What kind of amp?


Hi. I would welcome opinions and suggestions for an integrated amp (ss or tube)(new or used) that would go with my system. I am venturing into the great new world of hi-fi and am tin the process of upgrading -- I am a bit overwhelmed by choices. I am looking for a good, solid all-arounder -- jazz, classical, latin, pop/rock, and thought this would be great place to get some advice. I have about $2500 or so to spend.

System now --

Heart CD-6000
Harbeth compact es&'s
Planar 3 with rega arm
Audioquest type 4 cables
Old creek 4140 s2 amp.

Thanks in advance for your help.
pyun
Pyun, all of the amps recommended above should be fine. I assume you mean Harbeth HL Compact 7ES. As a Harbeth user, you might want to go to the Harbeth website and either join and ask your question or just browse the user group messages as this question is asked from time-to-time.

There are two schools of thought w/re amps and Harbeth Compact 7 speakers, although both schools agree that they work well with almost any amplifier. One school, made up of card-carrying audiophiles and audio distributors and retailers, will tell you that these sepakers are very revealing of everything an amplifier does right or wrong, and every member of this school with a favorite amp will tell you that his favorite is the best, along with maybe one or two others. Some of these audiophiles will say tube amps are best. If you choose to follow the advice of an audiophile in this group, just make sure you get an amp with plenty of power, at least 100 wpc. I use amps with 150 to 180 wpc.

The second school of thought w/re amps and Harbeths, made up of Alan Shaw, the designer of the speakers, Professor Greene, who reviewed these speakers in The Absolute Sound and uses a pair in his living room just to listen to music, and a lot of electrical engineering types who design audio equipment for a living, say you should just get a competently designed high power solid state amp, like the ones recommended to you above (there are many more). Dr. Greene likes the Plinius and Brystons. Some members of this group would recommend something like a NAD C370 integrated amp, and I think that would work fine.

I belong to both schools. I use high current low distortion solid state amps that I have decided sound better to me than anything else I've heard, a Muse 160, and with my slightly smaller HL K6's, ahem, a Carver AV-705x (using 2 of the 5 channels) designed by another Harbeth user, Jim Croft, who earlier designed the Carver Lightstar II praised as a perfect amp by the aforementioned Dr. Greene, which I found on Ebay for about $500. Even though Jim has told me I shouldnt hear a difference between his amps and other competently designed solid state amps with enough power to drive the speakers (like the NAD C370), I like his amp a lot. I cant seem to hear any sonic character from it at all and it certainly has enough power to drive just about any speaker. Nevertheless, if I were you, I would probably go with a new amp or if used, something like a Bryston with a long transferable warranty.

Paul
Look into the new Ayre AX-7 integrated, an excellent choice that is starting to show up on the used market.
Now I see you asked for integrated. Some of the above and my amps are basic power amps. You want a high-powered integrated. If you like Creek and have a smallish room, I know C7 users who are happy with the 5350se (I think that's what it's called).
Do give the VTL IT-85 a listen in addition to other amps suggested here. This is a great sounding EL34 integrated. I have not been into integrateds, but this is an amp I could really live with were it not for my current speaker set up :-) It is a real sweet amp that does eveything well IMO. Smoothness combined with good authority, excellent imaging and a real sense of space. Just really, really nice all the way around. You can get the IT-85 at a street price that is lower than your budget (I do not recall the exact price but it was lower than the approximately $2500 list.) I will go for this in a heartbeat if I downsize in the future.
I have just listen to the new Parasound Halo series. The amp and preamp will set you back about $1600.00 new. Come with a very good warranty,10 years parts,5 years labor. Very stylish units. The sonics are very good in this price range-Parasound got it all very right with these. Go to www.parasound.com and click on the Halo section for these products. The amp is 125 per side into 8 ohms.