Amp advice for a newbie

[flak_jack]

Hi Guys,

I've joined the forum for some expert advice on my current predicament! I bought an old 1990s Sony all-in-one system from a charity shop for £35.00 a few months ago and, never owned a record player, I purchased a couple of records out of curiosity and now i'm hooked! 40 or so records later and i'm looking to upgrade to a better setup.

I'm looking for an Amp/phono/speaker setup to start with, though I might add a network reciever at a later date to stream Spotify through.

I've got a budget of around £600 and, having done some reading, popular opinion seems to suggest that the Pro-ject Debut would be a good phono and the Q-acoustic 2020is would be good speakers both of which seem to be going for considerably less than the RRP on Ebay (though i'm totally open to any alternatives).

The amp is the area that i'm struggling with. Having trawled through second hand hi-fi shops, I really like the look and physicality of the vintage integrated amps and many seem to believe that the older gear is good value for money and built to last. However, due to the age of the equipment i'm looking at, it's difficult to find reviews.

My budget for this area would be around £150.00, does anyone have an opinion on any of the following:

JVC JA-S44 (my current preference)

JVC R-S33L

MARANTZ PM440

NAD 3020

LEAK STEREO 30

SANSUI AU-G33X

Rotel RA-1000

Alternatively, is it better to go for a newer, budget amp and preamp?

Help me Hi-fi Wizards!

 

[matthewpiano]

I would be looking for a nice 2nd hand Rotel RA01, RA02, or RA04. Nicely made amps with excellent phono stages and plenty of all-round ability. A great match for the Qs too.

 

[expat_mike]

I'm not a turntable user, so cannot help you on that aspect.

However one alternative option for you would be to build your system around turntable/pre-amp/active speakers.

This would avoid you having to worry about a discrete power amplifier in the short term.

Davedotco usually provides members with interesting advice regarding active speakers.

 

[flak_jack]

Thanks matthewpiano, believe I may have read one of your other posts whilst reading up on things. Thanks for the advice on the Rotels, i'll have a look into them!