Just wanted to close the loop on this. The best, to my ears, was a pre-owned LFD LE IV Signature Edition integrated that I purchased for less than $2k.
Best sounding compact integrated amp < $2k?
I am putting together a 2nd system that will be used in my living room. Music source will primarily be Tidal. Haven't finalized my speaker selection - but I may end up going with something from Dynaudio - perhaps the Excite X18 or the Special 40. Streaming will be handled by one of the following: Bluesound Node 2, outboard DAC/streamer or DAC/streamer onboard the amp.
Need to figure out what integrated amp would work best. A major constraint is that the enclosure that will house the amp has a maximum depth of 15 inches - so the amp itself will need to have a depth that is a couple of inches short of 15 (to leave room for rear cables/connections).
I have tried the Naim Uniti Atom and it is certainly a potential solution (sounds great too), but I am hesitant to go with an all-in-one solution (a separate streamer allows me to upgrade that part of the system as technology progresses).
The Peachtree Nova 150 is another option - but I have not yet had an opportunity to audition it.
My budget for the amp is $2k, but I am willing to stretch the $$$ for an outstanding component :) I am also open to picking up a pre-owned amp, though I would prefer to buy new.
Suggestions will be *greatly* appreciated!
Need to figure out what integrated amp would work best. A major constraint is that the enclosure that will house the amp has a maximum depth of 15 inches - so the amp itself will need to have a depth that is a couple of inches short of 15 (to leave room for rear cables/connections).
I have tried the Naim Uniti Atom and it is certainly a potential solution (sounds great too), but I am hesitant to go with an all-in-one solution (a separate streamer allows me to upgrade that part of the system as technology progresses).
The Peachtree Nova 150 is another option - but I have not yet had an opportunity to audition it.
My budget for the amp is $2k, but I am willing to stretch the $$$ for an outstanding component :) I am also open to picking up a pre-owned amp, though I would prefer to buy new.
Suggestions will be *greatly* appreciated!
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larryl50, as much the H90 is a fantastic piece, the H190 is in another league and not just in terms of power. It should be though for the extra money. Better DAC quality, better amplification, better preamp section, etc. Really, it just sounds considerably better across the board in my opinion and I feel is their best value integrated. If using easier to drive speakers, I'd say that quality-wise it goes head to head with the H360. But, the H360 has the ability to drive some speakers that the H190 can't due to the extra power. So, while the H90 is a great piece, if you can afford the extra money for the H190, that would definitely be a very nice upgrade. Also, the H190 has a XLR input |
I have a Naim Uniti Atom right now - but I have owned and like Hegel products. Can you tell me the appreciable differences - other than power output - between the H90 and H190? I have read articles on both saying they each is excellent. Is the H190 worth an extra $1200 for a small room amp using ? Is the detail, separation, etc. that much better on the H190? Thanks I am using Legacy Studio - Studio HD Speakers on stands. |
I’ve powered my dyn focus 160s with everything, including the new ps audio stellar amps. The system is in a small room about 12’ x 15’. I just bought a used naim nait 5i2 and hooked it up...never looking back. Hands down the best sound I’ve ever heard in any of my systems, even though now I’m already shopping for a naim with a little more power. Naim + Dynaudio is where it’s at! |
I’ve had the Peachtree Nova 150 for a bit over a year now and its a really terrific flexible Integrated. Also nice that I can use a lightning cable and go straight to the unit. I listened to a few Integrated amps prior to purchasing and for my ears, budget and space this seemed the best. Also Peachtree is supposed to be coming out with a WIFI module that the unit is pre-wired for. With the tape loop feature I hooked up a Yaqin tube buffer that is fun to play with. Again terrific flexibility. |
Focal Shape 65 speakers (or quite frankly any other good studio monitor, Dynaudio makes plenty) hooked up to Chord Mojo being fed by Google Chrome Audio via TOSLINK cable will blow away systems costing 5x the money. That's what's in my office (with IFI iTube2 between Mojo and speakers) and I often wonder if it doesn't sound better or at least as good as my other systems, some around $40K price tag. Active speakers are the future. How about a pair of KEF LS50W? |
Interesting thread I wonder what will Vingard go for? The Hegel H90 looks interesting but in one review it praised all else as to sound of the Amp but also stated that it's DAC was the weakest link, so it somehow defeats the main aim of this amp? (whats the point of the DAC if one ends up using an outside DAC as happened in that review - HIFIChoice) Naim Uniti Atom looks good if one enjoys their particular sound (excitement factor enhanced slightly - can be addictive), Naim's Customer Service is very good and their following is a little bit like a cult following by audiophiles. |
