£600-800 budget for big bass intergrated?

[admin_exported]

Hi there ,

Can anyone point me in the direction of a really good amplifier with loads of bass for a budget of £600-800

I know i keep asking about components with bass all the time, but im finding modern day hifi is very very bass shy compared to older equipment.

thankyou

 

[Anonymous]

Aside from reliability issues, the CA 840A can do big bass! It has bass/treble adjustment, so it can be whacked up for a bit of fun! I got hold of my MF A3.5 as a replacement and it too has a lovely full, punchy but warmer than the 840 sound - I love it. I found the Primare I21 very bass light, but lovely everywhere else. Arcam def not for me (although I quite like my old Arcam Alpha7), nor did Rotel quite cut it for me. Or Pioneer A-A9 at all, I hated that - very bright and thin. Just my opinions from what I've listened to.

 

[the record spot]

if you're prepared to look a little further down the price range (which you might not!), Marantz did the rather good PM6010 Ki Signature (which dates back about 7 years now), which has a very open and involving sound and is anything but bass shy. I partner mine with Marantz 733i floorstanders which aren't exactly shrinking violets. The Marantz PM7200 picked up great reviews with its' presentation and Class A performance at the time too. Both were in the £300 (for the PM7200) to £400 price range.

More recently, Exposure's 2010 amp picked up good reviews for its' upfront in yer face approach. Maybe that would suffice, but it won't have that vintage sound if that's also part of what you're after.

I guess though that if you're referring to 'vintage', you probably mean something a little older than year 2000 type gear!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="marcymarc555"]
Hi there ,

Can anyone point me in the direction of a really good amplifier with loads of bass for a budget of £600-800

I know i keep asking about components with bass all the time, but im finding modern day hifi is very very bass shy compared to older equipment.

thankyou

[/quote]

thanks for the quick reply

Im not really a fan of the cambridge gear in all honesty but i appreciate your reccomendation

Would you recomend arcam amps from a bass punch point of view?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Have you heard the Roksan Kandy MkIII? Mighty meaty with the right partners...

 

[gpi]

Surely all amps have the same output - 20 Hz - 20 kHz. You need big bass drivers in a large box for more bass IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare,

I havent heard the kandy , but i had considered looking down that route....until i noticed the dreaded rear on/off power button lol , which really put me off, silly i know.

 

[nads]

you say Older kit. Which? what speakers are you running?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="nads"]you say Older kit. Which?
what speakers are you running?[/quote]

Hi nads , im running the b&w 685s at the mo with my cambridge 340a

When i say older kit i mean pioneer a400 etc

 

[Clare Newsome]

That amp's a tad weedy for the B&Ws, which can sound plenty beefy driven well.

Do you also have the speakers on decent, solid stands? We've found it can make a big difference to their bottom-end.

 

[Anonymous]

Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.

 

[Anonymous]

My speakers are on super dreadnaughts, i understand what your saying about the cambridge being under powererd for the 658s, I was gonna pair them up to a nad 355bee but then there was the rear on/off switch issue lol so here i am.....

 

[nads]

[quote user="marcymarc555"][quote user="nads"]you say Older kit. Which?
what speakers are you running?[/quote]

Hi nads , im running the b&w 685s at the mo with my cambridge 340a

When i say older kit i mean pioneer a400 etc

[/quote]I would sugest a listen to a NAD C355BEE with those speakers. I had a listen to that amp today but not with those speakers but with some of the other B&W and it sounds as good as i thought it might. I just like the Nad B&W combo....

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="gpi"]Surely all amps have the same output - 20 Hz - 20 kHz. You need big bass drivers in a large box for more bass IMO.[/quote]

good point gpi...

marcymarc perhaps you should get yourself 1000W sub, that will sort the wheat from the chaff for you.........

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="gpi"]Surely all amps have the same output - 20 Hz - 20 kHz. You need big bass drivers in a large box for more bass IMO.[/quote]

All amps have a different presentation - some show more detail, some are bright, some warm, some thin, others just don't do bass very well etc. Figures on paper are meaningless when it comes to the sound.

 

[the record spot]

[quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

I'm just saying about the tone controls because he thinks most modern hifi is bass-shy. With Marantz amps you can turn the bass up a bit without really destroying the sound. Nad tone controls are rubbish IMO (if you use them).

