Choice of three amps... Opinions needed please.

[JoeFrost]

OK, I have a pair of Kef Coda 8 bookshelf speaker's and now need an amp to go with them. I'm buying second hand so cannot unfortunately listen to the amp beforehand, so, which of these (or other?) would you choose?
Budget up to £80-ish, could be stretched if it's really worth it.

DENON POA-F100
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Harman Kardon HK-6300
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...


Rotel RA 820AX
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Any preferences/opinion's anyone?

Many thanks.
Joe



p.s. source will be an iPod/Macbook playing high bit rate files.

[Toffer]

It is a shame you can't have a listen to those choices...

I recall the Rotel sounded nice with a range of "budget" components.

You may be a bit surprised if you compare your iTunes with a reasonable CD...I have (iPod Nano, iPad2, iPhone4, MacBook Pro). The Nano does not sound good at all (there is also a strange fluttering sound in what should be silent periods) and although subjectively much better than the Nano, there is not much to choose between the other three. I never tried MPEG3 tunes played through my Hifi from my Windows PC.

The CD player wins listening comparisons...hands down.

That all said...I still love the sound of my Linn Sondek LP12!

BTW, I use a circa 1990 A&R Cambridge Delta 90.2 amplifier...old but still good.
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/November%2019...

[JoeFrost]

TBH, I would probably add a CD player eventually and yes, it is annoying I cannot listen first but I will just re-sell and re-buy if I really hate it.

I already have a set up I'm happy with, this is a second set up in a smaller room which, depending on how it sounds at the end of the room's use, will be sold or kept.

[TonyRPH]

The Denon you link to is a power amp only - so will require a preamp, or some form of volume control.

IMHO, the Rotel kit is over rated.

The vintage Harman Kardon kit is pretty good.

Other good options:

Marantz PM-66SE

Marantz PM-6010 (if you can find one within your budget)

Yamaha AX-396 / 496 (more likely to find a 396 within your budget)

Sony TA-F442 / 448 (highly recommended)

Sony here I would be surprised it that goes for more than £80.

Sony TA-F220

The Sony vintage stuff if better than the newer stuff IMHO.

The new ones tend to be Mosfet - which have a soft sound.

Slightly over budget is this Denon

Take a look here too

And here


HTH.

ETA: Fixed spelling.

Edited by TonyRPH on Wednesday 25th May 18:52

[JoeFrost]

Help's a LOT, thank you.

[Hoover.]

only time i@ve listened t anything was at richer sounds with my firts budget set-up. Major eye opener just listening to all variations of cd players/amps/speakers..... believe me there is s diffrenece even at budget level

[JoeFrost]

I agree completely, but circumstances dictate I buy second hand, ASAP and obviously try and get the highest quality sound that I can. Under normal conditions I would of course go and audition multiple combination's of amps/speakers/etc etc but in this case I need a set up fast, hence trying to get any opinion's or links, as someone kindly posted above, to stuff worth looking at/out for.

Frustratingly, my new speakers arrived today and I have nothing to play them with!

These are the speakers, Kef Coda 8's...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

[bobcorb]

I started my hifi collection with a Rotel 810A but my mate saved up a few weeks longer (we were 6th formers doing paper rounds and holiday jobs) and he got the 820AX. It was certainly a well rounded sound. Our other mate combined 3 paper rounds (for different newspaper shops) into 1 and bought the Pioneer A400 which was the pick of the bunch.

Anyway, when I got a proper job I bought a Marantz PM66 KI Signature which was good but it broke down regularly so I'd skip that. I ended up buying a cheap Cambridge Azur and sticking it in my study with a pair of Kef Cresta 2s (which I thouroughly recommend as an upgrade from my old Coda 8s if you ever get chance).

Back to your list, I'd say the 820AX is worth a shot, I think back in the day it edged the Denon PMA 250MkII. The other one I was looking for recently was the Rotel 820BX4 which was next up the ladder from the 820AX. Then add a Rotel RCD865 CD player???

[DavidY]

Bit late to this, but I'd try and by a 820BX if you can, the upgraded components make a real difference over an AX

[Toffer]

DavidY said:

Bit late to this, but I'd try and by a 820BX if you can, the upgraded components make a real difference over an AX

+1