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New amp challenge

G

G.smith310

pfm Member
Hi guys

Long time reader, first time poster.

I currently have a very modest set up of a Cambridge audio cxa60 and monitor audio silver 1s. I find it ok, not amazing.

I'm therefore building a second system and have bought some Proac tablette 2000s. Very excited.

Naim have always been on the top of my wish list. But I don't have a big budget. So I am trying to work out if I would be best getting a used naim nait 3 / 5 / 5i and use it on the proacs. Or get a naim and use it on the monitor audios and use the Cambridge audio on the monitor audios. Or something totally different.

My budget is 500 or less and I'm looking for something that will give me a clean punchy sound without harshness.

In other words, I am aiming for the proacs in my main system . Do you think I can do better for under 500 used than my Cambridge cxa60?

I have also considered a Rega brio and nad c370.

Thanks !
George
 
Just to add to that, I like the idea of getting something older but am am not sure if the old amps will be able to give me the same punchiness of something newer.

Is eBay the best place to look ?
 
Difficult to give advice (for me anyway). The Cambridge amp I would expect to sound a touch 'dry' and slightly 'mater of fact' in its presentation. The MA speakers (the larger ones I have heard anyway) are very dry and rather 'up tight' in sound - so the two together I would not expect to sound that good and quickly tiring. I think your choice of Proac is a good one (better than the MA's anyway) and should work well with the Rega or Naim amps you are considering. However, I would definitely get a dem. the second hand listings on here (pfm) are very good and don't forget many shops carry gear of this value that has been trade in for something new.
 
Brio R? I'm just saying that because it's something I've wanted to try after having had Naim olive and Quad 34/306 setups.

But really I'm thinking about Yamaha more these days.
 
Too-many-hi-fi-magazines-itis I think....

Any and all advice I could give will be pretty much the exact opposite of everything you've read in the mags and been told by dealers etc so I'll leave it to others.
Nothing much has changed in amplifier design in decades.
 
Should be plenty of very good choice at that price. My first thought, but I'm not sure if it is quite doable, would be a 10 year or so old Sugden A21. ProAc themselves are fans and it is a known great match. An Exposure 2010 might be a good option too, and that is easily within budget. Tons of great older/vintage amps, but you need to be happy servicing, or willing to pay someone, which can cost a lot.
 
Welcome George,

The Proacs have a really good reputation so that’s a good decision.

I have heard/like all of the Naim amps you mention for their fun albeit not refinement. The 5 was the odd one out.

Or how about a used Rega Elex?

Ray
 
@YNWOAN your opinion on them is the same as mine. I got them a few years back mainly for how they look. I enjoyed them a while but now underwhelmed by the energy in them. They don't have much "glitz"

@booja30 from what I read the Yamahas are better at the higher range. Do you know of any that might be comparable for the price of the brio?

@Arkless Electronics I come to forums because I trust them more than the mags so interested in hearing what you have to say ! My suspicion was that the amps haven't really changed which is good for my bargain hunt!

@Tony L I was also looking for used sugden but they don't seem very common on the market place and there is a shop near me that will do servicing in hackney , so old doesn't put me off.
 
@thebigfredc thanks for the warm welcome !

I'll steer clear of the 5. I'm hoping they 3 will be ok with the proacs as they seem to come up about £100 cheaper.

Definitely not opposed to an elex. Do you have any experience with pairing one with proac?

Thanks !!!
 
G.smith310 said:
@YNWOAN
@booja30 from what I read the Yamahas are better at the higher range. Do you know of any that might be comparable for the price of the brio?
Click to expand...

I've been keeping an eye out for a used Yamaha A-S1000. The A-S1000 (IIUC) is the predecessor to the A-S1100 (sans VU meters). There's one in UK for £600 at the moment (too high) and one in Germany for £500 (better but still high).
 
One of the best sounds I have ever heard was Proacs and VTL tube amps. Any interest in the vacuum direction?
 
DimitryZ said:
One of the best sounds I have ever heard was Proacs and VTL tube amps. Any interest in the vacuum direction?
Click to expand...
Open to all options. Budget is my only constraint. I actually just missed out on a synthesis audio hybrid today on eBay which happened to be the only tube amp Ive ever heard (at a shop in Copenhagen)
 
G.smith310 said:
Open to all options. Budget is my only constraint. I actually just missed out on a synthesis audio hybrid today on eBay which happened to be the only tube amp Ive ever heard (at a shop in Copenhagen)
Click to expand...
Maybe things like these:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/292209929579

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/253454748315

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/113721884783
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
The 2010 integrated, which I guess is more powerful, should be an easy find for well less £400, surely? I had the 2010 power amp for a while, it was very good (just a bit noisy through high-efficiency speakers so I didn’t keep it). IIRC I sold it here for £225!
 
Arkless Electronics said:
Too-many-hi-fi-magazines-itis I think....

Any and all advice I could give will be pretty much the exact opposite of everything you've read in the mags and been told by dealers etc so I'll leave it to others.
Nothing much has changed in amplifier design in decades.
Click to expand...

You're a good man. Cheers!
 
as Tony says the 2010 is a very nice little number - though I didn't find it noisy at all (i had the 2010S and still do) - another great alternative might be an older second hand Naim (140, 160 or 180 on a budget) with an Avondale Qudos upgrade maybe? Absolutely NOTHING wrong with second hand amps!
 
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