New or second hand amp?

[admin_exported]

I'm moving away from my Home Cinema set up and stepping into Hifi! I I've currently got a Marantz SR7001 av/receiver http://www.marantz.com/new/index.cfm?fuseaction=Products.ArchProduct&cont=eu&bus=hf&prod_id=3661 and kef 3005's which i've now sold.

I'm thinking of replacing the Marantz with a hifi amp. I'm,looking for an amp with 2 speakers outputs as i have a new pair of Kef iq30's for the main listening room and iq10's for a second room. I have a budget of around £500. Would i benefit from selling the Marantz and if so should i be looking new of second hand? I've seen an ex demo Arcam FMJA28 and A90 each available for £550, or new the Marantz PM7003, NAD C350 for around £400. Speaker cable is qed silver spiral.

Any suggestions/recommendations appreciated

Cheers, Macca,

 

[the record spot]

Go back a little further and you'll snag Arcam's excellent Alpha 10 amp (from around a decade or so ago) for £250 and the same - more or less - for NAD's C370.

 

[Big Chris]

I bought my Arcam A65+ brand new in '02 for £380.

I bought my Arcam A85 second hand in '09 for £285

I wish I hadn't bothered buying new in '02!

 

[Anonymous]

record spot - guess my only concern with the Alpha 10 is the age. Are they reliable?

Big Chris - A85 - they going for more that on e-bay now! Is it as good as people say?

 

[Anonymous]

I had the Arcam Alpha 8R and it was a great wee amp. Perhaps a bit laidback but the addition of an 8p power amp gave it that bit more punch. I believe the Alpha 10 is a big step up from the 8 and should be great.My Alpha functioned flawlessly from new till I sold it so if you see one in good condition I'd buy with confidence.

I recently sold my Alphas for the NAD C370 and this was a massive step up. I absolutely love it. Musical, dynamic and effortlessly powerful. Tight controlled bass and clear sparkling treble. Sounds really well balanced. Others may disagree but I think youd need to spend a fair bit more to better it.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll keep looking.

 

[the record spot]

Macca - Arcam have a good rep out there, and there's a couple of things to bear in mind here. How well someone's looked after the amp is one thing, that applies across the board of course no matter what item you're looking at, but the Alpha 10 went for about £800-£1000 IIRC. In other words, it's not likely to be trashing material, so the chances are, it's going to be in good condition.

Here's an example of the same; 8 offers on it, but it looks near mint to my eyes. Given the spec and the options to expand the amp to include home cinema add-ons, it's a winner for the money. What's £250 going to buy you right now? A Graded Cambridge 640A, a Harman Kardon 980 (not a bad amp, but not in the same league as the Alpha 10)...? I know where my cash would go. Plus Arcam are going strong right now, so servicing will be a doddle.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARCAM-ALPHA-10-INTEGRATED-AMP_W0QQitemZ170425966090QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers?hash=item27ae2dde0a#ht_500wt_1182

 

[Anonymous]

Buying a used amp is an excellent idea. If it's over ten years old then seriously consider getting it serviced. This might narrow the options down a bit but I think Arcam will service an Alpha for you, i.e. recap it, etc.