Oh... somehow, reading through the thread, I missed that fact.
Primare/ Vincent Adio /NAD /Rogue/ AVA /Hegel...- need a simple and reliable integrated
I came up with this list based on price and functions but all I know is that they are (mostly) boutique brands, cherished by audiophiles. I have heard NAD and Vincent and none of the rest.
- Vincent SV-500
- Primare I2*
- Rogue Sphinx v2
- Audio by Van Alstine Vision SLR
- Hegel H160/ H120
- NAD C368
- Simaudio Moon I-5
I don't stream, I have a turntable and CD player. I am good with 50Watts per channel, and I would like to avoid tubes for no-fuss maintenance. I have Klipsch RP8000F speakers. I prefer sound on the warm side, I mostly listen to 60s and 70s rock and some soul/jazz/blues. I have decent hearing, I enjoy a nice soundstage but I nothing as critical and analytical as some of you/the typical audiophile.
I am a bit shallow, looks are important :) My budget would allow me to buy one of these used 5-10 years old (stretched... price is key, I would prefer a cheaper model with less functions)
If you own or have heard any of them and can tell me what the best choice/value is based on sound and reliability, that would be a great help.
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- 100 posts total
I am not 100% I am done (who is ever) but at least I am not chasing 6 different amps. I tried
I could not try Hegel, Simaudio, Billie. etc. Through the process I learned that the amp is really the heart of the system. Maybe for the simple reason that swapping speakers is easier than swapping amps. (More steps) As the wording suggests, I did not keep any of the above. I liked the Creek the most and it's still a contender. I conceded to that Hegel and Simaudio is outside my budget even used. But there are other choices, the AVA and NAD for instance. |
@mesch I do not need a phono stage. Was I confusing about it? |
@gano the confusion was probably mine. Maybe it was an issue abut amp having preamp outputs? |
- 100 posts total