2. amps-preamps
  3. 127867-2164

First Watt with KEF LS50s

Are any of the First Watt amps suitable for driving LS50s, and if so which?  Listening preference is jazz and baroque at moderate levels.  The LS50s are supplemented below 80 Hz by a pair of Velodyne HGS-10s with an SMS-1 bass manager.

db
dbphd
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,802 posts
 
Budget?

If an integrated what other features might be of interest? That’s a big factor there. Some I find of interest are built in DAC, phono, headphone amp and even Bluetooth.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,802 posts
 
dbphd I would consider an integrated if that add any value for you even more than otherwise if a Class D integrated. I have Bel Canto c5i and have heard others like Rogue Sphinx and Pharoah and am pretty convinced separates no longer offer the same advantages they used to over integrated amps in terms of noise levels and distortion. The c5i integrated gives up nothing to the Bel Canto ref1000m amps I run in my main larger system in this regard. The next amp I get for that may well be a Class D based integrated amp as well something along the line of Rogue Pharoah or whatver the latest and greatest may be when that time comes.
dbphd OP
1,633 posts
 
I think I would use only the balanced input, perhaps with a Goldpoint to switch between an Oppo BDP 105 and Sony HAP-Z1ES, both of which sound better with balanced output.  It would be nice to have an HDMI option, but HDMI seems a can of worms small companies fear to open, although Bryston seems to have done HDMI pretty well in my SP3.

More to discover