80s or 90s Amp recommendations?

[G7065]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Interesting to see the recommendations that have been made - also interesting that brands like Pioneer and Marantz haven’t featured at all (yet).

It’s also got me thinking about (non-integrated) amps which I hadn’t really considered and don’t know too much about. Always learning!

@Rdenney - although we’ve had the system a long time, we didn’t get it from new. It was pretty common in the UK that mid and upmarket specialist hifi stores would sell a separates system and then upsell a ‘better’ amp to buyers in place of the standard one, hence being a Denon stack with an Arcam amp. Whether the Arcam is significantly better than the original Denon one, I couldn’t say!

@spark1 - good questions. It’s a sweet sounding amp, very faithful to the music and easy to listen to. But it lacks punch (bass). Re-capping with larger caps helped and as a second system it would be fine, but when you want to shake the room, it can’t quite cut it. Better speakers would help, for sure, but I’ve heard what the MA Bronze speakers can do when driven hard on vintage gear and the Arcam doesn’t get close.

@rickb119 - exactly, looking to do a straight swap.

 

[Old Guy8]

I have Bryston BP20 pre and 3B NRB power amps from '95. 125 wpc @ 8 ohms, 250 wpc @ 4 ohms. Quality built units. Built in Canada. The lettering has has some loss. But sounds fantastic driving Maggie 1.7i @86db spl sensitivity and 4 ohms, in large room.
4B power amps have more watts.

 

[spark1]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Interesting to see the recommendations that have been made - also interesting that brands like Pioneer and Marantz haven’t featured at all (yet).

It’s also got me thinking about (non-integrated) amps which I hadn’t really considered and don’t know too much about. Always learning!

@Rdenney - although we’ve had the system a long time, we didn’t get it from new. It was pretty common in the UK that mid and upmarket specialist hifi stores would sell a separates system and then upsell a ‘better’ amp to buyers in place of the standard one, hence being a Technics stack with an Arcam amp. Whether the Arcam is significantly better than the original Technics one, I couldn’t say!

@spark1 - good questions. It’s a sweet sounding amp, very faithful to the music and easy to listen to. But it lacks punch (bass). Re-capping with larger caps helped and as a second system it would be fine, but when you want to shake the room, it can’t quite cut it. Better speakers would help, for sure, but I’ve heard what the MA Bronze speakers can do when driven hard on vintage gear and the Arcam doesn’t get close.

@rickb119 - exactly, looking to do a straight swap.

An alternative might be a subwoofer, or subwoofers. Even some of the "budget" subwoofers, in the 100-150 watt range, can do quite a good job at bass reinforcement (that is, making it louder/more impactful, though not necessarily much deeper). Once you get up to the $500 range or therabouts, the good ones can provide both reinforcement and go deeper. Some, though not many, come with a built-in high pass filter, allowing you to 'offload" the lower frequencies from your main speakers. All come with a low pass filter,which you can adjust for best integration with your main speakers.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Looking for recommendations for a replacement amp for my father’s separates system.

It’s a late 80s Denon system all working very nicely, with an Arcam Alpha 2 amp that was specced with it from new. The amp sounds nice but it lacks a bit of ‘oomph’ - recapping it helped a bit but it’s still a bit lightweight, better suited to listening to classical, not so much for heavy rock.

Looking for recommendations for a similar era (late 80s / early 90s stereo amp) that would fit nicely in the stack but deliver bigger sound… Pioneer A400, for example.

Don’t mind the make, ideally at least 50w RMS, but it needs to be the black design typical of the era.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Buy a Luxman. The best sounding for the money. Reliable and well made. Pioneer by then got very cost cut. Denon doesn't sound as good.

 

[MCM_Fan]

I'll 3rd, or 4th , or whatever the Yamaha A-1000. It was Yamaha's TOTL integrated amp from 1983 - 85. It sounds great in Class A mode (but runs REALLY hot) and has a great phono stage. It came in both black and silver. I prefer it in silver, but that's just me. Nice to have the choice. Like anything this old, it may need some servicing.

I have since gone with separates. If you decide to go that route, look for a Bryston power amp. I have a 4B SST. Technically, it was introduced in the 1990s, but my sample was made in 2002 (I still have 4 months left on the 20-year warranty!). Incredible build quality and all the power I'll ever need. An end game amp for me!

The Brystons also come in black or silver, with, or without handles:

 

[KentTeffeteller]

I'll 3rd, or 4th , or whatever the Yamaha A-1000. It was Yamaha's TOTL integrated amp from 1983 - 85. It sounds great in Class A mode (but runs REALLY hot) and has a great phono stage. It came in both black and silver. I prefer it in silver, but that's just me. Nice to have the choice. Like anything this old, it may need some servicing.

I have since gone with separates. If you decide to go that route, look for a Bryston power amp. I have a 4B SST. Technically, it was introduced in the 1990s, but my sample was made in 2002 (I still have 4 months left on the 20-year warranty!). Incredible build quality and all the power I'll ever need. An end game amp for me!

The Brystons also come in black or silver, with, or without handles:

The Bryston amplifier and preamplifier is worth your money. And guaranteed longer than anyone elses. And conservatively engineered, with parts not running hard. And it sounds great. And will last generations.