[bik2101]

AHHH my speakers haven't even come in yet and I'm alrady getting upgraditis. I have a set of energy rc10's coming in sometime next week. The setup will be PC to EMU0404 to LittleDot MKIII to t-amp to speakers. I'm already feeling the itch to upgrade to a receiver - I haven't even received my t-amp yet.. The t-amp I will be getting is a Topping TP-10 Mark III, using a TA2024 chipset. Anyways, I've been recommended some Harman Kardon receivers as being good - the HK3380 and HK3490. However, I'm looking to spend as little as I possibly can while still getting a good value. Any recommendations? I would like to keep the budget as close to $100 as possible.

 

[iriverdude]

Do you need a tuner?

 

[bik2101]

no tuner needed.. only use of the receiver will basically be to power my speakers. nothing more.

 

[DeusEx]

For $100, you really can't get anything much better than a T-Amp...

 

[bik2101]

okay..

well for now then, until i can gather up some funds, i will have to stick with my basic t-amp

 

[skyline889]

Vintage Marantz receiver like the 2215 or 2225 fits perfectly within your budget and will blow the T-amp out of the water.

 

[bik2101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyline889 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Vintage Marantz receiver like the 2215 or 2225 fits perfectly within your budget and will blow the T-amp out of the water.

ebay or audiogon would be a good place to find these at ~$100? Don't really see too many receivers coming up on the FS/FT forums.

 

[dead_metheny]

I don't mean to hijack the thread or anything, but I also need to buy either a receiver or an integrated amp for a pair of RC-10s, and since this thread was already on the first page I couldn't justify making another.

As I understand it, the two main advantages of a receiver over an amp are surround capability and digital room correction. Since I'll only be using the speakers for music I have no interest in surround, and since I want to spend little more than $150 I don't think the room correction is in my price range. If I was buying new I assume that means I'd be better off going with an integrated amp, but I'm happy to buy off ebay or whatever I can find locally and I don't know how vintage amps stack up with vintage receivers.

If it makes any difference, my main source will be a Denon DP-61f turntable running through a NAD PP-2 phono preamp. Also, I will be using this setup more or less intact for the next few years of college and grad school, so I can't really anticipate what rooms I'll be faced with. Since receivers seem to offer higher wattage at lower prices than equivalent integrated amps, does that mean they'd be better for larger rooms?

Sorry if any the assumptions I made are off base-- I pretty much made them all by googling terms I didn't understand. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[koven]

a pioneer elite a-35r is what i had driving my rc10's

it did a great job in a 12x12 room and only cost $199

 

[skyline889]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bik2101 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ebay or audiogon would be a good place to find these at ~$100? Don't really see too many receivers coming up on the FS/FT forums.

They can be found on both. Marantz receivers on A'gon will usually command higher prices as they have often times been restored or pampered over the years. eBay prices are cheaper but the risk of a poorly maintained amp is higher. As long as you shop smartly however, eBay will usually give you more bang for your buck.

As for the Elite, it would be a good choice since judging from your set-up, you don't need a receiver. There's no sub-out though so you will need a subwoofer with hi-level inputs if you ever decide to add a sub. It can be found for around $100 used.

 

[iriverdude]

If you don't want a tuner don't buy a receiver. A Receiver has a tuner. You want a stereo integrated amplifier.

Quote:

As I understand it, the two main advantages of a receiver over an amp

That does not make any sense. What is a receiver? You either mean stereo receiver or AV receiver. And what is amp? What kind of amp? Stereo integrated amp? Analogue stereo Pre-amp? AV pre-amp? Poweramp? Phono amp? Mono poweramp? Tri amp? Multi-channel poweramp?

 

[bik2101]

right, then i guess i am looking for a stereo integrated amp.. sorry about wrong terms.. don't really know what's what.

 

[tim3320070]

A used Cambridge Audio 640A or 540A sounds very good and can be very cheap. Older Carver amps I've had sounded great too.

 

[bik2101]

bump for this thread! just wondering if anyone has any other recommendations. if not i'll probably end up getting the pioneer elite a35 intergrated amp..

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bik2101 /img/forum/go_quote.gif bump for this thread! just wondering if anyone has any other recommendations. if not i'll probably end up getting the pioneer elite a35 intergrated amp..

Ooooh, good choice.

Otherwise, you may want to check out the Sherwood RX-4109 stereo receiver at your local Radio Shack. It's $100.00 (or less, dependent on sale or not) and it may surprise you at how good it sounds. And if you don't like it, you can always return it within 30 days for a full refund.