Have your say & ask the experts

and if you can get your hands on a Pioneer A-400 GTE or an A-300R Precsion grab it! ... These are the modded versions by Tom Evans ... I have an A-400 and  have been in touch with him recently, and he no longer does the modifications

I am led to believe that the A300R precision is sonically better than the A400GTE even though it has slightly less power that the 400

I have been searching for some time now and have not found one

dim_span:

and if you can get your hands on a Pioneer A-400 GTE or an A-300R Precsion grab it! ... These are the modded versions by Tom Evans ... I have an A-400 and  have been in touch with him recently, and he no longer does the modifications

I am led to believe that the A300R precision is sonically better than the A400GTE even though it has slightly less power that the 400

I have been searching for some time now and have not found one

EDITED BY MODS for straying dangerously close to suspected trading

the one I am talking about is the A300r precision ... it is a modified standard A300r and was modified/tweaked by Tom Evans .... same as the A400 GTE .... it is a standard A400 that was modified

If you cannot find any of those, get the standard A-400 .... you wont be dissapointed ... price will be between £80-£130 for one in good condition and much better than the A400X

Sorry, but there has been some abuse of such postings in the past, so have to be over-cautious.

If both parties indicate they're amenable, I will supply them with each other's email address

Gerrardasnails:

I've heard this a well thought of amp. Anyone know how old they are and how much is a fair second hand price? I don't want to get one and it die on me a year later.

dim_span:

Hey! ... if I missed something (just got back from Tesco) I'd be gutted! ... I have been searching for a Pioneer A-300x precision or an A-400 GTE for a long time

Hi mate. Ive said to Andrew that its OK to give you my email address!

gpi:

Gerrardasnails:

I've heard this a well thought of amp. Anyone know how old they are and how much is a fair second hand price? I don't want to get one and it die on me a year later.

I believe you can do better than the old Pioneer A400 for about the same money or a little more. Yes it's a classic but its design is 20 years old now. Look instead at top-rated amps of the last few years: Nad C352, Rotel RA-03, Marantz PM7001, etc. Something like the Rotel will offer much more punch and joie de vivre.

matthewpiano:

gpi:

Gerrardasnails:

I've heard this a well thought of amp. Anyone know how old they are and how much is a fair second hand price? I don't want to get one and it die on me a year later.

I believe you can do better than the old Pioneer A400 for about the same money or a little more. Yes it's a classic but its design is 20 years old now. Look instead at top-rated amps of the last few years: Nad C352, Rotel RA-03, Marantz PM7001, etc. Something like the Rotel will offer much more punch and joie de vivre.

The Rotel is a good call but I'd rather have the A400 than either the NAD or the Marantz. The fact that the Pioneer is a 20 year old design means nothing. Amplifiers haven't really improved in that time, and nothing I've heard below the price of a Sugden Mystro sounds more 'right' and musical than the A400. The modern budget amp that does run it close is the Rega Brio 3 - another piece of kit that performs well outside of its price bracket.