Best Integrated Amp (for me)

I concur with the Parasound, almost bought one but settled on a NAD C368, which is about a grand, because reasons.
The 40W/channel (at least) NAD C316BEE V2 mentioned above is an excellent value. I have the older version, now in storage, and it is an exceptional product for the money. Few if any pro reviewers would disagree.

gubaface,

 I was just talking to someone at Music Direct and he recommended the Rotel a12 with the LS50 Meta.  I’m sure it’s about the same as the 11, so what about the combination do you find shocking?

Thanks in advance.

JD

gubaface,

 I was just talking to someone at Music Direct and he recommended the Rotel a12 with the LS50 Meta.  I’m sure it’s about the same as the 11, so what about the combination do you find shocking?

Thanks in advance.

JD

In your price range most of the stuff mentioned here is pretty boring.

I'd just go for the little Rega which has some actual life to it and be done.

Take a look at Peachtree Audio.  They have a reputation for good products, reasonable  prices, and some of their amps have wood finishes, giving a vintage look.  

Mine,

I ended up getting a Marantz 140 amp on ebay for $800. Now I'm going to start looking for a decent but not-super-expensive pre-amp to accompany it (until I can save up more $ to get myself something better... maybe the Marantz 3200?). If anyone can recommend any inexpensive pre-amps, I'd be curious to hear!

I have Kef R300s a very similar speaker to the LS50s. I chose them after listening to both side by side for hours. The R300 had better bass and was more aesthetically pleasing to my SO.  I drive mine with Marantz PM8005 now the 8006 for the last 5 years quite effectively and with very music results. You can get one for $1000 from many dealers. It is made in the Marantz Japan Reference factory and comes with a 3 year warranty and very conservative power ratings. It is a Class AB and has a slightly warmish sound. You can bypass the preamp and listen direct to the power amp which I do very often on good recordings. It also has excellent tone controls for not so good ones. I also really like the Rega Brio which is a bit smller and simpler but can also be found for a grand and has excellent sound. 

mdodgeknee OP


Because they are quite hard to drive in the bass as Stereophile says, you need an amp with good current drive at 4ohms to get the very best out of them.

A used Parasound Hint would do the job very nicely, and the early ones should be around the $1k mark, and you get remote and ESS Saber dac in it also https://parasound.com/hint.php

The electrical phase angle is generally mild, but the combination of 5.3 ohms and –41° at 135Hz, a frequency where music often has high energy, will make the speaker work at its best with a good, 4 ohm–rated amplifier.

Cheers George

I'm happy with my Musical Fidelity A300. Powering a similarly inefficient B&W 805 Matrix (87db) with a reputation for being a tad bright. The A300 does a great job with sound staging, great depth while still sounding smooth.  The A300 leans slightly warm, but still has good detail and manages to sound exciting. Vocals are especially good.

I also think the phono preamp for MM is under-rated.  I have compared the A300 phono with the well regarded Adcom GFP-565 phono and there is not a clear winner (I got the Adcom, thinking it would be a great improvement over the built-in phono on the A300).  Adcom has the quieter background, but the the A300 is more lively and engaging. The A300 can be difficult to find, but I have seen them go for less than 700.00. It can be a good sleeper with ample power (150 watts, Dual Mono, lots of inputs, pre-amp out, MM/MC phono).

There are definitely a ton of great options listed above! I was bidding on the Vincent V-60 amp that someone mentioned, but lost the auction. I'm going to take my time and wait until I find something that I really fall in love with. It seems that I might need to wait until I have some more money saved up to get myself something really special. (I'm also realizing that I want to hold out for something really cool-looking... TBH, I don't necessarily have the most sophisticated audiophile ear, and so some of the more subtle sound-related nuances are probably lost on me anyways...)

@mdodgeknee any luck? 
Wondering how your journey is going.

