An amp for 50k rupees or less

Kurotark schrieb:

my passionate learned friends, I need your help.........Any ideas for a stereo amp that I can buy in Bangalore? budget around 50k. My musical tastes range from Jazz to rock to movie soundtracks. Please send in your suggestions for suitable speakers as well. muchos gracias!

Hi,
You got a PM.

Regards,
Jochen

What speakers are you going to pair with it? That matters a lot when selecting the amp.

Spendor + VA 1
Nice Combination !!

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Spendor + VA 1 Nice Combination !!

for a budget of 50K? in what currency? if its INR I want one too

Jochen, just curious on what you suggested to Kuro....

soulforged schrieb:

bhagwan69 schrieb: Spendor + VA 1 Nice Combination !! for a budget of 50K? in what currency? if its INR I want one too Jochen, just curious on what you suggested to Kuro....

Hi soulforged,

you got a PM.

Jochen

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Spendor + VA 1 Nice Combination !!

Who is selling spendors in India ? Do they have the whole lineup in place ? Prices ?

square_wave schrieb:

bhagwan69 schrieb: Spendor + VA 1 Nice Combination !! Who is selling spendors in India ? Do they have the whole lineup in place ? Prices ?

Cadence.

C'mon square, get wid' it!!

square_wave schrieb:

bhagwan69 schrieb: Spendor + VA 1 Nice Combination !! Who is selling spendors in India ? Do they have the whole lineup in place ? Prices ?

I am not so sure;
But to the best of my limited knowledge, Spendor is now 'owned' by Cadence.

The Mumbai showroom has all the gear [except the studio line] in stock & on demo.

cadencemumbai@gmail.com [e-mail]

Prices, I have no idea about, you will have to call Cadence to find out.

Never heard a spendor loudspeaker. But keep hearing praises about them all over the place

Hi Kurotark,
50k is a budget which seems good enough for an amplifier but actually is quite a confusing segment because one wouldnt settle for a outright entry level stuff and basically look for something mid-fi and then finds that 50k is not enough.
In general one is better off buying a well maintained used amp (original pricing around 80-90k) for around 45-50k but that is an option that one has to be open to and also have the patience to do some rigorous search in the community for decent used amps for sale.

In case you are not open to that my immediate suggestion would be:
Lyrita Audio Pre-amp:
http://www.lyrita-audio.in/valve_amplifiers.htm#Lync

Sonodyne power amp:
http://www.sonodyne.com/SPA202.htm

I have heard them both and they both offer good Value for money sound. Together they would be well under your budget and would outperform most other imported amps in this budget IMO.

regards
Abhi

Pardon my intruding on this discussion but I felt compelled to mention an amp that has really made an impression on me. I recently heard the Synthesis Nimis [reviewed by TNT] tube amp. What a pleasant experience it was - such detail and warm smooth sound. Had no problems even with rock, very agile -- but listening to jazz was addictive. Got an even more pleasant surprise when I saw online that it sells for US$ 850 or EU 800. If it is available in India for a similar price it would be wonderful. Any opinions on the Nimis?

An option if you want to go new and with established brands is the following:
Promitheus TVC Preamp : 400 usd including shipping from Malaysia ( around 15000 INR)
http://www.hifi-foru...ack=2&sort=lpost&z=1
Nad C272 power amp – New is around 38 K.
Total is 53,000. Just three thousand over your budget.

Diy options with Corrson (www.corrson.com) and vacuum tube amplification / speaker options with Viren can give you better sound if you are open to those options.

Of course, the Cadence valve amp or an arcam integrated will also serve you fine if you want to go the integrated amp route.

Please also include Lyritas' Valve Amps in the reckoning-very musical & great value for money.
There appears to be a tendency to reccommend only foreign gear!

I would suggest TVC preamp + Odyssey Khartago(Stratos for slightly more budget..

thats a nice suggestion..the only requirement for a TVC is that it needs sufficient gain to perform well.

Kurotark, whats your current source (cdp/LP)? also what speakers do you currently use.
also do let us know your room size.


only with that will a speaker/amp suggestion make sense.

Kamal schrieb:

There appears to be a tendency to reccommend only foreign gear!

