Marios Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Hello everyone, My name is Mario and recently I have acquired pair of mint condition RF-3 speakers, that I'm very happy with. I choose these because my living room is quite large and I love their detailed sound. So now I would like to upgrade my amp and I could use some advice on which one to chose. What I'm after is a very warm sounding amp with smooth mid highs to temper a bit of the in your face mid and highs of the RF-3's. My research led me to brands like Marantz, Denon or NAD. At the moment there is a nice Marantz PM78 or a Denon PMA985R up for grabs locally at a very reasonable price. But, I really like the look of vintage receivers, and there is an audio repair man I've met who is selling a Marantz 2226 and a Marantz SR2000, fully refurbished, also reasonably priced. What would you recommend me to buy? The efficient 90s amp or the less powerfull but beautiful vintage receiver, considering I'm after warm sound, mellow mid highs, but still tight dynamics? Or look further for maybe a suited NAD? Any advice is appreciated. My budget is 200 euros, which is why I'm going second hand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Posted November 17, 2016 Author Share Posted November 17, 2016 Sorry for the big pictures, I don't know how to resize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjptkd Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 A friend of mine uses a Denon that looks very similar to the top picture with a pair of Chorus 1's and that combo sounds great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Marios, Welcome to the forum. For quite some time, I used a Denon PMA-1080R integrated which is the one step up model to the 980R and it sounded wonderful with my fortes and Quartets. It provided a very punchy low end with a dead neutral midrange and very detailed highs. I never used it with my Reference speakers so I can't say how well they would match. The 70's Marantz will be the "warmest" in the photos while the Denon will be the most neutral and balanced. Since you mentioned NAD, look for a used NAD C355BEE or C325BEE. Not sure which will fit your budget but either will have plenty of grunt to drive the RF-3's. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Thank you for the replies so far. Bill, a new option has come up: NAD C372 for 180 euros, optical condition is fair, but the seller claims perfect technical condition. I've read some remarks about NAD reliability, is this something to worry about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 6 minutes ago, Marios said: Thank you for the replies so far. Bill, a new option has come up: NAD C372 for 180 euros, optical condition is fair, but the seller claims perfect technical condition. I've read some remarks about NAD reliability, is this something to worry about? First, that price is very good for a pretty powerful amp. As far as reliability, I own and have owned 7 pieces of NAD gear and none of them has ever had any significant problems. As a matter of fact, only one piece had a minor problem that seemed to fix itself. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Great, that's good news, I offered this seller his minimum price and he accepted, he has it listed for 250 euros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 Bill, I passed up on the C372, nice price but just a little too beat up with scuffs, faded lettering and so on. Seller claimed good technical state but I just wonder how stuff gets so beat up, my 25 year old budget amp still looks pristine. Bit of a luxery problem right now, C350 or C320BEE, both excellent state, nearly same price, recommendations anyone? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattner Posted November 23, 2016 Share Posted November 23, 2016 Any Mac used will make those speakers so detailed !! How bout your price point ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Posted November 24, 2016 Author Share Posted November 24, 2016 (edited) Pricepoint? About 250 euros, I have that C350 on the way now for 200... I hope I have made a good choice. Edited November 24, 2016 by Marios 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.