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Recommendations for switching from monoblock power amps/DAC to a one box solution

Schnitger

pfm Member
I'm in the process of setting up my system for the first time in three years. It's been boxed up since a house move that's involved three years' worth of house alterations etc - an experience I have no intention of repeating.

My system is a traditional 2 channel affair, with a sub woofer. The sources are a CD player and a laptop for ripped discs and downloads, Given the layout of the room the system is in, it's proving tricky to set up the numerous boxes required, ie, 2 monoblock power amps (Electrocompaniet AW180s), matching preamp and an Auralic DAC. Reducing the number of boxes seems appealing and I would imagine the quality of AV amps has improved significantly in recent years.

Can anyone recommend a one box amp that combines power and preamp functions and an integrated DAC? My speakers are power hungry Sonus Faber Cremonas, so the amp needs to have excellent current delivery and be able to cope comfortably with low impedance loads (the Electrocompaniets are excellent in this regard). Quality is obviously important - I want to maintain great sound quality. I'm at the stage where convenience is important; filling the room with numerous boxes and tripping over a spaghetti junction of cables lacks the appeal it once had. As for budget, it's difficult to say how much I'd spend as it would depend on the sale of much of my existing equipment. I estimate fetching roughly £5k for the numerous amps etc I have in storage.

Many thanks for any recommendations.
 
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A Gryphon Diablo 300 with the optional DAC module could be a good choice for you.

A few of these start to appear second hand, in most cases without the DAC which can be bought separately.
 
Hegel 360, though you could try the Electrocompaniet ECI 6D too.

Others include AVM, Musical Fidelity, Norma Revo, Bryston, Bladelius, Esoteric, Accuphase or even Naim. For £5000 you get lots of options.
 
Teddy Pardo i80d - though I must say that I have stuck to the TP DacVC + ST60 which is only one box more but a) looks less because the ST60 can be tucked away out of sight just leaving the DAC VC as a small combined DAC/passive pre-amp on show, and b) if there is a significant technological advance on the DAC front I think worth changing for, it's cheaper to upgrade.
 
Teddy Pardo i80d - though I must say that I have stuck to the TP DacVC + ST60 which is only one box more but a) looks less because the ST60 can be tucked away out of sight just leaving the DAC VC as a small combined DAC/passive pre-amp on show, and b) if there is a significant technological advance on the DAC front I think worth changing for, it's cheaper to upgrade.
Why do you think that this will be a good choice for driving power hungry low impedance speakers?
 
If you can cope with 2 boxes instead of one, that widens your options a great deal. Lots of DACs are not full sized boxes (eg Chord Hugo, Qutest) so just the amp would be a full sized box.
 
May i suggest the Perreaux Elequence 255i. Really somethin both in terms of power, sound quality, overall build quality and options. Sold My gryphon for this one. Apperance might not be as special as gryphon but it is clean and more valmue for money in My opinion.
 
Why do you think that this will be a good choice for driving power hungry low impedance speakers?
It is fairly modest at 80wpc, but the designer states that this is a conservative rating, it is happy into loads down to 2 ohms, and the amplifier is designed to be comfortable with difficult to drive speakers. It’s only a suggestion, based on equipment I happen to have experience of, there are of course plenty of alternatives.
 
It is fairly modest at 80wpc, but the designer states that this is a conservative rating, it is happy into loads down to 2 ohms, and the amplifier is designed to be comfortable with difficult to drive speakers. It’s only a suggestion, based on equipment I happen to have experience of, there are of course plenty of alternatives.

Fair enough.
 


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