Integrated amp: Component weight

@blisshifi 

Hope you don't think I was putting down Cambridge.  I've been a big fan of the company since Harry started it and have used many Cambridge products in home theaters, on the desktop, etc., with great results.  But this time, I'm looking for a major step up, a full electronics upgrade, and am willing to spend maybe $20K for components & cables.  The Edge, from what I read, is a real bargain and is a true audiophile amp, especially considering its price.  But does it offer the connectivity I need, and is it in a class with $10K boxes from Ayre, Hegel, Levinson, etc.?  I don't get the impression that it's the right fit.  But you seem to have much more experience than I do with the Edge line.  What do you think, given all that?

I dunno about Margules.  I want to keep an open mind & I"m willing to convince myself if that makes sense.  But I have no knowledge at all of the specific model you recommend.  Could this be used in a multi-channel system that requires an integrated to offer HT bypass, at least 3 line-level inputs, along with a sub output and the ability  to drive an external headphone amp?

@blisshifi, The OP states he wants an amp under 40 pounds. The Cambridge EDGE A amp Weight is 53.70 pounds meaning it is too heavy. On the other hand, the Ayre EX-8 2.0 amp only weighs 24 pounds.

Finding a high quality amp, under 40 pounds, including the OP’s other requirements is not easy. The Ayre EX-8 2.0 amp at 24 pounds is the only amp I found that meets this requirement. It seems every other amp is too heavy. This is a very difficult challenge.

I have similar amp weight restrictions. I purchased the Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp that weighs 36.6 pounds and like it very much. 

@hgeifman The only reason I mentioned the EDGE A is because despite the OP’s weight specification, he also mentioned interest in a 50lb unit, so I figured this one wasn’t far off. :) But yes, it is over 40lb.

@cundare2 I’m not sure which Harbeths you have - can you restate if I somehow missed it? I see you don’t have a virtual system in your profile. I like Harbeths, but I find them to be somewhat sweet on top at times, depending on the speaker, which is why I mention the EDGE, which may bring out more clarity. Seeing that you’re in Hawaii, you might have a hard time demoing things, but it’d be best to hear the amp with your speakers in your room before making a purchase. While it will likely control the Harbeths really well, the sonic signature is slightly warm, but also very detailed and incisive, so how that pairs based on your sonic preferences is left to be determined. I have had two customers, for instance, move away from the Hegel H590 to go to an EDGE A integrated, and the H590 is almost double the retail price.

@cundare2, I agree with @blisshifi that it would be best to hear the amp with your speakers in your room before making a purchase.  Is this possible?  If not, you need an option to return the amp if you do not like it. 

@geof3

Yes, you’re right. I was thinking of the Hegel. The EX-8 would probably spec at about 130-140wpc (nominal, of course) for my 6-ohm Harbeths.  Thanks for catching that.

Harbeth recommends a nominal 25wpc, but also released a video in which the designer/owner of the company powered them with a high-end amp that offered VU meters.  You could see that the Harbeths drew upwards of 300 watts on peaks, and the final recommendation was that, although you could get decent dynamics with a lower-powered amp, the entire Harbeth line would do its best with amplification that had plenty of raw power, especially overhead.  That's one area where Ayre is outclassed by Hegel, at least in my application.

Harbeths have relatively low sensitivity, but other than that, they were deliberately designed to present an easy load. See JA’s measurements in Stereophile. Rememeber that these are thin-walled critters with roots going back to the BBC designs. As an old LS3/5A fan, that was one thing that originally caught my attention many years ago, when I first started thinking about them when I was forced to sell my Quad 57s.