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New Integrated amp recommendation

Greetings:

I’m looking to upgrade my Yamaha 801 to drive my Revel 328s

Unfortunately I live in South Carolina and auditioning equipment requires a fair amount of time and travel. 
The room is 20x25 loft open to one side to a staircase and 11 foot ceilings (not ideal but limited amount of conditioning will follow) 

Almost always classic rock and contemporary jazz never above 80db Vinyl/CD and streaming

I’ve read a number outstanding reviews on Luxman integrateds and that is the first question..Is the 505z a good fit? If so does stretching the budget to the 507z offer a sonic difference? If not Luxman any other recommendations. I’m not necessarily looking to color the sound of the Revels but the Yamaha and maybe the room lack a bit of low end clarity and maybe a bit of fatigue from the Be tweeters.

Finally has anyone had experience buying direct from Japan? Can I assume the transformer is going to add unwanted noise?

Appreciate any thoughts love the forum. Learn from it everyday.

Thank you

JF

 

 


 

jwfitzdo
bassbuyer
555 posts
 

Rotel MICHI X5 Series 2.  Their top of the line beast.  Suggest considering for an integrated amp.  I’ve have a great experience with Rotel equipment over the years.  Good luck with your decision.  

waltersalas's avatar
waltersalas
964 posts
 

Synthesis A100 Titan. It will drive just about any speaker out there, including yours, and it has a very nice onboard DAC. I've owned a bunch of integrateds over the years, and this one is simply above and beyond.

zx10
66 posts
 

Few years ago went thru 3 Luxman receivers , all had reliability issues and there is no parts for them. I have a McIntosh MA7900 integrated 200 WPC into 8 ohms great soundstage , has it all. They were mfg 2013- 2017 and you can probably find one for about $6,000. The newer model MA8900 great also. No need to demo it but you will need a study table it weighs 75 pounds and has a 5 band graphic equalizer built in also. I pair it among other things with a McIntosh MR-71 tube FM tuner the finest sounding radio I've ever heard. There are many other choices but with the Mac you know it's quality , parts are available , repair shops that specialize in them and a solid resale value. I'd pesonally never buy anything from Japan. Shipping , returns can all be a problem and it's all 100 volt over there unless made for U.S. market. Happy listening.

corelli
1,080 posts
 

Let's see.  The OP states he never listens above 80db.  His speakers need less than 1/2 watt on average to achieve his goal.  Even allowing for huge peaks,  he could achieve his goal with a quality low wattage/high current design.  

Yet post after post is for high powered unliftable mega-amps.  (i.e. let me tell you about my favorite amp that you don't need).

Brother.

gemoody
182 posts
 

Personally, I like Accuphase. But if you like Yamaha gear, I’m a big fan of their heavyweight integrateds, all together different animals from your 801.  The A-S2200 and A-S3200 are very, very good.  Simple, straightforward gear, quality parts, real knobs & switches, and, yup, meters!  Any Accuphase and these two Yamahas are rock solid, and could easily be the last integrated you ever buy.

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