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Advice for inexpensive SS amp needed

M

MikeyN

Active Member
Hoping someone out there might be able to help. I have very efficient Sachiko single driver speakers. I'm looking for an inexpensive ($300 or less) Solid state amp to drive these. I was looking at some of the SET tube amps but price and my DIY abilities leave me withe very few options.
Is there a SS amp that would compare to a Single ended tube amp?
All I need is a few clean watts.
T amp? Chip amp? Mono block option?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Mike
 
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AFAIK there are no SS amps that compare to any SET's especially when you have budget restrictions.

With that said, there are any number of SS amps to be had for $300 or less.
 
I have one Audiosource Amp100 right now and I like it so much I'm considering getting a second and mono bridging them. Pretty clean and uncolored sound for the price. They run about $89-$99. 50wpc stereo or 150wpc bridged.

There's also the Dayton APA 150 which a lot of people like. That's about $150, 75wpc stereo or 175wpc bridged.
 
That reminds me, look up Music Angel amps on Ebay. I think you can get them in the $150-$200 range. However, they're push-pull, not SET.
 
IMO, you could probably find an SEP amp in your price range in Bartertown.

Barring that, the Topping T-amps are very nice.
 
The Onkyo Integra integrated amps have very good sound and are inexpensive. I have an A-8087 that I like very much.
 
1987 Sansui AU-X701 "Vintage Series" (100W RMS).

This amp is one super fine sounding amplifier. Saw one for sale about 6 months ago for $94! That won't happen again...usual price in USA would be $200-$250, but it's worth more. I was watching the auction but didn't watch the end. My mistake. $94 was a give-a-way. I would of bought it for $150.

The X701 is really a fine sounding and quality build amp. They don't come up for sale very often so you do have to be patient and wait for one to pop-up. It's big brother is the AU-X901 (130W RMS) and these rarely ever come up for sale in USA and when they do they sell for about $700. Even more. In Europe they sell for $1300-$1500 (+).

You sure could do a lot worse than an X701! It would be a fine amp for anyone. It's really a rebadged Sansui domestic alpha. So that should give you some idea of what I'm talking about.

I have the X901 and it's really nice. It's ended my amp search, I'm done, this is the amp for me. I'm sure the X701 would 'fit the bill' nicely. Note: there were other amps in this series like the X-501 (which folks like), X-301, X201, etc...but the X901 and X701 are the only real 'alpha' amps, I believe.

The other nice thing is these amps were made in 1987! They are not that old...yet. And they were quality builds so no restoration is required. Caps are fine.

Don't laugh but...Sony made some really nice amps too in 1987-1989 too, very heavy amplifiers, the real thing. Not the quality of build of the X701, and don't sound as wonderful, but they still sounded really good and are bulletproof. Bought one new for my wife back in 1989. It functions and sounds as good as the day I bought it. It's a nice Mid-Fi amp. I know I'd never sell it. Think it cost me $400 back in '89. Model STR-DE305. It's nice. Listened to it for 9 months waiting to find a X901.

Good Luck!
 
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The Tripath "Class T" chipset amps are worthy of consideration; the price can be low enough for a "suck it and see" (as our British cousins are wont to say) assessment.
Does it sound as good as a decent SET amp? Well - kinda/sorta (especially for 25 smackers).
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=5282485&postcount=12

NakBX100running.jpg
 
mhardy6647 said:
The Tripath "Class T" chipset amps are worthy of consideration; the price can be low enough for a "suck it and see" (as our British cousins are wont to say) assessment.
Does it sound as good as a decent SET amp? Well - kinda/sorta (especially for 25 smackers).
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=5282485&postcount=12

NakBX100running.jpg
Click to expand...

For what the OP has, I would second mhardy's recommendation on this amp or something like it. The "T" amps deliver a lot of the goods that a SET can and certainly have enough power to work with those speakers within a normal sized room. Personally, I don't see a downside to the use of a "T amp, especially if you like to play with this stuff.

Besides, everyone needs a backup amp anyway and when you eventially get your SET amp, the "T" can go into reserve status on a shelf.

Best Regards,
TerryO
 
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