Amp on a Budget - New or Used?

[Milo_Myage]

Been looking to pick a cheap used amp off ebay for a while, usual suspects NAD/Arcam, but i'm growing impatient waiting for the right amp at the right price.

My question is whether i'd be better off with a new budget amp (Onkyo A9030 or Denon PMA720AE most likely) or continuing the search on ebay. Does the piece of mind with new outweigh the saving with used?

Budget is around £100 mark used and £180 new. The money saved going used would pay for some new furniture to house the ever growing vinyl collection. Main sources Marantz cd6000ose and Rega P2.

 

[audioaddict]

hi mate i saw a yamaha as500 for £212 ex dem on sevenoaks if thats any help

 

[matthewpiano]

Personally I think the PMA720AE is much better than anything you can pick up for £100 on Ebay. I think you'd even struggle to get anything better if you spent the whole £180 second hand. The Denon is a fantastic amp. Not heard the Onkyo so can't comment. The Yamaha A-S500 is also very capable.

 

[MakkaPakka]

I wouldnt hang on for ebay, very few bargains there nowadays and seen a lot of amps go for silly money given age and original cost. Keep an eye out for ex dem or refurb if new is too costly.

 

[MajorFubar]

It's possible to get a bargain if you bide your time. It's the consistency of pricing which can be hit-n-miss. I wouldn't recommend my Cyrus gear to anyone who hasn't heard them, but I'd recommend my PM66-KI to anyone. Sure enough there's one on eBay right now at £189 which is a little high, but looking at Completed Items shows another which brought £169.00 and yet another which attracted just one solitary bid of £100, which was an absolute steal. The winning bidder must have thought all his Christmases had come at once.