Question What amplifier should I consider?

[reesb88]

Hi there, first time posting a message and complete Hi-Fi noob…

I’ve recently purchased an Argon Audio TT MK2 turntable on a deal at Richer Sounds as an entry point into the world of vinyl.

To go with this, I’ve purchased a pair of Mourdant Short Avant 902i speakers second hand. I’m now looking for an amplifier that would compliment these if possible.

I’ve spotted a few second hand ones including: Cambridge Audio AXA25, Arcam Alpha 6 Plus, and NAD C350.

Keen to get some guidance/reassurance from this community on:

1. Have I made a good choice with turntable/speakers as a starting set?

2. Would you recommend any of the above mentioned amplifiers and/or recommend other makes/models that better suit? Trying to keep budget relatively low as I dip my toe in the water, and if I get the bug I’ll look to eventually upgrade over time.

 

[daytona600]

Spherical Stylus VTF 3.5grams will wear out your records , would change the cartridge/stylus

 

[gasolin]

Denon PMA-900HNE ?

 

[Al ears]

Spherical Stylus VTF 3.5grams will wear out your records , would change the cartridge/stylus

If it's designed to operate with those parameters it will be fine.
My main concern is the OP trying to "enter the world of vinyl" on the cheap, considering the cost of a new LP.

 

[daytona600]

Stylus conical tracking @ 3.5g will be fine if replaced every 150hours
They wear out very quickly , then they destroy your records. Advanced profiles will last several hundred more hours
50+ years ago Shure V15s tracked @ 1gram

 

[record_spot]

I'd get rid of the cartridge and spend £35 on an AT-VM95C which is fantastic for the money. Have it track at around 2 grams max and you'll get 500 hours out of it.

As for the amps you listed, I'd go for the Alpha 6. From memory those 902i speakers had a keen treble and the Arcam, while being an excellent amp in its day, will help tame the treble somewhat.

All IMO obviously.

 

[JimLPM]

If you are willing to venture further afield beyond the big box stuff,, and expand your budget (based on what you listed) by $100 or so, you could look at a Rogue Sphinx (hybrid tube) or an Audio by Van Alstine CA1 (solid state) control amp. Both are really well reviewed. I own one of them and have a friend with the other.

 

[Al ears]

If you are willing to venture further afield beyond the big box stuff,, and expand your budget (based on what you listed) by $100 or so, you could look at a Rogue Sphinx (hybrid tube) or an Audio by Van Alstine CA1 (solid state) control amp. Both are really well reviewed. I own one of them and have a friend with the other.

You are assuming he is able to buy these at stateside prices even when You have no idea where he lives ??
From those he has mentioned he appears UK based and has no hope of thosew youw mention being available here.

 

[gasolin]

As for the amps you listed, I'd go for the Alpha 6. From memory those 902i speakers had a keen treble and the Arcam, while being an excellent amp in its day, will help tame the treble somewhat.

According to review (i have heard the amp) a Denon PMA-900HNE will do the same

 

[record_spot]

According to review (i have heard the amp) a Denon PMA-900HNE will do the same

I'm sure there's probably a few. Then again, the Denon isn't far off £600 and the Alpha 6 likely under £200.

 

[gasolin]

I'm sure there's probably a few. Then again, the Denon isn't far off £600 and the Alpha 6 likely under £200.

I actually don't see a budget

 

[record_spot]

I actually don't see a budget

I see three amps listed by the OP, none of which cost £600.

That and they're trying to keep the budget relatively low.

 

[James105]

Hi there, first time posting a message and complete Hi-Fi noob…

I’ve recently purchased an Argon Audio TT MK2 turntable on a deal at Richer Sounds as an entry point into the world of vinyl.

To go with this, I’ve purchased a pair of Mourdant Short Avant 902i speakers second hand. I’m now looking for an amplifier that would compliment these if possible.

I’ve spotted a few second hand ones including: Cambridge Audio AXA25, Arcam Alpha 6 Plus, and NAD C350.

Keen to get some guidance/reassurance from this community on:

1. Have I made a good choice with turntable/speakers as a starting set?

2. Would you recommend any of the above mentioned amplifiers and/or recommend other makes/models that better suit? Trying to keep budget relatively low as I dip my toe in the water, and if I get the bug I’ll look to eventually upgrade over time.

NAD 316BBE V2 £319 in the UK with 6 year warranty.

NAD C 316BEE V2 Integrated Amplifier Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the NAD C 316BEE V2 integrated amplifier with phono stage and headphone jack. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $399. The unit feels just heavy enough to not feel cheap. Controls have a nice feel and can be managed with a remote...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[matthewpianist]

Look for a Audiolab 6000A secondhand. You'll find the original version at good prices now (not the new MkII), and it will grow with your system for a long time to come. It sounds excellent across the phono stage, analogue inputs and digital inputs.

