing some milti-track recording at home, andI need to obtain an
amplifier to power a pair of near field monitors (possibly Tannoy
Reveals) which I'll be using for mix-downs. I'm on a tight budget at
present, so I'm looking at second-hand hi-fi amps.

PS
I've just ordered a pair of Tannoy Reveal passive monitors.

I've just discovered that I've already got an amp that would work -
but would it be suitable? It's a cheap Bush mini hi-fi system (MN33RM)
It has the connectors I need: two phono jacks and an aux switch. I
guess the wattage is very low (it doesn't state the wattage, but I
guess it's low). But the volume I want to use it at will be low; just
loud enough to monitor my mixes. Would it be suitable? If not, why
not? Thanks!

AlanW