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cheap 'green', summer amp suggestions

gotta be one box, but thanks Summit. Arcam was in my mind. are the A 65/75/85 a series? ta

yes they are . I think the pre section in the a75 better than the a85 [ i have both ] . but the A85 can be used as a pretty reasonable power amp which makes it flexible . have recently used with a bel canto c5i as a pre into an a85 and the sound was more than acceptable . i was quite surprised , yes the F5 class A monos have more weight and bass but for around 280 quid the a85 is pretty good
 
Plus one for the Arcam A85. There are quite a few of these 20 year old amps for sale, so are reasonably priced.

Consumes under 20 Watts in idle. Goes over 50 Watts and beyond if you put on drum and bass.

The factory settings for input level trim are best maxed out in the menu otherwise it sounds a bit lifeless imo.

Nice looking unit with good volume control.
 
I'm intrigued by this little Chinese job. Analog input plus USB/digital, Bluetooth etc. Tube buffer. Remote. Cute VU meter. Tiny size.

Review: https://cheaptubeaudio.blogspot.com/2022/06/aiyima-t9.html

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Using an Exposure 1010 amp in place of a First Watt M2 clone at the moment. It's brilliant!

Slightly warm, subtle (in a good way), very engaging.

Actually prefer it to the 2010S2D I had previously - or at least it suits the system/taste better.
 
Must say the f5 monos are raising the temp a bit much here too.....must be 28 degrees in listening room !!
Wonder if those nice neurochrome 286 monoblocks on ebay (jh) would be cooler but always a tiny bit nervous of switch mode psu !!
 
Cd used to use the leben c600 with my rfc impulse taus and i heard it a bit

Had to abandon using the F5 monos as simply too hot in my loft listening room

The bel canto c5i pre and a85 have gone back in and sounded pretty good from the off .lovely organic sound which suits the incredibly revealing taus very well indeed. The a85 is barely warm to the touch
 
Warmish and calm : a little Marantz integrated, 6000 series.
Groovy and enjoyable : A&R Cambridge A60.
Little gem for very little money : A vintage Creek integrated with a black wooden sleeve.
No remote for the last two but they sound great.
 
I use my amp for my computer which is switched on 12 hours a day. So energy savings is very impt to me

As a benchmark, most class A running at 150-300wph

Exposure 3010 or 2010 - warm sound running at only 10-20wph. Incredibly cool. Class a/b but as efficient as class D. British sound I'd say.

Hegel integrated - neutral but smooth sound. Great all rounder as it does not colour any speakers sound. Comes with dac but not sure if it has phono. My h190 runs at 25-40w

Rega runs pretty cool as well but not as cool as the above 2.
 


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