The last integrated amp I will ever need

Surprised there is no love yet for Esoteric. I know there are many here who own and praise their high end CDPs. Are their amps not equally impressive?

 

Some excellent suggestions. I would probably go for a Pass INT-250, but units by T+A, Soulution, AVM, Boulder, Burmester, Constellation, D'Agostino, Plinius, Simaudio, Modwright would also be worthwhile to check out.

 

Yeah, who knew there would be so many capable, high end integrated amps?!
The D'Agostino Momentum (which I've heard) is way too rich for my blood, and it would be absolutely criminal to hide that thing away in a rack system!

 

For Pass Labs, what about the INT-150? It is no longer in production, but could be found used, usually around $4K. 150 wpc Class A/B, shouldn't get too hot. I had the INT-30A, which was all Class A, and did get hot (though nothing compared to my present Line Magnetic 518ia). But it was one hell of an amp, and the 150, although with a lot more power and Class A/B, is the same basic design, as they were released together.

 

That should open a lot of doors. Again, good luck!

 

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that a good CDP manufacturer = a good amp manufacturer. Not saying it couldn't happen but I'd do a LOT of homework and auditioning before pulling the trigger.

 

I'd be more concerned about paying $8K for an amp that uses Taiwan caps.

 

Plinius - truly lovely sound, great power, and great reliability. It deserves some attention for sure.

 

"The last integrated amp I will ever need" - If only it was true.

 

Care to elaborate?
Link to some article? Personal experience?

Regards

 

They make the best semiconductors in the world so I would hope their capacitors are up to snuff.

 

There's your first mistake.

 

It's simply the fact that they use Jamicon caps in an amp that retails for over $8K. Most amps of that cost use Japanese or German sourced caps. It might not make any difference in quality these days, but I personally would have a hard time forking over that sort of coin for lesser-cost internals.

 

For what it's worth, I've had a few integrated amps in my room in the last couple years trying to find "The One".

Jeff Rowland Continuum S2
BAT VK3000se
Simaudio Moon 600i
Esoteric F-05

The Esoteric F-05 won hands down in my room powering a pair of Aerial Acoustics 6T's.
It's a sublime piece of equipment!

Shawn

 

When you start you search, you may want to include the new Bel Canto Black EX Integrated. It's got 500w into 4 ohms and should be fine sitting in a rack system.

EX Integrated - Bel Canto Design

 

You don't recommend HINT? I want one

 

If I were spending that kind of $$, I'd want to listen to the Mark Levinson 585.

 

The H-Int is very good overall, but better performance can be had IME.

 

Is there a Naim Supernait 3? Also, the Supernait 2 has 80w @8 ohms, which is less than what he has with his Yamaha...I thought that was something on his wish list.

 

So many great suggestions. Thanks again, everyone.
My main concern is not making a "lateral move" - I want something that clearly justifies the replacement of my less than 2-year-old Yamaha. A final amp statement (quite possibly so - I usually keep components for decades!). For this reason I'm thinking of scratching the Esoteric from my list. I'm also not sure the Naim will have sufficient power. I'm no power hog - listen mostly to acoustic music at very moderate levels. The Plinius has loads of power but I wonder if that's all it has - delicacy, detail, and nuance are more important to me than brute strength. That means I might give the Pass INT-250 a pass as well...
The Swiss amps are the real focus of my attention/obsession right now. I'd love to hear from anyone who has compared the Nagra Classic Int with the darTZeel CTH-8550.

 

You're correct. He did state that he wants more juice. IME, more power doesn't always equate to better sound. A trusted audiophile buddy of mine claims the Supernait is as good as any expensive esoteric amp. That's what prompted me to suggest it.

 

Any particular reason you're not considering the A-S3000? Not enough power?

 

I've considered it. Marginal power boost. Some owners of both have even claimed the 2100 has more "oomph" (whatever that means). Believe me, if Yamaha announces a A-S4000 with 150 wpc I'll be first in line to grab one!

 

What's the fun in buying your the last integrated amplifier ever? Anyway, a few people have mentioned the Naim Supernait 2. While it's true the Naim is 80 wpc, as everyone knows, all watts are not created equally. Current, not watts, is what drives speakers. Naim designs all have incredible current delivery that almost makes their wattage ratings irrelevant. For a point of reference, I previously owned the 60 wpc Ayre AX-7e and was massively underwhelmed compared to the 60 wpc Naim Nait XS.

 

The Nagra Amp looks small, but has enough power to drive even bigger speakers. I had Rowland monos before and the Nagra classic amp (same power as the integrated) blows away the Rowlands. I don‘t want use Class-D again. The heat is much lower than the Pass Int-60.

I would match the amp with the speakers. For example the Pass Int-250 was not the best choice on my Wilson speakers. I prefered the smaller amp.