Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

"Keith G" wrote in
:

One thing I can tell is that if you are *really* interested in getting
the best possible sound (ie venturing into separates, as the OP
states) you will never do it by rushing out and buying all of the list
that different people will give/recommend to you.


You sure?

What HiFi has been a real buddy to me

;-P

--
Cessna172

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

On 7 Feb 2006 05:53:47 -0800, wrote:

Hello all,

I thinking of venturing into the world of hi-fi seperates and I'm
starting by looking for an amplifier. I don't have a great budget for
this, around £150, therefore I have narrowed my choice down to the
following:

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340A
Sony TA-FE370
Marantz PM4001

I can find a bit on the net about the CA amp but not much about the
others.

So what I was wondering is if there is much to choose from these
models, or at this price range am I likely to find that they are all
much of a muchness?

Thanks in advance and sorry if this sort of question has been asked a
million times before.

This is definitely in a budget area where corners get cut in power
amplifiers, and I suspect that the Cambridge unit will provide audibly
superior performance - contrary to what many people *claim* the
'objectivists' say.................
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 15:07:56 -0000, "Andrew Virnuls"
wrote:

"Keith G" wrote in message
.. .

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello all,

I thinking of venturing into the world of hi-fi seperates and I'm
starting by looking for an amplifier. I don't have a great budget for
this, around £150, therefore I have narrowed my choice down to the
following:

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340A
Sony TA-FE370
Marantz PM4001

I can find a bit on the net about the CA amp but not much about the
others.

So what I was wondering is if there is much to choose from these
models, or at this price range am I likely to find that they are all
much of a muchness?

There are those here who will tell you they will all sound the same. I
don't *know* that, but I suspect they will - worry about your speakers
more and match the best amp to them you can. Speaker/amp pairings in
*your* room are the secret to success, AFAIAC....

If they all sound the same, on what criteria would you judge one to be "the
best"?

Also, if they all sound the same, how come most of the regular posters who
say they all sound the same have equipment that costs far in excess of £150?

I use a Krell because I have insensitive 3-ohm speakers, and it's also
a useful reference for comparisons. The advice above is correct -
start with the speakers and find an amp which will drive them
adequately to the sound levels you enjoy. In your price bracket, they
do *not* all sound the same - some will definitely run out of power on
things like piano chords and drum hits.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

"Cessna172" wrote in message
. 240.10...
"Keith G" wrote in
:

The place to start is with any reasonable amp (begged, borrowed or
stolen) of not less than, say, 30 wpc possibly from eBay (there's
plenty of people here who will advise if candidates are chosen) and
try and find the best speaker match to the room. Bass is usually the
let-down - people think they need lots of it and usually end up
muddying the overall sound picture with 'room boom' &c.


Yes, don't get caught up with bigger is better - it may not be.

On eBay right now there are 678 amplifiers, the first one I have had
experience of is this one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cambridge-Audi...lifier_W0QQite
mZ5861343993QQcategoryZ3280QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and I would recommend it to anyone starting the whole selection
process. It's a fine little amp, if not broken, IMO...

YES - I will agree with Keith here. I started out 4 years ago with an amp
very similar to that from Cambridge and very nice it was too. I had it for
a year then 'upgraded' - I am still upgrading and still searching!


'Sidegrading', it's called....

;-)




This one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...343175&fromMak
eTrack=true

I will BUY, if the price stays anywhere like it atm!!

(In fact I am now the current high bidder, so I hope no-one here does
the dirty on me!! ;-)

Class A? I had better bid on it ;-P



Too late - that one's history, it'll go well over a hundred by the time it's
done, I should think.....

I thought the poor cosmetics would keep the price down, but not the case it
would seem.(I'm sure I've bought from that seller before...???) I do want to
run Class A SS up against valves to see if there are similarities, but I
want to do it for 'nowt' - I don't think I'm going to get a Sugden for
peanuts though.......

(There *is* another.... ;-)

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

"Cessna172" wrote in message
. 240.10...
"Keith G" wrote in
:

One thing I can tell is that if you are *really* interested in getting
the best possible sound (ie venturing into separates, as the OP
states) you will never do it by rushing out and buying all of the list
that different people will give/recommend to you.


You sure?

What HiFi has been a real buddy to me

;-P



You mean to bloody Sevenoaks, more like!! ;-)

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

In article , Keith G wrote:
I thinking of venturing into the world of hi-fi seperates and I'm
starting by looking for an amplifier. I don't have a great budget for
this, around £150, therefore I have narrowed my choice down to the
following:

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340A
Sony TA-FE370
Marantz PM4001

I can find a bit on the net about the CA amp but not much about the
others.

So what I was wondering is if there is much to choose from these
models, or at this price range am I likely to find that they are all
much of a muchness?

There shouldn't be any difference in the sound, so choose on the basis
of numbers of inputs and outputs and controls, (and appearance if you
think that's important). For what it's worth, I have the Cambridge 540A,
which is probably the same as the one you're considering with a more
beefy power supply and output stage. It has six line level inputs with
very good isolation between them, and a remote control that can also
drive their CD players - in fact it's identical with the one supplied
with the Azur CD players, so if you buy both you'll have a spare remote.

And Richer Sounds sell them, which is a big plus in my opinion.

Rod.

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

"Roderick Stewart" wrote in message
om...
In article , Keith G wrote:
I thinking of venturing into the world of hi-fi seperates and I'm
starting by looking for an amplifier. I don't have a great budget for
this, around £150, therefore I have narrowed my choice down to the
following:

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340A
Sony TA-FE370
Marantz PM4001

I can find a bit on the net about the CA amp but not much about the
others.

So what I was wondering is if there is much to choose from these
models, or at this price range am I likely to find that they are all
much of a muchness?

There shouldn't be any difference in the sound, so choose on the basis
of numbers of inputs and outputs and controls, (and appearance if you
think that's important). For what it's worth, I have the Cambridge 540A,
which is probably the same as the one you're considering with a more
beefy power supply and output stage. It has six line level inputs with
very good isolation between them, and a remote control that can also
drive their CD players - in fact it's identical with the one supplied
with the Azur CD players, so if you buy both you'll have a spare remote.



You've replied to the wrong person - I'm not in the market for that sort of
amp.

Might buy a pair of 'em though - and have 'em made up as cufflinks!!

:-P

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

wrote:
Hello all,

I thinking of venturing into the world of hi-fi seperates and I'm
starting by looking for an amplifier. I don't have a great budget for
this, around £150, therefore I have narrowed my choice down to the
following:

Cambridge Audio AZUR 340A
Sony TA-FE370
Marantz PM4001

Why not wander over to

http://www.onkyo.co.uk/

I have had one of their A922 Integrated amps feeding Quad ESL63s for years
They most likely have re-modelled it by now but its been a real pleasure listening
to the combination.

Newbie question on amplifers (sorry!)
 

In article , Keith G wrote:
You've replied to the wrong person - I'm not in the market for that sort of
amp.

Might buy a pair of 'em though - and have 'em made up as cufflinks!!

Ah, I see what's happened - you quoted somebody else without the usual
indication that it was a quote, so I thought it was you.

They were, however, asking about the Cambridge 340A, so I thought my opinion
of the 540A might be of interest.

Rod.