Based on the original post, the Belles Aria wouldn't work as it is too deep as well by the time you want to make cable connections and no option for streaming. I still stand by my suggestion of the Hegel H90. Size fits, built-in DAC and full streaming capabilities via Ethernet. Nothing else to add. Disclosure: We're a Hegel dealer, but due to territory, I can't sell to him anyways, but I'm just mentioning because I think it could suit him very well. |
First post here...long time lurker...thought I would chime in considering I was looking for a couple of months with very similar criteria (price range, dimensions, etc.) and after auditioning some of the previously mentioned integrateds, I ultimately ended up on the Belles Aria and couldn't be happier. Would agree with everything that has been said about the Aria by other posters. There isn't much written on the Aria so it was a bit of a leap, but I'm glad I made it. I'm listening to vinyl (Clearaudio Concept w/Ortofon Black) through B&W 705 S2 speakers. |
A lot of great choices here and honestly, they are all decent or better.... for my money, if you can get a Parasound new for $2000 or less, Its a great grab that depending on taste.... plus has a decent dac. But the Belles is just a slight tough darker and smooth and robust. If that is your style, it is much less and has a phono stage. You won't lose on these 2. Good luck, let us know what you end up with. |
Agree with the recommendations (2) for Creek Integrated amps. They have shown up on Stereophile’s recommended lists for years. I drive a pair of large Martin Logan SL3 electrostatics with my 5350SE rated at 90 RMS/channel. It hits way above its rating. Drives those big speakers with room to spare. Large toroidal transformer. Incredibly airy, super defined detailed soundstage, and their phono section (you have to order the phono card) is outstanding, best I’ve heard. I believe it falls within your size needs. |
The Creek 50a is a sweet little integrated. Great tone and a purity in its midrange that belies it’s price. Belles Aria ( now own ). Superb dynamics and scale. Very balanced. The review was spot on; tube like with more grunt. Thanks to JohnnyR, the Belles has stopped me from chasing my tail. I will be keeping this one. Regards..... |
We might be able to help we sell and display many brands of integrateds our shop sells: Unision Research, Naim, Nuprime, Anthem, Micromega, NAD, NAD Masters, Parasound and a few others. First you have the order wrong, you should select the speakers first, and then find the integrated amplifier that drives the speakers perfectly, you mentionded Dynaudio, but you haven’t decided on those yet. Your choice of monitors is a varied one, we sell probably more monitors than any store in the NYC area, we have ATC, Elac, Kef, Dali, PSB, Quad, Paradigm, Legacy, Cabasse and a few others. So here is how you should proceed: visit a store or stores in your area and look at a system that fits your criteria. First if you are after a bookshelf will it fit on a bookshelf, or are you using stands? Second: does the speaker have the right amount of bass to match your expectations but not too much to over load the room? Three: efficiency does the speaker system selected work with x amplifier and sound musically satisfying? You mentioned the Naim Uniti Atom and your fears of obsoleting the digital technology. We sell the Naim Uniti Atom and if you find a good match with the Atom the Atom is one of the most satifying of all current audio products on the market. You view the built in digital as a limitation rather than a benefit, it is a huge benefit, we would say that any amp with a built in dac will offer you a tremedous benefit right now. That benefit is you don’t have to worry about the space, cost of a dac, cost of digital cables and intergration issues. The Atom is winning awards where ever it is reviewed, because it delivers a warm, punchy sound, it drives most speakers well, the built in features of being able to stream any source from Ios, Android, APTX, Tidal, Spotify enable non audiophile friends, and family members to easily enjoy the sound system, and lastely the Atom is a stepping stone into the world of Naim. The Naim sound is totally addicting it sounds like a tube in the midrange, with a warm top end and punchy bass, you can move up to the better Naim Units and get even better sound, you can purchase a Muso QB a $899 streaming box which works on the same eco system so you can have a house full of quality streaming products and bring in the entire family into the joys of good sound. Lastely the built in dac is excellent, and it will take a good sized dac investment to beat the dac built in to the Naim. Remember a company like Naim can spend millions of dollars to perfect product, designs and technology, in fact they spent over $2 million dollars on the new Uniti series, how many small high end companies can afford to invest that much into product development? The answer is none. Look at the Uniti Atom as a perfect starter product to begin this project, you can always in a few years if you wish add an outboard dac to the Atom or use the Atom in a different room such as a study or office the applications for such a product are only limited by your imagination. If you look at the competition to the Atom there really isn’t any. The Naim Atom sounds considerably better than the NAD products non Masters line for the money, and the upper end Masters M32 costs $4,500.00 nor does any of the other companies offer built in streaming, there are Sim audio and Cary all in ones, but neither of those companies have the warm punchy sound of the Naim nor do any of those companies offer a variety of products on