buying used amplifier (from inside canada)

michael_w

I've been looking over my rig and I know I need two things. A good source and a good amplifier. Right now my focus is on the amplifier and I've been thinking it over for a while now. I want to buy used so I can save myself a ton of money but my problem lies in where I can find a good used amp in canada.

Should I just keep watching the local ads's (craigslist, canuck audio mart) and hope something shows up or take the BIG risk and buy off audiogon?

The budget I've set for now sits around $1000 to $2000 for something used. I need to hit up some high end stores and give some gear a listen but I'm thinking it'll be hard to compare between the amps I'm looking at when no dealer will carry more than one or two that I'm interested in.

The list of stuff to check out:

Monarchy SE100 (great price, great reviews - on audiogon here for a grand)
Classe 300
Bryston 2, 3 or 4bsst
Ayre v-3x (maybe too expensive)
BAT VK200
McCormack DNA225
Parasound A21
offerings from Marsh?
any odyssey amps?
Krell KSA 250



I'm digging the thoughts of the monarchy class A monoblocks but since they're made south of the border it's very hard to find them for sale here. Should I stick with a canadian brand that would be easier to find locally, such as classe, naim or bryston? This is just research, so I don't expect to actually pull the trigger for another few months (unless something really good comes up).


Thanks,
Michael.

Forgot to mention, I'd like to stick with a sand amp and then maybe later add a tubed pre (to replace the channel island passive). I figure SS keeps my options open as much as possible because I have no idea what direction I'll be taking when I do decide to replace my LSi9's.

Found a bryston 4b locally for $600 cdn obo. Since it is probably about 25 years old will it have to be recapped soon? I've heard about class A amp's having to be serviced in as little as 10 to 15 years... what would that cost?

Systems

Hi Michael,if that 4 B has not already had the filter caps changed then it will need it.It is outside the 20 year warranty so unless it has had some updates already I would look at something newer maybe a Bryston ST series that still has some warranty left.

jm1

From my perspective, Canuckaudiomart is more of a risk than Audiogon. Audiogon members are more serious and focused when it comes to audio transactions. Canuckaudiomart is more of a casual environment. I would not be afraid of purchasing from either environments. Additionally, I always use a third party (PayPal through a credit card) for added protection when purchasing items I can not physically inspect even though this is an additional cost.

The only problem I have with Audiogon is some of the time sellers will not ship to Canada. This usually happens when I see something I would like to purchase.

I would also add Simaudio to your list. Good luck in your quest.

michael_w

Has anyone ever priced out (or actually done it) what it would cost to get a similar amp recapped? My plan was to avoid the whole thing by going ST / SST if I were to choose a bryston amp in the first place.

There are a couple simaudio dealers around here so I'll have to give their stuff a listen too, thanks.

If I buy off canuckaudiomart I'll be buying locally. I realize most of the gear comes out of ontario and I'm in Vancouver, but when it comes to a used item this pricey I'd rather not take the risk with someone that has no track record.

I bought my monitor 7b's and kimber hero's off CAM and both people were very nice. So far so good!

Thanks for the suggestions.

janmike

Michael, I agree that Canuckaudiomart is a little risky at times. There are TOO many people there with zero feedback trying to push gear. I purchased my amp and pre (both Proceed) on CAM from a guy in Edmonton. He has been there a long time and great to deal with. He may be able to help if you are interested in something. Let me know and I can hook you up.

LuSh

I've bought and sold a number of gear off of Canuck and Audiogon. On Canuck my largest purchase was a SimAudio intergrated amp, which I bought blind...the transaction went quite smoothly. The largest single purchase I've made was from Audiogon when I purchased my current Krell intergrated. This transaction was much more expensive, the money saved on the amp was dished out in duty's, taxes and shipping. I paid nearly $300 just to bring it into the country and I low balled the marked value.

Audiogon is the best place on the net for purchasing high end gear, many cite it as the single biggest factor for the high end 2 channel market dying, audtion at a dealers by off the Gon. I'm sorry to say but for large purchases ($2k and over) it gets very expensive quickly for us Canucks and I'd be leary. I like using Audiogon now for cables and Canuck for hardware. I must say the Cam users are wacked out of their mind...the most pathetic low ball offers from any website with used prices that are inflated. The Audiogon website is just pefect with a more professional attitude from people who don't act as if they're selling or buying a home and try to beat you into the ground, with outragous requests and low ball pricing.

