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Integrated Amps £1,000 to £1,600

R

ryder

pfm Member
I have owned some integrateds in the past but currently do not have any in the system. At some point of time I would like to have a good and solid integrated, one that will stand the test of time (in my system).

I am well aware that it's all subjective with all the usual caveats (listening taste, equipment or speaker matching, room etc.). Nonetheless, I hope to have some thoughts on the current good integrated amps that are worth looking at.

Some of the integrateds I have tried :-

YBA Integre DT - Very nice sounding amp. Refined with a certain flair in the presentation. Unfortunately the new range is said to be a downgrade in sound quality.

Naim Nait XS (bare) - Tried it very briefly in the system and done a back to back comparison with the Rega Elicit. Good but not spectacular.

Rega Elicit - Didn't quite like it with my Harbeth speakers. Bought new and sold it about 8 months.

Krell KAV-300i - A powerhouse with a raw and unrefined delivery.

Classe CAP-100 - Smooth and nice sounding amp. Solidly built as well.

And many more.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Integrateds that piqued my interest:-

Exposure 3010S2-D (this was high in the shortlist earlier this year but I ended up with some Naim stack instead)

Densen B130

Rega Elicit-R

What are the other good integrateds worth looking at? Which one is supposed to have the upper hand over the rest if you can only choose one, in your opinion of course. I don't want any more Naim amps as I now have two Naim systems on hand.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Also consider the bigger members of the Yamaha A-S series
Remote control, tone controls, high power and very good sound. Really good value for money
 
I'm definitely going to recommend the Croft integrated (although I personally went for the pre/power) - no remote and understated looks however. The dual volume control funnily enough I prefer to a single pot!
 
JVC AX Z1010TN nos on eBay. Not quite the bargain of all bargains it was before the Brexit vote but still extremely good value.
 
I'd try to find a second-hand LFD Zero III / IV or Mistral.

In terms of Exposure amps, based on what I've heard from new Exposure amps (owned a 2010S for a few years too), I'd rather go for something like a Exposure III / IV or Exposure VII / VIII combo for well under a grand, but this means adding another box.
 
Roksan K3 is excellent I reckon, and the bluetooth feature is surprisingly useful. I use it mostly for records, via an Arkless phono stage.

£1250 from Richer sounds
 
One amp to add to your list of candidates: Electrocompaniet PI-2:

pi1_large.jpg


This amp offers a solid 100wpc into an 8 ohm load, is a bit on the minimalist side, and sports a total of four inputs - two balanced XLR plus two single-ended RCA. The balanced implementation is fully balanced from source and benefits from a source component that complies.

I picked one up on a local classifieds site for about 600 quid at the beginning of the year and have been extremely happy with it from a sonic point of view. It has great control, enough power/current capability to drive most speakers to decent levels and is very well put-together.

My only niggles are:

a) Ergonomics (rear): the placement of the IEC input socket right above the left channel speaker binding posts (not a train smash but can be annoying when plugging/unplugging.

b) Running temperature: it seems that the power amplifier section has been biased a bit more towards Class A operation as the unit runs quite hot unless adequately ventilated (either via a healthy clearance above or via some forced ventilation). I eventually went with a pair of PC-chassis fans as space was not available).

Currently in the lounge, the PI-2 is fed by a Bryston BCD-1 CDP via XLR and a Rotel RT-02 FM tuner via RCA and drives a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 2 bookshelf speakers. (The main system was moved upstairs from the lounge to my study for health reasons - and to be closer to the music storage).

Link (includes links to reviews by HiFi Choice, HiFi World and HiFi+):

Electrocompaniet PI-2 Webpage

Observations:

Initially, this amp was paired with a pair of Chario Syntar 516 bookshelf speakers and fed by the above Bryston BCD-1 CDP. (The main rig was still in the lounge stuffed behind a dining suite). The combination delivered a mix of good spatial reproduction with a reasonably wide soundstage and very good placement, while - given the constraints of a pair of smallish bookshelf speakers - delivered a full-sounding bass performance (without too much extension which fitted the smaller room), while mids and highs were extremely natural and well-suited to acoustic jazz, new age and vocals (with Diana Krall sounding as if she was in the room).

