Promitheus Ref TVC and RWA Sig 30.2 Power Amp

I've never heard the Prom but I'm sure that the Bent is comparable if not even better (as far as features go). The Red Wine integrated and the power amp are virtually the same except for the Goldpoint attenuator (also input Z - 20K for the integrated versus 100k for the power amp).
The sound of the power amp version will be greatly influenced by the sonic signature of the preamp preceding it. The TVC's are very transparent and neutral, however the Sig 30.2 integrated is just nicely flavoured as it is.

In my case, the only reason I would consider going with the power amp version is to precede it with Vinnie's Isabella preamp.

Once again I say just go with the integrated version.

Dave

Buy used RWA integrated.
If you need more gain - TVC or CIA passive will do.

The source(s) is/are more critical to a TVC, or any passive, than the amp.

Dave,
I get your point. But I will have to wait for at least a year to get the RWA, since budgets are routed elsewhere currently.

Mrjstark,
Yes, I m looking at the used market too. Can you please throw some light on the "more gain" part. When it comes to "tech" terminology in the audio world...I m a noob. My concern is I will be going down from 80W/ch to 30W/ch. So will the sound (music) detiorate if I use the RWA 30.2 with the Quad 21L I own? I am really very happy with my Quads and have no intentions to change the speakers. If the RWAs cannot handle the Quads, then I will look at some other amp/preamp combination.

Ngjockey,
My source is the Marantz SA8260 that I am pretty happy with and do not intend to change it in the near future (unless it gives up). Occasionally I will also use an Oppo 970 player.

Thank you guys for your responses.

I have a 1st gen Bent TVC with S&B transformers. It's an excellent performer with stellar imaging and transparency. I had a Promitheus about a year ago. Everything about the Bent is better. The Promitheus had a buzz I could never get rid of. The Bent has a better ground design. There's a switch for each channel allowing you to float or ground the output jacks. The Bent also switches positive and negative inputs when the source is changed. This prevents crosstalk and eliminates any ground issues. The Promitheus and Sonic Euphoria have a common ground for inputs which can lead to problems.

Bent just released a new passive using autoformers. I heard it about a month ago and was impressed. In my opinion, autoformers have more bloom than TVCs. TVC's often sound thin in the midbass region. If you do the comparison, you'll know what I mean.

In my experience, the Sonic Euphoria was better sounding than the Promitheus. It had significantly better bass. It also uses autoformers.

FWIW, I think the money you put into a passive would be better spent on your goal of getting an RWA integrated.