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?

joekapahulu

To me Yamaha makes some of the worst sounding amplifiers I've ever listened to.

I like the NAD C316BEE V2.  Class A/B analog integrated at 40 watts/channel that can hold its own against 100 watts/channel units.
 

 

Funny enough, I have had that thought about some of the NAD amps, but I’ve enjoyed most Yamaha integrateds.

 

Now if we were talking Yamaha’s AVRs, that’d be a different discussion altogether. 

 Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amplifier.  Retains the original esthetic and wonderfully musical without the overheating issues the original had at a price below the inflation rate with what the original went for.

I have the Rotel RA-1592 and cannot say enough great things about it.  I'm no golden ear, but to me it sounds better than integrateds costing twice or thrice as much!