decent amplifier under £150? any ideas/deals?

colincliff

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I'm begining my move from all in one systems to separate, but i am on a seriously low budget.

I was wondering if some of you would be able to give some advice on any current good deals for amplifiers in the sub £150 area. I was looking at some of the Cambridge Audio ones from Richersounds but i dont really know whats good and whats not, or if there are any nice deals floating around.

If a new amp is not the way to go what are some good amplifiers to look out for on Ebay for a similar price?

I'm not sure if this confuses it but it would be great if the amp was also a tuner but i'm guessing these may not exist..... especially at this price! (i'd probably be looking to add a dab tuner in the future anyway)


I realise that this isn't the price bracket most of you look in, but any help would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks in advance
 
Look for a used NAD C320 or C320BEE. A lovely amp - warm, punchy and detailed :) Failing that, older Rotel gear, such as the RA8 or RA9 series are also worth a look out for on ebay.
 
You can get amps with built in tuners, they're called recievers but not recommended for stereo.

You may want to look at FM instead of DAB, i was under the impression that DAB would be much better than FM but it seems the radio stations play such low quality tracks over DAB that FM becomes a better choice. Sounds strange i know but apparently true.

Used is deffinately the way to go :)
 
if you want a dedicated stereo amp go for a second hand Pioneer A400 amp. absolute amazing stereo amp. i have a LINN preamp and power amp which cost over £1.5 k and i still sometimes find myself preferring the Pionner A400 which you can easily get within your budget second hand, really is a great stereo amp
 
Thanks guys, i will keep my eye out!

Will probably do a bit more research into the tuner tho - i just assumed that DAB would be the way to go.

I'll start checking ebay...

Feel free to add any extra details/info if you think of them
 
What about Arcam amp, you can pick them up cheapish on ebay.

just watched a acram 7 amp,marantz cd & mission floor standing speakers sell on ebay for £155 !!!!
 
There's a VERY pretty looking Yarland Valve amplifier for £160 on fleabay at the moment. I am tempted myself, but some speakers accidentally got themselves ordered, and i need to be good about spending money.
 
s70rmp: Thanks for the info about Arcam. A auction with some nice speakers included would be perfect!!

Stewtheking: Not too sure about valve amps - i think that might be something for the future... :)
 
anyone know whats better between the Rotel RA930AX Amplifier and the Rotel 970BX?
 
Looks like the 930 is 30w per channel and the 970 is 60w per channel so go for the 970

I was going to say look at the rotels, some go for amazingly low prices on ebay
 
have a look ay used Rega Brio's as well, you should find a good 'current' model for £150.00 ish,
 
Just missed a Rotel RA930 for £12 on ebay!! I'll keep looking....

Think a Rotel is the way to go, although there seems to be many different models in the RA9 series - anyone know a site or resource which shows the different models and their specs? RA930's seem the cheapest
 
Used is definitely the way to go...for that budget i wouldnt bother looking at new stuff, especialy richersounds as they are very overpriced imo.
If possible look around other forums too, to see what people are offering...you can get some really good deals. i have no links at hand but i'm sure you'd find some in this forum. I was in the same boat as yourself only a couple of weeks ago and i found forums very useful for used gear at good prices.
do a lotta research.
best o luck with it.
 
Pioneer A400's are the best used deal on the market. They are more dynamic and detailed sounding than the old Rotels and are better built than the NAD stuff (more reliable long term).
 
By the way I have the little Yarland amp and it is pretty good for the money. It is only about 6 watts per channel, though, so you need 90dB plus speakers...
 
Go for any Sony ES stereo amplifier you can get your hands on Ebay.

Nothing comes close to them that I have heard esp at the £500 mark. Well maybe a nice Creek or Exposure, but Sony ES. Had 2 of them stunning build and quality sound. Because its a Sony its cheap, but dont kid yourself they are gems of amps.
 

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