"Andrew Virnuls" wrote in message
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"Keith G" wrote in message
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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"?

Facilities, build quality, manufacturer's reputation, looks, price, any or
all of those.

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?

Several reasons, but if you look at the list above; facilities, build
quality and looks all cost money to produce. The manufacturer's reputation
will be enhanced by good after-sales support, marketing etc which also cost
money, so the good stuff costs more. Given that all manufacturers will
charge as much as they can for a product, the good stuff also sells at a
premium. A small £ 150 integrated amp will be much like any other £ 150
integrated amp, but if you want more power, facilities, etc, then you need
to pay a lot more than £ 150.

Then, there is the volume pricing:- If a manufacturer wants to sell a
product at the £150 price level, they will necessarily need to make them in
large quantity, probably in the far-east. On the other hand, a manufacturer
at the high-end will be manufacturing in much small quantities, and won't be
getting the benefit of the large-scale production, so has to charge more,
even proportionately more. Finally, there what I call the Audio-Note
syndrome. Take a design which anyone could make for £ 500, hype it to the
skies and sell it for £ 10,000. You only need to persuade a few people to
buy it, and you've made your fortune.

S.

Not wanting to start a fight - just curious!

Andrew