Integrated Amp Bargains with good balanced sound?

i looked thru your other threads and i see that we have a few components in common. i run a rega 25 (1 "up" from your rega 3) we also use the denon dl-160. my integrated amp is the audio refinement complete. as others have said, if u get the ARComplete, you'll have to get an outboard phono stage. and to get the most out of your cartridge, you'll have to get one that allows for variable gain and input loading. (i've found that gain at 44db and loading at 1000ohms works best with the denon 160) i use a musical surroundings phonomena as my phono pre. it can be had at around $300 used here.

an aside: a year ago, i was in the same situation u are in now...upgrading an outmoded vinyl playback system. it took me a year and more $ than i wanted to spend, but i've reached the point where i now find myself with an ear-to-ear grin when i listen to my kickin' system. good luck in your search

Thanks Amondrool.
I came to the same conclusion by reading various info online. With my newfound GooGle-wisdom here is what I think:

It appears to me the correct answer for me: ROTEL RQ-970BX (under $200.00) better than most integrateds.

Methink: In a last 15 years none or almost none of the Hi-Fi manufacturers cared about Turn Table users. TT users comprise a very small niche. Therefore absolute majority of integrated Phono stages don't worth shit even if Int-Amp is worth a lot.
I am not saying one cannot get lucky and buy some esoteric Amp with a decent Phono stage ,but I will take a safe road and invest in separate Phono stage at this point in a game.

Go4Vinyl I read horrible professional review of Denon PMA2000
It was recognized as great amp with dual mono design, but the reviewer stated that if "one is looking for Phono stage, you might just forget about this Denon" It is throw away built-in phono stage built on components shared by a range of Japanese manufacturers.
So that review eliminated Denon for me, unless I can use it with separate Phono-Stage. The question is what input on Denon to go through from the Phono?

Hi Dkzzzz:

The outboard phono stage would go through any other aux line input on your amplifier. The input is no different than the one used by a tape deck or cd player.

Regards,

Rich

I looked at a few (20) AMPs and I stil have questions:

1. Should I care about power outlets integrated in a back panel of the Amp? I like the idea of cleaner current.

2. Should I stay with speaker cable clipping or should I switch to banana clips or RCA plugs? Most Amps don't have clips on the back panel but rather RCA jacks (don't like RCA)
I lean towards staying with clips what you say? Any good reasons?

Thank you much.