[graben]

What would you recommend connecting to a SRD-7? I am looking at shops selling vintage Sansui amps from the late 70s/ early 80's for around 250/300 as well as the Nuforce Icon Amp (the one with regular speaker outs and no dac or headphone amp) which is $180. I have a Nuforce Icon DAC/amp but can't connect it without getting some adapter plug.
I really enjoy my Icon but would a vintage amp be a big upgrade in regards to the SRD-7?
Is having a powerful amp a negative for the SRD-7mk2?

 

[spritzer]

More power isn't any worse but some designs do sacrifice power for sound quality (lower outputstage bias, lower heat but worse sound).  Most vintage amps would need some TLC, new caps, cleaning of all switches etc. but many do sound great. 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

JonL raved about using an Almarra A205a Mk2 amp with his SRD-7 Pro for a while, and you could research that (although much more expensive than the vintage Sansui, it's less than an SRM-717).  
 
I do find my Nuforce Icon with DAC to be nice when used as a 12-watt speaker amp, and it sounds better than many other budget speaker amps that I've tried, including my 2006 Yamaha home theater receiver or a budget Sony HTR from 2007 (although having less power and not play as loud).  But I've never compared mine to a highly regarded vintage speaker amp.  The 12-watt Icon sounds better driving speakers and Stax transformers than it does via headphone out (which is on par with other $170-200 headphone amps).  But while it could play my O2 or HE60 slightly louder than my 8-watt ZDT tube amp, the ZDT tube amp sounds more refined, spacious and detailed (at a cost 10x more than Icon).
 
I have also tried the Qinpu A-3 8-watt tube hybrid amp from head-direct ($169), which sounds very nice but isn't really any better than the Icon when driving Stax transformers.  I suspect the new 24 watt Nuforce amp would do a good job for you, and that's what I would go for if I was doing that "transformer thing" all over again.  

 

[graben]

The shop services all of the amps before selling them so I would not be worried about having to repair or clean anything.

 

[spritzer]

I've never liked the Nuforce stuff so I would certainly pick a well designed vintage amp over them. 

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I've never liked the Nuforce stuff so I would certainly pick a well designed vintage amp over them. 

What kind of things did you not like about them?  The build, sound, looks, price, features?

 

[jjinh]

Quote:

I've never liked the Nuforce stuff so I would certainly pick a well designed vintage amp over them. 

I was thinking of getting a Nuforce, or even a t-amp, but in the end I got a vintage Luxman amp. My SRD-7SBmkII is still out on loan so I am yet to try the combo; I hope it sounds nice. 

 

[spritzer]

Luxman made some serious gear back in day so congrats!!
 
As for my low opinion of Nuforce, they are overpriced and deliver a truly underwhelming performance for the price. 
 

 

[mrarroyo]

Thanks to "spritzer" I will be getting an SRD7 energizer w/ his modifications and a Lambda Pro. I will be using a 1977-79 vintage Marantz 2238B Receiver rated at 38 wpc at 8 ohms. This will be my first Stax setup so I am both excited and looking forward to trying it. Cheers and thanks Birgir!

 

[graben]

I also decided on a Luxman, the L-400 I can't wait to try it out with my stax and speakers