Need more bass weight - recommended amps?

[Anonymous]

A good friend of mine grimices at my box swapping approach to hifi. He bought his Rega CDP, amp and speakers as a complete system and auditioned a few combos before doing so. It sounds fab. I'm too impatient and enjoy the tweaking and upgrading process too much to do it in one hit. I'm certainly learning about hifi and the sort of sound I like but probably wasting some cash in the process.

The current economic climate is making me take a similar approach to you Mr Spot. I'm going to upgrade my Quad for £300-400 and then wait. There's a risk I won't like it but for the money it makes sense. Maybe we should start a club where we can swap and circulate boxes that we've bought. Maybe the rule could be things with a value of £500 or less.

 

[matengawhat]

you should have bought a sub - just a suggestion

have come to love mine - especially on quieter listening on an evening when other halfs in bed as i personaaly think you need to turn an amp up a bit to really get the cones moving - this then becomes to loud as she is nodding off - i always found music very soft at quieter levels the sub just makes the whole sound even more enjoyable

also the extra depth for classical music/double bass/pianos ect that i was missing is massive

 

[the record spot]

I think for me to achieve a big step up on my Marantz & Mission sound would cost a serious outlay. What I need is slightly more bass presence, but retaining the general tone as it stands just now. Might be that the Marantz CDP gets replaced after all with an older Exposure player (from a local dealers). Certainly, any outgoings will need to be covered by existing gear sales rather than spending the hard earned.

Anyway, here's a better shot of the Technics amp I picked up - not mine, but as good as. I rather like the way the "Class A" logo lights up as well. Frivolous I grant you:-

I think there could be an opportunity to make my cash back again on this one - going from the write-ups and tidbits of info I've seen, I could pitch this at the right level and put in all the relevant info that'll appeal to the right kind of buyer, as opposed to the Ebay "get it cheap" punter. Pretty unlikely that the good lady will change her view, so it's likely going to be in through the out door for the Technics!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi R.S.

I've recently purchased the cambridge audio azur 340a special edition. A pretty weighty amp after been ran in. Worth a listen. Purchased mine online from richer sounds for 200.

bluecafe1

 

[Anonymous]

Shame that you aren't that sure of it. I'm trying to rack my brains to think of something you will like, if that sound is not quite what you are after.

This may interest you - click.

or this.

 

[Anonymous]

Crikey, that pic makes it look like it belongs on the flight deck of a Nimrod MR2. I rather like it!

 

[the record spot]

matengawhat:you should have bought a sub - just a suggestion

have come to love mine - especially on quieter listening on an evening when other halfs in bed as i personaaly think you need to turn an amp up a bit to really get the cones moving - this then becomes to loud as she is nodding off - i always found music very soft at quieter levels the sub just makes the whole sound even more enjoyable

also the extra depth for classical music/double bass/pianos ect that i was missing is massive

Ah, not convinced by subs - main reason being I've always had good bass before and I'm not jettisoning the idea of selling off the present CDP, replacing it with (e.g.) an Exposure 2010 which probably has the dynamic range I want and without forsaking the detail I'm after. I appreciate the suggestion though.

Bluecafe: My main amp is the Marantz PM6010-KI which is pretty decent and I think the problem lies not with the amp but the source - the speakers aren't bass shy (no matter what the old Hi Fi World reference sometimes quoted says!).

Hughes 123: Graphic Equalisers??? Have you been at the Bucky?!?! Thanks anyway for checking out those links though.

igglebert: I know - very military looking thing isn't it! There's something quite cool about the design. It's feature laden to a tee, but pretty neatly organised. You could easily lose the fripperies and the neutral sound of the amp is probably typical Technics (warm, rounded), but drop it out of the direct mode and boost the treble by 6db, brings it nearer to the sound of the Marantz. Still doesn't have the all-round capability though, but there's 20-odd years gap!

Anyway, thanks all for your patience whilst I've mulled, ruminated and rejected yet another hifi component. Probably!

 

[Anonymous]

...you know it makes sense: click.

(this link will be removed in 24hours so that the price doesn't go up too much, if Mr and Mrs R.S want it...)

