Budget integrated amp?
Friend's amp is having issues and he asked me what was "good...for around $1000 new". Like me he is deep in the middle of the Pacific, actually deeper than me because he is on the Big Island of Hawaii, out in the desert/volcano area. I suggested the Schiit Ragnarok 2 which I have only read about but is on sale and has both good writeups and a 5 year warranty and is American made. Also, the Marantz PM6007, a few Rotel amps I read about that are on deal at Crutchfield (which ships to Hawaii free) and the Outlaw RR2160, which I have heard at another friend's. He is an older boomer like me and wants something like his old Marantz 2252B. I told him that those dont exist anymore. For those of you who might have head some of these am I giving him good ideas and have I missed anything substantive. He is not oriented to used and is on a tight budget. He is running both a CDP and an iFi streamer. Suggestions?
If you value versatility, you should strongly consider the Parasound New Classic 200 Integrated, now selling for $999. They started from their NC200 preamp, so it includes phono section, DAC, HT bypass, bass management/subwoofer support, remote control, tone & balance controls, & headphone amp. Then they tucked a Pascal class D 110 watt/channel amp into the case. https://www.soundandvision.com/content/parasound-newclassic-200-integrated-amplifier-review |
Funny enough, I have had that thought about some of the NAD amps, but I’ve enjoyed most Yamaha integrateds.
Now if we were talking Yamaha’s AVRs, that’d be a different discussion altogether. |
