Top Ten Budget amplifiers of all time!

[CnoEvil]

I did indeed listen to the Cremonas through the Primare. They have the authority that my Arros only hint at. Hardly surprising considering their design & size. They sounded very good though the A Research CDP was 2nd hand, needed a good service & if balanced outputs were available, Chord ChameleonPlus ICs were used. I found a borrowed set of no-name XLRs sounded marginly better than my own Chord C+ did between my M-DAC & A34.2.

I have to say, Primare + SF sound like a great match. I'm also a fan of Audio Research (though its very expensive over here).

 

[busb]

I did indeed listen to the Cremonas through the Primare. They have the authority that my Arros only hint at. Hardly surprising considering their design & size. They sounded very good though the A Research CDP was 2nd hand, needed a good service & if balanced outputs were available, Chord ChameleonPlus ICs were used. I found a borrowed set of no-name XLRs sounded marginly better than my own Chord C+ did between my M-DAC & A34.2.

I have to say, Primare + SF sound like a great match. I'm also a fan of Audio Research (though its very expensive over here).

The Primare deserves the M-DAC (or better - DcS?) in that setup :rockout:

 

[Anonymous]

Drifting a little bit off topic, aren't we? :help:

 

[CnoEvil]

Guilty as charged Mi Lud....though in my defence, this thread was petering out and it wasn't stopping the OP from getting crucial advice. 😳

 

[Lost Angeles]

On reflection the Audiolab 8000A cannot be included in the list here as it was never a budget amplifier.

£300 in 1986 was two to two and a half times the average weekly wage then I reckon. If the average weekly wage today is £600 then I don’t think the Leema Pulse or Roksan Caspian etc. are going to be classed as budget amps.

I don’t know if this theory rules any of the other listed amps out.

A budget amp in 1986 may have cost a £100-150 for a guess.

 

[Thaiman]

Musical Fidelity A1

 

[Anonymous]

Musical Fidelity A1

YES!!! Also a GREAT device to fry your eggs and sausages on! :clap: Till it fried itself....

 

[CnoEvil]

Musical Fidelity A1

YES!!! Also a GREAT device to fry your eggs and sausages on! :clap: Till it fried itself....

The A1 made the list, but there's one space left.....I think the OP may have lost interest. :roll:

 

[the record spot]

On reflection the Audiolab 8000A cannot be included in the list here as it was never a budget amplifier.

For sure; £500 in its day. It only dropped in price in relatively recent years and definitely once the brand went to the IAG stable.

 

[Anonymous]

denon pma250 was a great amp for me some years ago that im looking at getting another one (if i can find a good example)

 

[Anonymous]

Pioneer SA-706, retailed around £170 in 1976 when first produced, which takes closer to the midrange sector. Cracking amp.

Man - I forgot about that one, it was my first amplifier! Replaced with an Audiolab 8000a.

 

[Anonymous]

Pioneer SA6500 II

Only about £150 back in the late 70's

 

[Anonymous]

denon pma250 was a great amp for me some years ago that im looking at getting another one (if i can find a good example)

I have a pma250 and yes, it's a great amp. Funnily enough I also have Mission 760iSE's which appear in the budget speaker top ten - maybe I should consign my upgrade-itis to the bin and sit smugly with what I already have!

 

[SteveR750]

Pioneer SA-706, retailed around £170 in 1976 when first produced, which takes closer to the midrange sector. Cracking amp.

Man - I forgot about that one, it was my first amplifier! Replaced with an Audiolab 8000a.

My uncle had one of these!

With an AR XB77, and some AR 8 speakers. There was also a Pioneer FM tuner that had a beautifully damped flywheel tuning knob. It sounded fantastic even before it was powered up.

 

[Thaiman]

Musical Fidelity A1

YES!!! Also a GREAT device to fry your eggs and sausages on! :clap: Till it fried itself....

The A1 made the list, but there's one space left.....I think the OP may have lost interest. :roll:

just as well he didn't ask for Top 50!

 

[cse]

Ion Obelisk 1. Smoother than Cyrus 1 and cost £195, which was considered budget in 1986.

 

[moon]

Musical Fidelity A1

YES!!! Also a GREAT device to fry your eggs and sausages on! :clap: Till it fried itself....

The A1 made the list, but there's one space left.....I think the OP may have lost interest. :roll:

just as well he didn't ask for Top 50!

definitly not lost interest..... just mega busy....need to read through thread!

 

[moon]

It appears the Audiolab is off the list because of cost..... so now two spaces need to be filled.!,

 

[matthewpiano]

What about the Marantz PM6003?

It's a modern classic which pushed the performance barrier for a budget amp and it is capable of sounding quite stunning with budget partners and more expensive kit alike. I also suspect it has got a huge number of new hi-fi users on the road to audio nirvana.

 

[Anonymous]

So it could be a Top 10 budget amps list without any of the 5 star award winning Marantz? :shock:

 

[Lost Angeles]

Were MF ever classed as Budget?

 

[moon]

What about the Marantz PM6003?

It's a modern classic which pushed the performance barrier for a budget amp and it is capable of sounding quite stunning with budget partners and more expensive kit alike. I also suspect it has got a huge number of new hi-fi users on the road to audio nirvana.

A worthy addition to the list!

 

[CnoEvil]

A worthy addition to the list!

..and then there were Ten; unless of course, the list is dismantled, due to certain models not meeting the budget criteria. :shifty:

 

[moon]

A worthy addition to the list!

..and then there were Ten; unless of course, the list is dismantled, due to certain models not meeting the budget criteria. :shifty:

Audiolab removed...... apparently over budget.

 

[CnoEvil]

It appears the Audiolab is off the list because of cost..... so now two spaces need to be filled.!,

I suppose it brings up the interesting argument of what constitutes a budget amp.

The Hifi Mag I have from 1987, describes the Nait as "the king of budget amps", and it was £241.50.

At that time the A1 was £209 and the Cyrus 11 and 8000A were both £299. They were all seen as in the same" ball park" soundwise.