Many great choices indeed. Modwright is another good choice for sure. Electrocompaniet makes very nice gear that has wonderful tone and body. Some of the best SS gear around. They also make nice integrated amps.
Considering Moving to an Integrated, Opinions Appreciated
Hi All,
I have converted a spare bedroom to an office/listening room. It is only 12x12. Like most here I have swapped gear in and out for years. I really enjoy the sound of my current system, but space is at a premium and I am considering moving to an integrated from separates. I have stacks of gear around and am more inclined to get something I can set and forget and maybe even sell a bunch of this crap :) This is my current system:
LTA microZOTL pre
McIntosh MC2505 amp
MHDT Labs Orchid DAC
PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage
Marantz TT15 Turntable
B&W Nautilus 805 Speakers
The system sounds very nice. I am not opposed to keeping the DAC and/or phono stage, but it would be nice to have everything in the integrated if possible. I was looking in the $2500-$3000 range. I might be able to extend my budget some if I can move some of my current gear. I am not opposed to used. I have been looking at things like the Lyngdorf 2710, Musical Fidelity M6si, Classe 2200i, Naim, etc. I did read the Lyngdorf vs Anthem thread, which was helpful.
The Lyngdorf seems like it ticks most of the boxes, but I am a little concerned about the amp stage. Multiple people have described it as "dry" and my preference leans more towards warm. I am aware that it is class D. I am not opposed to that, I ran a Peachtree Nova 220SE for about a year and liked it. However, I recently did some A/B testing with my current setup and the current one is the clear winner. I also bought an Emerald Physics 100.2se based on rave reviews and I thought it would be a great much with my pre, but it really did not sound good at all. Maybe it just didn't match well with the pre or speakers.
Most of my listening is digital. My TT is actually not hooked up at the moment because I don't have room on my current shelf and I am missing it.
Advice is appreciated, thanks!
I have converted a spare bedroom to an office/listening room. It is only 12x12. Like most here I have swapped gear in and out for years. I really enjoy the sound of my current system, but space is at a premium and I am considering moving to an integrated from separates. I have stacks of gear around and am more inclined to get something I can set and forget and maybe even sell a bunch of this crap :) This is my current system:
LTA microZOTL pre
McIntosh MC2505 amp
MHDT Labs Orchid DAC
PS Audio GCPH Phono Stage
Marantz TT15 Turntable
B&W Nautilus 805 Speakers
The system sounds very nice. I am not opposed to keeping the DAC and/or phono stage, but it would be nice to have everything in the integrated if possible. I was looking in the $2500-$3000 range. I might be able to extend my budget some if I can move some of my current gear. I am not opposed to used. I have been looking at things like the Lyngdorf 2710, Musical Fidelity M6si, Classe 2200i, Naim, etc. I did read the Lyngdorf vs Anthem thread, which was helpful.
The Lyngdorf seems like it ticks most of the boxes, but I am a little concerned about the amp stage. Multiple people have described it as "dry" and my preference leans more towards warm. I am aware that it is class D. I am not opposed to that, I ran a Peachtree Nova 220SE for about a year and liked it. However, I recently did some A/B testing with my current setup and the current one is the clear winner. I also bought an Emerald Physics 100.2se based on rave reviews and I thought it would be a great much with my pre, but it really did not sound good at all. Maybe it just didn't match well with the pre or speakers.
Most of my listening is digital. My TT is actually not hooked up at the moment because I don't have room on my current shelf and I am missing it.
Advice is appreciated, thanks!
- ...
- 52 posts total
Darko loves Hegel. So do I. https://darko.audio/2019/10/a-short-film-about-the-hegel-h390-kef-reference-1/ https://darko.audio/2018/10/letters-to-the-editor-hegels-soundengine-explained/ https://darko.audio/2018/10/a-short-film-about-the-hegel-h590/ The new 390 and 590 have a improved DAC over the older models. Hegel themselves state it is the best DAC they have, even better than the standalone DAC. Not sure about the older models but the new 390 and 590 will be ROON READY. You would stream via Ethernet using the Hegels so also consider an EtherREGEN switch to reduce Ethernet noise ($640). |
The dacs in the Hegels are pretty decent but not close to their standalone dacs or other quality dacs. I had the Hegel 100 then upgraded to the H300, never used its dac. (I have a new Mcintosh C47 preamp with a very good dac and I don't use that either, I have the PS Audio DS sr dac that blows all of the Hegel days away and its Roon ready which the Hegel's are not and might not be). Then I auditioned the H360 at RMAF years ago in the Hegel room and I compared their standalone dac to the H360, big difference. If you don't have a dac or its not a top quality dac, then you probably will like the Hegel H360 on up. I was thinking of buying the smaller H190 for its features for a living room setup. The H300/360/390 would be better suited for a dedicated audio room |
@why0why , Thank you for posting as I was thinking of purchasing an Anthem product and had never heard of the Lyngdorf 2710 before and after reading grannyring’s response I looked at some reviews and was very surprised at the cost/performance value is quiet outstanding - meaning for the price, especially used is a great value as I have seen for a little less than $3000 used. For example, your mention of the Clayton Audio S40 Class A amp, combined with The Truth preamp and MHDT Orchid dac, after looking up each of their specs, price and performance reviews were outstanding to say the least. I sincerely hope that no one is offended if I ask you what speakers and piece of gear are you using to play your cd’s and/or flac files through the MHDT Orchid dac? As my intention is not to hijack the OP.
|
- 52 posts total