Integrated amp: Component weight

A few people asked me to post when I came to a final decision. Well, I’m not there yet, but I think I’ve finally checked out every suggestion that’s been made in this lengthy thread. Wow, it’s been complicated!

My completed spreadsheet tells me:

A list (at most one failure to meet my list of requirements, but no dealbreakers):

Ayre EX-8 2.0 (#1 choice, but hard to find, which makes me nervous) Benchmark Benchmark LA4 pre + AHB2 pwr + DAC3 L
Bryston B135cubed
Hegel H590 (too heavy, but o/w second only to the Ayre)

Plan B
Devialet Expert 220 Pro (configuration nightmare)
Naim Uniti Nova PE (brand new, not yet reviewed)
Pass XP-12 (paired with what amp? Not sure where I’d go with this great pre)
Simaudio Moon 340i X (maybe for amp/preamp only, not phono or DAC)

As for DAC/transports, if I don’t go with an Ayre, I’d have to come up with some sort of outboard DAC/streamer/transport. I still like HiFi Rose’s streaming UI a lot, but am less enthused about the company’s DACs and quality control.

Anyway, I think that’s progress. If any has any other suggestions, I’m still open to new ideas.

A Pass Labs / Devialet combo would be interesting, eh? If only from an intellectual-curiosity standponit. I’m sure both mfrs would be horrified!

Oops -- one other suggestion was just made to me, and it definitely looks interesting: The Chord Ultima Integrated, $11,250.

Anybody have direct experience with this box?  Remember, I'm currently using Harbeths, a relatively low sensitivity, 6-ohm load that is reputed to have much higher real-world impedance.

I think it' just started to ship in North AmericaI a few months ago, so I can't find much in the way of reviews, other than a few YouTube clips. Those have been rave reviews, and one lengthy video compared the Ultima very favorably to Benchmark gear, played through a mid-range MartinLogan electrostat -- a very revealing speaker.

So I'm intrigued.  Throw in a couple of T+A integrateds that had previously slipped through the cracks and it looks like this melodrama is still far from over.  Three more products to check out...

Update: I don’t see a lot of documentation, but I’m getting the impression that the $6-10K T+A integrateds are all Class D. I’m willing to concede that there are some really superb-sounding Class D amps amps out there, but without the ability to audition before buying, I’m staying away from D topologies across the board. Dumping my current well-reviewed Class D amps is one of the main motivations for my current upgrade.

Re: Chord, I’m amazed at how much misinformation there is on Audiogon about this company. Some of the most adamant posters even confuse the Chord cable mfr with the Chord amp/DAC company. Sigh.

Chord makes Class AB gear that lowers weight by utilizing a switching power supply. But, jeez, that's not a Class D topology.  And while SPS’s are associated with switching noise, that’s not an automatic dealbreaker. A well-designed product -- like the Chord amps, apparently -- can prevent that noise from polluting the audio signal.  That's hardly news.

The pudding for me is that Chord reviews in the more credible audiophile press are consistently glowing, and seem to position the overall SQ of the Ultima line (starting at $11K) maybe one level above similarly priced offerings from the likes of Benchmark & Byrston. (The Ultima Reference line is out of my price range, so I haven’t investigated it.)  And those who own Ultimas give high praise to their performance.  Some claim that the Chords sound best with systems like Martin Logan electrostats and Wilson Sashas, and not so much with "lesser" speakers.  But that's a can of worms I can't address without first-hand experience.

Hey, I don’t have a horse in this race, and have no commitment at this point to a Chord purchase. But after a deep dive into the company, I've come to the conclusion that its amplification products don’t deserve to be dismissed as "overly bright", much less Class D-compromised or, even less rationally, being criticized as being (in the worst possible sense of the word) "pretty."  Come on.

The Chord Ultima Integrated may be a bit beyond my budget at $11,250 for an analog-only integrated, but I’d still add it to my A list, along with Benchmark, Byrston, Ayre, & Hegel integrateds.  It seems to be a well-conceived, well-designed, and well-built product.  Not sure how well it would mate with Harbeths, but I get the impression that a good fit is not unlikely.

Any Chord amp owners (not DAC owners) out there who'd like to contribute some first-hand feedback?

FINAL DECISION (WELL, NOT QUITE, BUT HERE'S THE BEST CANDIDATE YET):

When I finally completed the spreadsheet nothing jumped out at me. 

Ayre, Hegel, Bryston, Benchmark, Devialet, Audionet, Chord, Pass Labs, Simaudio Moon were all near-misses.  Every one was tempting, but none were a close enough fit.  Didn't think this would be so complicated.

But now, one more contender has appeared: T+A's brand-new R 2500 R (not to be confused with similarly named products).  Not only does this 31lb box do everything I need, but it includes a DAC/streamer that is probably better than what I'd buy as a separate.  The DAC is an update of T+A's popular $7500 model, albeit with slightly lower specs, like only (!) 512K DSD.  And the streamer even includes HDMI video passthrough for integration into a home theater. 

If I was to break a cardinal rule & consider an integrated with an embedded DAC/streamer, T+A is one of the few companies I'd short-list.  And at the risk of starting a war, I personally believe that combining a DAC & streamer in the same box is a better idea, all things equal, than connecting the two with cables and an external clock.

The R 2500 R offers about 200 wpc into 6 ohms, outstanding connectivity, and even a CD transport & FM/DAB tuner.  Overall SQ (this is T+A, of course) is likely to be as good or better than any other unit I've looked at.  It's been shipping for two months, has not yet reviewed in any venue I trust, and has already sold out at most dealerships.  But I can wait for a product that looks as spectacular as this one on paper.

As I've mentioned, I can't get out of the house, but a colleague will be demoing it at AXPONA next week.  So I should know more.

The biggest downside: $19K is way above my original budget. Still, all I would need to add would be cables & power cord. 

Maybe I'll post a thread asking for any hands-on owner feedback.  Assuming that there's anybody on Audiogon who actually owns one.

The Technics G-700 integrated is a well received and well reviewed unit. It has 70 watts into 8ohms and 140 into 4--plenty of power. It also has several patented hardware solutions to keep the Class D power on plane. The best part is the cost is about $2,800 retail and weighs under 30 pounds.