New Amplifier - Suggestions please!

Mastevens90

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Hello good people of Whathifi forum. I'm looking for some advice. I am looking to upgrade my amplifier as I feel it is the weak link in my system. Currently I use a Bluesound Vault as source, playing through a Marantz PM6010Ki amp into Mission 782se speakers. My budget is between 900-1200 pounds. Do you think it is better to buy brand new (and if so, what?) or go second hand for something a few years old but potentially more capable (eg roksan caspian m2, naim nait xs2 or lavardin IS reference)? I listen to a broad range of music genres and like the presentation to be slightly on the warm/smooth side... But am open to any suggestions!
 

Andrewjvt

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Mastevens90 said:
Hello good people of Whathifi forum. I'm looking for some advice. I am looking to upgrade my amplifier as I feel it is the weak link in my system. Currently I use a Bluesound Vault as source, playing through a Marantz PM6010Ki amp into Mission 782se speakers. My budget is between 900-1200 pounds. Do you think it is better to buy brand new (and if so, what?) or go second hand for something a few years old but potentially more capable (eg roksan caspian m2, naim nait xs2 or lavardin IS reference)? I listen to a broad range of music genres and like the presentation to be slightly on the warm/smooth side... But am open to any suggestions!

Try and listen to active AVi dm10s for £1500 could save you loads of money in the long run
 

lindsayt

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Go second hand for best sound quality for the money. There's loads of choice. Don't stick to the "overhyped" brands. Don't stick to UK only sales as well. Germany is a good source of great sounding 2nd hand amps at reasonable prices.

Initial cost and weight are a good general guide as to whether an amp is worth investigating or not.

It's an imperfect market. Buy an example that's selling below the current going rate so you can sell it on for a profit / feel happy that you got a bargain.

I am unable to recommend brand new AVI speakers on the basis of sound quality for the money. They just don't sound good enough. They are suitable for someone looking for convenience and small sized speakers who is unambitious when it comes to the sound quality for the money.
 

matthewpiano

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Brand new, I would suggest getting to hear Rega Elex-R, Sugden Mystro, Arcam A29, and Exposure 2010S2D. These would give you a good overview of quality amps around your budget. Also, don't dismiss top-end models from the likes of Denon, Marantz, and Onkyo. The Denon PMA-1520ae is a superb amp within budget and may be just the thing you are looking for.

Secondhand and ex-demo is well worth looking at, and I'd be on the look out for a Sugden A21SE, Exposure 3010S2, or Creek Destiny 2, all of which would give you a step up from what you can buy new for the same money.

The key is auditioning and doing so in your own system.
 

rainsoothe

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Hi. If you want the warm and smooth side, the Caspian M2 is a good idea. Nait XS2 is not, however, the first gen XS is, if you can find used. Marantz pm 8005 and Arcam A29 are also worth an audition.
 

Electro

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My recommendation would be a new Abrahamsen V2.0 UP at £899.

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/?gclid=CJfq-7nu9MgCFSoEwwodtMEDOQ#!abrahamsen-v20up-intergrated-amplifier/c1vfy

You may not have heard of the brand but Per Abrahamsen has been designing and building amps for more than 40 years previously with Electrocompaniet before starting Abrahamsen Audio .

As you can see from the pictures in the link it is extremely well built with a 1000va transformer and a huge power supply to allow a peak current delivery of up to 100amps !

The V2.0UP will drive any speaker no matter how difficult the load is to high levels, don't be fooled by the 70wpc/ 140wpc into 8/4 ohms , the transient power this amp can provide means that it will deliver massive amounts of controlled power without clipping, this allows it to give a real dynamic range ( recording dependant ) that makes music exciting and real .

It will make your Missions sing like nothing else, an open window to the music, give Colin at IQ a call for more info.
 

CnoEvil

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matthewpiano said:
Brand new, I would suggest getting to hear Rega Elex-R, Sugden Mystro, Arcam A29, and Exposure 2010S2D.  These would give you a good overview of quality amps around your budget.  Also, don't dismiss top-end models from the likes of Denon, Marantz, and Onkyo.  The Denon PMA-1520ae is a superb amp within budget and may be just the thing you are looking for.

Secondhand and ex-demo is well worth looking at, and I'd be on the look out for a Sugden A21SE, Exposure 3010S2, or Creek Destiny 2, all of which would give you a step up from what you can buy new for the same money.