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Wild Willy"][quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

I'm just saying about the tone controls because he thinks most modern hifi is bass-shy. With Marantz amps you can turn the bass up a bit without really destroying the sound. Nad tone controls are rubbish IMO (if you use them).[/quote]

i think he needs to add more in the speaker dept, he wont get what he is looking for through the tone controls, i have a new nad amp and their bass is more refined than previous models...if he wants to feel like he is at a rave then the addition of a sub is the way to go imo......

how about a power cord upgrade anyone ; ]

 

[the record spot]

Yup, got that, it wasn't a criticism of your post though; just pointing out the recent differences is all.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Wild Willy"][quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

I'm just saying about the tone controls because he thinks most modern hifi is bass-shy. With Marantz amps you can turn the bass up a bit without really destroying the sound. Nad tone controls are rubbish IMO (if you use them).[/quote]

I think the Nad tone controls may have come on a bit to be honest, my neighbour has the new budget nad 315 amp and the tone controls seem alot more useful than the ones on my ca 340a, not had any experience with marantz so im not really qualified to comment on them.

 

[gpi]

I have a PM7200 and very rarely feel the need to switch the source direct switch off. Bass can be too heavy and overpowering on tracks like Angel by Massive Attack and perhaps too light on other albums. To a large extent the amount of bass kick depends on the signal. I've lost track of B&W's recent output; the OP's speakers must be standmounts if they're on Partington stands (he says, thinking out loud), so investing in larger standmounts or floorstanders is the way I would go once that weedy amp is replaced. I do agree amps have differing presentations. My point is upgrading speakers will reap more rewards in the long run.

[quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="marcymarc555"][quote user="Wild Willy"][quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

I'm just saying about the tone controls because he thinks most modern hifi is bass-shy. With Marantz amps you can turn the bass up a bit without really destroying the sound. Nad tone controls are rubbish IMO (if you use them).[/quote]

I think the Nad tone controls may have come on a bit to be honest, my neighbour has the new budget nad 315 amp and the tone controls seem alot more useful than the ones on my ca 340a, not had any experience with marantz so im not really qualified to comment on them.

[/quote]

Nope. I have tried the C372 and the new C355BEE, both have terrible tone controls. The bass just muddies up the whole midrange, best to leave them defeated. I've always been impressed with the Marantz tone controls.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fergs"][quote user="Wild Willy"][quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

I'm just saying about the tone controls because he thinks most modern hifi is bass-shy. With Marantz amps you can turn the bass up a bit without really destroying the sound. Nad tone controls are rubbish IMO (if you use them).[/quote]

i think he needs to add more in the speaker dept, he wont get what he is looking for through the tone controls, i have a new nad amp and their bass is more refined than previous models...if he wants to feel like he is at a rave then the addition of a sub is the way to go imo......

how about a power cord upgrade anyone ; ][/quote]

Im pretty sure that the sound im after is available with out the use of a sub, i was listning to big bass hifi years ago when no one used subs so i know its possible somehow.

My neighbour also has the pioneer a400 and that thing kicks....big time, regardless of speakers in most cases. We call it the thug amp lol

Why is new hifi so rubbish at bass at bass, the top end sound/treble has come on leaps and bounds over the years but bass has took a flop , i really cant understand it .

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="fergs"][quote user="Wild Willy"][quote user="the record spot"][quote user="Wild Willy"]Nad amps are famous for their bass. I've found Marantz amps to have very deep bass too, plus their tone controls are excellent - tweaking the bass really does just tweak the bass and doesn't muddy the whole sound.[/quote]

If tone controls are important to you, check by all means; my 6010 doesn't need them for my ears and I used to be a near committed fan of them. That said, their amps not long after this started to include them again - the 7200 is feature laden and I think the PM4001 had them at the entry level. Anything from them from the mid-90s to 2001 probably didn't though.[/quote]

I'm just saying about the tone controls because he thinks most modern hifi is bass-shy. With Marantz amps you can turn the bass up a bit without really destroying the sound. Nad tone controls are rubbish IMO (if you use them).[/quote]

i think he needs to add more in the speaker dept, he wont get what he is looking for through the tone controls, i have a new nad amp and their bass is more refined than previous models...if he wants to feel like he is at a rave then the addition of a sub is the way to go imo......

how about a power cord upgrade anyone ; ][/quote]

True, bigger speakers and a better amp etc but I've lost track of the number of people who spend thousands trying to get big bass (at lower volumes) when cheap bookshelf speakers and a cheap amp with a loudness button used to do it years ago for peanuts!

 

[gpi]

Incidentally, as I'm a newbie, how do you keep track of new posts in threads? Is it a case of opening the page all the time to see if new posts have been added? Also, what is that 'Edit Tags' option? Thanks.