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Top 5 Worst Sounding Integrated Amps

pocketkitchen said:
I agree. There’s no way anything in the world could have been worse than my grandfather’s Technics SUV-500. Absolute garbage and a lot of the Technics amps further up that range were pretty terrible too and shown a clean pair of heels by pretty much every Sony and Arcam in the shop.
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The Technics golden years seems to be from the late 70s to early 80s. I have an SU-V3 of 1981-82 vintage. The previous owner upgraded the phono op-amp and it sounds nothing less than amazing. It's easily the best integrated phono stage I've heard. The line section is OK with beautiful open mids and highs; the bass ends to get congested in complex passages. All in all it has a sunny, easy musicality. I'd to hear the TOTL models of the time.

Unfortunately it's had to be sidelined for the time as it needs a recap.
 
david ellwood said:
It’s little surprise that some amplifiers make both the best and worst list.

The usual suspects of Cyrus 1, Audiolab 8000 and Pioneer A400 are particularly bad, not just because of their truly woeful performance but because so many were conned into purchase by reviews that can only have been bought.
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I fear you tell only half a story David. Linn dealers over many years have been guilty of either a hard sell, or making you feel that your ears are inferior because you can’t hear what the salesperson hears . As I repeatedly say, I love my LP12 but I hold Linn dealers with contempt because of their sales practices over many years. They are deliberately intimidating.

In the interests of balance - and in support of David’s point - I did once go to a Linn dealer to hear a Marantz £500 CD player (one that received award after award) and the dealer kindly just put a pair of Linn interconnects on my cheap Technics player and improved the sound. I saved over £400 but still walked out with some Linn!

So my list?

Linn Intek
Linn Wakonda/Lk280 - it wasn’t bad, just underwhelming given the cost (I had an LK280:and was convinced by a dealer the Wakonda would make a big difference over my previous non Linn preamp)
Audiolab 8000A ((I was pleasantly surprised by an 8000S are owning an Exposure pre and 2 monos)
All early Arcams (heavily recommended by magazines and repeatedly dull tommy ears)

Some of the heavily reviewed Marantz integrated amps haven’t grabbed me either over a number of years
 
ex brickie said:
I fear you tell only half a story David. Linn dealers over many years have been guilty of either a hard sell, or making you feel that your ears are inferior because you can’t hear what the salesperson hears . As I repeatedly say, I love my LP12 but I hold Linn dealers with contempt because of their sales practices over many years. They are deliberately intimidating.

In the interests of balance - and in support of David’s point - I did once go to a Linn dealer to hear a Marantz £500 CD player (one that received award after award) and the dealer kindly just put a pair of Linn interconnects on my cheap Technics player and improved the sound. I saved over £400 but still walked out with some Linn!

So my list?

Linn Intek
Linn Wakonda/Lk280 - it wasn’t bad, just underwhelming given the cost (I had an LK280:and was convinced by a dealer the Wakonda would make a big difference over my previous non Linn preamp)
Audiolab 8000A ((I was pleasantly surprised by an 8000S are owning an Exposure pre and 2 monos)
All early Arcams (heavily recommended by magazines and repeatedly dull tommy ears)

Some of the heavily reviewed Marantz integrated amps haven’t grabbed me either over a number of years
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How many Linn dealerships have you visited?

How you choose to feel after an experience at a dealership is entirely up to you, ‘inferior’ and ‘intimidated’ are poor choices.
 
Mynamemynaim said:
Cannot believe the Nad 3020 and Nait 1 have been listed by some as a worst amp

Our ears must truly be different
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Not just ears.
Just read what some people write about amps. sounding grey.
It must be the fact the first 8000A amplifiers were not black finish, but a shade of grey.
 
Durmbo said:
The Technics golden years seems to be from the late 70s to early 80s. I have an SU-V3 of 1981-82 vintage. The previous owner upgraded the phono op-amp and it sounds nothing less than amazing. It's easily the best integrated phono stage I've heard. The line section is OK with beautiful open mids and highs; the bass ends to get congested in complex passages. All in all it has a sunny, easy musicality. I'd to hear the TOTL models of the time.

