Should I get used receiver or used integrated amp (budget of $200)?

[crtaudioguy]

I have a pair of Pioneer SP-BS21 (sensitivity of 84dB) speakers that I was using as desktop speakers, connected to an older Marantz receiver (105W per channel) in a 10' x 20' room. The receiver stopped working and I'm looking for a replacement. I would continue to be using these Pioneer speakers at my desk for music listening (no higher than 80dB on average) and also occasionally using these speakers for movie watching in the same room at moderate listening levels from 7 ft away. I have $200 to spend on a replacement receiver or amplifier. I only care about 2 channel listening. I'm looking at some receivers from the mid 2000s that were high end from Denon, Panasonic and Marantz that output 100 to 120W per channel at 8ohms. I know I don't need a receiver for 2 channel listening but the receivers I'm looking at provide a lot of power for cheap. I'm also seriously considering a used integrated amplifier but many of the ones I look at on Ebay that are working are over $200 and they are lower wattage (40W or under). My concern with an integrated amp is, would the integrated amp that I could afford have enough dynamic power for me to watch music and movies at moderate listening levels? How many watts do I really need for near field listening with decent headroom? If so, which integrated amp models would you recommend within my budget? I know I could get a small class D amp but I prefer to have everything integrated into one unit.

 

[-Jim-]

Welcome to the Forum.

I'm not totally adverse to folks buying used gear, but for just a few bucks more I suggest you look at:

Denon AVR-S570BT 5.2-Ch x 70 Watts 8k A/V Receiver w/Bluetooth at $219 with Free Delivery and a 1 Year Denon Warranty on a Factory Refurbished unit. But if you could scrape together just a few more $, check out Denon AVR-S660H 5.2-Ch x 75 Watts 8K A/V Receiver again with Free Delivery and a 1 Year Denon Warranty on a Factory Refurbished unit.

Try this Speaker SPL Calculator but either one should be loud enough for your purposes. Later, add a Sub if you want a better experience.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[lovinthehd]

Would depend on the deal, but I did score a very nice older Denon avr some years back for $200, and in 2ch it has quite good power (tested at 185wpc 2ch driven at .1% thd into 8 ohm, 240 or so at 4 ohm IIRC). It would take a fairly expensive integrated amp to have that power level. I like the options for bass management avrs have but few integrated amps do as well. With used gear I prefer to buy local altho that avr I got from a fellow Audioholics member via the classifieds here, but if you have a decent sized metro area I'd think you should get some good used choices. I think covid drove prices up on used gear for a while, but seems they've relaxed again.

 

[j_garcia]

You mentioned movies, so that almost certainly means AVR not Integrated, even if you don't hook up the video to it. Having HDMI will simplify the connections and decoding since devices with stereo outputs are harder to come by these days.

I've bought receivers and even my current pre/pro from AC4L also, no issues with any of them for me.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have a pair of Pioneer SP-BS21 (sensitivity of 84dB) speakers that I was using as desktop speakers, connected to an older Marantz receiver (105W per channel) in a 10' x 20' room. The receiver stopped working and I'm looking for a replacement. I would continue to be using these Pioneer speakers at my desk for music listening (no higher than 80dB on average) and also occasionally using these speakers for movie watching in the same room at moderate listening levels from 7 ft away. I have $200 to spend on a replacement receiver or amplifier. I only care about 2 channel listening. I'm looking at some receivers from the mid 2000s that were high end from Denon, Panasonic and Marantz that output 100 to 120W per channel at 8ohms. I know I don't need a receiver for 2 channel listening but the receivers I'm looking at provide a lot of power for cheap. I'm also seriously considering a used integrated amplifier but many of the ones I look at on Ebay that are working are over $200 and they are lower wattage (40W or under). My concern with an integrated amp is, would the integrated amp that I could afford have enough dynamic power for me to watch music and movies at moderate listening levels? How many watts do I really need for near field listening with decent headroom? If so, which integrated amp models would you recommend within my budget? I know I could get a small class D amp but I prefer to have everything integrated into one unit.

Stay away from old AVRs, they don't age well.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Stay away from old AVRs, they don't age well.

Agreed.

 

[head_unit]

How many watts do I really need for near field listening with decent headroom?I know I could get a small class D amp but I prefer to have everything integrated into one unit.

