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Best $600 integrated for Monitor Audio RX-2?

Hello everyone,
I just acquired a pair of Monitor Audio RX-2 from a fellow Audiogoner and now I'm looking for an integrated amp to drive them. I have a budget of ~$600 for a used unit.

My room is about 16 x 13 ft and I listen mainly to rock, jazz, blues, pop and electronic. I listen at moderate volume, however sometimes I "fill the room" with music.

I did some research and found that the following integrated amps may be suitable for these speakers, room size, and my music preferences

Rega Brio-R
Rega Mira-3
Arcam FMJ-A18
Music Hall A35.2
NAD C356 BEE
Marantz PM6004/8004
Roksan Kandy KA-1 MKIII

Which one you'd get? Am I missing great integrated amplifiers that are a great match for these speakers at this price? Any advise will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
ALoha

Luciano
128x128luciano33
luciano33's avatar
luciano33 OP
63 posts
 
Hi all,
I think I narrowed it down to:

1. Brio-R
2. Arcam FMJ-A18

Does any of you have experience with pairing any of those amps with MA RX speakers? I am undecided which one I should get, since both have are similar in power, features, and price.
Any feedback will be much appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance!

luciano33's avatar
luciano33 OP
63 posts
 
Zd542, I am also considering the Creek, but I could not find any available yet. Did you mean the old 5350 or the newer version?
zd542
5,339 posts
 
I think there's 3 versions. The 5350SE (original version), the 5350SE (classic/2nd version) and the Evolution 5350. I was talking about the first or second version. There's very little difference between the 2. Either would be OK. I had the original. The Evolution is something else. Its not made in the UK and I'm pretty sure that there are some significant design changes as well.

Here's a few reasons I like it the best out of all your other choices. For me, the biggest thing is that the pre amp section is passive. That's a really big deal for sound quality. Its extremely difficult to make a good sounding active line stage for products in this price range. But, if you find that you still need an active line stage for some reason, they make an active card for it. They also, have a couple of phono cards that sound pretty good. The amp and preamp sections of the Creek are connected in the back with rca jumpers. That allows you to use it just as an amp or just as a preamp. Since the 2 sections are jumped in the back, the signal doesn't run through the section not in use. It makes upgrades so much easier.
luciano33's avatar
luciano33 OP
63 posts
 
Thank you! I'll keep an eye on it. I am almost decided on the Brio-R or the FMJ-A18 just due to current availability (and good reviews). I read about the Creek and it has great reviews.
gongli3
92 posts
 
Consider Teac AI-1000 It has parts found on much more expensive gears and sound like it. It's on sale at ebay 40% off too, which makes it a better choice than the ones you are looking at. Pretty powerful at 100 watts per ch. as well.

I was blown away with it's quality. We don't expect a mass market company like Teac to come up with a genuine hifi, but I am telling this is a real deal!
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