 

[the record spot]

Never mind the Arcam, look at the seller's other items; gimme that Edgar!!!

(EDIT: And Mrs. R_S will probably divorce Mr. R_S if Mr. R_S looks like he's going to buy another bit of hi-fi gear in the very near, or even distant future.)

 

[the record spot]

Anyway, some good news on the Technics front - got Norah Jones debut CD on just now; man it's doing this one justice and no mistake. This is a nicely done disc, but we're getting good detail, the right atmosphere coming out the 752s. Lonestar's playing just now, eigth track in and you just can't help but smile - that's earned it a thumbs up! Shame all my CDs weren't in this vein!

Jumped over onto System 7's "power of Seven" now - the bass is VERY apparent on this track. Deep, well controlled, the highs are smooth but there. A lot happening on the opening track (Interstate) but it copes quite well. I'd need to pair up the Marantz again, but this is the kind of track that could get a bit too sharp for the ears before.

If the moderators want to lock this thread, I will understand......

 

[Anonymous]

the record spot:

If the moderators want to lock this thread, I will understand......

Why would they want to do that?! We all love listening to each others hi-fi ups and downs!

Do you usually use a seperate phono amp, or do you use one on the amp? Regardless of, plug your turntable straight into the amplifier (forgive the patronisation, but check it's set to the correct MM/MC setting) and try it. That is where the older amps excel, because their main source was vinyl so it had to have a good phono-amp!

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a winner. I've yet to hear a system good at everything.

 

[Anonymous]

igglebert:Sounds like a winner. I've yet to hear a system good at everything.

I don't know, my newly improved system doesn't come far off, and at a fairly modest price! I've tried jazz (mindblowing), rock (breathtaking), pop (funky as!) and accoustic and electronic and most other things apart from a good bit of classical - I'll try Handel's Messiah soon and tell you how it sounds, Iggle!

Anyway, end of boasting...just so happy!!!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Hughes123:Why would they want to do that?! We all love listening to each others hi-fi ups and downs!

Thank you for the advice, but had no reason to do so anyway, apart from the obvious Norah Jones one.

Hughes123:(forgive
the patronisation, but check it's set to the correct MM/MC setting)

No it's OK, we like being patronised by an omniscient schoolboy who's done, seen and bought more than we would if we lived to 100.

 

[the record spot]

Hughes123:

Why would they want to do that?! We all love listening to each others hi-fi ups and downs!
Do you usually use a seperate phono amp, or do you use one on the amp? Regardless of, plug your turntable straight into the amplifier (forgive the patronisation, but check it's set to the correct MM/MC setting) and try it. That is where the older amps excel, because their main source was vinyl so it had to have a good phono-amp!

The Marantz has a good phono stage in it and I've used that since I bought it - Andrew clarified a while back that Ken Ishiwata looked at this when he upgraded the common or garden SA7001 to KI status. So I think anything below £100 is going to be a sideays move and hence an unnecessary one given a good upgrade to that element might show up deficiences elsewhere, and suddenly it's "I need a new amp!". Oh, I've just done that...

Sadly, the P3 is presently residing on top of the wardrobe where the babies can't get at it for now! There is a possibility it'll be sold on as changing an LP's a bit of a swine at the moment. (/joke)

(And yes, I know the difference between the MM/MC option. From memory, the Marantz only has MM, whilst the Technics does both - having only ever used MM carts, this isn't too big a deal for me!)

 

[Anonymous]

70s audio is awsome, although i now have the latest audiolab kit i am thinking of going back to top class 70s audio from the likes of pioneer jvc and the like. The build quality was fantastic not to mention the looks

 

[the record spot]

Wow, this brought back memories - as it happens, I just sold the Technics on! It's waiting to go out via courier tomorrow!

Something else is doing the amp duties currently....my never ending quest to find the right amp goes on!

 

[Anonymous]

Just bag a Quad 909 and 99 pre and be done with it

 

[lordmortlock]

seconded.

 

[Anonymous]

TRY A JVC JAS-71 AWSOME AWSOME AMP THE BUILD FACILITIES AND SOUND JUST WONDERFUL