Audio Research DSI 200 integrated amp


Can anyone recommend this amp to pair with PSB Synchrony one speakers?
I have not heard it but it is expensive w/just 3 imputs,no headphone or phono stage..$6500
Is it that much better than musical fidelity & Bryston?
fishing716
As to sound characteristics of the four brands noted, my general impression is that McIntosh would tend to lean a bit warm, ARC the most neutral, and Musical Fidelity and Bryston would tend to lean a bit bright.

As to features, if you want both a headphone jack and phono stage, then McIntosh or Bryston offer really good candidates. These are both excellent brands which hold their value as well as any and getting service when needed should not be an problem.

On the other hand, if you need the phono stage but can do without the headphone jack, then the Musical Fidelity M6PRE/M6PRE separates would be worth considering. They are what I use and they pack a lot of value for the money; however, MF may not hold its value quite as well as the others and some have reported problems getting service on MF products.

If you don't need either the headphone jack or the phono stage, then I'd put ARC at the top of your list along with Bryston (I assume you'd be looking at the b135 sst2 where I think headphone and phono are options that you can take or leave).

If you need headphone but don't care about phono, Bryston looks like the best option to me. A 20 year warranty is pretty hard to overlook!
Hi Fishing ... If my ear is within one foot of the Musical Fidelity M6PRX power amp, I can hear a hum. This hum is inaudible to my ears if I am any further than one foot away from the amp; therefore, I consider it to be irrelevant to normal listening. To provide a point of reference with another piece of equipment with which many are familiar ... I also have an Oppo 95 in my system. The 95 is known for emitting fan noise. The fan noise from the 95, which also is not loud enough to affect normal listening, is many, many, many times louder than the hum from the M6PRX.
About the McIntosh MA 6600, I used to own one and felt that it was good only up to a certain volume. Above this level, the sound is in tatters - ragged, congested, collapse of soundstage - in a word, unbearable. The level at which this occurs would depend on your system and you will know when you have reached this level as you can easily hear it.