The key is auditioning and doing so in your own system.
I have a very similar view, so fully endorse the above suggestions...only adding Pathos, Croft, Electrocompaniet and Musical Fidelity.
 

radiorog

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I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
 

Blacksabbath25

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radiorog said:
I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
if the op is in the uk he can not buy direct from Abrahamsen for some reason not sure why ? as this would save money in buying a Abrahamsen 2up so colin would be the way to go if the op wanted to demo or buy a Abrahamsen but this amp is very good for the money and will be hard pressed to find any amp in the uk that will come close to the Abrahamsen without spending ££££ the only thing i will say is it does not have a phono stage so you would have to buy one if you wanted to use a record player . *smile*
 

radiorog

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Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
if the op is in the uk he can not buy direct from Abrahamsen for some reason not sure why ? as this would save money in buying a Abrahamsen 2up so colin would be the way to go if the op wanted to demo or buy a Abrahamsen but this amp is very good for the money and will be hard pressed to find any amp in the uk that will come close to the Abrahamsen without spending ££££ the only thing i will say is it does not have a phono stage so you would have to buy one if you wanted to use a record player . *smile*

I do agree. I expect the Abrahamsen is comparable to most amps in the £2500 range. I know of people that have bought direct in the UK. Maybe they have stopped doing it since, or maybe it's that they just don't come with the years warranty that IQ speakers give?
 
The Abrahamsen does sound like a heck of a lot of amp for the money and I'd love to hear one,the first gen naim nait xs which I have is a lovely smooth sounding amp and a fantastic second hand buy if you can find one...expect to pay around £700 private or £1000 from a dealer.
 

Blacksabbath25

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radiorog said:
Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
if the op is in the uk he can not buy direct from Abrahamsen for some reason not sure why ? as this would save money in buying a Abrahamsen 2up so colin would be the way to go if the op wanted to demo or buy a Abrahamsen but this amp is very good for the money and will be hard pressed to find any amp in the uk that will come close to the Abrahamsen without spending ££££ the only thing i will say is it does not have a phono stage so you would have to buy one if you wanted to use a record player . *smile*

I do agree. I expect the Abrahamsen is comparable to most amps in the £2500 range. I know of people that have bought direct in the UK. Maybe they have stopped doing it since, or maybe it's that they just don't come with the years warranty that IQ speakers give?
you get 12 months warranty with colin and 4 years with Abrahamsen . i did look to see if i could get 2 power amps and a pre of Abrahamsen direct of them to save a bit of money but when you select what county you come from the uk and the U.S are not in there shipping list which is a shame *unknw*
 

radiorog

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Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
if the op is in the uk he can not buy direct from Abrahamsen for some reason not sure why ? as this would save money in buying a Abrahamsen 2up so colin would be the way to go if the op wanted to demo or buy a Abrahamsen but this amp is very good for the money and will be hard pressed to find any amp in the uk that will come close to the Abrahamsen without spending ££££ the only thing i will say is it does not have a phono stage so you would have to buy one if you wanted to use a record player . *smile*

I do agree. I expect the Abrahamsen is comparable to most amps in the £2500 range. I know of people that have bought direct in the UK. Maybe they have stopped doing it since, or maybe it's that they just don't come with the years warranty that IQ speakers give?
you get 12 months warranty with colin and 4 years with Abrahamsen . i did look to see if i could get 2 power amps and a pre of Abrahamsen direct of them to save a bit of money but when you select what county you come from the uk and the U.S are not in there shipping list which is a shame *unknw*

I'd give them a call. Like I said, I know people who have bought direct in UK.
 

radiorog

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Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
if the op is in the uk he can not buy direct from Abrahamsen for some reason not sure why ? as this would save money in buying a Abrahamsen 2up so colin would be the way to go if the op wanted to demo or buy a Abrahamsen but this amp is very good for the money and will be hard pressed to find any amp in the uk that will come close to the Abrahamsen without spending ££££ the only thing i will say is it does not have a phono stage so you would have to buy one if you wanted to use a record player . *smile*

I do agree. I expect the Abrahamsen is comparable to most amps in the £2500 range. I know of people that have bought direct in the UK. Maybe they have stopped doing it since, or maybe it's that they just don't come with the years warranty that IQ speakers give?
you get 12 months warranty with colin and 4 years with Abrahamsen . i did look to see if i could get 2 power amps and a pre of Abrahamsen direct of them to save a bit of money but when you select what county you come from the uk and the U.S are not in there shipping list which is a shame *unknw*

And how does that work.....12 months with iq and 4 years from Abrahamsen ?
 

