I have owned countless integrated over the years. Some are ''characterfull'' meaning that they bring their own sound to the party (they all do, but some more than others). There are some I would definitely avoid, some well-know amps, but I will not bash anything on this post. Let's just say that they are on my ''never again'' blacklist for a number of reasons.
The following products for me have been stellar, and I actually regret selling most of them, foolish me.
Tube integrateds:
Cayin a 88-T : A great product with no real weaknesses. Incredible value.
Shanling MC-30 all-in-one receiver: Laugh all you want, this 3 watts set design is TRANSPARENT !!! and will drive 89db and up speakers to low-moderate levels with grace and refinement. Beats an ex Sonic Frontiers power 2 - Line 1 combo on sound quality, if you can beleive it.
Solid state integrated:
Musical Fidelity A5: An absolutely tremendous 250 watts per channel with an amazing phonostage included. You wont use all that power to play loud (you could though), you use it for effortless breathing space for your speakers, and great bass definition. I feel the A5 is a stepping stone for Musical fidelity, where previous MF integrateds (in this price range) just didn't do it for me. But the A5 is one stealth performer for the price. Very neutral yet sweet at the same time. A great product, hard to come by but worth tracking down. I once had a pleasurable shootout at a friend's place with a Jeff Rowland Concentra and...I'll leave it at that!
Which ones would I avoid? Sorry folks, much to say, but wrong place to do it, would hate to be censored.
Everything is VERY subjective of course, your experience is as valid as mine.
Electrocompaniet EC-3: Here's an example of a ''characterfull'' integrated I once owned. Some would say it mimicks the sounds of tubes - maybe, but very nice still. Beware of not getting one of the early production models (as I had) with a faulty (read scratchy) volume pot. Not in the same league as the MF power-wise, and limited dynamics, but a pleasant sound still.