the same eco system with the variety of accessable sources. You could look at a Hegel with a Blue sound streamer but you are back to a multiple box, solution. The little Nuprime IDA 8 is a major winner it streams APTX and its built in dac is excellent. you can also get the amp with a NAD Blu Sound Node and be out for $1,500 plus a digital cable the Nuprime punchs way above its price point and sound fantastic very clear with a slightly warm quality. It has been compared to most of the $2k and above products and you have to spend considerably more money to really beat it. We have both the Nuprime and the Naim Atom in the same room so if you are on the East Coast and are not to far from our office you can actually audition these items. Here are some pictures of our shop as you can see we love intregrated amplifiers, especially ones with dacs and streamers. https://www.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.122499441156611.22641.122499304489958/188426939164626... https://www.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.122499441156611.22641.122499304489958/188427020831285... https://www.facebook.com/audiodoctor1/photos/a.122499441156611.22641.122499304489958/188427020831285... As per loudspeakers, the Dynaudios are very good speakers we don’t sell the brand, because we have an abundence of monitors. One of our new favorites monitors is the Quad Z2 they are absolutely amazing. Quad is not well know for their new dynamic speakers in the US but that is starting to change. The design brief was to emulate the sound of a Quad ESL in a dynamic loudspeaker. http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/product-detail.php?pid=30 The new S and Z series use one of the best high frequency drivers currently on the market The Quads use all propretary drivers and their ribbon tweeter is one of the newer types of ribbon tweeters it is a hybrid a pure ribbon driver with the distinction of a very thin highly strong polycarbonite damping layer, this gives the tweeter a sweeter sound than most ribbons which tend to be too hot in the upper treble that do not use this technique. The Quad tweeter is a pure ribbon as the metal diaphram is directly driven by the magnetic field and does not have only a thin strip of metal bonded to a plastic subtrate which is a Heil driver or a pseudo ribbon. We saw the speakers at the Capitol Audio fest and were impressed by the sound quality, styling and build quality, and reasonable pricing of the line. Then with the Stereophile review by Ken Meilcalf, we were convinced to try the line. https://www.stereophile.com/content/quad-s-2-loudspeaker We were hoping to find a more conventional montior to challenge the Kef LS 50 monitors which sound splendid but the LS 50’s looks are not for everyone. Mission accomplished the S2 are the best $1,000.00 monitor we have ever heard so agrees Mr. Meilcalf. In fact if you look up the reviews from Europe the Quads are getting incredible reviews on all of their models and are being hailed by the press as some of the best sound for their entire price ranges vs all of the competion. http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/upload/files/Lux+Quad_HFN_Yearbook2016 (1).pdf http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/news-detail.php?id=19 http://www.quad-hifi.co.uk/upload/files/Quad_Z1_HFC.pdf Sorry for Quad commercial, but the speakers are mind blowing good, and unfortunatly are not well known right now, we feel that the Quad line should be a must audition for anyone looking for affordable reference grade speakers, the top end and imaging are amazing. Another highly capable monitor line is ATC the SCM 11 are fantastic totally different sound than the Quads, puncher midbass, less high frequnecy clarity but a superb natural midrange. Then their is the Elac Adante which are big monitors, they have the best deep bass of any monitor, and may over load a small room, they are very dynamic and visceral, the top end is not a delicate or detailed as the Quads. Hope this helps a bit. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
http://www.audioconnect.com/belles-aria-integrated/ Here Ya Go I promise you it's that good! Should just make your cab specs.... Happy Listening JohnnyR |
The Creek Evolution 100A is hard to beat in that price range. It fits in your space and has great ergonomics, versatility, and functions. Oh and it sounds good too. I liked it better then the Peachtree Nova 300 in two systems I have compared them in. The Peachtree was very good, just not as good as the Creek. |
Within your budget the Hegel H90 is a great choice. It will give you great amplification, DAC and Ethernet input for your streaming as well. We pair the Dynaudio Special Forty with its big brother the Hegel H190 and the pairing is spectacular, in my opinion. The latest Dynaudio speakers aren't as hard to drive as in the past. I haven't tried the Special Forty with the H90 yet, but the H90 does a great job in driving the Dynaudio Emit M20. I imagine it should have no problem with the Excite X18 or Special Forty. |
If I were looking for a small, line-level, or digital only integrated amp, I think I would have to try the NuForce DDA 120 Integrated Amplifier DAC. It is on sale at Audio Advisor for $249. If you pair it with an easy to drive speaker, it could be an excellent, economical choice. The new Rega Brio is also a well reviewed compact amp at a reasonable price. Sorry, I'm not very familiar with other small form factor integrated amps at higher price levels. |
