The speaker load is a very important consideration here. Solid state and tube amps are great choices but paired with the right speakers. I have Line Magnetic and Rogue tube amps paired with easy to drive speakers with higher sensitivity. I also have a Musical Fidelity M6 500i that drives lower sensitivity speakers. All of them are good integrated amps. But not really interchangeable.
Budget integrated amp?
Friend's amp is having issues and he asked me what was "good...for around $1000 new". Like me he is deep in the middle of the Pacific, actually deeper than me because he is on the Big Island of Hawaii, out in the desert/volcano area. I suggested the Schiit Ragnarok 2 which I have only read about but is on sale and has both good writeups and a 5 year warranty and is American made. Also, the Marantz PM6007, a few Rotel amps I read about that are on deal at Crutchfield (which ships to Hawaii free) and the Outlaw RR2160, which I have heard at another friend's. He is an older boomer like me and wants something like his old Marantz 2252B. I told him that those dont exist anymore. For those of you who might have head some of these am I giving him good ideas and have I missed anything substantive. He is not oriented to used and is on a tight budget. He is running both a CDP and an iFi streamer. Suggestions?
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Great suggestions here ... I would check The Music Room ...
https://tmraudio.com/components/integrated-amplifiers/?page=3&rb_price=379.95%2C1000&tab=products |
If you value versatility, you should strongly consider the Parasound New Classic 200 Integrated, now selling for $999. They started from their NC200 preamp, so it includes phono section, DAC, HT bypass, bass management/subwoofer support, remote control, tone & balance controls, & headphone amp. Then they tucked a Pascal class D 110 watt/channel amp into the case. https://www.soundandvision.com/content/parasound-newclassic-200-integrated-amplifier-review |
- 42 posts total