Amp, As cheap as possible

[AdamG]

Hi, this is my first forum post, please be nice 🙂.

I have a pair of Wharfedale Valdus 300s, 120W RMS 4-8 ohms Impedance. I am looking for an Amp which will do these great little speakers some justice. I have a very limited budget, lower end of £100, I do like vintage kit, Thus the Wharfedale Valdus. A Used amp would probably be the best in my price range, i have looked at the NAD C320 BEE and NAD C350.

I am a bit of a Bass Junkie so i would favour an amp with quite a bit of bass but my main thing is price, as low as possible.

My set up at the moment is my laptop to a Pioneer Sa-301 and I also have a DAB tuner going into that, with the Wharfedale Valdus 300s.

I was hoping to get the opinion of people more knowledgeable than myself to at least point me in the right direction. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[MakkaPakka]

I don't think there's such a thing as an amp with 'quite a bit of bass' unless it's broken or you mean you specifically want tone controls.

The NAD 320Bee is a good amp (I owned one) but anything from the well known brands will be fine - Rotel, NAD, Denon, Arcam, Sony etc. £100 is plenty to buy a very good second hand amp.

 

[matthewpiano]

Some of the Cambridge Audio Azur amps are worth a look. The 340aSE, 540a v2.0 and 640a v2.0 are all excellent and can frequently be found below £100.

 

[Petherick]

When you say you're a bit of a bass junkie, do you mean you like a Citreon Saxo driven by a 17-year-old or like listening to an acoustic band with a double-bass? It makes a difference, because I believe the Wharfedales are not the subtlest of speakers already. The amplifier you need will very much depend up your definition of 'bass'..

 

[AdamG]

I like Dubstep but also 80s Electo and other genres, I want an amp that has tone controls so i can adjust when i want to without having to use the Itunes EQ. The Wharfedales aren't low on Bass and I want to be able to harness the power that they have to give. I currently have a 32.5 Watt Per Channel Amp which i am borrowing off my Dad. I have justed started with a seperate HiFi when i got the wharfedales for a bargain £20 for the pair.

 

[Petherick]

I think you should be looking for an amp with a fair amount of power. Not to make 'louder' but to offer some control. Otherwise there may be problems with a boomy sound especially if you turn up the bass level.

Not familiar with the newer NAD amps but feel they may be a bit soft sounding for your tastes.

Nice bargain by the way!

 

[Anonymous]

eBay is your friend for some bargains. Especially if you can find some sellers willing to take offers. If you're not happy you could sell on (minus the 10% plus 3.5% fees if you use PayPal - also an eBay company by the way).....

 

[AdamG]

How is the Marantz SR5300, i might try and build a bigger system and if i can get a 5.1 or 6.1 reciever it miht be better value for money.

 

[Jame5]

I presume you listen to music with quite a bit of bass within the recording. I'd just go for a balanced set up but with a powerful amp. How low your bass will go before it rolls off (i.e. gets quieter) will depend on the speakers. However, given your speakers reckon they can handle 120 watts, I'd say a decent 70 watt per channel amp would be more than enough. A decent amp with more power than that will be out of your price range and would just burn the speakers if you turned it up too high. Cambridge Audio is a good shout in terms of power per pound.