Which Amplifier?

[K.C.pye1958]

Hello,
I recently got a Sansui 2050 turntable and I intend to use it with a CD player and speakers, but I know nothing about a suitable amplifier. I have spotted a Marantz PM6005 which has got great reviews and is affordable, so should I go with that one, or is there other Amplifiers such as Pioneer etc just as good. The reason I'm unsure is I'm not too well up on technical talk, when it comes to specifications of an amplifier.
All advice will be welcome, thanks.

[Radio Wrangler]

There are many, many amplifiers which would fill the bill. The difficulty lies in choosing.
There is also an unbelievable amount of advice and guidance floating around... usually there seems to be equal amounts for and against everything.

That Marantz seems as good as it needs to be. It can use an input from a moving magnet (MM) type of record playing cartridge, but it hasn't got the added circuitry needed to work with a moving coil (MC) type. Moving coil cartridges are fashionable, but expensive. Check that you have a moving magnet type in your turntable.

45 watts per channel is plenty for typical speakers and a typical room.

Marantz is an old name in the business, once an independent, then owned by Philips, now moved to Japan and paired with Denon. Most of tehe other old names are all in different hands. Some of the big bBritish names are Chinese-owned.

See if you canfind one on demonstration somewhere, but be warned that speakers and rooms make much more difference than amplifiers do and beware that your ears can be fooled by just small changes in levels. COmparing things is very difficult.

It should drive most 8-Ohm impedance speakers perfectly happily. If you look on the internet, you'll find equal numbers of people say that it's "awesome" as say that it "sucks" This tells you a lot about people, and little about amplifiers.

Anyone who hasn't got one can't tell you much about them. Everyone who has one will recommend it because you getting one will make them happier with their own purchasing decision.

In short, no-one else can tell you it's the right decision. Find one and have a play. They are a reasonable company and not charlatans. If you like it, go for it.

David

[Edward Huggins]

Your Sansui is now 40 years old, a very nice unit with an "auto-up-off" end of record feature. You did not say what type of cartridge is fitted, I assume a moving-magnet type? In looking at amplifiers, were you thinking of buying new or used? A used Pioneer A100 (from 1990) would be ideal and as good as, if not better, than the Marantz. Edward

[K.C.pye1958]

hello David,
I think it is MM carthridge but can you explain what the difference is between MM and MC cartridges? and is there an amplifier suitable for both types if ever i upgraded the cartridge.
Many thanks for your advice

kind regards
kenneth

[RojDW48]

Sansui make good, reliable amps. I had an AU101 for many years, which gave good service and I still have a Sansui tuner/amp that I use as a test bed. I only changed due to a preference for the 'valve sound'. Why not go for a matching pair?

[K.C.pye1958]

Thanks For all your advice, a special thanks to Edward who always takes interest in my posts, i am learning as i go on

[Radio Wrangler]

There are some amplifiers with moving coil inputs, or with changeable input circuit boards (unplug one, plug the other in) but they tend to cluster at the pricy end of the market.

Don't look at the moving coil cartridges as an upgrade. They have a somewhat rising frequency response when processed by the standard "RIAA" equalisation, and this makes them sound brighter. Hifi pundits don't like tone controls and insist that not only must you not use them, amplifiers shouldn't have them. So they spend large amounts of money changing cartridges, amplifiers, speakers instead to get the sort of sound they want. If this sounds crazy, remember that the mixing desks which constructed the sound on their LPs are absolutely bristling with frequency-response shaping controls. However, moving coil cartridges have higher effective mass at the diamond tip and are hard on your records. Some cynics say that the bright tone compensates for what they do to your grooves.

Audio has become almost a no-go area for science and engineering. The void has been filled by lots of pseudo-science, though.

If you want to buy something new, that Marantz looks suitable. Alternatively, as this is a vintage equipment website, there are lots of classic amplifiers that match the era of your turntable and will do the job perfectly.

If you ever feel the need for a moving coil cartridge, the usual approach is to add an external preamplifier box.

David

[Diabolical Artificer]

I was also going to suggest the AU101.

A moving magnet in a nutshell is a magnet attached to the stylus inside a coil of wire, as the stylus moves so does the magnet thus generating an AC signal which is boosted by your preamp then further amplified by the main amp. It will maybe have MM on it, and on the input to an amp.

AFAIK, the moving coil type is the opposite way round.

Trio amplifiers are worth looking out for as are Hitachi and Yamaha, but to honest these are just names. what your looking for is an amp with a good power supply, something with a toroid maybe, a dual PSU even better, so if the amps heavy, that's usually a good indicator.

Something made circa 78 - 83. as David said though see if you can "audition" at home with your speakers.

I have a few amps tucked away, including a few Marantzs ( just picked up a nice 1070M, needs to go on the bench though). Drop me a PM if interested, might be able to find you something.

Andy.

[Edward Huggins]

Sorry foks - there was a crucial error in my posst #3, it should be Pioneer A400 which incidentally has RIAA inputs for MM and MC. Edward