Recommend me a new amp?

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Could someone point me in the direction of a new amp? My current one is the Yamaha AX1 which I bought in 2000.

What I'd like primarily is a good sounding amp as I play a lot of CDs and SACDs. Also, I have a turntable to attach and a Blu ray player. I do obviously want surround sound, but some of the fancier options these days leave me baffled. As long as it decodes DTS and Dolby Digital I'll be happy!

Quite honestly, receivers, pre-amps and all that stuff, I'm not 100% sure I understand. So something basic would suit me better.

Price isn't a problem. I'd rather pay for something of good quality. I'm not after the cheapest option. Since I bought my last amp, technology has moved on to such a scary degree that I'm not confident enough to choose by myself now!

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. I'd appreciate some some model numbers and explanations if possible. Thanks.
 
To replace your current amp you are going to be looking at higher end models since the A1 quality wise will still stack up well against some of the best receivers. Would you be happy to pay £1.5-2k for the receiver? What speakers do you have?
I would suggest looking at the Anthem range i.e. something like the MX710. These have one of the best room correction systems on the market and are regarded as having really good sound quality for movies and music. You could also look at Arcam receivers although they have had a few quality issues over recent years. Or you could look at the higher end Yamaha Adventage range.
 
To replace your current amp you are going to be looking at higher end models since the A1 quality wise will still stack up well against some of the best receivers. Would you be happy to pay £1.5-2k for the receiver? What speakers do you have?
I would suggest looking at the Anthem range i.e. something like the MX710. These have one of the best room correction systems on the market and are regarded as having really good sound quality for movies and music. You could also look at Arcam receivers although they have had a few quality issues over recent years. Or you could look at the higher end Yamaha Adventage range.

To give you the extent of my lack of knowledge, what is the difference between an amp and a receiver?!

My speakers are about 20 years old. Mordaunt-Short, don't know the number/code.

I don't mind paying a high price if the quality is good. Will check out the ones you mentioned, though. Thanks.
 
Technically the difference between them is that a receiver will contain a radio and an amp would not. In reality the 2 terms are used interchangably to describe an integrated home cinema system so no real difference between them at all. A processor would be the electronic decoding bits but without an amplifier built in.
 
Technically the difference between them is that a receiver will contain a radio and an amp would not. In reality the 2 terms are used interchangably to describe an integrated home cinema system so no real difference between them at all. A processor would be the electronic decoding bits but without an amplifier built in.
Thanks again. Would you know of somewhere online that would stock the items and brands you mentioned earlier?
 

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