Very few watts. Even 10 would blow your ears off with any regular speakers. "84 dB" if that's even accurate...still quite loud with 10 watts.

What do you mean by "everything"? What inputs/features do you need that a small class D does not do?

 

[PENG]

I have a pair of Pioneer SP-BS21 (sensitivity of 84dB) speakers that I was using as desktop speakers, connected to an older Marantz receiver (105W per channel) in a 10' x 20' room. The receiver stopped working and I'm looking for a replacement. I would continue to be using these Pioneer speakers at my desk for music listening (no higher than 80dB on average) and also occasionally using these speakers for movie watching in the same room at moderate listening levels from 7 ft away. I have $200 to spend on a replacement receiver or amplifier. I only care about 2 channel listening. I'm looking at some receivers from the mid 2000s that were high end from Denon, Panasonic and Marantz that output 100 to 120W per channel at 8ohms. I know I don't need a receiver for 2 channel listening but the receivers I'm looking at provide a lot of power for cheap. I'm also seriously considering a used integrated amplifier but many of the ones I look at on Ebay that are working are over $200 and they are lower wattage (40W or under). My concern with an integrated amp is, would the integrated amp that I could afford have enough dynamic power for me to watch music and movies at moderate listening levels? How many watts do I really need for near field listening with decent headroom? If so, which integrated amp models would you recommend within my budget? I know I could get a small class D amp but I prefer to have everything integrated into one unit.

I would recommend something like this, $100 over your budget but you can try making an offer for $200-$250:

Denon AVR-4310CI 7.1 Channel AV Network Stereo Receiver Dolby DTS TESTED READ | eBay

You are right about integrate amps at such price range won't likely give you the output into 4 ohms you are looking for.

Here's the Denon's tested output figures, no integrated amps at even $2,000 today can touch such performance. I have a much older AVR-3805 that is 20 years old and is still working like it was on day 1. You may be able to find one, or the newer 3808 that has HDMI for less than $200, those were build like tanks.

Denon AVR-4310CI PLIIz Networking A/V Receiver Review

# of CH	Test Type	Power	Load	THD + N
1	CFP-BW	163 watts	8 ohms	< 0.1%
1	CFP-BW	267 watts	4 ohms	< 0.1%
1	1kHz Psweep	173 watts	8 ohms	< 0.1%
1	1kHz Psweep	276 watts	4 ohms	< 0.1%
2	1kHz PSweep	152 watts	4 ohms	< 0.1%
7	1kHz PSweep	95 watts	8 ohms	< 0.1%
7	1kHz CEA-2006	130 watts	8 ohms	< 0.1%
1	1kHz CEA-2006	192 watts	8 ohms	< 0.1%
1	1kHz CEA-2006	321 watts	4 ohms	< 0.1%

 

[chamanrdx]

Sounds like you’re in a bit of a bind with that receiver! I’ve been there too, and honestly, I’d recommend sticking with a used receiver like a Denon or Marantz. They’re usually pretty powerful and reliable, and for your room size, around 50-70W should be plenty for decent sound levels. I once picked up a used Denon AVR that was a steal and it worked great for both music and movies. If you do want to explore integrated amps, look for something with at least 60W; I’ve heard good things about the Yamaha A-S501 if you can find it for a good price. Just make sure to check the condition and reviews since buying used can be a bit of a gamble.

 

[Slave IV]

Very few watts. Even 10 would blow your ears off with any regular speakers. "84 dB" if that's even accurate...still quite loud with 10 watts.

What do you mean by "everything"? What inputs/features do you need that a small class D does not do?

Same question for the OP - what do you mean by “everything”?
I have a small integrated amp hooked up to a tv through the rca outputs and that covers 90% of “everything” I need from that setup. It also has Bluetooth connectivity which covers the other 10% when I want to stream music from my phone or other devices. Cost less than $100 and my speakers sound as good if not better than when I had them hooked up to older receivers and integrated amps that cost multiple times more when I got those.

 

[PENG]

Same question for the OP - what do you mean by “everything”?
I have a small integrated amp hooked up to a tv through the rca outputs and that covers 90% of “everything” I need from that setup. It also has Bluetooth connectivity which covers the other 10% when I want to stream music from my phone or other devices. Cost less than $100 and my speakers sound as good if not better than when I had them hooked up to older receivers and integrated amps that cost multiple times more when I got those.

