Second hand amp for Quad 11L2

[TullyK]

Hello all, I'm looking for some suggestions for a second hand amp to power my Quad 11L2 speakers. I'm looking to spend around £60-70 on a second hand amp that is considered to be a good budget option. I don't need fancy features, and I'm not that fussed about power output. I've heard a lot of good things about Cambridge Audio in this sector of the market and I would be happy to buy something of this brand, but as I'm looking at things which are a few years old I'm in need of some advice on which models to be looking at. However any suggestions are welcome.

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[tomlinscote]

You maybe a ble to find a few Marantz amps for about £100 that will serve you well, the 11L are pretty forgiving, I have used them with an Onkyo AV receiver, a Roksan Kandy 3 and a Musical Fidelity A3.5 and they all sounded good at low to above medium power levels, not overly great at high levels though (but then again I use my 22L's now and they do go loud and stay composed fairly easily

Tommo

 

[plastic penguin]

Welcome to the forum

The Quads, IMO, need good amplification. If your budget is only £60-£70 you're not going to get a amp with enough oomph to keep control, unless you're lucky enough to a real retro amp.

I'd say Cambridge are good higher up the pricing scale, but old entry-level like the A1 may not give you the sound quality needed.

I would look at old Nads, Pioneers, Sansui.... something of that ilk.

 

[tomlinscote]

"I would look at old NADs" mmmm oh dear!! sorry I couldn't help but requote that as it made me laugh, but that probably says more about me and my 1970's upbringing

Though I agree the 11Ls do need a decent amount of current to work as they are not that sensitive.

T

 

[TullyK]

Hello, thanks for the welcome, and thanks for the advice. The low sensitivity is something I have considered (terrible for the Class A amplifier I'm trying to build!) I'd be happy with something 50W per channel, maybe a little less. What's wrong with Cambridge Audio's cheaper stuff from the last few years? These devices are what got me looking at the brand.

I'll have a look at some of the other brands you mentioned and see if I can find anything

Thanks again

 

[plastic penguin]

"I would look at old NADs" mmmm oh dear!! sorry I couldn't help but requote that as it made me laugh, but that probably says more about me and my 1970's upbringing

Though I agree the 11Ls do need a decent amount of current to work as they are not that sensitive.

T

Well with £60-£70 you are scaping the bottom of the barrell.

 

[plastic penguin]

Hello, thanks for the welcome, and thanks for the advice. What's wrong with Cambridge Audio's cheaper stuff from the last few years? These devices are what got me looking at the brand.

I'll have a look at some of the other brands you mentioned and see if I can find anything

Thanks again

Nothing. Could you buy them with your budget?

 

[TullyK]

OK I've been looking aruond and am beginning to put together a list, I expect what I've collected so far will cover quite a large price range (proportionally for my budget at least)

Marantz PM-66 SE

NAD C 320BEE

Cambridge Audio TOPAZ AM5 (only 25W per channel)

Cambridge Audio A4

Cambridge Audio Azur 640A

I'd be interested to hear you opinions on these.

Thanks again for your help

 

[matthewpiano]

Out of those I'd forget the Topaz AM5 and A4. The really cheap CA stuff is pretty poor to be honest, with terrible channel balance at low volumes. This can even be an issue on older Azur amps so check any 640A very carefully.

Personally, with your budget, I'd be inclined to look at the NAD C320BEE, which at least has decent current capability. Also worth looking at some of the older Denon amps - I've tried my Quad 11Ls with my current range Denon and it is a good combination.

You've picked difficult speakers to match with a cheap amp. The 11Ls need plenty of current before they sound anything like their best.

 

[TullyK]

I was less aware of all the issues when I bought the speakers, probably about three years ago now, I do love them though.

I've always been slightly confused about what a high powered amp can do that a lower powered one can't. Obviously it can play louder, and/or I think play lower notes? But assuming the frequency response is the same between a 30W and 60W amp, will there be a noticeable difference between the 30W amp playing at half power and the 60W playing at a quarter power? Assuming their equally matched otherwise. I'm never going to use more than about 25W per channel (if my current piece-of-rubbish amp at 25W per channel is anything to go by) so I guess what I'm asking, is how is more current actually going to help?

Thanks again

 

[jimmylee73]

bide your time, save some more money and set your sights on a better quality of amp

 

[tomlinscote]

Why current?

Well as I understand it power is current x voltage so you can get 100W (sounds impressive eh) from 25V x 4A or 25A x 4V but loudspeakers use electromagnets and these like current to generate the magnetic field to repel or attract the solid lump of magnet they are attatched too. So am amp that can cope with giving out large current may suit the speakers better.

