Budget amp for Cambridge SX50 Speakers

[Sam W]

Hi,

Last weekend we bought a pair of SX50 speakers. The choice was between these and Q Acoustics 2010i's, but we preferred the warmer sound of the SX50.

We need an amp to drive them, and the salesman in Richer Sounds told us that we need to be careful what we pair them with, or the sound will become too warm. He suggested sticking with Cambridge, but now I'm looking round and wondering what else we should consider.

Budget is up to £100 (or possibly just over). This means going second hand, I've been looking at Cambridge A5's on Ebay, but I'm interested to hear other ideas.

The setup will be in our 4mx5m living room, so doesn't need to push out tons of volume.

Any thoughts will be much appreciated.

Sam.

 

[Al ears]

You may find the SX50's a bit small for that size of room, however on good stands and used close to the rear wall they should be OK unless you are a heavy metal freak.

I guess when you heard them it was through a Cambridge amp was it? They are efficient speakers for their size so you should not need masses of power from an amp. If that is your budget then I guess second hand (eBay or Gumtree) is the way to go as you suggest. Here I would advise looking for something from Marantz / Arcam / Audiolab.

 

[Sam W]

Unfortunately we didn't hear the speakers hooked up to a Cambridge amp, they were on a Denon mini system. In an ideal world we would go and listen to several setups and buy based on that, but with small 2 kids and living miles from a decent music store, opportunities to do that are few and far between, hence turning to the internet and all its users.

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye on the brands you suggested. Any further contributions will be gratefully received.

 

[Tibor]

used NAD 3XX series, Arcam Alpha 7, Denon 700 series, Cambridge Audio 340

 

[KidKomet]

I'd be looking at some older amps. Pioneer A-400, Marantz PM6010 (Or possibly the 66), Arcam Alpha 7 or 8, NAD 3020. If you stick with Cambridge Audio, try to find something above their lowest, entry-level amps (Like the A1/A5) and go for the Azur 340 for something similar. Good luck!