gerlando
Prog Rocker
For about £280/290 you can find a Rega IO.
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/rega-io-amplifier.262251/
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/rega-io-amplifier.262251/
Best S/H Integrated Amp for under £200
- Thread starter MJSM
- Start date
Hi, thanks for that comparison, I have never heard any Rega gear demonstrated so it is good to have an idea about where they sit relative to each other in the fidelity ladder. I think a lot of the older Arcam gear uses BFA speaker connects, I see Amazon sell them so I may get some in preparation, I have heard they make a very good connection.
Right, I need to be making some decisions as there are some discussion suggestions coming up in the auction listings :
So lets say this, for £150 or less in my Ebay watch list are the following :
1. Rotel RA-04SE (less than £100 currently) with 1hr 20 mins to go
2. Rotel RA-971 MkII, currently at £132 with 4 hrs to go (probably not as no Phono input)
3. Rotel RA-06, currently on £150 with no bids with 1 day 7 hours to go
4. Cyrus 8 at £132 with just under 45 hours to go
5. Arcam FMJ A28, currently at £150 with 3 days to go
6. Cyrus 6 at £130 with 3 days and 7 hours to go
7. Arcam FMJ A18 currently at £100 with 4 days to go
Looks like there are some decent amps here for the money, I have not listed everything in my watch list as the rest have plenty of time to go.
Can somebody please instruct me on how to put up a voting list to let people advise on that basis - thanks
Mike
So lets say this, for £150 or less in my Ebay watch list are the following :
1. Rotel RA-04SE (less than £100 currently) with 1hr 20 mins to go
2. Rotel RA-971 MkII, currently at £132 with 4 hrs to go (probably not as no Phono input)
3. Rotel RA-06, currently on £150 with no bids with 1 day 7 hours to go
4. Cyrus 8 at £132 with just under 45 hours to go
5. Arcam FMJ A28, currently at £150 with 3 days to go
6. Cyrus 6 at £130 with 3 days and 7 hours to go
7. Arcam FMJ A18 currently at £100 with 4 days to go
Looks like there are some decent amps here for the money, I have not listed everything in my watch list as the rest have plenty of time to go.
Can somebody please instruct me on how to put up a voting list to let people advise on that basis - thanks
Mike
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say it as it is
pfm Member
If you can get an SE Rotel for that money grab it the 04 SE will be a very capable amp. I had the 05 SE and wish I had kept it. Very user friendly and decent phono stage. For that money you can not lose if you don't like sell it on
If you do then enjoy it come to life when you give it good quality source and speakers
If you do then enjoy it come to life when you give it good quality source and speakers
say it as it is
pfm Member
Yes but it's a mint example and sounds rather nice so fully understand why you kept it not exactly slumming it for a second system. The nait XS is equally worth a go as the value drops and huge flexibility to use power supplies, and split it as either a power amp or pre amp. Mine is running standalone and sounds pretty good has enough grunt to wake up the normally dull Rogers LS6
TonyScarlett
pfm Member
Picked up a brand new B Grade Rotel A-10 off that auction site the other week for £200. I believe the A-10 is the most recent incarnation of the RA-04.
Having previously owned both an RA-04 & RA-04SE & enjoyed them both I couldn't resist the A-10 at that price.
Having said that, I have also owned an Arcam Delta 90.2 & still own a Delta 60. Definitely a bit warmer sounding than the Rotels but still great amps. The Delta 60 in particular is a bit of an underappreciated gem. They look classier than the later Alpha range to my eyes as well.
Ion Obelisk is another great shout (I have one of those as well).
BTW I have no idea why the A-10 was being sold as B Grade, I can't find a mark on it.
TS
Having previously owned both an RA-04 & RA-04SE & enjoyed them both I couldn't resist the A-10 at that price.
Having said that, I have also owned an Arcam Delta 90.2 & still own a Delta 60. Definitely a bit warmer sounding than the Rotels but still great amps. The Delta 60 in particular is a bit of an underappreciated gem. They look classier than the later Alpha range to my eyes as well.
Ion Obelisk is another great shout (I have one of those as well).
BTW I have no idea why the A-10 was being sold as B Grade, I can't find a mark on it.
TS
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
Wrong thread!
Del monaco
Del Monaco
A Yamaha AS 300 or and older A500?
The RA-04SE went for £95 in the end (before you posted obviously) but TBH I was kind of lured away from it by the RA-06 which is also in my list, not sure that was a good decision now but there you go.
I'm not being tight, it's a conscious effort to see what is on offer for £200 or thereabouts, I am actually trying to steer clear of Naim firstly because it's at least 50% over budget and secondly because I want to hear what other manufacturers had on offer to see if I was suckered by the Naim hype in the first place or to see if it really is so much better than everything else. Granted the original selling prices are not in the same range but some of the S/H stuff I'm looking at was selling for between £500 and £1000 new so it's not exactly budget gear. So Naim is not under consideration.
I guess the other very important thing to remember here is that I am listening to my hi-fi through distinctly lo-fi NHS hearing aids (it's a struggle to find any HA with a frequency response above 8Khz) so I also need to hear a few different amps to see what suits that 'system component' best. I may well end up selling my Naim gear next year if I don't hear an appreciable improvement over the 'budget' gear I am now contemplating.
One of the biggest question marks is the different Arcam ranges, I am probably not going to go for anything in the Alpha range lower than an 8R but being aware of the stupid motorised input selector issues on the 9 I am reluctant to go there, I notice the 10 went back to pushbuttons.
The Delta range also interests me but again the 290 suffered the same problems with input selector switch, there is a nice looking Delta 90 on Ebay currently listed at £224 which I think is expensive but it is mint and has dedicated (e.g. not switched) MM and MC Phono inputs so I may end up putting an offer in on that depending on the feedback here.
Can anyone here confirm if the Delta 90 has the same selector switch as the Delta 290 ?? from the picture in the link following it looks like it could be similar but maybe not motorised.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/arcam/delta-90.shtml
Then there are several Diva and FMJ offerings there too at similar money, hence I'm in a quandary as to which range I should be focussing on to get the biggest bang for the buck.
The Delta range also interests me but again the 290 suffered the same problems with input selector switch, there is a nice looking Delta 90 on Ebay currently listed at £224 which I think is expensive but it is mint and has dedicated (e.g. not switched) MM and MC Phono inputs so I may end up putting an offer in on that depending on the feedback here.
Can anyone here confirm if the Delta 90 has the same selector switch as the Delta 290 ?? from the picture in the link following it looks like it could be similar but maybe not motorised.
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/arcam/delta-90.shtml
Then there are several Diva and FMJ offerings there too at similar money, hence I'm in a quandary as to which range I should be focussing on to get the biggest bang for the buck.
S-Man
StrivingON
Much of a muchness!
Most SS amps I've heard at this price level have a touch of the mechanical SS midrange. Recently repaired a NAD 325BEE, which is actually a very good amp dressed in a shell suit.
The Ion Obelisk, or Heed variations, tend to have a sweeter midrange than most of the alternatives.
Thanks but I don't understand the term 'SS' in this context, and don't forget, none of these choices are for new equipment, most were over £500 new 30 years ago.