Technics SU-G700 (and loving it!)
This was kinda a surprise find for me. I was looking for a preamp to replace my Cambridge Audio Azur 851a (paired with the Gustard X26 Pro), but after trying the new Rotel 1590 MK2 I was so disappointed with how it sounded (flat and narrow) that I kinda just gave up on a preamp in the $2,500 range and figured I'd just try something else.
I was so impressed with my Azur (with power 851w amp) I wanted to try some different integrated amps in the 2-3k price range and just see what's out there. Tried an open box Yamaha S-2100 and thought it was good, but mainly just a more robust and nicer version of the Azur 851a in all of it's features and sound. It is a beautiful amp though, just gorgeous and tank like. However it didn't really impress me enough (again extremely cool and sounded good) to justify spending 3k to replace my already excellent $1,500 amp. So then came the Technics!
I was just kicking around searches and then saw the SU-G700. I loved the "look" of it and then the more I read, the more I was intrigued by it. I ordered it and hooked it up and was really surprised by it. It was so different then the Rotel, Cambridge and Yamaha.
It's been said that the SU-G700 is both "neutral" and "nuanced", and I can agree. It's probably neutral on it's own, but paired with an external DAC (my case the X26 Pro) and then layering in DAC filters and the Techniques LAPC tech, this amp has multiple personalities and most of all brings out sounds the likes I've never heard from my music and KEF LS50 Meta's.
It is however a total acquired taste of an amp I'm sure. All digital, very processed and clean in it's sound, but all I can say is LAPC tech is very interesting and fun to explore, and does different things to different speakers (and rooms). You can run this amp as a one and done, but throw in the LAPC and an external DAC and now you'll get sound changing results that augment eachother in powers. It's really that drastic! It just had me smiling the more I listened.
All I can say is I smile a lot now when I listen to old (and new) music because of the Technics. I can go into more my early personal experiences, but it's really a great looking and sounding integrated amp that rewards you by way of your other source components.