 

[reesb88]

Thanks all for your comments and advice.
I ended up with the NAD C350 as it seemed to be in the best condition out of the options I shared. The others were a little bit worse for wear.

In terms of cartridge/stylus, I’m still with the one out of the box with the Argon TT MK2 turntable and (not that I know what I’m doing) I have it tracking at ~2.5g and records seem to be playing nicely. Will consider advice on here and look for replacement/upgrade in due course.

In terms of budget/location - I am uk based and I didn’t have a set budget, just knew I wanted to get a decent starting set up without paying the earth (hence going down the used market route). Ended up paying £189 for the turntable (that was brand new on offer), £85 for the NAD C350, and £50 for a pair of Mordaunt Short Avant 902i speakers.
To my pretty poor ears, the audio quality sounds good.

I also appreciated the concern about starting in the world of vinyl and the cost of this. Definitely had my eyes water and the cost of LPs compared to what they used to be and spent a couple hundred pounds on a mix of new and used records to give me a decent start. My dad also has a large collection that I’ll no doubt dip into..

Hopefully I’ve not made any massive mistakes/wrong decisions. Looking forward to enjoying my music 🙂

 

[Entrigo]

Thanks all for your comments and advice.
I ended up with the NAD C350 as it seemed to be in the best condition out of the options I shared. The others were a little bit worse for wear.

In terms of cartridge/stylus, I’m still with the one out of the box with the Argon TT MK2 turntable and (not that I know what I’m doing) I have it tracking at ~2.5g and records seem to be playing nicely. Will consider advice on here and look for replacement/upgrade in due course.

In terms of budget/location - I am uk based and I didn’t have a set budget, just knew I wanted to get a decent starting set up without paying the earth (hence going down the used market route). Ended up paying £189 for the turntable (that was brand new on offer), £85 for the NAD C350, and £50 for a pair of Mordaunt Short Avant 902i speakers.
To my pretty poor ears, the audio quality sounds good.

I also appreciated the concern about starting in the world of vinyl and the cost of this. Definitely had my eyes water and the cost of LPs compared to what they used to be and spent a couple hundred pounds on a mix of new and used records to give me a decent start. My dad also has a large collection that I’ll no doubt dip into..

Hopefully I’ve not made any massive mistakes/wrong decisions. Looking forward to enjoying my music 🙂

Was about to suggest a Marantz (less punch but more musical) but sounds like you have found a nice little amp.

As per vinyl, there's thousands upon thousands (more likely millions) of used records for sale online and in shops.

It takes some time to learn the standard gradings and a bit of patience in browsing and finding the right copy (but that is part of the fun IMO). Discogs.com is a good place to start, also as they have an accepted grading system and an OK marketplace - though I personally prefer eBay - there's pictures of the records, you can often bag a bargain if you find an auction that's gone under the radar and, most importantly, there is pretty good buyer's protection - so if the record is not as advertised, you can return at no cost and you WILL get a refund.

Enjoy!

 

[Fandango Andy]

Hi there, first time posting a message and complete Hi-Fi noob…

I’ve recently purchased an Argon Audio TT MK2 turntable on a deal at Richer Sounds as an entry point into the world of vinyl.

To go with this, I’ve purchased a pair of Mourdant Short Avant 902i speakers second hand. I’m now looking for an amplifier that would compliment these if possible.

I’ve spotted a few second hand ones including: Cambridge Audio AXA25, Arcam Alpha 6 Plus, and NAD C350.

Keen to get some guidance/reassurance from this community on:

1. Have I made a good choice with turntable/speakers as a starting set?

2. Would you recommend any of the above mentioned amplifiers and/or recommend other makes/models that better suit? Trying to keep budget relatively low as I dip my toe in the water, and if I get the bug I’ll look to eventually upgrade over time.

I have never heard the Argon turntable, but they have a decent reputation. They started out as a home brand for HiFi Klubben in Europe, then went independent. A bit like the early (and current entry level) Pro-Ject they aim to be good quality simple, no nonsense designs. The standard cartridge it comes with isn't the best, you can probably improve the sound with an upgrade but I'm out of touch with what to recommend I'm sure others will help there.

Speakers are very personal, if you like them great. If you don't the second hand market is buoyant, you can as long as you paid a fair price you should get it back on resale.

I would recommend a Marantz PM6007, with the caveat, its getting a little long in the tooth now, so they may replace it soon and they will be available cheap. All things considered its still the best budget amp around.

 

[gasolin]

I have never heard the Argon turntable, but they have a decent reputation. They started out as a home brand for HiFi Klubben in Europe, then went independent. A bit like the early (and current entry level) Pro-Ject they aim to be good quality simple, no nonsense designs. The standard cartridge it comes with isn't the best, you can probably improve the sound with an upgrade but I'm out of touch with what to recommend I'm sure others will help there.

