2. amps-preamps
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Is There any Truly "High End" Integrated Amp?


I'm a reasonably well experienced audio nut and have tried a number of "good" integrated amps. I wonder, though, if there are integrated amps that are good enough for the "best", most revealing speakers. (Think Avalon Eidolon, Verity Parsifal, various JM Lab Utopias, and a variety of other fine speakers that do not have mammoth power requirements.)

People talk about the Levinson, the Musical Fidelity KW-500 and the lesser MF amps, the BAT integrated, The Rowland Concerto, etc. etc. etc.

I would like to hear from people who have actually tried the top tier of integrated amps and would be very interested in learning of their findings.

Don't need to be the most expensive. Could be the YBA Passion, Classe, MacIntosh 6900, Krell 400i, or any of a number of integrated amps that are supposed to sound good.

Hope to hear some good feedback.

Thanks very much.
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jsaah's avatar
jsaah
0 posts
 
I have about 200 hours on my VAC PHI Beta integrated (sells for 19000.) It is simply the finest sound I have had in my system. I have had separates until now, including Macintosh, Pass Labs, Plinius, Aesthetix, and a few others. Coherent sound from top to bottom, plenty of bass focus and punch. Sweet, rich tube sound, with plenty of weight. I am using it to drive my Genesis 501's and it also has a very good phono stage as well. Worth a listen IMHO.Kevin Hayes thinks it's the best piece to come out of his shop, and that's saying a lot.
Joe
rwwear
2,867 posts
 
Absolute Sound claims the ASR Emitter II is the best thing going.
seldon
23 posts
 
I own the Goldmund integrated and I must say that it is really really good. I also own separates (EAD PM2000, Lamm L1) and I have "fooled around" using the Goldmund on my main system (Amati's) and I was quite impressed.

You can't find the Goldmund integrated too much on Audiogon; I guess the people who have them love them too much, but if you ever get a chance, I don't think you can go wrong for not too much money.
philnyc
162 posts
 
It's a bit of an oxymoron, but the 4-piece ASR "Integrated amp" is a pretty serious piece of work...
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
The Krell KCT and any of their cx series of amps are electronically identical to an integrated amp because of the CAST connection between the components that keeps the balanced signal in the current domain in the connection implementation. So as much an oxymoron as the multipiece ASR.
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