Integrateds: Why do they all SUCK?

@madavid0,
What is a "proper" active class A line stage?

Madavido, your perception of modern circuit design is way skewed.

"Digital volume control schemes, usually some kind of electronically-controlled resistor ladder."

If you are switching in individual resistors on a chip or using an optical encoder to open up a physical relay it shouldn't make any difference.

Switching in individual resistors should sound better than a pot. 

Most all preamp circuits are run in Pure Class A anyway.

Some modern devices do employ an all digital topology that requires that analog signals are turned into digital in order to work within their designs so I can understand a bias against these designs. 

The real discussion is why you perceive that most modern integrated amplifiers "suck."

The Esoteric unit you mentioned sounds very good, so does Luxman,  and  Accuphase. 

We have sold the Luxman pieces, and Esoteric and Hegel as well as Electrocompanient, and Norma, as well as Naim  and others, many of these modern integrated sound fantastic. 

One of the world's best sounding integrated amplifiers does fit your bill it is $18k and it does use a relay switched individual resistor design. 

The T+A HV PA 3000 it also can be fitted with an outstanding phono card. The amp is 300 watts into an 8ohm load and 500 into a 4 ohm load so it can drive almost any speaker system ever built. It might fit your bill. 

http://www.ta-hifi.de/en/audiosystems/hv-series/pa-3000-hv-integrated-amplifier/

Perhaps you are listening to the wrong integrated amplifiers?

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

 

The animal skin clad, decrepit, mud-stained clan hunkered closely together as huge rain drops relentlessly pelted their goosebumped, filthy bodies.  A thunderous clap in the sky had just accompanied a jagged bolt of lightning that exploded their ‘gathering tree’ and left its remains ablaze, turning the pitch black sky into brightness much like that of mid-day sunlight. Flames from the blaze shot skyward which reflected the shock and fear in the frightened faces of the huddled, awestruck tribe.

Hesitantly, with much trepidation, their leader, MADAVID0, approached the burning, crackling conflagration engulfing their ‘gathering tree’. If he could have spoken (written nor spoken language had yet evolved within this particular, isolated population) he might have said, ‘WTF!!! That's friggin’ HOT, go find us a witch to burn!’ Instead, given his limited ability to express himself, and the mysterious nature of this new phenomenon, MADAVID0 inexplicably jumped into the blaze, leaping full speed into its white hot center! The clan gasped and moved even closer together, jaws agape, spittle hanging from their lips and incisors, unsure what to do! Alas, MADAVID0 did not emerge from the blaze, and it was days later, after the enormous fire had subsided, when the frightened band poked long poles into the ash and smoldering embers to reveal the remains of their charred leader.

 

Had they been able to speak, they might have said it, but were unable.

 

Mute, they just drooled, shuffled, whimpered a little, and stared. Anthropologists now postulate, though, that it was at that precise moment when prehistoric bands began to think it, ‘tastes like chicken!’

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@markmendenhall    - this is brilliant!   It made me laugh (and it was much needed)!!  Thank you!

@jafant Over on audioaficionado GreginNH posted that he preferred the AX-5 to the Accuphase E600.