Blacksabbath25

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radiorog said:
Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
I can only recommend what I've heard. The roksan k3 sounds amazing, and the obvious choice (in this forum) the Abrahamsen v2 up. This really is a giant killer for £899 or £700 if you buy direct.
if the op is in the uk he can not buy direct from Abrahamsen for some reason not sure why ? as this would save money in buying a Abrahamsen 2up so colin would be the way to go if the op wanted to demo or buy a Abrahamsen but this amp is very good for the money and will be hard pressed to find any amp in the uk that will come close to the Abrahamsen without spending ££££ the only thing i will say is it does not have a phono stage so you would have to buy one if you wanted to use a record player . *smile*

I do agree. I expect the Abrahamsen is comparable to most amps in the £2500 range. I know of people that have bought direct in the UK. Maybe they have stopped doing it since, or maybe it's that they just don't come with the years warranty that IQ speakers give?
you get 12 months warranty with colin and 4 years with Abrahamsen . i did look to see if i could get 2 power amps and a pre of Abrahamsen direct of them to save a bit of money but when you select what county you come from the uk and the U.S are not in there shipping list which is a shame *unknw*

And how does that work.....12 months with iq and 4 years from Abrahamsen ?
you register your warranty with abrahamsen online . You see a 4up power amp on the abrahamsen web site is around £700 but with Colin they are £920 plus shipping so it would be good for me to save by buying direct from abrahamsen as I want 2 power amps and a pre amp so if I could buy direct I should save around £500 there abouts but the only way I can find out if abrahamsen will sell to me directly is emailing them to see if they will or not .
 

Burnsie

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Send Abrahamsen an email from their contact us at the top of the website page. They will get in touch and you can pay them by paypal. I have done this for an amp and CD player.
 

drummerman

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The Abrahamsen looks like something from a steampunk genre.

Instead, get something slick and nice ...

Cyrus are launching the new CyrusOne or you could get a lovely 8series which is upgradeable with a psx-r.

Your wife will thank you for it.
 

Electro

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drummerman said:
The Abrahamsen looks like something from a steampunk genre.

Instead, get something slick and nice ...

Cyrus are launching the new CyrusOne or you could get a lovely 8series which is upgradeable with a psx-r.

Your wife will thank you for it.

You're not supposed to look at the Abrahamsen, just listen to the glorious music.

Which is better long term, a woman with a beautiful face but a dark cold heart or woman with a warm loving caring heart and a characterful face .*wink*
 

jonathanRD

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Electro said:
drummerman said:
The Abrahamsen looks like something from a steampunk genre.

Instead, get something slick and nice ...

Cyrus are launching the new CyrusOne or you could get a lovely 8series which is upgradeable with a psx-r.

Your wife will thank you for it.

You're not supposed to look at the Abrahamsen, just listen to the glorious music.

Which is better long term, a woman with a beautiful face but a dark cold heart or woman with a warm loving caring heart and a characterful face .*wink*

I know which one I'd prefer when the lights are turned off *smile*
 

GustavAP

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drummerman said:
The Abrahamsen looks like something from a steampunk genre.

Instead, get something slick and nice ...

Cyrus are launching the new CyrusOne or you could get a lovely 8series which is upgradeable with a psx-r.

Your wife will thank you for it.

I'm so sad about the fact that the aesthetic 'qualities' of the Abrahamsen actually became an issue in my home as you, drummerman, so wisely envisioned! Although *coughing* when thinking about buying a used Cyrus 7 , this was neither an option due to aestethical reasons. Trying my luck with a Primare instead.
 

Mastevens90

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Hello All, thanks for the responses. A lot of talk about Abrahamsen then! Not even a manufacturer I had heard of. I'm wondering where I could audition in the UK though.. Seems tempting to stick with the established brands of Roksan, Rega,
Music Fidelity etc
 

Electro

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Mastevens90 said:
Hello All, thanks for the responses. A lot of talk about Abrahamsen then! Not even a manufacturer I had heard of. I'm wondering where I could audition in the UK though.. Seems tempting to stick with the established brands of Roksan, Rega, Music Fidelity etc

If you talk to Colin at IQ .

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/?gclid=CJfq-7nu9MgCFSoEwwodtMEDOQ#!abrahamsen-audio/ckbj

I am sure he could arrange a demo for you either in Cheltenham where he is based or maybe a home demo or possibly loan you a demo unit .

All of the mainstream amps you mention are very good in their own right but the Abrahamsen amp is a whole different kettle of fish imo , only an audition will allow you to understand.

It would be easy to take your pick from the usual suspects but as far as I know everyone who has listened to the Abrahamsen has bought one which says it all really .*smile*

Per Abrahamsen has been designing and manufacturing amplifiers for more than forty years with Electrocompaniet and then Abrahamsen Audio.
 

radiorog

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Electro said:
Mastevens90 said:
Hello All, thanks for the responses. A lot of talk about Abrahamsen then! Not even a manufacturer I had heard of. I'm wondering where I could audition in the UK though.. Seems tempting to stick with the established brands of Roksan, Rega, Music Fidelity etc

If you talk to  Colin at IQ .

