The last integrated amp I will ever need

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by lonelysea, Jan 17, 2018.

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  1. RiCat

    RiCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Hegal, Parasound, Bryston come to mind. Then again consider a pair of mono blocks that sit close to or behind the speakers and connect to a preamp via balanced connections (no worry about length and the speaker wires can be much shorter..both big advantages). If you want future proof this is a much better solution. However once in the rabbit hole one can never be sure of what lies around the next bend.
     
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  2. DrZhivago

    DrZhivago Hedonist

    Location:
    Brisbane Australia
    Thanks for the clarification Helom. I guess everyone has their own priorities and applies different criteria when making purchasing decisions. You are potentially looking at this through the engineering lens. What’s in the box? This kind of reminds me of numerous debates I had with my co-workers over better quality individual parts of self-built PC’s vs the iMac package, at the same price point.

    To achieve any attainable price point (even @ 10,20 K) compromises need to be made. When choosing source components manufacturers need to decide where money is spent best. This is based on the various objectives and goals. Perhaps those nuvistors don’t come cheap, and MF puts their money where they know the best sound bang for the buck is.
    Since all MF amps are made in Taiwan it makes sense to source components from there.

    I come from the consumer perspective when making purchasing decisions. Sound quality, build quality and aesthetics Throw in the attainable price and good customer support and I’m sold.



    Kind Regards
     
  3. I understand that everyone has there own preferences and system matching requirements but would not rule out Plinius based on your comments on what you are looking for. Of course there are many great amps out there that I would also be thrilled to own but do feel they make a very good product that may be worth hearing if you get the chance. Their US distributor is based in Oregon and may be able to steer you to a local dealer.
    OTOH, Nagra and darTZeel are in a different $$$ category from a Naim, Yamaha or my Plinius and seem like endgame amps that would definitely be worthy of your fine speakers! Have fun with your search!
     
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  4. davidb1

    davidb1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I've always wanted to hear a Coda. Flys under the radar, reviews are good, construction seemingly equal to most other manufacturers, and a 10 year warranty.
    CODA Products
     
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  5. Preston

    Preston Forum Resident

    Location:
    KCMO Metro USA
    I moved from separates to an integrated when I upgraded my overall system about 10 years ago. I think you get amazing bang-for-buck with integrates and - unless I hit the Lotto (hard to do since I rarely buy a ticket) - I'll continue to stick with them. It's wonderful that so many companies are producing great integrated amplifiers. Enjoy whatever you decide to buy!
     
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  6. lonelysea

    lonelysea Ban Leaf Blowers Thread Starter

    Location:
    The Cascades
    Yeah, unfortunately the darTZeel is past the tipping point for me in terms of money, but it sure looks fantastic!
    Does your Plinius have balanced XLR inputs? It's hard to tell from the info on their website.
     
  7. lonelysea

    lonelysea Ban Leaf Blowers Thread Starter

    Location:
    The Cascades
    I personally have no problem with most anything made in Taiwan, but I may be biased - my wife is from there!
    :love:
     
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  8. Hi lonelysea,
    My Hautonga has one balanced input which I assume is not a true balanced input as it can switch between it and unbalanced. The rest are unbalanced RCA’s and there is also a MM only phono input but I’ve not tried it as I have a MC cartridge. I don’t know about the Hiato offhand but I think you can find the manual and details on the Plinius site.
    There has been a lot of great suggestions for you so far. Have fun!
     
    cadeallaw likes this.
  9. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Interesting, my Modwright doesn't run particularly hot.
    What speaker is your friend using?
    The only time my MW ran hot was running ELAC FS407's very loud at a dealers' large showroom
     
  10. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    I agree - probably true for 99% of SHF members. They occasionally come up used, but I imagine that's not your direction.
     
    lonelysea likes this.
  11. Hi Blair!
    My friend runs ATC and Totem depending on mood. He told me he keeps it on top of his rack because it gave off a lot of heat. I was in no way suggesting Modwright had a problem, just relating that perhaps before sticking it in a poorly ventilated space the OP should be asking questions. My Sonneteer also ran hot but I wouldn’t suggest not buying one!
    I think the Modwright is an excellent choice; that’s why I suggested one.
     
    lonelysea likes this.
  12. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    Maybe the MW reacts differently with 4 ohm speakers, it runs cooler with my 8 ohm Amphions than my old 4 ohm KEFs. Those ELACs were 4 ohm too IIRC.
    Not a problem either way, the amp sounds great with all of the above.
    The Hegel H300 and Magnum Dynalab MD309 were great too, in retrospect I could have happily lived with either of them too
     
  13. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    I apologize if I insulted you. My post was only intended to note the disparity of parts cost in the guts of aforementioned amps. I have no issue with East Asian manufactured products, hence my owning Cayin, LM, Topping and Yamaha. Most products in this price class have what are commonly accepted as high-end, top-tier parts, so I was surprised to see lower cost caps in an $8K amp. It just leads me to wonder about MF's pricing strategy and profit margins. I should have clarified that in my post.
     
