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Atoll v McIntosh v Musical Fidelity v Rega

I am a newbie and the more I read and the more I look, the more indecisive I become. I am looking for an integrated for a primarily two channel system but will be part of a HT system as well. I will be using a Marantz HT receive to power the rears and center. I will be mainly listening to vinyl and some CD. I have or soon to have a Clearaudio Emotion TT and Kirksaeter Prisma 210 for speakers (fronts and rears). I would rather buy new but am not against used as long as it is in excellent shape. I want to stay around $3k. I leaning toward the MF, but the McIntosh MA-6300 looks like a great option as well. Then a friend mentioned looking at the Rega Elicit (not much power though). And yet another mentioned the Atoll. Reading about the Atoll really has me interested. It is hand made in France and has gained some great reviews. It looks good and has plenty of power. But I am more confused as I keep looking.

Please those with experience, offer your suggestions, recommendations, and input.

If anyone has heard the Atoll or really any of the above please offer up your opinions.
sebraasch

Showing 3 responses by hasmarto

hasmarto's avatar
hasmarto
162 posts
 
Atoll IN200 is a great amp. Very easy on the ears, yet very detailed. Also it's reliable and has excellent built quality. Dealers usually give a few hundreds bucks of discount. With the Mac you'll pay more for the name than for the sound. Personally I won't buy MF unless it's hugely discounted, and also keep in mind, that they produce new gear almost every year, so whatever you buy from them will become obsolete very soon. I have no experience with the Rega. If you can expand your budget, then Luxman L-505u is a way to go. Terrific value and great sound. Good luck.
hasmarto's avatar
hasmarto
162 posts
 
Sebraasch, you won't regret your decision. I don't know what MF amp you have in mind (personally I think they are sterile), in any case Atoll 200 is a terrific peace, and it is very unfair that folks know about it so little. I was auditioning that peace with my friend (for him) and I was blown away by its musicality. After my friend bought it, I got for myself AM200 and PR300 separates :). But, I must say, it requires long break-in time, and it is cable-sensitive.
hasmarto's avatar
hasmarto
162 posts
 
Sebraasch, please keep in mind, whatever I say is just my subjective opinion. The last MF amp I had was A5 integreted, and I hated it. I auditioned at the time Audio Aero, Plinius 9200, Unison Unico Se, and bought the latter. But that's another story. I use Ecosse Myth/Pro silver IC (used). It's expensive, but worth every penny. Try as many silver cables as you can find. My speaker cables are Kimber 8tc biwired, but I'm looking for new ones. Regarding the PC, yes I replaced the stock ones (to be honest they're pretty crappy), and bought Italian HiDimond White Extremo. I didn't play with other PCs. If you have time and options experiment with them, but I don't think it's the matter of importance at this stage.
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