2. amps-preamps
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Separates or Integrated? What makes more sense?

If you had $10,000 to spend on amplification, would you put all that money and get a really great and pricey integrated amp like a Pass or Luxman. Or, would you use that 10k to buy a really great preamp and amp combo. Apart from the convenience and space consideration, hypothetically how would you choose to spend that 10k if sound was your main criterion.

J
tyan42
Post removed 
thecarpathian
4,186 posts
 
@dentdog ,
What if the integrated amp had a separate, dual power supply??
coltrane1's avatar
coltrane1
696 posts
 
I’m for separates. $10k isn’t necessary. Dennis Had Firebottle HO KT88. Dennis Had 6SN7 pre.  You’ve saved $7k. Thank me later. 
wolf_garcia
6,644 posts
 
The Firebottle Club! The Had HO is an astonishing and seemingly underrated thing, possibly due to the relative lack of availability including him not actually making this amp recently. What's his Ebay output...a couple of dozen a year? The only amps at this point I'd try for more power would be the Had built QMB-25 monos from Moon, which along with his headphone amps could explain why he does so few of the other stuff like the HO and various single ended items and preamps.
dentdog's avatar
dentdog
487 posts
 
The technology may well be there to keep the noise floor down with an integrated and don’t think one can assume a superior sound with separates.Thinking here that a separate power supply for the integrated would certainly have advantages. I will say though, lowering the noise floor had been a big deal in my system. Would think the industry people know to a pretty fine degree how much the noise floor is compromised in an integrated and would understand their reticence in addressing this on a public forum.


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