If you really need an amp, integrated or power, for use with you AVR, one of the following will do for less than $100 each:

Fosi Audio V3 Amplifier Review | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

I have 3 of those, one is being used to replace my NAD integrated amp C326BEE that is in great shape but it is too big for used with my desktop system. The $80 Fosi amp sounds exactly the same to my ears vs that NAD amp that costs a lot more.

Another low cost alternative would be the Yamaha A-S301 but afaik those A-S series now are AVR adapted, absolutely nothing with that, I am just biased, don't like the feeling of being cheated... It costs more than the Fosi of course but has more functionality/features. The tiny Fosi amp will do better with 4 ohm load than the Yamaha's.

 

[carlosmiguez75]

For a setup like yours, I’d say you don’t need a ton of wattage, especially for nearfield listening. I’ve run similar speakers on an old 45W integrated amp, and it had no issues giving solid, clean sound even with a bit of headroom. If you’re sticking to around 80dB, a 40-50W amp should do the job well, even for movie watching at moderate levels. Honestly, I’d lean toward a used Yamaha A-S301 or something similar—they’re pretty reliable, and I’ve seen them pop up for under $200. But if you want to stick with a receiver, older Denon and Marantz models are great finds too, especially from that mid-2000s era.

 

[PENG]

For a setup like yours, I’d say you don’t need a ton of wattage, especially for nearfield listening. I’ve run similar speakers on an old 45W integrated amp, and it had no issues giving solid, clean sound even with a bit of headroom. If you’re sticking to around 80dB, a 40-50W amp should do the job well, even for movie watching at moderate levels. Honestly, I’d lean toward a used Yamaha A-S301 or something similar—they’re pretty reliable, and I’ve seen them pop up for under $200. But if you want to stick with a receiver, older Denon and Marantz models are great finds too, especially from that mid-2000s era.

The thing I don't prefer using such an integrated amp with receivers is volume control, but that's just me, surely many people don't mind that at all. To use it on its own, $200 for a A-S301 is a good option for sure.

 

[MrBoat]

I have a pair of Pioneer SP-BS21 (sensitivity of 84dB) speakers that I was using as desktop speakers, connected to an older Marantz receiver (105W per channel) in a 10' x 20' room. The receiver stopped working and I'm looking for a replacement. I would continue to be using these Pioneer speakers at my desk for music listening (no higher than 80dB on average) and also occasionally using these speakers for movie watching in the same room at moderate listening levels from 7 ft away. I have $200 to spend on a replacement receiver or amplifier. I only care about 2 channel listening. I'm looking at some receivers from the mid 2000s that were high end from Denon, Panasonic and Marantz that output 100 to 120W per channel at 8ohms. I know I don't need a receiver for 2 channel listening but the receivers I'm looking at provide a lot of power for cheap. I'm also seriously considering a used integrated amplifier but many of the ones I look at on Ebay that are working are over $200 and they are lower wattage (40W or under). My concern with an integrated amp is, would the integrated amp that I could afford have enough dynamic power for me to watch music and movies at moderate listening levels? How many watts do I really need for near field listening with decent headroom? If so, which integrated amp models would you recommend within my budget? I know I could get a small class D amp but I prefer to have everything integrated into one unit.

If a used AVR looks like it was well taken care of on the outside, chances are it wasn't flogged hard electronically, either. HT was a fleeting hobby for many. The owner of the used AVR I got said he had big ideas when he installed it, but life and work got in the way. He said the most use the AVR got was Nickelodeon for a couple hrs each day. It ended up in his closet back in it's box as soon as HDMI came out. After getting tired of it sitting there, he gifted it to me. I have been using it daily since 2016. Found another in as nice condition for $75.

Higher wattage AVRs are typically more robust across the board and forgiving to what they will be driving. The old 3805 that is hooked up to my PC is a near field setup. It's over 100wpc and will drive a 1 Ohm load, IIRC. I am not a fan of having 'just enough' power for that duty, regardless. I have a dozen pair of speakers. It's nice not to have to think about whether my amp will handle any one of them.

Lower powered AVRs/amps you have to be more mindful with regard to input sources being powerful enough. One setup I use my phone for and the phone is not quite strong enough to play it as loud as I like. Songs that were not recorded loudly enough are too quiet. On my stronger main system, it really doesn't matter.