I need a stereo hifi amp, struggling to find anything thats not overpriced on ebay. Can get a basic cambridge audio from RS for £80, most 90s stuff on ebay is going for £50+!

Tried a couple of wanted ads but nothing come up.

Anywhere I should be looking? Was thinking of cash converters type place?

If cash converters keep the receipt, in my experience they’ve no problems selling dodgy audio gear. I usually just keep an eye on Gumtree or my local area’s Facebook selling page.

Cash Converters will have some bits knocking around no doubt but its hit and miss depending on what your local one has in.

That cambridge audio one from RS is okay for listening in a bedroom or living room but not much good if you’re after anything bigger.

That’s where I buy mine. NB, they’re unlikely to be actually cheap, I just wanted a particular model.

I’d just but a new Cambridge if I were you, warranty and all that.

What do you need from it?

You could always try a Tripath amp.

They sell on Ebay from about £20 to £200.

Can give good results for the money.

Ebay £60.

You can save a bit more if you buy from HK or China and are willing to wait. You may have to pay VAT and import duty though.

I have bought a few bits and pieces from overseas and never been hit with VAT or import duty yet.

Marantz PM35 for £35 posted?
stw.geoffj@me.com

Its for a home gym so doesn’t need to be audiophile quality but want something that can give decent sound. I’ve got some Gale Aria AR70 speakers already and was using a cheap Tangent AMP50 to power them, but there’s loads of hiss and noise on the amp at any fair volume.
I used to have a cambridge A1, wish I’d kept it now.

whats the quality / noise like on the topping amps?

geoffj, YGM.

Topping are one of the manufacturers of Tripath amps.

There are numerous brands. Have a look on Ebay, Amazon or Ali Express.

I have one that is branded as “Sure” I use it for my bathroom ceiling speakers and it’s fine but not the best set up to judge “performance”. No noise or hissing but I think the speakers would be the weakest link in that chain.

If you want a bargain on Ebay, sort by distance from you and look for amps that are for “Collection Only”, generally go a lot less as there is much less competition.

If you don’t mind about quality have a look for an old AV receiver, there a loads of old 5.1 and stuff without HDMI inputs going for peanuts, expically if collection only. You could pick up an old Arcam AVR 100 and have a good stereo music amp as well.

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago – all the eBay ones looked expensive, especially with shipping.

Ended up with a massive Yamaha thing from Cash Coverters for £30, and it’s not missed a beat since.