Best Integrated Amp (for me)


I recently upgraded to a Pro-Ject Classic turntable. I currently own KEF LS50 bookshelf speakers and a Nikko NR-719 tuner (from the 1980s).

I'm interested in upgrading to a better-quality (and nicer-looking) integrated amplifier to pair with my turntable and speakers. I love things that are really simple and classic-looking (but of course I also want it to sound great). I'm looking to spend somewhere between $500-$1000.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated!


mdodgeknee

Showing 5 responses by mdodgeknee

Thanks all! I’ll investigate. I should also say that I don’t need USB, digital, Bluetooth, etc. Just something simple for my turntable that will sound great. I'm interested in vintage options too...
Thanks everyone for all these great leads. A lot to explore! I'm intrigued by that Vincent V-60, I'm going to take a closer look at it. (And, you mentioned that I'd need a separate phono stage for it... but if it's an integrated amp, doesn't that mean that I don't need a pre-amp?) (I'm sorry, I know that this probably sounds very ignorant! I'm new to all of this...)
Ah, got it. I'd thought that a phono stage was the same thing as a pre-amp. I think I need to take a class to learn this stuff.
There are definitely a ton of great options listed above! I was bidding on the Vincent V-60 amp that someone mentioned, but lost the auction. I'm going to take my time and wait until I find something that I really fall in love with. It seems that I might need to wait until I have some more money saved up to get myself something really special. (I'm also realizing that I want to hold out for something really cool-looking... TBH, I don't necessarily have the most sophisticated audiophile ear, and so some of the more subtle sound-related nuances are probably lost on me anyways...)
I ended up getting a Marantz 140 amp on ebay for $800. Now I'm going to start looking for a decent but not-super-expensive pre-amp to accompany it (until I can save up more $ to get myself something better... maybe the Marantz 3200?). If anyone can recommend any inexpensive pre-amps, I'd be curious to hear!