Amp choice for Tannoy Revolution R3?

kerkhof

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Hello

I've been reading the forums for quite a while without really finding the answer i was after, so I was wondering if anyone could help with advice?

I currently have an old Sony CD player (can't remember which, it never gets used anymore), a MF VDACII hooked up to my PC playing a mix of FLAC and MP3 files, a Marantz PM6010OSE amp and Tannoy Revolution R3 speakers.

Recently the marantz amp has been having issues with the left channel turning off, but when I either violently turn the volume knob back and forth, or put it on mute and off again, the channel comes back on, so it looks like it needs to be replaced shortly

I've been happy with the sound I got from my system so normally would look at the equivalent current day marantz like the PM6004, however when I got the speakers I remember reading that they really sing when you increase the quality of the other components aand pair them with amps with a lot of power, so I was thinking there are probably better option out there, especially considering 2nd hand equipment.

I'm looking to spend upto £300 on an amp and if look at 2nd hand stuff it means can consider more mid-fi gear from marantz, roksan, cyrus, rotel, nad and arcam. The problem is I'm not really sure which amps will suit my speakers best? they are quite neutral sounding and a touch laid back in nature and sound best with acoustic and vocal stuff I have found. but as looking at 2nd hand it's not like I can go and demo this stuff anymore. A few years ago I heard them on a Marantz PM66 KI and thought it was good (just more of what my current amp was like) but I wonder if can do better for the money?

Does anyone have any suggestions what would be best to look for? I listen to everything really apart from clasical but I suppose most of the things I listen to is indie, hip hop, jazz and acoustic stuff, I also use my system with my TV (just as 2 channel rather than full surround sound) to watch films so I guess having an amp that is good with vocals will help with dialogue, and maybe an amp that is not too analytical/critical of poorer mp3 files that I still have lurking in my music folder.

I like enjoying listening to music for the music rather than really analysing it to hear every nuance, this is what people say naim amps are best for, but a nait 5 seem a bit out of my price range, from what I read of cyrus they sound exciting but people can find them a touch harsh and therefore maybe a bit fatiguing for long listening sessions, the old roksan Kandy amps sound a good choice but there do not appear to be many of them for sale out there, so I have mainly been thinking about Arcam amps as seem to be a fair amount out there, but I am worried that my speakers being a bit laid back and people saying arcam amps can be laid back too, would that be a bad match?

Also if were to go for Arcam reading people's thoughts it sounds like a 2nd hand FMJ A32 would be best but that would still be too expensive for me, however can pick up an A85 which won an award for best amp the same year my speakers did for £250ish, but I could also pick up a new FMJA18 for £300 now, how would those two amps comapre? (to be honest I get a bit lost in all the arcam amps out there, A65+ A70, A80, A85, A18 etc there seems to be loads of different models and I have no idea what sounds best out of them)

Any suggestions about what to look for would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 

Frank Harvey

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How do you want them to sound? The Revolution series was very rich in the midrange (where they excelled), but their frequency extremes were a little lacking in comparison. Sounded good for the likes of voice and piano though.
 

kerkhof

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That description of them sounds spot on, I guess how I want them to sound is with a bit more sparkle in the top end otherwise they just sound good as they are now, the bass seems good to me and the mid range is their strong point, however I've not listened to a lot of top hi fi, kit (ignorance is bliss as it keeps my bank balance in tact) so I don't really know their potential and how much better a sound I can get out of them? Also when I do listen to them it is usually for long sessions so something that would be too bright/forward could be a bit fatiguing to me.
 

Frank Harvey

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I would look at the Arcam amps then, or maybe even an Audiolab 8000A which has excellent tone controls that you can use to tailor the end result to how you want it. They're quite subtle (+/-3dB if I recall correctly), and not like most tone controls that end up making everything sound awful.
 

kerkhof

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Thanks for that, I'd not thought about Audiolab amps, I'll have a look into them.

In terms of Arcam amps, do you know how the old amps sound compared to the new ones? is an old A85 better/worse than a new fmj A18 for instance? they seem to be similar price but would it be better spend my money on one over the other?
 

kerkhof

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I plan to do some demoing of kit when I next have a free day, but as my speakers are not made any more and I don't fancy dragging them to the shops with me, are there any modern day speakers that would sound similar to mine that I could use to demo the amps with? do modern day tannoys sound the same as my older pair?
 

John Duncan

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Spendor or PMC would be my thought. I had the R2 which sounded beautiful with a Musical Fidelity X80, so you might consider the X150, which had more power and ought to be within budget s/h.
 

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