Better used amplifier options

[efrance45]

Hi all!

I've been a long-time looker but have only ever made one post before, so apologies if I mess something up. I'm a college student on a budget looking for some sort of power amp/integrated to drive either my ELAC B6s or Energy Connoisseur C8s (I haven't decided which I'll use for my listening setup yet).

I live in Chicagoland (Naperville area) and am looking for something hopefully under $100. Some current options from Marketplace are...

Yamaha A700 amplifier - $120 (listed for a while though)
Yamaha av-85py - $100

Sonance sonamp 260X3 - $60

Episode e2100 amplifier $40/ea (listing is for a pair)

I'm not sure which is the best option for me right now, and I know they're all very different lol. I'm hoping to use my Marantz sr7200 as a pre amp if I go the power amp route, upgrading to a dedicated Pre in the future. I'm leaning towards the episode amps because they appear well-built and are rated for 100w/channel into 8 ohms and 300w/ch bridged into 8 ohms (would only use bridged with my Connoisseur's though). However, I know the sonance 260x3 can be a good under-the-radar amplifier. Thoughts?

 

[Roy O]

The Yamaha.

 

[blandis]

Episodes seems like a solid deal. Dont know a ton about them but at that price hard to go wrong if they work and are in spec.

Cheap mono power. One could run sub, one your Elacs as your system grows Gives you a bit of room to grow/options without an outlay of cash as it sounds like your trying to stick to a tight budget.

 

[KiM3Ce]

The best bargains in audio are obsolete Home Theater receivers. You don't care that they don't have HDMI, but many sellers have upgraded and will sell their old receiver cheaply. They are widely available.

 

[slowpat]

I went to the Lucent HQ to migrate into the data center there a few years back. I love Naperville. Not sure about gear availability though.

As @KiM3Ce said, if you can find a big AV receiver, with Pre-Out / Main-In jumpers, you can use the amp portion. If you're lucky, a Yamaha A-1000 would be nice to have.

Looking on CL , there's a Yamaha RX-V1070 for $50 , Denon AVC-3030 (although this guy is $150)

 

[efrance45]

Episodes seems like a solid deal. Dont know a ton about them but at that price hard to go wrong if they work and are in spec.

Cheap mono power. One could run sub, one your Elacs as your system grows Gives you a bit of room to grow/options without an outlay of cash as it sounds like your trying to stick to a tight budget.

That's kind of what I was thinking as well! And yeah right not I'm not trying to spend a whole lot.

 

[efrance45]

Thank you everyone for your replies! It is definitely helpful to hear your thoughts. I'll probably keep the search up for another couple of weeks, but I'll be sure to update

 

[BlackHole]

if you can find a big AV receiver, with Pre-Out / Main-In jumpers, you can use the amp portion.

can someone explain how to use just the amp portion of a vintage receiver if the unit has Pre-out / main-in jumper? I thought you could only use it as a preamp?? can i use this unit as a power amp only?

 

[slowpat]

can someone explain how to use just the amp portion of a vintage receiver if the unit has Pre-out / main-in jumper? I thought you could only use it as a preamp?? can i use this unit as a power amp only?

same as above. Remove the jumpers, external preamp output connects to MAIN IN, volume controlled from preamp, speaker selector on the amp side (your vintage receiver.)

 

[markshan]

Is something wrong with the amp in your Marantz? I would expect it to be on par with or even better than any of those options you list.