??

hifinovice1 schrieb:

I would suggest TVC preamp + Odyssey Khartago(Stratos for slightly more budget..

This one would be an awesome option. The khartago / Tvc option would be around 65k in India.
I had once compared the MF A3.2 against the khartago / Acoustic portrait valve preamp in my system . The khartago / AP option won hands down in every way. The difference in quality was so much that it was not funny.

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Kamal schrieb: There appears to be a tendency to reccommend only foreign gear! ??

!!

hi kurotark,

if you're willing to listen with an open mind, i'd highly recommend viren's lyrita audio 2A3 SET and his single driver speakers. the amp would be under 50k with enough change to spare. as always if in bangalore, welcome to drop in and listen. pm me.

regards

Funny nobody's mentioned the quintessential budget amp NAD 320BEE so far

Brother Kurotark, do consider this amp, it gives a real bang for your buck. Try them out with thes speakers (bookshelves) -
Monitor Audio BR2
PSB B25 (i think)
Wharfedale 9.1

For your choice of music (which is pretty varied), PSB's maybe a good choice and they pair really well with the 320. I think ARN systems in Bangalore deals with NAD, MA and PSB.

If you are going for bookshelves, do budget some money for a good pair of stands.

Steve, these guys are besotted by foreign brand names.
They don't trust their ears!
Sad!

Kamal schrieb:

Steve, these guys are besotted by foreign brand names. They don't trust their ears! Sad!

Not sure if this judgement was warranted Kamalji. Viren's system has already been suggested in this thread before and endorsed a couple of times too...the idea is to give as many suggestions as possible to widen the spectrum of choices...

I have heard Lyrita a few times and have great respect for them and Viren's wisdom, a very nice man to talk to and learn from...

well we are all recommending but is Kuroturk around to listen ?
No post after the 1st one !

Arj schrieb:

well we are all recommending but is Kuroturk around to listen ? No post after the 1st one ! :L

Heh, I was tempted to ask what was in the PM he received that scared him away! (just kidding)

soulforged schrieb:

Funny nobody's mentioned the quintessential budget amp NAD 320BEE so far

Sir, since you have mentioned the forum favourite - BEEE.
Has anyone compared the NAD to the Lyrita Amplifier ?
Kamalji some light on this would be well appreciated...

Any forum member has switched from one to the other ?

Definitely Lyritas Valve Amplifier,esp the new SET Amp.
Sanjay & I have reviewed both the push-pull Amp & the SET and have posted detailed reviews.
SF,the comment was a general one; If you scan past threads containing recommendations, you will see the truth of what I have stated.

Kamal schrieb:

Definitely Lyritas Valve Amplifier,esp the new SET Amp. Sanjay & I have reviewed both the push-pull Amp & the SET and have posted detailed reviews. SF,the comment was a general one; If you scan past threads containing recommendations, you will see the truth of what I have stated.

Kamalji, I have not taken the comment personally and no offense taken either...all in the game

...but like Arjun asked...where's the guy who's going to the market???

Kamal schrieb:

Steve, these guys are besotted by foreign brand names. They don't trust their ears! Sad!

hi kamal,

viren's amp is more of an acquired taste definitely in the minority.

i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles.
1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits
2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here!

so i guess the majority of the recommendations will be for the standard established brands. i say put on your favourite music enjoy and forget about what your neighbour's missing!

regards

Vary Well Said;


Perfect Attitude !



Way to go !!



Believe in what you hear.

stevieboy schrieb:

i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles. 1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits 2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here! so i guess the majority of the recommendations will be for the standard established brands. i say put on your favourite music enjoy and forget about what your neighbour's missing! regards

such a sensible post !
there is a 3rd group as well, ie those who think they are in group 1 but try to be group 2..no wait they are in group 2 but try to be in group 1 ..wait...

you get the idea right

my personal take is that the day i am sure i will not upgrade aany further ..i will go with a DIY/small brand with whom my soul can rest in peace..otherwise selling of gear is a big concern to me !

particleman schrieb:

Arj schrieb: well we are all recommending but is Kuroturk around to listen ? No post after the 1st one ! :L Heh, I was tempted to ask what was in the PM he received that scared him away! (just kidding) ;)

Sorry I vanished for a while guys and many thanks for your lively discussion. My quest has ended.