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  14. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    I don't think there is any reason to wonder. MF have always nailed their colours to the mast (in my opinion).
     
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  15. lonelysea

    lonelysea Ban Leaf Blowers Thread Starter

    Location:
    The Cascades
    Ha ha, no offense taken at all! You're a Yamaha fan and that's good enough for me. It always seems to come down to economics, and it's possible that the lower cost components might be as good or better than the traditionally expensive ones, or they might even suck (as expected). I'm personally guilty of being suspicious of Chinese made products, audio and otherwise. Brands like Oppo have made me rethink that attitude.
     
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  16. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    Just might be a good possibility, what do you think?? :agree:

    http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/us/Prod...ls.aspx?CatId=integratedamps&ProductId=MA9000
     
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  17. ...will be a Plinius.
     
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  18. Kostas

    Kostas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Athens,GR.
    I have lot's of respect for Esoteric and all the classic Japanese brands, just not for their pricing.

    You have a very good amp, you won't get much more power with the amps you mentioned. Personally I wouldn't even look at the 60 or 80 watts of Naim no matter how good they sound. I wouldn't look at class AB amps either, only class D and probably monoblocks placed close to the speakers for use with small speaker cables and the A-S2100 used as a pre. Hattor Audio - Ncore Hypex Monoblocks, Apollon Audio (Hypex or Icepower based) and a few others will give you the power you are looking for at a fraction of the cost the class AB amps cost. They also have the "high end" looks my humble 1502 doesn't have. Intergrated class D amps exist but most brands so far produce more power amps, probably because of the huge power they have.

    If you want to spend all the amount of money and no class D or monoblocks I would go for a McIntosh, the most powerful intergrated they make, I think it's 300 watts/8 ohm. Overpriced (IMO) but beautiful amp to watch, I have no idea how it sounds but everytime I've auditioned an all McIntosh system I liked it.
     
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  19. gryphongryph

    gryphongryph Forum Resident

    Location:
    Faroe Islands
    The Luxman and Accuphase intergrated amps could be of interest, also a bit left field is the Norma IPA-140.
     
    lonelysea likes this.
  20. lonelysea

    lonelysea Ban Leaf Blowers Thread Starter

    Location:
    The Cascades
  21. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    As you were going to spend the "big bucks" I suggested the "big boy" amp, however they have some very nice smaller offerings that do not weigh so much and would certainly have plenty of power for what you are doing. You could save so much money buying the Parasound HALO Integrated, which I have, as I am a real fan, and it's such a solid company, however it seemed you wanted something very expensive, which is why I suggested the Mac. I have not one, but two systems with Parasound HALO and it's just wonderful, and I moved from all Jeff Rowland to the Parasound and honestly, have never looked back, it just so nice and sounds wonderful, and I should mention, I'm your age, so I have seen the dog and pony show, we have both been there and done that !

    [​IMG]


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    My smaller office system incorporates the above Integrated and really, I can't say enough good about this product, and you will save so much money!


    [​IMG]


    In my larger system I use the HALO separates, and it sounds every bit as good as my high end Jeff Rowland separates I sold, and you "could" get the very best HALO separates with the money you are spending. I know it's nice to have the big name, but I could not be more happy with my Parasound equipment, and if just never fails, and they can fix anything and I can talk to their President with one phone call, and down the road, that is a nice place to be! Here is my larger system, and it's just great.
    I would just encourage you to think about this brand, you will not be sorry! In the larger system I use the A-21 power amplifier and their highly rated A class JC2 BP pre-amp. Before I sold my VPI turntable, I used their JC-3+ phono stage which was just cutting edge and if I do buy another table, I'm going to buy that same phono stage again, it's fantastic.:righton:


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2018
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  22. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
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  23. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

  24. lonelysea

    lonelysea Ban Leaf Blowers Thread Starter

    Location:
    The Cascades
    Parasound is also on my radar - having heard so many positive accounts in recent years.
    My focus isn't necessarily on the most expensive integrated I can afford, rather it's ensuring I make a change that is a noticeable improvement over what I have now. In regards to power; I have to believe that the Nagra Classic Int, although having about the same output as my Yamaha (100 wpc or thereabouts), is going to sound worlds better. This just based on the obviously better internal components and engineering as reflected in its price. Am I wrong in that assumption?
     
  25. rxonmymind

    rxonmymind Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento
    Their customer service is very lacking....
     
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