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/?gclid=CJfq-7nu9MgCFSoEwwodtMEDOQ#!abrahamsen-audio/ckbj

I am sure he could arrange a demo for you either in Cheltenham where he is based or maybe a home demo or possibly loan you a demo unit .

All of the mainstream amps you mention are very good in their own right but the Abrahamsen amp is a whole different kettle of fish imo , only an audition will allow you to understand.

It would be easy to take your pick from the usual suspects but as far as I know everyone who has listened to the Abrahamsen has bought one which says it all really .*smile*

< END QUOTE p
I havent bought one........yet! And I might not. Its a great amp, but the roksan wasnt too far behind, and had quite a similar sound. Plus the roksan has more power which can notice sometimes.Im not sure the aabrahamsen would be loud enough for me when im listening to the nexus tablrt when streaming,because I turn the tablet down a notch to prevent noticable distortion. And I loke to listen at high volumes sometimes, if I am in another room in the house, I like to crank it up so the sound fills the flat :) I know everyone will say the abrahamsen is loud enough, but its a close call for my needs, id have to turn it above 85% of the total available volume, which I know evryone says wont be an issue for the amp, but I may have to turn it to 95% and I wander about the actual distortion levels. That said, if I could afford it id buy one, listen to both amps over a longer period and see which I totally prefer.
 

Blacksabbath25

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Blacksabbath25 said:
radiorog said:
Electro said:
Mastevens90 said:
Hello All, thanks for the responses. A lot of talk about Abrahamsen then! Not even a manufacturer I had heard of. I'm wondering where I could audition in the UK though.. Seems tempting to stick with the established brands of Roksan, Rega, Music Fidelity etc

If you talk to Colin at IQ .

http://www.iqspeakers.co.uk/?gclid=CJfq-7nu9MgCFSoEwwodtMEDOQ#!abrahamsen-audio/ckbj

I am sure he could arrange a demo for you either in Cheltenham where he is based or maybe a home demo or possibly loan you a demo unit .

All of the mainstream amps you mention are very good in their own right but the Abrahamsen amp is a whole different kettle of fish imo , only an audition will allow you to understand.

It would be easy to take your pick from the usual suspects but as far as I know everyone who has listened to the Abrahamsen has bought one which says it all really .*smile*

< END QUOTE p I havent bought one........yet! And I might not. Its a great amp, but the roksan wasnt too far behind, and had quite a similar sound. Plus the roksan has more power which can notice sometimes.Im not sure the aabrahamsen would be loud enough for me when im listening to the nexus tablrt when streaming,because I turn the tablet down a notch to prevent noticable distortion. And I loke to listen at high volumes sometimes, if I am in another room in the house, I like to crank it up so the sound fills the flat :) I know everyone will say the abrahamsen is loud enough, but its a close call for my needs, id have to turn it above 85% of the total available volume, which I know evryone says wont be an issue for the amp, but I may have to turn it to 95% and I wander about the actual distortion levels. That said, if I could afford it id buy one, listen to both amps over a longer period and see which I totally prefer.
the trouble is the op feels that he would be better buying a branded brand like the roskin k2 or k3 ,arcam a19 ,a39 , marantz pm8005 , Cambridge 60- 80 so if there is any issues with his choice he could just take it back to the shop were he got it from which I understand .

Out of the amps that I have mentioned I would recommend Marantz pm8005 , Cambridge Cx 80 , roskin k3 , arcam a39 all of this amps are very good but very important to have this amps demonstrated to you before buying .

But do not dismiss the abrahamsen 2up it has a very big power supply which will cope with any kind of speaker and will cope with the highs and the lows of music very well and has very good bass control I have never had the abrahamsen clip or distort when turning the volume up to 55 which the top volume number on this amp is 60 and it's plenty loud the abrahamsen is well built and you will be hard pressed to buy any amp upto £3000 mark that will sound just as good if you want value for money and a great sounding amp for £900 you will not go far wrong here because before buying mine I had the marantz pm6005 and then the Marantz pm8005 which is a very good amp for £600 but it still left me wanting better so I tried the abrahamsen 2up which brilliant . Colin is a nice guy he will answer any questions you have or worrys about buying a brand you never heard of before I was the same but learned on here about this amp before I ever brought one . But like I've told you before it has no built in phono stage and some people will say on here a lack of inputs which I have never had an issue with yet plus you can buy a better standalone phono stage if you wanted to use a record player .
 

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