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.
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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