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which reference class A, A/B amplifier, under £1k second hand?

A

Aris Karastergiou

Active Member
Hi all,

Despite having bought a couple of items from forum members, I have never posted before. I am an amateur in hi-fi audio at best, although I do care about the quality of the sound when I listen to music.

I have a chord qutest, bought recently from here, that feeds a class d nad c368 and kef r7s. Curiosity more than anything else is making me wonder what an "analogue" amplifier would sound like, replacing the nad. Something like the cambridge audio azur 851w perhaps? This would be meant as a test. Does anybody have other recommendations along these lines?

Thanks for your time.
 
The Cambridge won’t be a step up from the NAD, IMO.
A little Sugden would be great if your speaker’s sensitivity is over 86 dB.
In your situation though, I would give a try to the Rega IO if the number of inputs is enough for your needs.
 
If you want a power amp, what will you use as a pre? The pre out from your existing amps? Pre amps do contribute, often substantially, to overall sound quality.

What do you mean by 'reference' level? None of the amps suggested here meet with that criterion, in my view. Reference level amps will cost you a great deal more than £1k, even if bought used.

if you're actually asking 'what would be a significant improvement for under £1k, using Class A/B?' then that's a different matter. On the power amp front, I'd take a look at something from Exposure. You may even be able to snag an XM9 pair for a bit more than your budget. 3010s power amps do come up at under £1k. If you consider an integrated, then I notice a XXXV on eBay at £500, which is a very good amplifier. A more recent Quad may also suit; you should be able to get a used Artera for under £1k. You could also consider a Rotel RB1552 Mk2, which can be bought new for £800 or so.

Whether you find these amps are any 'better' than those you currently use is entirely up to you to judge, in your own system.
 
I'd recommend an EWA M50 if one comes up for sale. It should be around £900-ish used. There's a smaller Q20 in the classifieds now for much less, which at least on paper is enough to drive your KEFs, but I have not tried it myself.
 
geia sou aris

welcome here

as you are just about to enter a long spiral of upgrading, buy something you can easily sell later once you are up for a new change.
 
Thank you all for taking the time.
@simon g , by reference I meant I would like to have a good A,A/B class amp to test against the class D nad. Clearly I am not using correct terminology. Thanks for your suggestions though, I will take a look. Also, I control volume either from a bluesound node or a pc as the source. So I thought best limit it to a power amp. I will read up on exposure.
@gustav_errata that EWA q20 just sold. I will read about EWA.
@anubisgrau, some self-control required, but you do have a good point. When I start narrowing things done, I will also apply this criterion.
@Gervais Cote interesting regarding the Cambridge. It is not really a step up I am looking for, just a representative example of a good A, A/B amp for comparison really. Step up wouldn't hurt of course. sugden is probably too expensive.
@Bronzeage I like the sound of Rega equipment in general. All integrated amps at this price point I think. Might be tempted if I find a good deal somewhere.
@kernow thanks, looking at quad now also. Wine also a good suggestion.

So, the summary for now seems to look at quad, EWA, exposure, possibly sugden, possibly rega, and an old jvc, although I worry a bit about servicing and parts for that. Your views very welcome!
 
I would certainly consider an integrated amp since it’s preamp section would probably serve you better than the Node or PC for volume control.
 
Neither do I understand the missing preamp in this context.
Getting a preamp will definitely be preferred, without its a no-go
LOL talking reference here.

Anyway its easy to get better amps than consumer Nad, Cambridge etc, they are not reference in whatever you rate this.

Guess your speakers need a proper amp, within budget one of the powerfull ones from Quad perhaps.
Not reference and not quite as good as the UK made Quads, but decent.
I always prefer using pre/power amps from same maker.
 
@Aris Karastergiou , some people are getting fussy about the word "reference" because audiophile companies like to call their absolute best-of-the-best "reference" gear. That is, it's the reference against which all other [amps/DACs/mains cables/etc] should be compared.

It should be obvious to others that you mean simply a reference against which you can assess your current amp, but unfortunately you're fighting against entrenched terminology.
 
Using your PC or Node to control the volume is unlikely to yield satisfactory results. Get a nice used integrated from a well-known manufacturer, and be prepared to buy and sell a few before you settle on something.
 
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