Integrated Amps - Moving on up!

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by ChuckyBuck, Feb 16, 2017.

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  1. Jim13

    Jim13 Forum Resident

    I don't want to encourage you because I think you're having a laugh, but mate, but I have 4 amps in the house and they all sound different. 35 years , so what !
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  2. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    This is exactly the point - and it relates to the quality of the power supplies not watt figures - I have been playing my speakers through a 50 watt SS amplifiers - the sound is compressed and lacks bass and weight. Flipping over to a 24 watt SET the bass is thunderous deeper and tighter. The SET amp weighs in at 121lbs and is massive. The SS amp uses rinky dinky transformers.
     
    SandAndGlass and IanL like this.
  3. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I would argue that if all the amps sound the same on his speakers that the speakers are truly pathetic at resolving the differences of the upstream components. Why would I want a speaker that makes everything sound alike?
     
    F1nut and DrZhivago like this.
  4. Preston

    Preston Forum Resident

    Location:
    KCMO Metro USA
    I have a kW500 that I bought used for about 50% of list price. It's fantastic.
     
    F1nut likes this.
  5. bgiliberti

    bgiliberti Will You Be My Neighbor?

    Location:
    USA
    I own Harbeths, and I love Shaw's cheeky commentary, but like someone said of Trump supporters, Shaw should be taken seriously, but not literally.
     
    DrZhivago and Erik Tracy like this.
  6. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I am still trying to figure out what integrated to get. I need one with an onboard DAC and at least one tape loop. I know, the latter requirement is a tall order in this advanced digital age ...
     
  7. bgiliberti

    bgiliberti Will You Be My Neighbor?

    Location:
    USA
    Not sure what you mean by a tape loop. Don't tape recorders just use the RCA inputs?
     
  8. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    A tape loop allows me to both record to and play from my tape deck with a onetime connection. I do not want a play-only tape deck setup ...

    It appears the Yamaha A-S801 is the only integrated out there that will meet my requirements.
     
  9. sublemon

    sublemon Forum Resident

    "Rega, Arcam, Naim, Creek, etc" -- are these fancy brands?
     
  10. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    If fancy = price, there are integrated's that cost a bit more ...
     
  11. ChuckyBuck

    ChuckyBuck Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    They are to little old me. Probably not to others.
     
  12. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Thirty years ago, I had a number of NAD gears but have since moved on to mainly American or Canadian-made gears ...
     
  13. ChuckyBuck

    ChuckyBuck Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    Some of these "fancy" brands look pretty good but the US distribution is spotty. Rega must be killing it in the US 2 channel boutique amp market.
     
  14. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Rega has had a built-in advantage by having been in the turntable market for decades and as such subsequent distributions of its electronics to existing dealers were never a problem ...
     
  15. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    It seems like this is a solution for you. what drawbacks does the A-s801 have to you? I know you have been researching it and I've yet to hear of anyone on the forum that doesn't love their 801, myself included.
     
    irender likes this.
  16. ChuckyBuck

    ChuckyBuck Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    That and some very good reviews. The truth is that every time I start looking at one of the other brands the thought that Rega is the safest choice keeps coming to me. The reason I even keep looking is that ideally I would get something that is not too deep, such as the Arcam a29, AudiLab 8300a or Creek Evolutions. But the Rega seems like such a safe bet.
     
  17. Ivand

    Ivand Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I owned an Arcam FMJ A29 amp for a year. I had a NAD 356C BEE amp before. A huge leap in my opinion. The Arcam amp offers a clean, powerful and refined sound with layers of detail. I've read some reviews that find the A29 too polite, maybe that's true if compared against the highly regarded Rega Elex-R which offers a rich sound (I had the chance to compare both side to side). However The A29 offered more dynamics than the Elex-R in my opinion.

    Other minor futures on the A29 were, again, absolute silence when turning the amp on or when moving the volume knob (someting the NAD or Rega didn't offer). The A29's remote control offered precise volume control (NAD and Rega's remote control felt short on this area).

    Unfortunatelty I had to let the A29 go after buying KEF's LS50 wireless.
     
    ChuckyBuck likes this.
  18. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    I kinda wish I had my old Marantz component system still! :mudscrying:

    [​IMG]
     
    timind and Manimal like this.
  19. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Ideally, I would like the integrated to be somewhat more powerful than 100 watts/ch. Most of the amps I bought over the past twenty years have been at least 200 watts/ch. I have not owned an integrated in many years ...
     
  20. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    To the best of my knowledge, Rega still makes all its gears in the UK ...
     
    EddieVanHalen likes this.
  21. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    Suppose you could use the 801 as a preamp hooked to a more powerful amp. Looks like you have quite a collection of nice hardware.

    Edit, nm, doesn't have pre-outs.
     
  22. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    The problem is, most current production integrated's do not come with tape loops. But I do not particularly like to buy used equipment ...
     
  23. bradleyc

    bradleyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midwest
    So a Marantz PM-8005 is out of the running?
     
  24. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    You ain't kidding when some of these amps weigh 90 lbs and up. I do not want to deal with any amps over 60 lbs ...
     
  25. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I think the Yamaha A-S801 is a stronger contender ...
     
    Thouston likes this.
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