budget hifi amp recommendations

[Dingus]

I've just had a look at an old copy of HiFi World magazine and in the Buying Guide at the back it says that the Eltax Liberty 3+ is " a lot of speaker for the money .Punch and slam in the bass but sometimes thin in the treble." They will probably sound very good, and if they are cheap might also be worth a punt. According to this magazine from 1998 they retailed at £150.

[gafbass02]

Sounds about right, they were £150 a long time, finished up about £50 to clear, if they are cheap and well looked after they'd be a good buy.

[Big_Stu]

Have a good look over the Eltax speakers. I bought my son a pair, forget which model, out of Edinburgh Richer Sounds for his first (and only so far) separates system. They were very poorly made, veneer peeled away soon after buying revealing the body to be some kind of compressed card or coarse mdf possibly. Sound wasn't that great either thru the Cambridge audio amp he had.

[gafbass02]

Yeah. They made some utter utter junk.

[TimR]

I've a Marantz PM350 and some Mission 7xx (might be 761s) speakers that I bought in the 90's and were still going strong until I moved house in February. Now sitting in a box in the garage and I can't bring myself to sell them.

[gafbass02]

Maybe a hi- fi porn thread is required!

[51m0n]

For the cash you'll struggle to beat an old (pre Richer Sounds buy out) pair of TDLs - RTL3 or G30 if you can find them, better yet the Studio1 is a great speaker.

If you see a pair of G30s on ebay though, tell me, cos I want them

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1351252600' post='1849262']
Seems to be lot of love here for NAD
[/quote]

Do not covet other people's NADs.

[Dingus]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1351873960' post='1856503']
For the cash you'll struggle to beat an old (pre Richer Sounds buy out) pair of TDLs - RTL3 or G30 if you can find them, better yet the Studio1 is a great speaker.

If you see a pair of G30s on ebay though, tell me, cos I want them
[/quote]

Those pre -Richer Sounds TDLs were terriffic speakers, as you rightly say, but the o.ps problem with booming bass in a smallish room would not neccesarilly be helped by the massive bass from the transmission -line design of the particular speakers. I used to have a pair of RTL2s and they were super -deep sounding and a lot of fun , but they need a sparky sounding amp like a Pioneer A400 and a decent size room, preferably with a stone or concrete floor. I always found mine to sound a little bit recessed in the midrange , which made me keep turning them up louder and louder. Those Studio 1s were great speakers though. I went to buy a pair of them when I got my RTL2s, but when I demoed them they needed LOTS of power and , quite surprisingly , didn't go very loud before they started crapping out and distorting, so I bought my RTL 2s as a budget consolation. A used pair of RTL 1s would be a good bet though.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Dingus

[musophilr]

You rarely go wrong with KEF speakers. I never liked Mission. This pissed off the bloke in Laskys who was telling me how good the Missions were (they were on special offer) but I heard both, and bought the KEFs. Never regretted it.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1351875716' post='1856527']
a sparky sounding amp like a Pioneer A400[/quote]

Some of us still have one though it's the "X" version and very neutral; which is just as well as it has s*d all adjustments on it ..........apart from vol.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1351877155' post='1856551']
Some of us still have one though it's the "X" version and very neutral; which is just as well as it has s*d all adjustments on it ..........apart from vol.
[/quote]

A landmark amp , brilliant design and a true classic in either X or non X form , and well worth holding onto.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1351874943' post='1856520']
Do not covet other people's NADs.
[/quote]


Fortunately I've got one of my own . . . . er, if you see what I mean.

[gafbass02]

Huge +1 for pre audio partnership TDL's. I had a pair of G30's. nice looking speakers
That's one brand that AP just ruined.

[51m0n]

If its a small room then look out for a (very rare) set of TDL Studio .75m , tiny transmission line, I guarantee you will hear the bass (right the way down there). I have a pair in the boudoir, perfect for those Barry White moments

[PaulWarning]

missed out on the KEF's and Eltax's, so still looking, got to be local really the carriage can double the price by the looks of things

[sifi2112]

Not sure if you're sorted yet but I've a Temple Audio Bantam XC headphone amp with dedicated psu for sale ....

http://www.templeaudio.net/bantamxc.html

[jimbaby]

Hi
I have a pair of TDL RTL3's and a set of RTL 1's sitting doing nothing since I moved on to Tannoy dual concentrics, only prob is i'm in Dundee, lovely speakers though.
Regards
Jim

[Dingus]

[quote name='jimbaby' timestamp='1352623517' post='1865182']
Hi
I have a pair of TDL RTL3's and a set of RTL 1's sitting doing nothing since I moved on to Tannoy dual concentrics, only prob is i'm in Dundee, lovely speakers though.
Regards
Jim
[/quote]

Both fine sets of speakers , but the RTL3's do like a big room to do their stuff in .

[PaulWarning]

got my hands on some Mission 760i's (at a bargain price too) and have to say they're marvellous, really clear and focused, which means I can hear what the bass is doing, went for them because they're the easiest to get hold of second hand.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice, much apprieciated.

[dmccombe7]

great news. i have a set of 2nd hand mission speakers which are heavy rock sprs paralleled to my Bose and fed from a NAD 3020 i have a full and articulate Hi-fi sound where i can seperate speakers or have all on at same time to give me depth and clarity - great vintage gear.

All the very best with the Mission - great bit of kit.

Dave

[Dingus]

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1352656384' post='1865707']
got my hands on some Mission 760i's (at a bargain price too) and have to say they're marvellous, really clear and focused, which means I can hear what the bass is doing, went for them because they're the easiest to get hold of second hand.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice, much apprieciated.
[/quote]

Excellent choice , I hope you get many hours of listening pleasure. If I remember correctly ( and in this case I think I do) Mission recommended they were best suited to open frame stands ( but most decent single pillar stands will also do fine) and they were quite specific that the speakers be positioned with their rears exactly 20 centimeters from a rear wall to achieve optimum bass response , and preferably a foot and a half from a side wall . Mission speakers of this era were also unusual in so much as they were designed to be placed facing squarely into the room rather than angled ( or "toed in " , as it often referred to ) in towards the listening position as is usual with most speakers . Mission designed them to give the best stereo image that way , but you are , of course, free to experiment with any and all of these things. to suit your own taste

Edited November 11, 2012 by Dingus

[PaulWarning]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1352660430' post='1865792']
Excellent choice , I hope you get many hours of listening pleasure. If I remember correctly ( and in this case I think I do) Mission recommended they were best suited to open frame stands ( but most decent single pillar stands will also do fine) and they were quite specific that the speakers be positioned with their rears exactly 20 centimeters from a rear wall to achieve optimum bass response , and preferably a foot and a half from a side wall . Mission speakers of this era were also unusual in so much as they were designed to be placed facing squarely into the room rather than angled ( or "toed in " , as it often referred to ) in towards the listening position as is usual with most speakers . Mission designed them to give the best stereo image that way , but you are , of course, free to experiment with any and all of these things. to suit your own taste
[/quote]
Yep, now I've been bitten by the Hi Fi bug again I'll be on the lookout for some stands now

[51m0n]

Oh yeah, they can really fill a big space. Plus they are 8ohm, so if you have a NAD amp you can theoretically run two pairs in parallel....

[hollywoodrox]

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1351542114' post='1852452']
My goodness ! I feel,like its 1982 all over again. Great thread. Trouble is ,,I wish it was .
[/quote]me too