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Hi folks,
Sorry if I am posting this in an incorrect section. I am looking for integrated amps for my newly purchased Focal Electra 1008be and considering
SimAudio 250i
Yamaha A-S1100
Pioneer A9-mk2k-k
PARASOUND HALO
Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help in advance.
Follow Ups:
Your choice of SimAudio and Parasound is good. I would also add Bryston B60R, Hegel H80 and Creek Audio Evolution 50A.
Thanks MrDavis. I havent heard the Hegels (as in demoed) so not really sure if they really sound good. what is your opinion of them?
Naim Supernait 2 just read the reviews no wonder Focal merged with NAIM
Edits: 05/05/16
Finally bought the Hegel H160 after I demoed it and got Audioquest Rocket 88 cables :)
Thanks all you wonderful people out there for the help.
I think Mono Mode is a critical function missing from most integrated Amplifiers. Very useful for setting up and locating speakers - calibrating left and right loudspeaker levels and such...
I also think some kind of tone control is very useful - as all recordings are not perfect - except in the eyes of their producers.
Accuphase E260 might be the ticket... It's rather beautiful too.
Plus Preamp out/Power ins...
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius
Thanks much bigguin,
accuphase was on my list. one of my prime concerns is my father lives in India and im going to carry this back to india which has 240V 50Hz input voltage. Since I would be carrying it from the US I might need to use a step down transformer. But would that affect the sound quality is my concern.
Thanks once again for suggesting E260.
..
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius
Some things to think about...
First: when somebody says that a speaker sounds better with a tube amp , there is more to it than just the tone .
There are different types of power delivered by different types of amps ie. voltage vs current . Some speakers are designed with this in mind .
It can be useful to find out , from the manufacturer/designer , what type of amplification was used to design the speaker .
Second: tube amps can take @ 1/2 to 1 hour to warm up to sound their best . Some SS amps can take days which is why some have 'standby mode'. Is your father the type to leave his equipment on , or will he turn it off when he is finished ?
Third: there are quite a few tube amps now that take all of the 'complexities' out of their operation with automatic biasing and protection circuits .Pretty much plug-n-play like anything else . And you are able to tailor the sound to your individual taste by tube swapping or 'rolling' .
A very admirable task ! I am sure your Father will be quite happy .
Good Luck .
Hi Saki,
thanks for the reply. that was very insightful. My father may leave the unit in standby mode I dont think he would have an issue with that. However, I doubt if he would get into the hassles of tubes though.
thank you for the suggestions, I learnt something new :)
Naim Nait xs or Supernait 2. Focal owns Naim now and some people like the combo.
Good luck
Thanks for the suggestion BenE. Will check them out surely. The specs look pretty interesting.thanks much sir.
Welcome! spoutjack-
a tubed integrated will mate nicely! Happy Listening!
Thanks for the reply fantja.
I am sure tubes would sound nice and warm but Im afraid my father wont like the hassles of tubes :'(
Glad to see you moved on from that other website.
It would be helpful if you mentioned what sources would by connected to the integrated amp, such as a CD player, turntable, digital devices, or video components (e.g., TV or Blu-ray player), now or in the future.
Also, has your father in the past expressed any preferences in sonics, such as liking a bright, neutral, or warm sound?
Is he comfortable with using menus or would a unit with straightforward knobs and switches on the front panel be better?
You are a good and generous son!
Hi Alex,
Thanks for the recommendation. I owe this to you. My father would mostly be listening to audio CDs. As far as I know he leans towards neutral to warm side of the spectrum. I dont think he has any preferences as far as the style of controls go....
Once again thanks for recommending this site Alex.
You are very welcome. Glad to help.
If Cambridge Audio's 851A is similar to its predecessor, the 840A, which I owned several years ago, it will be a bit on the warm side of neutral and provide a touch of tube-like smoothness and liquidity. It might be a nice match for the Focals.
Another possibility, from a brand known for its rich and somewhat warm tonality, is the new Conrad-Johnson CA150. Similar sonics are available from McIntosh, too.
Below are links to two friendly and helpful Cambridge dealers, with whom I've made multiple purchases. Spearit also offers the Conrad-Johnson integrated amp.
http://www.spearitsound.com/pdfs/851AC_Hi-FiChoice.pdf
Hi Alex,
Finally bought the Hegel H160 with Audioquest Rocket 88 cables. :)
Thanks much for all your help. now hunting for a streamer and a cd player.
Was also considering YBA Passion IA350 but then not many dealers around to review so didnt take the risk.
You and mtbikeNH (in the thread above) appear to be on a similar quest. See my comments there as well.
As a former dealer I always thought the Electra line benefited most from a good tube amp. So a Rogue would go quite well. The Chronus Magnum has a phono stage.
ET
Thank you for your reply awe-do-file. I highly appreciate your help on this Sir.
I would love to have tube amps but this is going to be a gift to my father and I dont think he would like to deal with complexities of the tube....Would you be able to recommend something amongst the solid states please?
Some favs:
Exposure
Rogue
Raven Audio
"To Learn Who Rules Over You, Simply Find Out Who You Are Not Allowed to Criticize."
-Voltaire
any specifics amongst these mbnx01? thanks for your reply.
The Exposure is a great all-rounder. Very stable into low impedance loads, lots of power, quiet, great build quality. It's my favorite of the British amps, and I've owned lots - Arcam, Naim, Musical Fidelity.
The Rogue is popular with tube lovers and is great bang for the buck.
The Raven is the best integrated I've heard, by a wide margin, but you have to be able to get by with 20 wpc. It works for me, but I'm in a small room and am not into loud music. With 90db efficient speakers it would be my first choice.
"To Learn Who Rules Over You, Simply Find Out Who You Are Not Allowed to Criticize."
-Voltaire
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