I had the good fortune to listen to the Cadence VA-1 with the Avitas, courtesy the amazing "goolimangala", needless to say, lost my heart to them! I spend most of my time dreaming of what I heard, I probably need a coupla months before I can scratch together the moolah required to bring them home.

stevieboy schrieb:

Kamal schrieb: Steve, these guys are besotted by foreign brand names. They don't trust their ears! Sad! hi kamal, viren's amp is more of an acquired taste definitely in the minority. i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles. 1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits 2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here! so i guess the majority of the recommendations will be for the standard established brands. i say put on your favourite music enjoy and forget about what your neighbour's missing! regards

Very well put.

Arj schrieb:

stevieboy schrieb: i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles. 1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits 2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here! so i guess the majority of the recommendations will be for the standard established brands. i say put on your favourite music enjoy and forget about what your neighbour's missing! regards there is a 3rd group as well, ie those who think they are in group 1 but try to be group 2..no wait they are in group 2 but try to be in group 1 ..wait... you get the idea right

You snatched it right from my mouth...
IMO, there is a vast majority of audiophiles who are into both except that the priority of 1 and 2 varies from person to person.
In fact there are a good number of systems which try to achieve a balance between the two and succeed (I have heard systems which fail as well, trying to do both).
So...Grow Up "Listen to your ears" .

Arj schrieb:

stevieboy schrieb: i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles. 1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits 2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here! so i guess the majority of the recommendations will be for the standard established brands. i say put on your favourite music enjoy and forget about what your neighbour's missing! regards my personal take is that the day i am sure i will not upgrade aany further ..i will go with a DIY/small brand with whom my soul can rest in peace..otherwise selling of gear is a big concern to me ! :(

Believe it or not, there are a lot of very senior audiophiles who have gone this route. After years of struggle with combinations / permutations of exotic/expensive gear and lots of heartache, finally sell it all and go with a small/ diy/minimalist setup.

square_wave schrieb:

Arj schrieb: stevieboy schrieb: i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles. 1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits 2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here! so i guess the majority of the recommendations will be for the standard established brands. i say put on your favourite music enjoy and forget about what your neighbour's missing! regards my personal take is that the day i am sure i will not upgrade aany further ..i will go with a DIY/small brand with whom my soul can rest in peace..otherwise selling of gear is a big concern to me ! :( Believe it or not, there are a lot of very senior audiophiles who have gone this route. After years of struggle with combinations / permutations of exotic/expensive gear and lots of heartache, finally sell it all and go with a small/ diy/minimalist setup.

It is like saying...having tasted all the exotic dishes around the world..one still feels, nothing beats home made food . Makes sense actually...but not without tasting all those amazing delicacies (those which one can afford of course ).
Way to go Arj..

Believe it not, there are a lot of very senior audiophiles who have gone this route. After years of struggle with combinations / permutations of exotic/expensive gear and lots of heartache, finally sell it all and go with a small/ diy/minimalist setup.

Sir,

A 'Gautama' or a 'Mahavira' were 'born' kings / princes & then renounced the 'worldly' pleasure;
Here we have 'hermits' that travel by cycle everyday and complain that the seat of a 'ferrari' is uncomfortable !!!

Eat / Taste the different kinds of foods from different countries, then say that 'home made food' satisfies me the most. The case in India [rather on our forum] is that I have only eaten in my house & my uncles house & my neighbours place etc. & 'my wife is the best cook' !!!!
Lovely to score 'brownie' points, sure, but who are we fooling ???

bhagwan69 schrieb:

Believe it not, there are a lot of very senior audiophiles who have gone this route. After years of struggle with combinations / permutations of exotic/expensive gear and lots of heartache, finally sell it all and go with a small/ diy/minimalist setup. Sir, A 'Gautama' or a 'Mahavira' were 'born' kings / princes & then renounced the 'worldly' pleasure; Here we have 'hermits' that travel by cycle everyday and complain that the seat of a 'ferrari' is uncomfortable !!! Eat / Taste the different kinds of foods from different countries, then say that 'home made food' satisfies me the most. The case in India [rather on our forum] is that I have only eaten in my house & my uncles house & my neighbours place etc. & 'my wife is the best cook' !!!! Lovely to score 'brownie' points, sure, but who are we fooling ???

