Integrated amplifier below 1.5K for Sonus Faber?

Groovybassist: Thank you for sharing experience. I will make some audition on Nait, Cambridge Audio 540C and Sonus Faber. I see your CD player is also Naim as well as interconnect, probably its make your system sound great.

I have the AA Primo Settanta integrated amp and in many ways it is the best amp I ever had. It is not quite as refined as my YBA Design integrated or as powerful as my Classe CA100, but it is more engaging. It is extremely tubelike yet clear sounding, yet it is more engaging than my Pass Labs Aleph 30. That is its strength...engaging...it draws you in to the music like a good tube amp.

You can look up my system to see it. If I ever upgrade I can say this amp will be used in a bedroom system, as I'm not parting with it.

The key to its beautiful analogue sound is the use of power packs - the same ones Jeff Rowland and 47 Labs use, but at a budget price. AA doesn't advertise these facts as the other manufactures do, but they are there. Here are some brief thoughts on this amp that I posted: forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr....

As far as the other AA amps, here is the basic facts:
The Cento VT is the same Primo Settanta integrated w/ a tube preamp. It is a smoother and not as dynamic.
The Verdi Settanta has the same powerpack amp section with a much better two tube preamp section.
The Puccini Settanta uses a typical SS amp section w/ a SS preamp section, with a different sound.

The magic of the Primo, Cento, and Verdi is the LM3886 powerpacks. Do research on these National Semiconductor gain cards and you will find that they are awesome chip amps and contribute to its warm, fast, and dynamic sound.

Auronthas,
My short review didn't show up correctly on the last post so here it is again.
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1213790315&read&3&4&

Hi Mjcmt,

Great, I like warm, neutral soundstage.

Thanks for your review and comparison on other AA int. amplifiers. I will make a trip to hifi shops to make a critical listening between AAs with Sonus Faber Concertino Domus speaker.

If you have the ability to listen to the AA Puccini and the Verdi please post your comments for all to read. I'm so inpressed with the little Primo integrated ($995 USD). I'd like to see what the models up the food chain sound like, but I have no way to audition AA products.

Thanks,
Mike