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INTEGRATED SS AMP TO REPLACE VALVE AMP AND PHONO STAGE.

S/h gryphon (seem to hold quality and musicality for many years) or vitus R100, starting to be affordable s/h.
for good value yank tanks maybe Parasound A21, or from uk the superb ATC integrated.
 
The Belles Aria gets a lot of love in some quarters and has a phono stage. The Bryston b135 cubed would not be dark and can be ordered with a phono stage. The latest Supernait has a phono stage as well. The little Croft integrated with phono is said to be really nice as well.
 
Frizzy said:
S/h gryphon (seem to hold quality and musicality for many years) or vitus R100, starting to be affordable s/h.
for good value yank tanks maybe Parasound A21, or from uk the superb ATC integrated.
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Too many Vitus appear 2nd hand for my liking.
 
I think vitus are currently in range refresh as people move to signature range from reference, also a factor is lotus, I think Richard has best sales figures in EU.
They are easy listen, I think the valve style presentation is a best of both worlds option that won’t frighten the horses. Things go in cycles, interesting how mark levinson seems to be coming back into favour, a little.
 
oldius said:
Too many Vitus appear 2nd hand for my liking.
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Not that many, and I follow them, occasionally on eBay as well. Many are dealer (Lotus, generally) trade-ins for more upmarket models. Surprisingly, or not, considering their upmarket price range, a lot have been sold over the past decade plus. They're Danish, and anything European has been compromised by the trading difficulties of Brexit. Lovely kit, though.

PS As Frizzy says above
 
wainwj said:
I have a Luxman L590 AXII.
No doubt it is a very good SS amp.
However, it is still very much just that, a SS amp, and therefore gives a fundamentally different presentation to a valve amp.
Regardless of the inaccurate hyperbole some reviewers would have you believe.
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I went from push pull EL34's (4 per channel) to a Luxman 590. I agree the presentation is different. Bass is much better controlled. The midrange is different but just as smooth - I prefer vocals on the Luxman. The Luxman has a smoother, more extended top end. I do miss being able to roll valves to tailor the tone of the amp.

However if you currently have a SET valve amp and really like that presentation, then don't look at solid state as you will be disappointed.
 
Lowgroove said:
I went from push pull EL34's (4 per channel) to a Luxman 590. I agree the presentation is different. Bass is much better controlled. The midrange is different but just as smooth - I prefer vocals on the Luxman. The Luxman has a smoother, more extended top end.
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Similarly I find the bass quality on the Luxman L-590AXII to be excellent. The clarity, detail and texture of the bass are very good for an integrated, surpassing the bass performance of some good pre/power combinations. The bass is surely nicely controlled as it goes reasonably deep, sounds tight and taut without showing any bloat. There is good punch and whack in the low and mid bass too.

Midrange and treble are above average. Basically the Luxman just sounds great when properly matched with suitable speakers.
 
Heard a Luxman Integrated last year and that was remarkably smooth sounding, perhaps a hassle free solution, good luck with whatever you choose.:)
 
I went from a rather nice 4x EL34 valve integrated to a Sugden A21a, (for financial reasons) whilst I did marginally prefer the valve amp the difference was very marginal, if I had to put a figure on it I reckon the Sugden delivered 98% of what I liked about the valve amp and at less than a third of the price at that time, it also was easier to house, indeed quite a plain and understated aesthetic. I used an EAR 834p phono stage during this time.
 
Why not move to a Prima Luna amplifier, they are self biasing, so there literally isn't any faff at all...unless, like me, you create faff :)

You can also 'add on' a MM phono stage card if you use an MM cart. It's a shame they don't have an MC version.
 
Mike. I use an Orbe and an 834P. I swapped my big Papworth Monos for an LFD, but kept the EAR. I haven't regretted it and the EAR isn't exactly space hungry.
 
I had P3ESRs on the end of Bel Canto/Hegel. Didn’t like the combination. It was all a bit matter of fact and dull. Ended up changing the speakers.

I would have thought Luxman and P3 would pair pretty well. I inherited a Luxman amp in the 90s and found the sound to be on the livelier side of neutral with tremendous detail. Certainly put to shame the (thoroughly capable) Harman Kardon amp it replaced.
 
Mullardman said:
Mike. I use an Orbe and an 834P. I swapped my big Papworth Monos for an LFD, but kept the EAR. I haven't regretted it and the EAR isn't exactly space hungry.
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Now there was a pair of amps I would have like to have heard, the Papworth monos not the LFD.
 
flutteringwow said:
Why not move to a Prima Luna amplifier, they are self biasing, so there literally isn't any faff at all...unless, like me, you create faff :)

You can also 'add on' a MM phono stage card if you use an MM cart. It's a shame they don't have an MC version.
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Why would anyone go from a Jadis valve integrated to Prima Luna ( made in China) integrated valve amp?
 
Darren L said:
Why would anyone go from a Jadis valve integrated to Prima Luna ( made in China) integrated valve amp?
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Because it sounds better, I guess. Where a product is made is not an indicator of quality, IMO, and many 'British' products are manufactured in the Far East.
 
oldius said:
Because it sounds better, I guess. Where a product is made is not an indicator of quality, IMO, and many 'British' products are manufactured in the Far East.
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There's no indicator that it sounds better either, I do realise there's many supposedly 'British' or European products manufactured in China but I'll personally or knowingly not be buying any or encouraging others to do so.
 
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