And there are people( On our Forum) who keep drooling over foreign maal-julia roberts, j'lo , angelina jolie et al, ignore their wives and think they're being cosmopolitan !
And there are chaps who lap up eagerly& echo what these "self styled gods of wisdom" proclaim & bask in the light of being equally knowing & cosmopolitan!
Doston, yeh bhi ek karwa sach hai!!
Think about it...

Kamal schrieb:

And there are people( On our Forum) who keep drooling over foreign maal-julia roberts, j'lo , angelina jolie et al, ignore their wives and think they're being cosmopolitan ! And there are chaps who lap up eagerly& echo what these "self styled gods of wisdom" proclaim & bask in the light of being equally knowing & cosmopolitan! Doston, yeh bhi ek karwa sach hai!! Think about it... ;)

Nice one

well..the reason why stevieboys post below was so sensible that it Recognizes that different folks have different likes

stevieboy wrote:

i've come to realise that there are two broad camps of audiophiles. 1. those who like the 'audiophile' traits and analyse music by breaking it down into treble, soundstage, depth, imaging etc and who take pleasure in perfection in these individual traits 2. those who like their music to communicative with soul, rather, to whom the whole is greater than the individual parts, this group is more forgiving of shortcomings in individual areas. there are pluses and minuses to each system put together under philosophy 1 and 2, but even globally, those who go for the whole over the individual parts are in a minority. same here!

so trying to convert type 1 to 2 or 2 to 1 is not really something which makes sense to do as both are right.

Kamal schrieb:

And there are people( On our Forum) who keep drooling over foreign maal-julia roberts, j'lo , angelina jolie et al, ignore their wives and think they're being cosmopolitan ! And there are chaps who lap up eagerly& echo what these "self styled gods of wisdom" proclaim & bask in the light of being equally knowing & cosmopolitan! Doston, yeh bhi ek karwa sach hai!! Think about it...

kamalji, the way i see it , it is not a foriegn Vs Desi thing. more of a Branded Vs not so well known brand thing.

eg i do not see anyone criticising a cadence which is very much desi.

I am not sure the women/Wife this is a great analogy..If I may i can take another example.
I would prefer buying an Arrow or an Allen solly shirt for the brand but NOT get a better shirt stiched by a good tailor in the city..thats purely because of the brand.(again not saying that a Hifi is a shirt but again neither is it a wife ..at least to most of us !)

Again i have no intention of demeaning any DIY enthusiast as usually they have a clearer understanding of what they want in sound and how excatly to achieve it, but i will never go for a DIY setup/small setup untill i am very sure that i have no itch to upgrade from it, because as a resale vaue it has NO market.

drooling over foreign maal-julia roberts, j'lo , angelina jolie et al, ignore their wives and think they're being cosmopolitan

Sure it is not right;
We are not talking about 'looking' @ lovely ladies.
Audio Gear does not have to be looked @ !! It has to be listened to. Food has to be tasted;

Fundamental differance here - sir............

bhagwan69 schrieb:

drooling over foreign maal-julia roberts, j'lo , angelina jolie et al, ignore their wives and think they're being cosmopolitan Sure it is not right; We are not talking about 'looking' @ lovely ladies. Audio Gear does not have to be looked @ !! It has to be listened to. Food has to be tasted; Fundamental differance here - sir............

To be even more specific...its about OWNING the gear. You dont own anyone except your wife which, anyway you cant change as frequently as audio gears .

eg i do not see anyone criticising a cadence which is very much desi.

Precisely;
Cadence is a good sounding product at great VFM.

It takes the fight up to and beats a lot of entry level - low fi and mid fi 'foreign brands' !!

However, it too has limitations; the ARCA cannot stand up to the might of the Pantheon !!! Although both belong to the same person. The Siltech will do circles around the ARCA !!

OT: Wow, for a long time there was little activity on this forum but now it looks like Parliament is back in session!

