Budget integrated amp needed


I have a little bedroom system - NAD receiver, Pioneer SP-BS21 speakers and a Bluesound Node. It fits my bedroom music needs perfectly! Unfortunately, the NAD, from the mid 90’s, has had it- 

I am looking for a replacement integrated. I don’t need Bluetooth DAC or AirPlay- just a straight forward integrated and low power is fine. 
 

Suggestions please! Ideally budget is about $300- give or take and I’m not adverse to used 

 

thanks! 

128x128zavato

Showing 1 response by panzrwagn

Th VR-2020s are a 10" 3-way with a 91dB sensitivity, and are a relatively easy load to drive. And while you could go off into any number of esoteric rabbit holes, your budget is best served by a high-value integrated amp. And right now the King of that Hill is the Marantz PM-7000N. At 60 w/ch, 80 into 4 ohms, you will have plenty of power. And you will have the full connectivity from a very good phono stage, 3 more analog inputs,  to built-in 24-bit/192kHz PCM streaming across the digital inputs (USB, coaxial and two optical) and music servers, and 5.6MHz DSD streaming across the USB input and music servers. Plus the HEOS remote. I stream 256K AAC regularly, and I'm very impressed. Dont just believe me, read the Absolute Sound ("50 Greatest Bargains In High-End Audio"), What Hi-Fi, and other reviews. Sure, there are better integrated amps, but they're all multiples of the cost - the Hegel H95 is often compared, but it's $2000 and lacks all the flexibility of the PM-7000N. Luxman, Mcintosh, and Rogue Audio (Tubes) all make great, if very analog-centric amps in the $3-5,000 range. There's always used, with all the attendant benefits of cost, offset by lack of warranty, and lack of current technology. If you were interested in going vintage, then that's another discussion entirely. But for your budget, nothing will get yo farther down the road than a PM-7000N.