Setting up my first hifi and neep help choosing an amp

[AWhaleOnABeach]

Hi, I am setting up my first 'proper' hifi system as I have only used small, cheap sets before. I have a pair of monitor audio silver RX6s which I picked up second hand and currently have a friends Panasonic cd changer with amp built in and a subwoofer, which I will use to power them when I have the necessary cables. I am dubious about using the Panasonic amp and have been looking at marantz amps and similar products for a couple of months now to find the correct one for me.
I have moved into a new house and so don't have much money to spend on an amp but am looking for an older/second hand amp which would compliment the speakers well for

 

[matthewpiano]

At that price and with MAs your best bet would be to find an Arcam Alpha 8. An Alpha 9 or 10 would be even better but not within budget unfortunately.

 

[AWhaleOnABeach]

That's great thanks, I'll have a look into the arcams now and see how much it is for a used one on eBay or something

 

[SteveR750]

You're probably wasting your time asking that question on this forum, so don't be surprised if you don't get the answers you were hoping for.

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/if-all-well-designed-amplifiers-are-difficult-to-distinguish

Meantime, my personal recoomendation would be a used NAD C352. There are others from Marantz and Rotel equally proficient that others might also be able to comment on based upon their experience

 

[AWhaleOnABeach]

Thanks for the response, that thread answers a lot of questions which I could never find much out about! I've heard good things about the NAD amps, although it is beginning to look like it doesn't matter too much which amp I use as I have seen many different ones recommended for the same situation on different forums

 

[Jota180]

The correct answer would be to match an amps specifications to your chosen speakers specifications and to take into consideration how loud you are likely to play your music. If you want to party the neighbourhood down to the ground that would require 'more' amp than a life of low to medium listening levels.

You can also take into consideration whether you want tone controls, headphone sockets, USB inputs for iThings or built in DAC's.

Everything else is fluff and opinion and as everyone's opinions are based on their own ears and not yours don't lean too heavily on them.

 

[dim_span]

Pioneer A400 .... you may need to spend an additional £20 though