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My 42 year old A&R Cambridge A60 has finally succumbed to the ( apparently) inevitable capacitor degradation plus the potentiometers and switches have been really noisy for ages. I could go to the expense of getting all the degraded components replaced but I think it’s probably time to buy new. I bought it when it was 2 years old so it has given me good service.
I have been looking at alternatives with hopefully similar quality and the two alternatives I have come up with are the Cambridge Audio AXA35 and the Marantz PM6007 which are currently at quite similar prices, the Marantz being a little more expensive. I don’t need Bluetooth connectivity or streaming but the ability to connect a MM phono input is important.
Has anyone had any experience with either of these options or are there other options you could suggest at around £350
I'm going through a similar experience with my old amp. I am contemplating a repair by the manufacturer, the cost will be far less than a new amp of comparable quality. That said it's still money I don't really have right now!
In terms of new, I was quite interested in the rega lo amps that get good reviews , slightly above your budget but maybe a sale on
Go visit below for ideas, they'll want to know what speakers are and if your A60 fascia, buttons, knobs are in cosmetically good condition (outer case is an easy refurb) someone will buy it off you:
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/
Kormoran,
Look for Arkless on PinkFish, odds on he can repair for less than the manufacturer.
the ability to connect a MM phono input is important
just get a phono pre-amp? Then you can have a broader choice of integrated amp to replace yours. The Rega MM Mk5 works well for us. https://www.rega.co.uk/products/fono-mm-mk5
just get a phono pre-amp?
I should have said the total budget available is £350 ish, the Rega pre amp looks great but would take more than half the available funds
Is it worth looking on gumtree etc? I picked up some really nice Tannoy speakers and a Denon amp for my daughter before Christmas. £100 all in.
I had a Cambridge Audio amp. It didn’t last long
I'm fairly sure that Cambridge axa35 is what I've had attached to my Rega deck for a few years now and it works just fine. I'm very happy with it
A&R Cambridge and Cambridge audio not the same company, A&R become Arcam
Cambridge Audio had a poor reputation in the 90's, apart from What Hifi who always seemed to give them good reviews. They were part owned by Richer Sounds. They tended to sell stuff at the cheaper end of the market, heavily pushed in store.
Richer Sounds have nothing to do with them now and they seemed to gone up market. They get some good reviews but that means next to nothing IMO.
As others have said A&R Cambridge are a different company, rebranded as Arcam and tend to sell stuff in the middle of the market, expensive but not £12k for a cd deck.
This is a neat little combo... pre amp has switchable phoneo on the line in, and you can use XLR between the preamp and power amp if you want, also.
Might not cost as much as you think to get it refurbed by the manufacturer. I had my Cyrus 2 and PSX refurbed by Mission a couple of years ago, cost me about £250. Still sounds wonderful.
Worth getting a repair estimate or selling used IMO
There is a chap in Charsfield, Suffolk, who can repair your amp. He fixed my Arcam Delta 290 and did a lovely job. He will be repairing my Delta 60 soon too (rebadged A60). He's an ex BBC engineer.
Amprepairservices.com
As others have said A&R Cambridge are a different company, rebranded as Arcam and tend to sell stuff in the middle of the market, expensive but not £12k for a cd deck.
Last year I bought an Arcam amp as I couldn't afford/justify a Rega to go with my Rega cd player. It's definitely not pretty but wouldn't agree that it's in the middle of the market price-wise, for amps at least. Would say more a step up from the basic separates. Happy with it though.
The Rega IO mentioned above is a good option if you can stretch your budget a little. I use one paired with some Elac speakers and a Project turntable - sounds excellent.
Only 3 inputs though.
Many thanks for everyone’s input. I am going to get a couple of quotes for repair and then make a decision. If I do buy new it’s probably going to be the Marantz as it gives me a bit more flexibility in terms of inputs.
Marantz stuff is great sounding and so reliable, my £350 cd player from 1991 still plays as it should
I've an A60 in the loft needing repaired , sounded great in the '80's but maybe just for vinyl
I've a Creek tuner but who listens to am/FM nowadays, can see it coming out to play again
When I had a similar situation a few years ago I spoke to Amprepairservices.com and the chap was very helpful and prices were reasonable.
That was for an Arcam Alpha 6+ amp to be repaired (scratchy pots and a hiss that built up over time), together with a few tweaks to improve performance as he put it.
Think he said about £200 all in, which was great as it sounded very nice other than the problems.
In the end I ended up with a new amp (Arcam SR250) as I went a different way with my hifi but I wouldn't think twice about recommending the chap purely from his knowledge and just being a nice guy.
In a roundabout way, I'm suggesting that if you like the sound you have and the A60 does all you need, I think you'll need to spend a bit to better it, so I'd be inclined to get it serviced and potentially 'upgraded' at the same time.
I see amprepairservices offer a "Basic Fixed Price Overhaul" for the A60 at £166.
I dont know the place myself but hyperfi has the 6007 "b stock" for £269. Was googling prices as they're about $900 here cheapest I can see. Great little amps.
Hi Jimw,
If you are looking to go down the Marantz route I have a 6006 sat here. I used it for a couple months and an Audiolab amp came along at a price I couldn't refuse, so the 6006 went back in to its original box. I have the remote, instruction manual and power cable in there too. If interested give me a shout.
I came here to recommend the Rotel A10 that I bought a few years ago to replace my 1987 Denon amp - however, I see that the current Mk2 version is going for £500+ (nowhere near what I paid!).
The good news is that there is a B-stock Mk1 going for a bargain £180 at Hyperfi.
A slightly left field idea... I had my 55 year old Marshall guitar amp looked at a couple of months back by a guy called Stuart Smith, who is 'Berkshire Guitar Amps'. (Yes I know guitar Amps are not usually clean clear HiFi Amps... and my Marshall 100w Super Lead definitely isn't) but they are still amps). Based on the edge of Reading... Berkshire !
He's a retired ex BBC (and Racal I think) electronics man. Does this as a in-retirement activity, as he clearly has decades of working experience in electronics and Amps of all types. As its a retirement job so he's not ludicrously expensive (as not really trying to feed and raise a family from this income). Worth having a chat to him ?
You can see some of his repairs on YouTube.
Not those specific models but had a CA receiver and and earlier version of the Marantz integrated amp you are looking at.
Would be happy buying from either company again.