Subsequently, I tried out a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 2s and, while not in the same class as the Charios, this pairing (using the same source) also delivered. (I never got around to trying the PI-2 with the Tannoy D700s as the latter were snapped up when offered for sale - also health issues interfered).

Currently, the same Charios are paired with the main rig (Theta Data Basic II, Bryston BDA-1, Classe' CP-500 and a pair of Jeff Rowland Model 201 monoblocks). The one and only really noticeable difference attributable to the amplification lies in the additional control offered by the JR Model 201s (but these are 250wpc monos with a high damping factor). The CP-500 pre-amp also contributes thanks to its dual mono design which maps to the monoblock approach rather well.

To be fair, I don't have a broad experience with integrated amps as I've tended toward pre/power combos for years. All I can say, is that - for an integrated that has had to stack up against a fairly serious pre/power, the PI-2 has acquitted itself very well.

Dave
 
ryder said:
What are the other good integrateds worth looking at? Which one is supposed to have the upper hand over the rest if you can only choose one, in your opinion of course. I don't want any more Naim amps as I now have two Naim systems on hand.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Its not clear to me if you want to use an integrated amp with your Shl5+ replacing your other Naim amplifiers or if its for another setup using other speakers/source ?

If so do you want to retain the signature of these amps or is Naim banned from your list ?

Not sure how a Nait 2 or Exposure 15/20 will match the Harbeth's but these are some of my favorites as long as you have matching speakers
They will respond to very good sources but might need a service which should be possible within your provided budget
 
Apart from worthy contenders already mentioned;

ATC SIA-150 (original)
Restek Challenger or Fantasy
Marantz PM94
 
Heed Obelisk Si Mk3 integrated amplifier, this is their current model and is rated at 50W. Their design of avaoiding decoupling means that the actual power produced appears to be far greater.

I heard a Heed Obelisk Mk2 in my system recently, I was really impressed with it and even more so once the partnering X2 power supply was added. The Mk3 should not need the X2 as it is rated much more powerful than the Mk2 version which was 35watts.

I really enjoyed the wonderful midrange it produced when connected to my Rega RX3 speakers. Soundstage was impressive too with a very revealing detailed sound which was easy to listen to.
 
Thanks for all responses. Some good alternatives worth exploring.

per flemming said:
Its not clear to me if you want to use an integrated amp with your Shl5+ replacing your other Naim amplifiers or if its for another setup using other speakers/source ?

If so do you want to retain the signature of these amps or is Naim banned from your list ?

Not sure how a Nait 2 or Exposure 15/20 will match the Harbeth's but these are some of my favorites as long as you have matching speakers
They will respond to very good sources but might need a service which should be possible within your provided budget
Click to expand...

I am not replacing the Naim amps. I have other speakers (Dali Mentor Menuets and some cheap PSBs) currently unused. I would like to have an integrated to rotate around the speakers, though I suspect the integrated will not get much use in the main system as the SHL5+ is doing well with the Naim. The other Naim setup will be driving the Dalis and the (future) integrated amp will rotate around the Dali and PSBs, or some new speakers. It is easy to move the integrated around (a major advantage of an integrated amp), unlike pre/power boxes.

In general, I agree that integrated amps do have their shortcomings when compared to pre/power combinations but they can be a whole lot of fun. That's what most Nait 1 or 2 owners preach and I tend to agree. A sound that is seemingly less refined, detailed, separated, or a bass that's not too deep, layered or textured but it's a whole lot of fun.
 
ryder said:
Thanks for all responses. Some good alternatives worth exploring.



I am not replacing the Naim amps. I have other speakers (Dali Mentor Menuets and some cheap PSBs) currently unused. I would like to have an integrated to rotate around the speakers,...
Click to expand...

What is the source ?
 
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