Boulder 866 / Rotel Michi M8

I own the Boulder 866 and it is a outstanding American build product.  Have not heard the M8 but there reviews are quite good.  I can attest that Boulder is a great company and everything is made in house.  Have you had a chance to listen to both amps?

Unfortunately, I don't have the opportunity to listen to them in the area before buying. I'm trying to get informed. What Speaker and system do you listen to?

Here is my review on the Michi 8.

ozzy

Audiogon Discussion Forum

@rolee910 

Another vote for the 866! It is an outstanding integrated with a superb DAC. I have Rockport Avior ii speakers and the Boulder is superb with them! Good luck in your search! 

Thank you very much guys, the speaker would be 802D3.

The Michi's sound is more similar to the warm-sided Mcintosh according to the info, in some topics you can read that the MC 611 beat it in every respect. Boulder 866, on the other hand, can be a tighter sound with more tangible contours as described, would that be so?

I have both mcintosh 601 and michi m8.they both have meters both sound good but for big speakers the michi is a great bang for the buck and we'll built.the boulders have all the integration and 200/400 watts compared to 1 /1.6 or so on the michi so if you have inefficient speakers or one day buy new speakers that are the michi will cover that.i will keep all those amps for life the mcintosh and michi are built for quality.good luck in your quest there are fewer stores let you take stuff and try it.upscale audio is one with return policy. Enjoy the music .

@rolee910 

I think you are correct with that assessment but part of it is also that the Boulder is very neutral and doesn’t color the sound. It doubles in power from 8ohms to 4 ohms so you don’t have to worry about those impedance dips in the music. 

Thank You guys!!!

How big is the listening room? How loud do you listen (measured with SPL meter or smartphone app)? This will play into how much power you need.

I’d also call Boulder and get their take on the 866 and 802D3 pairing.  
If it all checks out and I had to purchase without being able to audition, I’d start with a used Boulder 866. 
 

Within the integrated amps space I would also consider CODA CSiB V2 or V3, McIntosh MA9500 and Pass Int250. They all sound different so read up and determine what might work best based on sound characteristics. 

I am still extremely interested in the 866 and the Boulder sound, but there was an unmissable deal, so I currently have new michi M8s. I started burning them in, it was written on the forum that it takes up to 400 hours to burn them in.

If they don't agree, I'll move on.