Integrateds: Why do they all SUCK?

Good Integrated tube power amps are hard to design and make, except cost no limit amps.
The reason behind this is any power amp with variable gain stage need ladder resistor network or multi section input transformers combined with switches, they are big and expensive. Also, any real highend power amp with high gain stage should have shunt voltage regulator to sound good, which is expensive and takes space due to heat dissapation requirement.
All in all, for optimal cost effective production,it is desired to have seperate preamp and power amp manufactured.

How about my restored Scott 233 and LK72? Vintage tube sound at its best!        Also my Proton 520 SS can kick serious b*tt!

jond
2,619 posts
01-31-2018 4:32pm
The OP has already answers his own, once again trolling, question. "Aside from a few very high end products", yes it's expensive to do all those things right. As with many things you get what you pay for.

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+1 ...... Nailed it ! .....point , set, and match! ..... ( Emphasis added). 

Don't feed the troll......full stop.

Definition of an Internet Troll per Wikipedia :

".... In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll's amusements..."

There are plenty of perfect integrateds with an output of about 100 watt per channel. A good example would be the Yamaha AS 701/801. The problem arises if you need more power than that. Almost nobody seems to make integrateds with all the modern stuff like digital inputs, and a power output of 200 watts or more. And yet, that is what you need for most high quality loudspeakers in anything other than a small room.

My my..One of the highest quality integrated amps in the U.S., hand made in sunny California, just popped up on TMR, brand new, not used,
50% off. The CODA CSiB. The V3 version. A real brute if you need a lot of muscle. 400 watts per side @ 8 ohms. All silver finish, I'm considering buying it to put in my Bentley. Sure is pretty at $ 2799.00.