Non fatiguing amps

[Columbo]

British audiophile is one of very few channels where I trust is ears/judgement. You could do worse than binge his amp reviews

 

[samz]

Heed Audio Elixir or Heed Obelisk.
I’ve had various amplifiers but my go to is the Heed Obelisk, I like the midrange, the richness in the tone and how well it works with all sources and speakers I swap I and out of my system.

 

[Fitnessed]

A schiit saga plus remote control pre amp and a quad 303 would go well with your speakers and for a sensible budget.

 

[Oily Rag]

^great but no remote control

You'd just need a preamp with a remote for the 303 and Stereo 20. I use a Rotel 1550 if I'm not using the Allegri. The IO is integrated anyway and has a remote. The latter would be a very good budget solution.

 

[Salamander]

Surprised to see no one mention Yamaha, Rega is also a good SS suggestion.
Here's some valve amps that may well suit without spending too much.

FS Reisong A10 amplifier

For Sale Reisong A10 This Reisong A10 is single ended vacuum tube amplifier using EL34, one per channel, in the ultra-linear configuration. The signal driver is using 6N2P configure in parallel, so it need one per channel. The rectifier tube is using 5Z4. This is the great implementation for...

www.maverick-hifi.com

PRIMALUNA DIALOGUE PREMIUM INTEGRATED 35 WATT VALVE AMPLIFIER | eBay

A SUBSTATIAL BEAST IS INCLUDED, AS IS BOX. MINE IS BLACK.

www.ebay.co.uk

@Lurch on this forum has a Puresound A30 for sale.

 

[Peter Stockwell]

Soft sounding non fatiguing amps with remote control that I can buy used that won’t cost a fortune, any ideas?

Wiim amp used.It has tone controls? via it's smartphone amp. I bought one used for < £250.

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Thanks everyone, I fancy a quad 303 power amp, with a remote control preamp from a different company, I maybe being dopey but can I connect the two together?

 

[KeithL]

Arcam Alpha 8 or 9 and should be doable for a ton

Or the better looking Arcam Delta 290.

Don't be put off by the notorious input selector faults. Just open her up and spray half a can of contact cleaner into every aperture of the selector, turn selector through sweep many times and leave for 24 hrs to ensure all contact cleaner has evaporated. I have two Delta 290 amps which have been through this treatment 2 years ago and have worked faultlessly since.

 

[camverton]

I’ve had a quick look and apologies if I haven't spotted it, but have you told us what amp you are using at the moment and your other components? To suggest a relatively “softer” sounding amp we would need to know what you are using now and if it is the actual problem.

Generally speaking using a component with a particular sound signature to correct for harshness elsewhere in the system is not the best policy. Better to address the component which is giving you a harsh sound. For example, are your speakers old and with tweeters with dried out ferrofluid? I once had an old pair of Meridian speakers which tended towards an edgy sound; replacement tweeters cured the problem.

I have an original Quad 303 and it isn’t particularly “soft” sounding and it doesn’t connect nicely to modern pre amps. A serviced and updated model with RCA inputs would be essential imho.

If content that the rest of the system is not the problem than a pre with tone controls might do the trick as might something like a miniDSP SHD or the like.

whatever you decide on please try to hear any solution you might hit on within your your own system -it could get quite expensive with little gain otherwise.

 

[TonyScarlett]

Thanks everyone, I fancy a quad 303 power amp, with a remote control preamp from a different company, I maybe being dopey but can I connect the two together?

I use a cheap Chinese passive with remote with my 303 which works perfectly.
Agree with the assessment that a serviced example is desirable but I wouldn't be put off by the din connectors.
I would also agree that the 303 is not "soft" sounding. They are though, smooth & completely unfatiguing.
I would be very surprised if Spencer Hughes didn't have a 303 sat on his test bench when he was developing the BC1's.

TS

 

[Phyztech]

Unison Research, Marantz

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Thanks Tony, how do you connect your Chinese preamp to your 303? Does it not require a special connector?

 

[Fatmarley]

One of the first impressions I had when I first plugged in my Quad 306 was the smooth treble. It was actually a touch too smooth for my taste, so I modified it.

 

[TonyScarlett]

Thanks Tony, how do you connect your Chinese preamp to your 303? Does it not require a special connector?

You need a 4 pin din to RCA interconnect. One of these will do;
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/29637516...pid=5338728743&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

TS

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Thanks Tony, sorry to be dopey again but does a preamp add/detract sound or is it purely the power amp that determines sound?

 

[les24preludes]

Thanks Tony, sorry to be dopey again but does a preamp add/detract sound or is it purely the power amp that determines sound?

No simple answer. Any amplification affects the sound. And it's up to each individual listener to determine if they do or don't like the results.

You'll see plenty of threads on active versus passive preamps, with varying conclusions depending on the listener.

 

[TonyScarlett]

No simple answer. Any amplification affects the sound. And it's up to each individual listener to determine if they do or don't like the results.

You'll see plenty of threads on active versus passive preamps, with varying conclusions depending on the listener.

This^
Personally I actually prefer the 303 with the 33 preamp, makes the sound a bit beefier but you do lose a touch of transparency compared to a passive & obviously lose the convenience of the remote.

TS

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Thanks,so preamps do affect the sound.

 

[Darren L]

Thanks,so preamps do affect the sound.

Yep

 

[Geoffreybombom]

Thanks