Go for the Canor 2.10

I also recommend the Rogue Audio Sphinx V3 (definitely the V3) with a pair NOS Mullards. Shockingly good sound with the better vintage tubes, and an excellent phono stage to boot. I own one and can attest to just how good it sounds. It’s a no-brainer!

bottom line, integrated amps as a category are probably the most popular and ubiquitous form of hi end stereo component, for obvious reasons

so there is no lack of choice

key for the op is to know what he wants ’integrated’ into the unit... if it is a good mm phono stage, then it narrows the field a good bit

500 bucks will be close to impossible ... maybe 1000 for a used unit

maybe

I suggest a retail store that has a listening room. Marantz and Yamaha integrated amps seem to have a good following with happy customers. Listen to the Parasound new classic too if you have a chance. Compare on the LS 50's also if you can. Different product matches different speakers.

I'll second the Rogue Audio sphinx, or the Musical Fidelity a3.2 !

Consider a used Bryston B60.  It drives my LS50 fine.  

As the owner of two pair of LS 50s, I can tell you that they definitely benefit from serious amplification. The Rogue Sphinx suggestion seems like a good one to me.

I recently bought a Willsenton R8 integrated from China after it received very solid reviews. All hand wired KT88 integrated. I’m very happy. It’s my second KT88 integrated. I’m acquiring a collection. Great $1000 investment. 
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0BDFT4f55w

I currently have the Acurus DIA100 mkI partnered with Monitor Audio R700MD’s and I completely disagree with those above who said the mkII is bright.  The mkI, or at least my mkI, is in no way bright sounding at all, (although, I have read that sounding bright is the knock on some of these DIA’s).  
Mine is very beefy, sweet, and transparent sounding and I may be looking to sell it as I am moving overseas in a few months.  I am considering a smaller shoe-boxed size integrated.

Out of the box- Musical Fidelity a3.2 integrated amp.  110wpc with an excellent phono stage.  Dual mono construction, and excellent sound.  Built to last another 20yrs.

Marantz has several very well regarded integrated amps that would be within your price range.

Rega IO. I just picked up this lovely little integrated up @ $599.00 new, delivered. All I can say is wow! On board phono preamp, with 2 additional inputs. The phono is very nice indeed. With a newly purchased new Rega DAC-R (inbound streamed digital from MacBook Air) and Linn LP12 turntable outbound to ProAC speakers, it’s an all British system. Rega IO.
Edit: As others have referenced, the Rega Brio-R would be a great choice as well. 😎. More power than Rega IO, it has the all important phono preamp built in (as with the IO) and 2 more additional inputs if you should need them. Got Rega?

op

Ah, got it. I’d thought that a phono stage was the same thing as a pre-amp. I think I need to take a class to learn this stuff.

here is a place to start... good luck...

https://www.gearpatrol.com/tech/audio/a35915520/home-audio-equipment-guide/

and remember... an ’integrated’ amp integrates a number of basic functions... so a question to ask is what functions do you need in that box that is the integrated amp you are seeking

Marantz PM-8006

Ah, got it. I'd thought that a phono stage was the same thing as a pre-amp. I think I need to take a class to learn this stuff.

Some preamps do not have a phono stage, or phono pre, included. Mine does not, but I prefer a separate phono pre anyway.

Thanks everyone for all these great leads. A lot to explore! I'm intrigued by that Vincent V-60, I'm going to take a closer look at it. (And, you mentioned that I'd need a separate phono stage for it... but if it's an integrated amp, doesn't that mean that I don't need a pre-amp?) (I'm sorry, I know that this probably sounds very ignorant! I'm new to all of this...)

+1 Rega Brio or used Rega Elex-R.

Just my 2-cents/experience...of the several well thought of integrated amps I have owned, my favorite was actually a receiver, the Magnum Dynalab MD-208....I must have liked it because after moving on to other things I ended up buying it again............twice.  Either that or I thought it was like an ex and would be better the second time around.  