Unfortunately it's had to be sidelined for the time as it needs a recap.
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Technics were hugely important to the Hifi industry in general and it was a huge blow when they pulled out in the late 90s ( I think that’s about the right date). They made many good products, whatever I personally thought of the amps, albeit of a later generation to yours. Please forgive me for being pedantic though; I’d argue that your sample with it’s up-rated key component isn’t what other owners would experience. Phono stages from later on in many Japanese amps were routinely terrible and were there as an afterthought as the mantra at the time was that vinyl was dead and CD the way forward.
 
I haven’t really heard many bad integrated amps. Just ones that disappointed when I couldn’t figure what all the fuss was about.
 
Did I mention Audiolab 8000S? Ah yes, I did. Terrible pile of c$$%. Cold, boring, analytical.

(Using Audiolab 6000A in one of my current systems - Lovely)

All non Class G Arcam's. Too soft and uninspiring.

(Currently using an Arcam SA20 in a system. Much better, dynamic. Slightly bloated bass is the only small niggle. A cable change mostly sorted that)

I also remember trying the AVI integrated (with my own speakers) at Bath Audio many years ago. I drove for 2 hours to audition it. - It was almost enough to put me off SS. I was using a John Shearne Integrated at the time which was almost tube like. That probably didn't help.
 
Martyn Miles said:
Whatever happened to AVI ?
I recall they were liked by many.

There must be many Hi-Fi brands that are long gone and forgotten.
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Not sure. Perhaps Ashley and his partner have retired. Their Active Speaker systems garnered many friends. Ashley's online persona not so much (though he is a lovely chap as I can confirm after a visit to his home near Bristol many years ago).
 
pocketkitchen said:
Technics were hugely important to the Hifi industry in general and it was a huge blow when they pulled out in the late 90s ( I think that’s about the right date). They made many good products, whatever I personally thought of the amps, albeit of a later generation to yours. Please forgive me for being pedantic though; I’d argue that your sample with it’s up-rated key component isn’t what other owners would experience. Phono stages from later on in many Japanese amps were routinely terrible and were there as an afterthought as the mantra at the time was that vinyl was dead and CD the way forward.
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My V3 is a recent revisiting of the model I had 30+ years ago. Quite possibly the op-amp upgrade has made a significant improvement, although I remember having no misgivings about the phono stage of my original. It was certainly untold better than the POS inside a c.1990 model that I compared it with.
 
Arkless Electronics said:
Dangerous to rate amps by what brand they are!! Many will make different models that are more different from one another than they are from rival brands.
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Just personal preference. Having tried a few, I find Marantz a bit more fatiguing to listen to, over a period of time.

Everyone's ears are different, accepted.
 
A few candidates but first place must go to a contraption known as the Gamma Rhythm.
Lasted about an hour before smoking to a halt.
Looked inside to find weediest under specced components which had no place in an amp with enough energy to kick start a Rhinoceros. Death trap..
 
AnilS said:
Just personal preference. Having tried a few, I find Marantz a bit more fatiguing to listen to, over a period of time.

Everyone's ears are different, accepted.
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Different models from the same company may well be designed by different engineers, and, especially if years apart, have absolutely nothing in common with each other beyond the name badge on them.
 
david ellwood said:
How many Linn dealerships have you visited?

How you choose to feel after an experience at a dealership is entirely up to you, ‘inferior’ and ‘intimidated’ are poor choices.
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I don’t think I choose how to feel - and if I’m finding that Linn dealers in particular have a tendency to impose a view do you think that’s a legitimate way of doing business? Yes I could choose different dealers and brands - but if I want to listen to Linn then I don’t want to be put off from doing so.

It appears to me they’ve been trained in particular psychological techniques (no doubt it will be denied). I’ve not found it in non Linn dealers .

Over a period of years I have bought from (not just visited) at least 4 in and around London (only one of which didn’t try to impose their own ears on the demo) and one in the NW of England (I won’t name the town/city as I don’t intend naming and shaming). Also if I want to hear upgrades to my LP12 I need at least a semi- reasonable relationship with a dealer.

I’m in west Wales - there isn’t exactly a multitude of Linn dealers I can access if you are suggesting I go elsewhere

I’m simply pointing out that it isn’t only magazines that push certain components - Linn dealers (IME) have been doing it for years.
 
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