Amp suggestion for small office TT setup (Marantz vs Cambridge vs NAD vs ???)

P

PearlJamGuy

New Member
I'm putting together a modest, budget TT setup in my new office. It's not a big office, and it will never be played at a level you can hear more than 15 feet away, so high-power is not necessary.

2/3 of the time I'll listen through headphones, 1/3 of the time through speakers "at a reasonable level."

The two sources will be turntable (either Pro-Ject or Music Hall most likely) and my MacBook for digital (so having a DAC, though I don't really know what that is seems like a nice option :) )

So I am looking for an amp (or pre-amp / amp combo). I've gotten a lot of great suggestions from this site on an initial post for the whole system, but now want to narrow it down a little. Also, my budget is pretty firm at $400 or less.

Options I've seen and liked:

Cambridge Audio Azur 351a with a DAC ($299 refurbished)
Marantz PM5004 ($359)
Re-built vintage NAD 3120 ($400 - rebuilt by an AK member!)

OR - go with a nice pre-amp / T-amp combo (which would probably come out to about $250-$300) - of which I assume there are all kinds of combinations.

Given all the parameters I've thrown out there, please let me know suggestions you have, especially if I am missing something that I should obviously be considering! I really appreciate it!!
 
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That 3120 has an MC phono, and I'd rate its phono stage over the Marantz or Cambridge. So if it's the vinyl SQ is the priority you're concerned about, I'd choose the 3120.

BUT, even if it's overhauled the price seems pretty steep...!

And the BEST option would be to spend like $50 on a TPA3116 and spend the rest $350 on a nice dedicated phono stage, if vinyl were to be the main goal (as it should be)....!
 
It depends on to some extent what cartridge you're using.
There are too many good stuff in the price range. Best you do a little Googling.
FWIW, mine could potentially be in the range if second-handed, which is Jasmine LP 2.0 & Clearaudio Nano.
 
davidro said:
And the BEST option would be to spend like $50 on a TPA3116 and spend the rest $350 on a nice dedicated phono stage, if vinyl were to be the main goal (as it should be)....!
Click to expand...

I second that idea...

But if you do want something a tad better imo...track down this combo...should be able to come in under your budget...

http://www.teac.com/product/a-h01/
http://artproaudio.com/artcessories/turntable_preamps/product/djpre_ii/

The Teac replaced my 3116...and although there are some things the 3116 does better...as a package unit...the Teac is a blast!!
 
I'd go with the following:

TPA3116 amp @ $50 or less depending on prebuilt or DIY

Yaqin MS-22B tube phono stage @ $190

Hifimediy Sabre DAC @ $89

Switch box to switch between TT and DAC @ $15

Another option is the Yaqin MS-12B which is a tube preamp with phono stage for your TT. It costs $339 but still leaves room within your budget for a TPA3116. I'd put this combo with it's fine tube stage ahead of any of the other options mentioned in this post.

The Lille Bear tube phono stage is another nice inexpensive option. I don't know the specific models but there's lots of info here on AK regarding it.
 
Yamaha AS-500 new likely hits the budget range, if you shop around. They've moved on to the AS-501, so the remaining stock should come cheap and would better any amp on the list.
 
davidro said:
That 3120 has an MC phono, and I'd rate its phono stage over the Marantz or Cambridge. So if it's the vinyl SQ is the priority you're concerned about, I'd choose the 3120.

BUT, even if it's overhauled the price seems pretty steep...!

And the BEST option would be to spend like $50 on a TPA3116 and spend the rest $350 on a nice dedicated phono stage, if vinyl were to be the main goal (as it should be)....!
Click to expand...

With all due respect, how do you define that as steep? I'm not sure what the labor rates are in Oz, maybe people will rebuild an amp for a case of Fosters? I do the stay-at-home dad thing, so the only money I make is by buying, restoring and selling this vintage audio pieces.

The NAD 3020 and 3120 tend to fetch at least $175 on eBay. For this, you get 35 year old caps that weren't anything special to begin with. Dried out heatsink grease on the outputs, noise pots, broken RCA jacks, dirt, grime, dog hair, you name it.

The 3020s I rebuild, it isn't just a case of throw some caps in and be done with it. First off, I choose the caps carefully, taking note of where there are in the signal path. If a film can be used in place of an electrolytic, I use that. If the value is too high, I use a low-lowkage Nichicon KL bypassed with a film. Outside of the signal path, I used Nichicon KW audio grade caps, except in the power supply where I use PW series as they are rates for higher temperature.

But the work doesn't stop there. I removed and reinstall the output transistors, putting fresh heat transfer grease in there. Two hot running transistors in the power supply are replaced with new ones on heat sinks, and two hot running resistors are replaced with higher wattage ones. The bias is often difficult to set on these amps, I replace the awkward resistor arrangement with a new trimmer, and check the value of the one it is in parallel with, as this is sometimes the wrong value. I also add a new trimmer to set the offset.

The power switch often goes bad on these, I replace this with a brand new one, with a new spark surpressor across it. I clean all the pots and switches with DeOxit. After all the work is done, I clean the board of all the solder flux. Prior to work, if the board is dirty, I remove it from the case and wash it. I also guarantee my work for a year.

If, after all that work, the price still sounds steep, then maybe I should go and work at McDonalds?

As for your comment about the TPA amp and dedicated phono stage, let the OP consider this. The NAD 3020 has a reputation for an excellent phono stage. All you will get with a dedicated phono stage is a fancy little box, and an empty wallet. And a chip amp? Yuck! The NAD uses transistors for everything, no chips except for the power display.

Lee.
 
For $149 The Emotiva XPS-1 is a great phono preamp. There are numerous members who have/had one, and for the money, it's hard to beat.
 
Thanks again for the advice everyone. So many choices! I'll keep doing the research. Space is at a premium as it will be on an office desk (which I don't even HAVE yet). Might still be a couple of weeks out - I really appreciate all of the advice as its super helpful!
 
PearlJamGuy said:
Thanks again for the advice everyone. So many choices! I'll keep doing the research. Space is at a premium as it will be on an office desk (which I don't even HAVE yet). Might still be a couple of weeks out - I really appreciate all of the advice as its super helpful!
Click to expand...

The NAD 3020 is only 10" deep, so it doesn't take up much desk space. Pair it with the matching 4020 tuner, a Walkman type CD player or iPod, and you'll have a compact desktop system.

Lee.
 
Let the OP decide if paying $400 for a 20wpc, no remote, shoddily built, a-few-decades old amp is steep leesonic, with all due respect of course.

I'd take a $250-350 outboard phono over the inboard phono in the 3120 any day, especially if it's second hand. But let the OP decide, with all due respect again :)

And yes the 3116 kicks the 3120 into the valley of ashes twice and over when it comes to SQ, with all due respect yet again. ;)

And the 3116 is just so much more compact, uses so much less electricity and is likely to cause less hum than the 3120. Oh these were just plain facts this time, btw. :D

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk 2
 
SMSL SA60 its a awesome little amp ..........cant stop listening to this one it uses the 3116 chip Poultry thanks for putting me on to this chip.
 
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What's your point really? You wanna sell your stuff go barter town.

Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk 2
 
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