Have a look at a Peachtree Audio Nova 150. You should be able to pick one up used within your budget.  I drove my LS50s with one for several years, before I upgraded to separates (Purifi based amp, paired with a Schiit tube preamp). 

Anything from Line Magnetic will have that cool vibe and sound wonderful. 22 watts runs my inefficient bookshelves quite effortlessly. Here’s a link to something in your price range. No comment on the vendor as I have no experience with them.   

I was using Acurus with  Aerial Acoustics speakers which cannot be blamed for the bright sound. 

I agree, I also had Acurus and to me it was very bright, just painful to listen to.

For the money, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better integrated for that money the the Acurus DIA100MKll is a wonderful sounding integrated with plenty of power and wonderful dynamics’s. Read the reviews.

maybe 'for the money' it is ok, but i had one of these in the 90's and it and my totem 1's were so harsh sounding the system was unlistenable, proverbial bleeding ears ... i jumped ship within a month

this popped up, you would need a separate phono stage

https://www.ebay.com/itm/324692444385?hash=item4b992d84e1:g:p1gAAOSwjQZg0yWv

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/tas-195-vincent-audio-v-60-integrated-amplifier

For the money, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better integrated for that money the the Acurus DIA100MKll is a wonderful sounding integrated with plenty of power and wonderful dynamics’s. Read the reviews.

Vista Audio Spark + Schiit Mani will do the trick nicely. (Presuming the LS50s are used near field / small space)

I have KEF LS50 Meta powered by Rotel A11 Tribute ($800).
The synergy between the two is out of this world, just shocking!
The sound is incredibly musical and pulls you in every time. 

croft integrated and it has a very nice phono pre!

Rega IO or Brio new. Or Rega Elex-R used.

I also own Kef LS50s which are powered by a Bryston B60R integrated amp. I'm quite happy with that combo but if I was looking, the Rega Brio would be a strong consideration.

hmmmm,

that Nikko model # you called a tuner is a receiver. Will you want/need radio?

this compact minimalist rega with phono would look great with your KEF speakers

https://www.ebay.com/itm/114309536201?hash=item1a9d6119c9:g:CPkAAOSwMmRfEfYr

there's some fun stuff on eBay, anyone know about NEC brand's reliability?

this one has both MM and MC Phono built in

https://www.ebay.com/itm/133700339504?hash=item1f21294730:g:OrMAAOSwxrFgV15x

A 'hot-rodded' Rotel

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154508138880?hash=item23f9671980:g:be8AAOSwM9lg1TPN

this NAD has a nice appearance as well as built-in MM Phono

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193870577638?epid=10022973142&hash=item2d23963fe6:g:hGcAAOSwYjdgFLpJ

how much volume/power do you need?

Your speakers are low efficiency, only 85 db, which means more power is needed for the same volume level than more efficient speaker designs. I presume you are using the KEF’s in a situation where a lot of volume is not needed. If so, amp power will not be an issue. I am doing well in my small office, low 87 db sensitivity and only 10 wpc tube amp.

For a main system, larger space, more volume needed, many of us recommend trying for higher efficiency speakers, near or above 90 db. Then lower powered amps, especially lower powered TUBE amps can be used if desired.

Less power = less heat; less size and weight; more placement options; and presumably less money.
.....................................
Do you now, or might you sometime add a sub?

IF you select an amp or integrated amp, try to get one with pre-out/main in, or a tape loop, or a processor loop (any line level out/in loop). That will let you send the line level signal out to a self-powered sub with it’s own crossover and amp for the low bass. The sub will send the line level without the low bass to your amp’s main in. Now your amp does not need to make low bass, and the less efficient speakers also don’t need to try and make low bass.

I planned on doing that, but made an improper assumption my little Luxman had that, it doesn’t. I’m ok in this small office, but not in a larger space with inefficient speakers. Vintage Luxmans usually have pre-out/main-in, this new SQ-N150 does not.