Integrateds: Why do they all SUCK?

jond
2,619 posts
01-31-2018 4:32pm
The OP has already answers his own, once again trolling, question. "Aside from a few very high end products", yes it's expensive to do all those things right. As with many things you get what you pay for.

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+1 ...... Nailed it ! .....point , set, and match! ..... ( Emphasis added). 

Don't feed the troll......full stop.

Definition of an Internet Troll per Wikipedia :

".... In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll's amusements..."

There are plenty of perfect integrateds with an output of about 100 watt per channel. A good example would be the Yamaha AS 701/801. The problem arises if you need more power than that. Almost nobody seems to make integrateds with all the modern stuff like digital inputs, and a power output of 200 watts or more. And yet, that is what you need for most high quality loudspeakers in anything other than a small room.

My my..One of the highest quality integrated amps in the U.S., hand made in sunny California, just popped up on TMR, brand new, not used,
50% off. The CODA CSiB. The V3 version. A real brute if you need a lot of muscle. 400 watts per side @ 8 ohms. All silver finish, I'm considering buying it to put in my Bentley. Sure is pretty at $ 2799.00.

Sure, but no digital inputs and not particularly cheap. My observation was that there are numerous really very good integrated amplifiers from mainstream manufacturers with about 100 watt per channel output such as the Yamaha's that I referred to, but above that the market is much much thinner. You either have to pay multi dollars for audiophile brands, or go the route of pro audio separates. I am just wondering if the 100 watt ceiling has a technical basis, or is just what the marketing people came up with as a practical limit to what make sense for most ordinary listeners. I really don't know. What I do know is that more watts make for a rather cleaner sound in many situations.