Its to do with the power supply aswell.

(I realise that to avoid clipping the amp needs a decent range of output voltage too)

T

 

[TullyK]

bide your time, save some more money and set your sights on a better quality of amp

I completely agree, but I've had these speakers for about three years now, and I'm going to be a student for three more, I will never have a large budget amist the other things I'd like to be spending money on. If you can recommend me something that will be particularly good for what I need, of course the budget can be extended. I chose to say £100 max because I thought there should be some second hand amps capable of bringing a lot out of my speakers, and to get significantly more out of them would cost a lot more. If the right amp is available for £140 second hand, I'll get it. But I'm not going to be able to afford £300 of anything like that in the near future.

Thanks

thanks

 

[matthewpiano]

Just had a thought. I had my Quad 11Ls with a Rotel RA-01 for a while and the combination worked brilliantly. You should be able to get an RA-01 second hand for somewhere around your budget. Nice amp. Hope this is helpful.

 

[plastic penguin]

Had a quick scan thru Ebay and found a RA-01, starting price £89.00 + £15.00 carriage.

Did see this though: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marantz-PM-44SE-special-edition-mark-II-black-hifi-seperate-/130915260874?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item1e7b2859ca

Buy It Now @ £50.00 and free delivery.

EDIT - sorry Free delivery on this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marantz-Integrated-Amplifier-PM4001-/390599336081?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Amplifiers&hash=item5af188e091

 

[matthewpiano]

Sorry to step in PP but I don't think the Marantz models are a good choice for the Quads. I never felt they sounded particularly good with the PM6003 which is undoubtedly a better amp than either the 4001 or the 44SE. I think Marantz is too smooth sounding - the Quads need an amp with some punch, which the Rotel (or a NAD or Denon) would provide.

I love Marantz amps, but wouldn't choose one in this particularly situation.

 

[plastic penguin]

Scraping the bottom of the barrel, but the OP's budget is toughie to crack...

 

[TullyK]

I'd just like to say how grateful I am for all the input. I've used other forums quite a lot but everyone here is much more helpful and on the ball, thanks.

It looks like either a Rotel or NAD is going to be the best option, I've not looked at Denon. Likely models seem to be the RA-01 or NAD C315BEE. Anything to say about these? If not I guess it's just a case of waiting for a good one on ebay, how much should I be paying for them respectively?

Thanks again

 

[TullyK]

Went back to have a look at the Yamaha AS-500, which is what I originally wanted, but was out of my budget. Anyway I saw it likened to the NAD C326BEE and so had a look at the C326BEE specs and a couple of reviews. It's a bit more powerful than the other amps that have been discussed (only slightly, it may be out of budget also (following a couple of second hand ones) but does anyone know if it would be any better than the C315BEE or Rotel RA-01 that I'm otherwise looking at?

I'm beginning to feel a bit silly for asking for so much experience based advice but there's really no way for me to demo these, secondhand, bottom-of-the-barrel amps. I really appreciate your help.

Thanks again

 

[matthewpiano]

The C326BEE is a good amp, but not wildly different to the C325BEE and the C320BEE, its two predecessors. You might pick one of those up more easily for your budget.

Personally I'd still take the Rotel.

 

[the record spot]

Check Gumtree out. You can land some amazing bargains on there - currently there's a mint Pioneer A400 for £100 and a decent looking Audiolab 8000A for £150. Some of these guys might post out, so it's worth checking.

 

[rymidd]

i had rotel ra 01 amp and rdc1072cd with the quad 11L and found it to bright in the mids ,change the amp to a nad c326bee and it sounded much better. the rotel is a good amp but i find the nad 326 works better with the quad 11L2 than the rotel ra01.

 

[TullyK]

I bid on a NAD C315BEE tonight on ebay but didn't win. I'm quite interested by the mentioned Pioneer A400, there's a few on ebay too, some with upgraded capacitors which I would hope means they will be good for a bit longer (having been replaced since new). How would one of these compare with the NAD C315BEE and the Rotel RA-01? Is going back anothe decade a risky move?

Thanks

 

[matthewpiano]

Ooh, I'd forgotten about the A400. I've owned a couple of these. Great amp, and it works like a treat with the Quads too.

I wouldn't be too worried about the age as long as you choose one which has been well cared for. Better than a NAD C315BEE. I would find the choice between the Pioneer and Rotel more difficult but the Pioneer would probably win.

 

[TullyK]

:O Ok, quite excited about this option now. Are these 'upgraded caps' worth bidding on? There's another one I could bid on that's in slightly better cosmetic condition, which is an A-400X, whatever the X means..

Thanks again