New Amp Needed

[fmaclennan]

Hi guys, looking for a bit of help. I am needing a new amp to drive my Mission Mv8. I have a buddget of up to £300 and all my music is on my laptop which at present is connected to a Nad c350 via Logitech Squeezebox Duet. I like a lot of bass and listen to pop/rock music. any help would be great thanks.

 

[drummerman]

Why do you want to change?

For bass I'd seek out another NAD. For better sound overal perhaps a s/h Brio-R or Cyrus.

 

[fmaclennan]

Thanks for the reply. I think something has gone wrong with the amp the sound has gone all kind of fuzzy and unclear, hard to discribe (not sure if its because it was left on all the time) or i drove it to hard.

 

[MeanandGreen]

If you liked your NAD I'd just get another one. That's what I did when my C350 went pop. I bought a C326 BEE.

 

[fmaclennan]

Thanks again.

Think NAD is always a good choice but i am looking for a bit more power than the C326 has to offer.

 

[MeanandGreen]

Was your c350 powerful enough? On paper the C326 is a better amplifier, as an example it has lower THD and there is only 5w differnce in clipping power.

I don't know what £300 amplifier is going to give you more than 50w cleanly I'm afraid. Unless you go secondhand.

It depends on the sensitivity of your speakers, but I never feel the need to go over 10'oclock on the volume dial, or even 9 o'clock with a very high level input. It can be peaking at 90db at these levels which I consider pretty loud in a domestic environment and not something I would listen to for long.

 

[fmaclennan]

Always felt like the Mission speakers needed more than the c350 could offer They didnt seem to have much bass. Where would the best place online to buy a c326?

 

[pyrrhon]

Thanks again.

Think NAD is always a good choice but i am looking for a bit more power than the C326 has to offer.

Beware its been said many times that the 326 sounds better then its bigger brothers. I dont know how hard to drive your speakers are but In my case i went from a 275bee to a little naim nait and I really like the later way better. Buying a used cyrus or naim would work great I think and if you dont like you can sell without loosing much.

 

[Thompsonuxb]

Yamaha are good with Mission - the New 501 comes with DAC and 85watts p/c.

Worth an audition.

And is close to your budget too.

(I rate their amps highly even though they're not spoken of with the same enthusiasm as Roksan, Cyrus, Rega and many others)

 

[eggontoast]

Thanks for the reply. I think something has gone wrong with the amp the sound has gone all kind of fuzzy and unclear, hard to discribe (not sure if its because it was left on all the time) or i drove it to hard.

Yep, leaving it on would kill it. These amps are not designed to be left on all the time, cheap caps positioned next to hot heatsinks ruins them, all the caps dry out. Why don't you just get the C350 recapped, would cost less than £100 I would think.

 

[fmaclennan]

Thanks again guys. That sounds like a good idea, could someone out there point us in the direction of a good place to get this done.

 

[eggontoast]

Whereabouts in the country are you ?

 

[fmaclennan]

I stay in the far North West of Scotland, but dont mind posting.