Amplifier for use only with a turntable

bartman100

I have a Project 2 turntable and have just bought some Dali Spektor 2 speakers.

I have a 20 year old budget Cambridge Audio Amp and a basic Cambridge preamp bought a couple of years ago.

I'd like a new amplifier to do the turntable and speakers justice. I know we are talking entry level here but still...

I want the amp purely to serve the turntable and speakers and nothing more.

Any recommendations for a good model, budget around £500-£1000?

I'm unclear, from reviews I've read, which do and don't have in built preamps.

I'd ask on the WhatHi-Fi forum but I get some snobby responses there

Thanks

napoleond

Rega Brio would be a great option as it has an excellent phono stage for the price.

Just seen it gets five stars from What hifi fwiw.

https://www.whathifi.com/rega/brio/review

Then at the top of your budget is this. Like the brio only better

https://www.whathifi.com/rega/elex-r/review

meursault

I bought

https://www.whathifi.com/onkyo/9010/review



For about £160 after shopping around, delighted with it. I like a lot of different types of music and it all sounds good. Paired with some Q acoustics speakers.

bartman100

Thanks both.

I looked at the Rega Brio and it's very highly regarded.

Thing is, if I pay a couple hundred more for Cambridge Audio CXA80 then I get Bluetooth which might be useful.

Then again, the Onkyo looks awesome value.

bartman100

NapoleonD wrote:

Rega Brio would be a great option as it has an excellent phono stage for the price.

Just seen it gets five stars from What hifi fwiw.

Just to be clear, it looks to have a built in phono stage - so no pre-amp required?

mfin

Don't go mad unless you are going to change your speakers, as they are only £200 (I mean, maybe an Amp that is a higher league might be justified if speakers that can realise its potential will be bought later on)

I'd look for something second hand myself. There's so much great kit out there.

Remember for streaming to old amps a Chromecast audio is only £20 and you can connect that to one of its inputs and do all sorts with it.

bartman100

mfin wrote:

Don't go mad unless you are going to change your speakers, as they are only £200 (I mean, maybe an Amp that is a higher league might be justified if speakers that can realise its potential will be bought later on)

I'd look for something second hand myself. There's so much great kit out there.

Remember for streaming to old amps a Chromecast audio is only £20 and you can connect that to one of its inputs and do all sorts with it.

That's a great call, thanks. I hadn't considered a Chromecast

napoleond

bartman100 wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

Rega Brio would be a great option as it has an excellent phono stage for the price.

Just seen it gets five stars from What hifi fwiw.

Just to be clear, it looks to have a built in phono stage - so no pre-amp required?

Correct. If you consider upgrading the speakers or turntable/cartridge at some point it will give you a good bit of ‘headroom’ . However that Onkyo looks to have one too and might be a better match for the current level of the speakers/turntable.

photonic69

If you follow the 'Linn Philosophy' then the most important part of a hifi is the Source. In this case your turntable.

If you have the standard Ortofon OM 5 cartridge then I's seriously consider upgrading this to an Ortofon 2M Red or even the 2M Blue. Buy the cheaper Onkyo if you can find one and spend the difference on the cartridge.

You'd always go for a much more powerful amp to drive speakers. The harder you drive a low powered amp the more distortion you get. Power is nothing without control as they say.

bartman100

NapoleonD wrote:

bartman100 wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

Rega Brio would be a great option as it has an excellent phono stage for the price.

Just seen it gets five stars from What hifi fwiw.

Just to be clear, it looks to have a built in phono stage - so no pre-amp required?

Correct. If you consider upgrading the speakers or turntable/cartridge at some point it will give you a good bit of ‘headroom’ . However that Onkyo looks to have one too and might be a better match for the current level of the speakers/turntable.

agreed. The Onkyo meets my need.

bartman100

PhotoNic69 wrote:

If you follow the 'Linn Philosophy' then the most important part of a hifi is the Source. In this case your turntable.

If you have the standard Ortofon OM 5 cartridge then I's seriously consider upgrading this to an Ortofon 2M Red or even the 2M Blue. Buy the cheaper Onkyo if you can find one and spend the difference on the cartridge.

You'd always go for a much more powerful amp to drive speakers. The harder you drive a low powered amp the more distortion you get. Power is nothing without control as they say.

Thanks. I do have the red cartridge. I think the Onkyo will do just fine.

napoleond

Enjoy