I'm almost to the point where I'd seriously consider visiting a number of dealers in order to pay for the service because in the end I really think it's worth it once you get to a certain level. No more guessing with cables, placement and repair.

I just noticed you had a Krell KSA 250 on your list, I've heard from a few people that Krell will re-cap these units and the total cost incurred would be rouglhy $300. I don't have the room for that amplfier but many people have it on their top 10 amplifiers of all time and to this day say it can rival anything on the market including $10k plus Tenor Amp's. They run extremely hot though being a class A design but can drive any speaker in the world with ease, the current flow is said to be insanely high. I've seen the insides of one before, I never thought they could make a transformer that large. It was the size of a goodyear tire.

michael_w

I too have noticed a lot of lowballing and high priced ad's on cam. That seems to be the way with any used equipment in Canada and it's been like that for a long time. The market is just cheaper elsewhere, but the added costs to actually bring the product home doesn't always outweigh the benefit.

Did you ever sell your lsi9's and stands? I saw your ad up there for a long time. It took me about three weeks to close a deal on my 7's.

I prefer to buy new because I'm just way to paranoid about what an item has gone through and how it'll fair in the future but when it gets into high end gear there's no way I could afford what I want if I were to by new. I bought my nad integrated amp new and wish now that I had spent the money on a used amp.

The Krell is on my list because I need to look at the overall picture. At around $2000 / 2500 used it's over my budget, but still something I need to consider. When you're looking at bmw, mercedes and porsche's a ferrari needs to be in the dream too

At an audio meet last year I had the privilage to listen to a Theta dreadnaught and it was pretty nice. We were only really comparing between speakers (it was a diy audio meet), but it made absolutely everything shine. I believe it sits around five thousand for the two channel model but I've never seen one go for sale used in canada.



Again, I appreciate the opinions and tips posted here. It's all going to help me choose that perfect amp when it finally does show up on the market. I'm aiming to get something by my birthday in June, but that could change anytime. I think the longer I wait the easier it'll be to convince myself to spend that kind of coin on audio .

I'm a little worried that when I move out in the next couple years I'll be confined to a quiet little apartment. I guess all the better reason to go class A and get the low volume dynamics going??

LuSh

Hello Michael,

Yes I did sell my Polk Audio LSi9's with stands. After 10 offers on my speakers I finally accepted what I deemed a reasonable offer. The people who put forth offers were insane for the most part. Alot of pushy buyers..."$550, I'll pay cash and pickup tonight"...followed by a phone number to reach them at.

The Krell might not be in your best interest if you plan on living in a small apartment. The heat alone could make the entire situation unbearable. You might want to consider a fairly high end intergrated amplifier. A SimAudio i-5, Classe CAP 151 or Krell 400xi would make your Polk's sing.

I still contend that putting all of your money into your source initially is the best in system building. Speakers and amplifiers require alot of attention to synergy. This speaker wants this amplifier..etc etc..a great source will sound great on any system.

Shizelbs

Bump. I'm pretty much in the same boat. I need to start saving for a big man amp and input would be appreciated. Sounds like Michael and I are looking for a similar amp.

michael_w

Pffttt I live in Vancouver. The summers have a high of maybe 30 degrees that'll last a week or two. I have no problem heating a room with my amp . Just think of it as one less expense. Ideally I'll move into a little shack that's not attached to anyone where I can play music at whatever level I want, but it'll probably be a basement suite somewhere. Either way, that won't be happening until I finish a few years of school and isn't really much of a concern for me right now. My current two channel room (aka my bedroom) is only 8' by 13' with 8' ceilings.

A source is definately on the list. I was really thinking of picking up a toshiba hd-a2 when I had the chance from an authorized dealer (brand new) for 300 cdn, but decided to hold off. I haven't really tested out a good source on my system, but I know it's one of the major weak links in my system. I had a NAD C540 for a while and found it to be a slight upgrade from the toshiba sd3800 but it was forced into early retirement when about fifty cd's came crashing down at once onto the open cd tray

Good to hear they finally sold. I was wondering if you were ever going to get a good deal on them (since they were up there for so long). The market is full of lowballers. Just today I listed my cell phone for sale at $220. The first email I get back is someone offering me $100 :rolleyes: