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Please tutor me on some integrated amp basics.

I’ve recently purchased Magico A3 speakers and a VPI Classic 2 SE turntable with an Ortofon Black 2M moving magnet cartridge. I have a Marantz SA 8005 CD/SACD player to play the few (maybe a hundred or so) CD’s in my possession.
I’ve mostly vinyl albums and no streaming sources. I’m next going to upgrade my old amp/preamp purchased back in the late 70’s with a new, probably integrated, one and am starting to do some research.

Here’s where I need some tutoring. A lot has changed since the seventies with the advent of digital technology. As well as I need to learn more about amplification components in the high end of audio technology. I keep running across terms I don’t understand. I’ll give you a list and if someone would be kind enough to explain these basics I’d be obliged.

For instance I was reading about the Hegel H360 integrated amp that Magico’s Alon Wolf recommended for their A3’s. The review mentioned they were a Class A/B amp, another person commented Class A’s were better, and a third person said he didn’t care for Class D amps. What do these classes signify? 

A second question is about DACs. I generally understand their purpose of the DAC, converting a digital to an analog signal. However my only digital device, the Marantz SA 8005 already has a DAC, ostensibly of good quality. The turntable ’s Ortofon cartridge would not need to play through a DAC, I presume. Would I bypass the CD’s players DAC if I purchase the higher quality Hegel H360 integrated amp?. Or could I find an equivalent integrated amp without an integral DAC?

On the other side of the equation I understand the turntable’s cartridge cannot play through the Hegel without first going through a phono stage. My old Phase Linear 4000 preamp you just plugged the turntables RCA cables into the back of the preamp and you were done. What’s that about? Do they make equivalent integrated amps to the Hegel H360 with integrated phono stages already in place, so I can just plug my turntable in as I’ve been able to do before. The amps don’t seem to be well integrated at all if you have to add a pricey phono stage to make them work, and end up having an extra DAC. That’s just me whining.

Third question is what are monoblocks, how are they used, and what are their advantages to a system? They were used at one of my speaker auditions.

I figured out the answer to what amplifier damping was myself, so I’m sparing you that one, but what does the term impedance mean? I keep coming across that.

Thank goodness I don’t have to figure out the cabling nightmare yet. Thanks for any help.

Mike
skyscraper
skyscraper OP
831 posts
 
Inna, Certainly interesting, but not easy to figure out for sure. I’ll try to find some described as "linear, balanced, clear, harmonically correct" to audition at home once the components are all here.

Twoch. I heard them demoed with ss and they sounded great, not to mention the Hegel H360’s Alon Wolf recommended were ss. I thought maybe tubes might not be as synergistic with a speaker designed to be more detailed and analytic, prompting his recommend. I have no idea anyway, just guessing.

I did think about that aspect about the Magico’s needing a bit more warmth, and the Luxmans were described that way in one review. more in the midrange if I recall. I thought I was making a wild enough decision straying from his Hegel 360 recommendation, much less going over to a tube amp. A Magico VP I spoke with also recommended another solid state integrated as an alternative to the Hegel. I didn’t want Magico to be thinking of me as a warm, cuddly sissy either for considering a nice warm tube amp, so I toed the line with ss.

Yysantabara, that’s a good question, please keep it here. I’d be interested in the answer. I would have loved to have that Mark Levinson 585, only the fear of potential poverty quenched my desire for it. Same with the Luxman 509x.

Jafant, thanks for replying.

Mike
kapa11
19 posts
 
Hello, I strongly believe that you must put aside any prejudice regarding purchasing used.

the A3´s are also on my bucket list.

My humble opinion is that for this kind of Speaker, you need:

1-Lots of Power
2-Class A/B
3-An Amp capable of low loads.


After doing lots of research on my own, since the A3 are also on my watch list and Integrated Amps for me are the best choice as well, I have narrowed a few AMPS FOR THIS SPEAKER.

But take in account than in order to fulfill this "perfect match" and stick within budget you must purchase used.

So my ultimate choice to feed the A3´s are:

1-PASS LABS

*INT-150 (discontinued)
*INT-250 

I personally have 3 AMPS now, among them I have the INT-30A but it wouldn't be a good match for the A3´s. So I could sell the INT-30 or trade it maybe at Reno Hi Fi, they are the uppermost specialist of PASS LABS in the Whole USA. They Buy, Sell, Trade, and when you sell an item to them, they will send it back to Pass to be refurbished. So basically you are buying almost new products for half the price.

I purchased the INT-30 from them for half the price as new.