Speakers are very personal, if you like them great. If you don't the second hand market is buoyant, you can as long as you paid a fair price you should get it back on resale.

I would recommend a Marantz PM6007, with the caveat, its getting a little long in the tooth now, so they may replace it soon and they will be available cheap. All things considered its still the best budget amp around.

Absolutely not

The wiim amp pro is the best budget amp

It might not have as many inputs as a marantz pm6007 but has a bult in streamer, digital in, room correction (plase use a good mic), eq and parametric eq, you can adjust gain from each input, incl hdmi arc, max volume limit in case you have speakers that can't handle alot power, sub out you can adjust thru the app, wifi,ethernet,bluetooth auto sense for the inputs, you can use alexa,dac digital filter type basically fine tyne what ever you can think of

Sounds really good and with out any doubt has more power than a pm6007 especially in 4 ohm

 

[RTHerringbone]

WiiM Amp Pro doesn't have a phono stage, so you add extra cost immediately in what is desired to be a setup supporting a turntable.

 

[Al ears]

WiiM Amp Pro doesn't have a phono stage, so you add extra cost immediately in what is desired to be a setup supporting a turntable.

The turntable in question has a built-in phono preamp so no extra cost in this case.

 

[RTHerringbone]

The turntable in question has a built-in phono preamp so no extra cost in this case.

Good point!

I guess a key question for the Opening Poster is whether they want all of the functionality of the WiiM as opposed to a "traditional" amp. The suggested Marantz is a good amp (I had one) but I'm also a big fan of WiiM - but they possibly have different use cases.

The WiiM would give more longevity if the costs of building a vinyl collection become a bit scary, as they could instantly use the on-board streaming from the WiiM to listen to a variety of music with no cost beyond that of their subscription service(s) like Spotify, Tidal etc.

 

[matthewpianist]

The OP has purchased a NAD C350 second hand, and I think it's a very good buy - plenty of nicely delivered and stable power, at a very affordable price. The Mordaunt-Short 920i speakers are no slouch either and are a good match for the NAD. Although I'm not familiar with the Argon turntable, I'd say that it's a good value system overall, which will hopefully give a lot of pleasure.

More widely, I don't think there's such a thing as 'the best budget amp' - each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and suits different use cases.

 

[Fandango Andy]

The OP has purchased a NAD C350 second hand, and I think it's a very good buy - plenty of nicely delivered and stable power, at a very affordable price. The Mordaunt-Short 920i speakers are no slouch either and are a good match for the NAD. Although I'm not familiar with the Argon turntable, I'd say that it's a good value system overall, which will hopefully give a lot of pleasure.

More widely, I don't think there's such a thing as 'the best budget amp' - each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and suits different use cases.

I had missed that in the comments. The C350 is a good choice. a friend of mine has just got a C300 and is very pleased with it.

I half agree that there isn't a best as there is a degree of what suits the individual, but if you take that line there is no "best" anything. When anyone says best its always a balance of what will do the best job for the most people within its bracket.

 

[Fandango Andy]

Good point!

I guess a key question for the Opening Poster is whether they want all of the functionality of the WiiM as opposed to a "traditional" amp. The suggested Marantz is a good amp (I had one) but I'm also a big fan of WiiM - but they possibly have different use cases.

The WiiM would give more longevity if the costs of building a vinyl collection become a bit scary, as they could instantly use the on-board streaming from the WiiM to listen to a variety of music with no cost beyond that of their subscription service(s) like Spotify, Tidal etc.

I'm not convinced by WiiM amps. 8 or 9 times out of 10 I prefer class A/B to D, and with the advances in DACs and streamers I like the idea of a standalone amp that you can keep for a long time but upgrade the bits around it. This philosophy isn't right or wrong, or suitable for everyone but it makes sense to me.

 

[RTHerringbone]

I'm not convinced by WiiM amps. 8 or 9 times out of 10 I prefer class A/B to D, and with the advances in DACs and streamers I like the idea of a standalone amp that you can keep for a long time but upgrade the bits around it. This philosophy isn't right or wrong, or suitable for everyone but it makes sense to me.

I get it and yeah, there's no right or wrong universal answer, just an individual preference.

It's not wildly different to me now having a combined washer / dryer, having had separate units in the past. I like the space saving but I have had an issue with the dryer failing, which rendered me without a washing machine for a couple of days 😆

Regardless of whether it's an all-in-one washer / dryer or amp / DAC / streamer, my reservation is usually "can they really do all of these things to a high standard in one box?". Logically it feels like separates should offer a consumer more choice to get exactly what they want; certainly more serviceable. I feel like you can get more value for money from a one-box solution (certainly a mass-produced one), but VFM isn't necessarily everyone's priority.