Best amp under £250 new or secondhand

[popjac11]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a new amp for my bedroom, either brand new or secondhand. It will be used mainly to play music from a laptop/ iPod and will be hooked up to the tv also. Any recommendations around the £250 mark?

 

[matthewpiano]

Cambridge Audio 640A V2.0 new/ex-display (if you can still find one of the end-of-line sell-out ones) or a NAD C325BEE 2nd hand.

 

[Anonymous]

Rotel RA-04, or a cheaper RA-02 that comes with a remote - both great amps.

 

[Anonymous]

A second-hand Arcam A85 (if you can find one in budget) will almost certainly better both of these. Great all-rounder, lots of options for configuration...a fool-proof buy!!

Hedgehog

 

[Anonymous]

That is IF you like the 'Arcam sound'....

 

[matthewpiano]

Having spent some time with an A85 recently I would very happily put a 640A V2 up against it.

 

[Anonymous]

I got a pioneer VSX 819 for 250.00 delivered.

But I am a noob, so not sure if thats what type of amp you are looking for

 

[Anonymous]

Audiolab 8000S £250, very happy with mine.

 

[Anonymous]

If you dont mind classic/vintage from the early 80's you will be spoilt for choice ... I would look at one of the old silver pioneer SA series (SA-8500 or SA-9500 or SA-9800) ...

you may pick up one of the 8500's or 9500's for under £200 ... an SA-9800 may cost a bit more ... they have been selling for over £500 the last 2 weeks ... if you are patient, you may find one within your budget, especially if you use google instead of ebay

alternatively, an old Pioneer A400 can be had for approx £120 or less ... I bought a Pioneer A300-R precision (as modded by tom evans) for £113 on sunday ...

 

[Anonymous]

Speaking of older stuff, a 'Creek CAS4040' would be a great snap up buy maybe on flea bay. Are usually going around 50 quid sometime a bit more or even less. This would save you extra dosh to spend on cables, dock or speakers etc? without compromising on the sound department.

 

[Anonymous]

There are still some great "reprocessed" Cyrus deals around. Cyrus offered excellent part exchange delals earlier this year to it's customers and, through certain dealers, are now selling the trade -ins - fully refurbished and guarenteed for six months.

I picked up a mint, silver Cyrus 6VS for £219.00 about 4 months ago - not bad for a £600 amp. Came boxed with brand new remote control, BFA speaker cable plugs and power cable.

Lintone Audio and Moorgate Acoustics are just two of the dealers that were part of this promotion. Lintone usually have several models on offer on Ebay.

A quick Google should provide you with a few reviews and will give you an idea of whether the Cyrus sound is to your taste.

 

[popjac11]

Great suggestions guys, please keep them coming! Where can I buy good secondhand equipment? I'm particularly interested in the Rotel and Pioneer amps.

 

[Anonymous]

popjac11:Great suggestions guys, please keep them coming! Where can I buy good secondhand equipment? I'm particularly interested in the Rotel and Pioneer amps.

start with ebay ... if you are in the UK, also use gumtree and loot

gumtree and loot will get you better bargains than ebay but always collect in person and never send money when buying off these 2 sites (pay cash on collection) ...

 

[the record spot]

If you can find one, the Sansui AU-719 / 819 or 919 would be fine buys - top end of their range back in the late 70s, and good examples can usually be found when they crop up. Superbly musical range and effortless power and control. Build quality is terrific also, both inside and out.

 

[the record spot]

And if you don't want a massive powered killer amp, you could go for this 30wpc little beauty - the Sansui AU-217. It's on a Buy It Now (or make an offer) for £50 (plus £20 P&P) and at that price, even including the P&P, it's a very decent price. Terrific amp for what it is. Effortlessly musical, solid build, well worth hearing.

Ebay Item no: 270495817465

 

[the record spot]

Ebay Item No: 110465922844 - Monrio Asty amp £149 + £13.50

Appears in excellent cosmetic order, has enjoyed good reviews in the past and although there is a slight issue with the volume control at low settings, this could be easily fixed but do check with the seller beforehand. In any case, as it is a BIN, you have 14 days in which to return the item to them in the event you change your mind (consumer law and all that).

As to the reviews, here's one from TNT-Audio, an Italian based site with English translation (and sometimes reviewers): http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/asty_e.html and Hi Fi World had this to say: "Wonderful stage depth, imaging and coherence. Captivating sound, if lacking smoothness" (£550, July 2002).

Bearing all that in mind, I'd be having a close look at this one...anyway, last but not least, here's what it looks like:-

 

[Anonymous]

I would look closely at this

Pioneer A-88X ... still a day and a bit before auction end ... currently standing on £155 ... you may be lucky and get it for £250 ... have seen a few of these in the past fetch between £200-£280

---------------

or this

Pioneer SA-8500 ... standing on £31 with a day and a bit before auction end

----------------

or this

Sansui Au-417 ... buy it now of £199.99

 

[popjac11]

Thanks very much dim_span, that's very helpful. Are these vintage amps really better for the money than something newer? Just that I will be playing music from my macbook through them via a 3.5 to RCA cable or from an iPod via a dock, will they handle digital recordings as well as CDs or analogue?

 

[Anonymous]

popjac11:Thanks very much dim_span, that's very helpful. Are these vintage amps really better for the money than something newer? Just that I will be playing music from my macbook through them via a 3.5 to RCA cable or from an iPod via a dock, will they handle digital recordings as well as CDs or analogue?

there will be much debate as to if they are better than new, however I feel that with a budget of £250 you may do better by purchasing an older 'classic' amp

I am not sure how they will sound when connected to an ipod or macbook but am sure someone on this forum can advise ...

 

[the record spot]

dim_span:

or this

Sansui Au-417 ... buy it now of £199.99

Well, that's with P&P on top and I'm not quite so sure that the 417 is effectively almost 4 times the amp that the AU-217 (also on a BIN) is at £70 including P&P, or £49.99 if picking up locally by the bye...good range throughout though. Can't fault the kit, but just needs to be sure it's in good nick all the way. A service on top of purchase would be around £100 or so, so worth bearing that in mind.

 

[Anonymous]

There's a B-stock NVA AP40PX on eBay (case marked) for £199. Pair of A40 monoblocs in a case with two inputs and a volume. Having a pair of A40s within my system I think they're cracking power amps and £200 is a bargain.

 

[the record spot]

Like the look of the NVA gear - think the guy just sells through Ebay, but would love to see some of his kit get a review in some of the mainstream hifi titles.

 

[JoelSim]

Having had a Pioneer A-400 for twenty years (still being used by my dad), I can vouch for this, but the Arcam A85 is a great amp too, better than the A-400. It's also not too laid back like some Arcam kit.

 

[Anonymous]

Just got a NAD C370. Not had a massive listening sesh but after a couple of hours Im loving it. Has an option to add a power amp later, which ive been told on good authority will improve on an already great amp.

 

[matthewpiano]

I still think NAD are hard to beat at this sort of price level. A C325BEE would out-perform the A400 in my opinion and if you could find a good C352 even better.

Having been on both sides with my own system I belive the newer kit out-performs the older stuff, and I think NAD and Cambridge are unbeatable at budget level.

The Sansui amps from the 70s are excellent though and for £50 or so for an AU217, its a very cheap way into very good sound. I'd give the '417 a miss and hold out for a '217 though if you go down that route. Better value and far less problems with the infamous Sansui glue.