Ha, Ha, Ha!!!Sure have stirred a hornets nest!
Arj, at least you'll grant that my analogy was as good/as bad as that of the Bhagwan of our Forum-
"The case in India [rather on our forum] is that I have only eaten in my house & my uncles house & my neighbours place etc. & 'my wife is the best cook' !!!!
Lovely to score 'brownie' points, sure, but who are we fooling ???"
Is that a fair comment ?-a bit below the belt, I thought, hence my response.
And your shirt analogy perfectly exemplifies the point I was trying to make - patronising of a foreign brand(Arrow/Allen Solly) versus a better quality localproduct-would you call that a rational or an emotional decision.
Also, would you lump Lyrita Audio( and other Indian Audio Brands) as a DIY product?Viren has been running it as a business for the last 15 years.Its not a hobby, this is what he lives on.And he'll give you a tradein when you want to upgrade, he'll pass on improvements free of cost, & you'llget a lifetime of support-which foriegn brand will do that for you? And have you bothered to ever highlight/appreciate this?
And do you buy stuff primarily because of resale value,not because it necessarily sounds the best to your ears?Sounds more like a shopkeepers attitude,instead of that of an audiophile who wants to enjoy MUSIC in the best poss way he can afford-just buy & sell gear, with llesser emphasis on the enjoyment music can bring.
Bhagwan,obviously foreign ladies have to be looked at, you cant taste them, and Audio gear has to heard, you cant eat it.So the action depends on the item in the analogy-self evident, my friend.
The Internet is full of extensive & intensive reviews of foreign audio gear by professional reviewers-we would serve Indian audio enthusiasts better if we actively looked for, auditioned & posted extensive & honest reviews of Indian manufactured gear which is more affordable than the kind of stuff (e.g. Siltech Pantheon)which gets discussed most of the time.
Instead we keep indulging in self evident discussions- an expensive CDP will sound better than a cheaper one-hardly a Eureka discovery!
When we write, we should try to contribute something meaningful-
Lets get real, Gentlemen.

Very true kamalji...

does it have to do with the fact that most (or at lease some of us) are not as knowlegable as we pretend to be and go with the general notion that what is more expensive is the better one? and that more exotic the gear we discuss, the more knowlegable we are...

just a thought, no reference to any particular person...

Kamal schrieb:

Also, would you lump Lyrita Audio( and other Indian Audio Brands) as a DIY product?Viren has been running it as a business for the last 15 years.Its not a hobby, this is what he lives on.And he'll give you a tradein when you want to upgrade, he'll pass on improvements free of cost, & you'llget a lifetime of support-which foriegn brand will do that for you? And have you bothered to ever highlight/appreciate this?

not sure if you meant me on the above, But if you have
, to be honest i never had any intention of referring to Lyrita audio..having heard of virens products and heard his views on audio..which i may not really agree with personally but can appreciate as his point of view and of quite a few others as well subscribing to it. and to top it all he is very well respected here in the forum and i am sure it is his customer friendliness which has won him some customers in this forum as well

i was referring primarily to square_waves views on DIY etc..

also some of you may not consider resale to be a factor but i do...Liquidity potential and value is an important factor for me in every major investment i make and to me a audio purchase is quite a major investment as i know i will upgrade further ! and i really do not feel i have compromised with my "enjoyment of music" Nor my enjoyment of my system as an audiophile while taking that into consideration

and if i may add i dont think either Allen solly Or arrow are foreign..Cos are indian, design is indian, cloth is indian and so is the manufacturing..i was primarily talking of branded Vs unbranded wrt the DIY scenario.



anyway we are straying away from the topic !

Kurotark schrieb:

Sorry I vanished for a while guys and many thanks for your lively discussion. My quest has ended. I had the good fortune to listen to the Cadence VA-1 with the Avitas, courtesy the amazing "goolimangala", needless to say, lost my heart to them! I spend most of my time dreaming of what I heard, I probably need a coupla months before I can scratch together the moolah required to bring them home.

good that you had a chance to hear a great setup..
As a word of advice, try to listen to more setups till you get a fair idea of what you are looking for in sound.

you should learn to ignore some of the "livelier" discussions when they do not have much to do with audio..we audiophiles like a good scrap once in a while