Krell S300i vs Hegel H100 vs Parasound

FWIW, I considered the Mac MA5200 too but could not find a 4 Ohm rating for its amp section anywhere on the internet and on Macs own website. In fact the back panel of the 5200 clearly states 8 Ohm by the speaker terminals. The Dyns you ordered are 4 Ohm and do love current, so you may want to rethink this one. Unless some 5200 owners can give assurances that it can properly drive your Dyns.

The title of your thread is asking about the Hegel H100. Now you state you need a DAC so you're looking at the H80? Have your needs changed since your original post?

If so, here's one to consider that may meet all your needs - the new Parasound Halo Integrated. More powerful than the H100 or Krell and with a built in Wolfson DAC. At $2500 its right in your budget.

How much higher is hard to say since it's so subjective. I just think you've got excellent speakers that would justify and greatly benefit from higher quality amplification. And if they're rated at 4 Ohms it's a good bet they drop below that in at least one point along the frequency curve. One example of a higher level integrated would be a Pass Labs INT150 that's for sale here listed at $3700. It puts out 150W and doubles into 4 Ohms that I think your Dyns would appreciate, and it operates in pure Class A up to 10W that would probably be where you'd do most of your listening. I think this could be a great fit both for your speakers and your listening preferences, and it should be much more than an incremental improvement over an H100 or H80. There are several reviews from Stereophile, Positive Feedback, 6 moons, etc. that would be worth reading. I think it's more on par with the quality of your speakers as well. It's like buying a sports car -- you could put cheaper tires on it and it will still run, but it's capable of providing much better performance with better tires.

The Halo is a nice recommendation, but the treble is likely to be a little hotter than the Pass. Not sure if it would be too much or not -- that's entirely your call, but the risk of you finding the treble irritating is probably higher with the Parasound.

I think you're greatly limiting your choices by requiring an onboard DAC. And the way technology is changing I'd recommend buying a standalone DAC, which would also give you more choices there as well. For better or worse.

I've never heard the Parasound Integrated, but based on my experience I find it hard to believe that the treble would sound hot. I currently own a Parasound A21 and have owned and heard other Parasound amps. I submit Parasound is on the "warm" side of neutral.

Not much in the way of Ayre or Musical Fidelity on the used market right now. Read some reviews on the Pass and it doesn't seem to have warmth to it like the Mc would possibly have.

The Hegel and Mc MA5200 don't have built-in eq so I will probably pass them up as I would like to have some sort of control over the sound as they will be at least three different sources.

Too many options out there.

I may just use my Rotel Processor for now and get a nice amp and then upgrade the preamp later.

BUT, for those of you who use external DACs what do y'all use to adjust the sound, like a 5 band EQ or something at least.

@Ricred1...The Halo integrated is brand new with a power output somewhere between the A23 and the A21. It appears to be full featured too with a built-in DAC amd bass management. Here's a link:

http://parasound.com/halo/integrated.php

Looks good at $2500 for those wanting a one box solution due to space constraints.