2. amps-preamps
  3. 1066924332

integrated amp that matches well w/ Soliloquy 5.3s

I am currently looking to get a new integrated amplifier for my system. I have Soliloquy 5.3 speakers which i love but I do find them a little bright. (The brightness may also be due to my CD player which I am also considering upgrading but I thought I would get the delivery portion of my system done first then I would be in a position to test several different cd players into my system to find the best fit)

I have read suggestions that a tube type integrated would be best. I listen to jazz, alternative rock, and a little techno and thought that a hybrid integrated (Unison Unico Pathos Logos etc.) would do the trick but not sure.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated. Looking to spend under $2500.

Also a brief mention is made in HiFi+ of a modded version of the Canary CA-608 that won both Prodcut & Editors choice award (http://www.hifiplus.com/hi-fi_awards_2001.html) but I can't seem to find a lot of reviews regarding the stock version, let alone the modified version. Does anyone have any comments or thoughts regarding this product?

Thanks in advance

Chuckiemon
chuckiemon
s7horton
1,077 posts
 
I think the Unison would be a great match. Perfect amount of power unless you really crank it and will smooth out that brightness you are refering to. Also, don't be afraid to give a listen to the YBA line of integrateds. They can have the warm sound of tubes.
gmood1
1,251 posts
 
If your not stuck on just integrates.I will suggest Monarchy SM-70 monoblocks with a nice tube preamp on the front.If you go used it will put you well under $2500.00.And the rest could go for wires or another CD player.Try some pure copper interconnects between your cd player and amp or preamp...If you haven't tried this already.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Click here to see where a company mated Soliloquy with Jeff Rowland and Audiophilia agreed it was a great match. There are other comments out there, do a Google search on Rowland Soliloquy.

A Concentra I, used, would meet your price. The link above was with the Concentra II.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,627 posts
 
Have you tried adjusting toe-in? Less toe-in equals softer HF's. Not exactly earth shaking info as you would then be listening slightly off axis.
chuckiemon OP
3 posts
 
Thanks for all the input so far

Let me respond starting from the top.

Mrfastguy250aol, I haven't tried cabling. I was saving that as a tweak once i had completed a successful upgrade and was looking for that last little bit to get me where I want to go. Having said that, maybe cabling is all I need and my upgrade path might be a short one. Thx.

S7horton, the Unison does interest me. Guess i just got to try it and see what (if anything) I am missing. The YBAs are also of interest, just not finding a lot of local dealers (in Toronto) that carry them.

Gmood1, Thanks for the suggestion. I am not stuck on integrateds. I just like the idea of simplicity. I was entertaining going with Marsh A400 and P2000T for awhile. Might still end up on the seperate path. As for the idea of trying new cabling , I might give that a whirl before doing anything else.

Brianmgrarcom, I was looking at the Concentras as my first original pick because I decided to audition the Soliloquy's based on that exact article you reference. However I have not seen a lot of Concentras around for me to listen to. If i do find one, i'll be sure to give it a test drive. Thanks for the suggestion

Dekay, I tried to "soften" the toe in position and the soundstage lost depth and got wider but the brightness was still there. I did find that adding a power condtioner (although not a very expensive one) helped soften some of the edginess (and thus less perceived brightness). Maybe i need to go through my cables (interconnects and power) as listed above to get the desired results.

Thanks to all for your posts to date...keep'em coming.

Cheers
More to discover