From their web site:

"PASS Refurbished Product DOES guarantee that the product will perform like new, that the product has not been modified by a consumer, and that you are getting product designed as Pass Labs intended. And the one-year factory transferable warranty is your assurance of continued performance"


2-Boulder

* 865 Integrated Amplifier

This is a match made in HEAVEN , MAGICO + BOULDER

Rarely seen on the USED market, and still in production.

If you are lucky to find one for sale, it will retail around 6,000 - 7,000


3-Wells Audio

*Majestic Integrated Amp with Phono Stage. $4399 NEW

http://www.wellsaudio.com/majestic/

If you definitely want NEW this could be your best choice :

150 wpc at 8 ohms


ALSO Modwright could be a good match. But I would consider first the 3 of the above.



I am 46 years old, Audiophile since the age of 15!

I have been a subscriber of a dozen of magazines, publications, blogs, etc of Audio since then. I spent hours and hours on the web reading about Brands, Products, etc.

I have had many audio systems thru the years among the Amplifiers I have had:

1-Carver  (When I was 15)
2-McIntoish (When I was 18)
3-Krell (Keep it many years)
4-Nakamichi w/Stasis
5-Goldmund 
6-Cello
7-Carry
8-Redgum (Australia)  tube like and very good with low loads.
9-Shindo Labs
10-Pass Labs


And at least to my ears , nothing comes close to PASS, not even my SHINDO amp nor Goldmund or Cello.

I hope I have contributed with my 2 cents.

Regards














inna
7,297 posts
 
Mike, you can call me names, but I read thru some threads on Audiogon, thought about it a little, and if I were to take a wild guess taking into account everything, I would say that unless you value ultimate high frequency extension at the expense of other things, very probably the best speaker cables for your Luxman/Magico duo would be Purist Audio Design Neptune fluid cables. That would be $2000, and there is nothing I can do about it. I suspect you could get away with something for $1000 but it would not be the same, possibly not even close. The alternatives could be - Echole and Stage III Concepts brands - more expensive.
Yes, I use Neptune interconnects. I have never seen them used for sale since the time of their introduction, and many have been sold.
You could try some Wywire, Audience and Acoustic Zen copper cables but..

skyscraper OP
831 posts
 
Inna, fortunately I have until February, when the Magico’s hopefully arrive, to study and make choices on the wiring.Rest assured I will not call you names due to your suggestions, even when they haul me into bankruptcy court. At your suggestion, I will see what information I might find out about the Purist Audio Design Neptune fluid cables. What do you like about those cables? Is there something special about their design you are aware of, or is it simply the results from listening to your system with them? If you never see them used, that is a good sign, like my having to wait another five months to get my Magicos.

Kapa11, I looked into the Pass Labs integrated amps, before purchasing my Luxman integrated amp last week, and was quite impressed. If I could have afforded them, I very well might have purchased them. I still do not wish to purchase new for the aforementioned reasons, even if I could get a better product. I feel the risk is not worth the reward and don’t want the headaches of repairs to worry about when I live so far out in the country, away from but one high end service person. I’ve been there, and done used that in other realms. I won’t buy a used car for the same reasons, unless you happen to have a used low mileage ’55 Mercedes you’re thinking of parting with.

My sister still has and uses a complete set of Carver equipment from years ago she still uses. You remember those big trapezoidal shaped speakers he designed after moving on from Phase Linear. Her system still works perfectly. Thank you for your suggestions.

Mike


inna
7,297 posts
 
Mike, I am not a technical person and can't judge the design from this point of view. You can talk to Jim Aud of Purist Audio, he replies quickly, and ask him any questions. He is a former NASA engineer specializing in underwater signal transmission and he has been making cables for over 30 years. Aqueous fluid cable was his original cable. You can also talk to Audiogon member albertporter who is now Purist dealer as well. He personally has been using these cables from the very beginning of their existence, though he always has top of the line.
As for the sound, I'll spare you all the audiophile jargon, they are exquisite sophisticated cables with incredible soundstage. They do nothing wrong and almost everything right. 
I would not rush with buying expensive power cord for Luxman. First, I would get tonearm cable and speaker cables and would listen for a few weeks or month with either stock Luxman cord or, say, $200 Audio Art Classic cord. 300 hours of burn in time for Purist, less for Audio Art. Then you could decide where to go next. It would also to a degree depend on how much electrical work on your house wiring you were going to do. But if you want to get everything at the same time and everything new, that's more difficult and possibly more expensive. Getting cabling perfectly right is tough even with unlimited budget.
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