Help choosing integrated

Thank you both for your feedback! 

@gdnrbob I thought of going separated but would like to keep the system simple.

@nycjlee Thanks for the advice. I need to see if I can audition Ayre at my local audio store.

@samac I saw a couple of ads for 585. What's your experience with 585? 

@samac Thanks a lot for sharing the details. I need to add 585 to my list :)

@mountainsong What source and speakers you use to pair with the Marantz?

@keithtexas You read my mind :)

@arsh I read some rave review about the Nu Vista 800. Sounds attractive. What source and speakers you use to pair with the Nu Vista?

@arsh Thanks for sharing the details. I auditioned Sasha's a few times and I was impressed. 

@georgehifi Thanks for the insight! I auditioned the Diablo (older version, not the the new Diablo 300) in person and I liked it very much. That's why it's on my original shortlist :)

@akg_ca Thanks for the advice! What's your impression with the OSIRIS? Source and speakers? 

@jond You're right, very tough decision :) 

@maxboy00 Modwright was on my list before. Very solid IA.

@jafant Will keep you posted for sure. I saw Wells too but wonder how it sounds?

@akg_ca Thanks for the detailed information. I'll see if I can audition it at my local audio store.

@waltersalas The challenge I have is that I don't have time for the tube maintenance. Otherwise I would have VAC and other nice brands added to my shortlist...

Thank you all for your feedback!! I pulled the trigger on the Vitus :) Will keep you posted on my impression. 

Thanks again, folks! I will receive the Vitus in another week or so. Will keep you posted on the progress. 

Thanks George! I'll look into the review. 

Vitus arrived 2 days ago and I haven’t done a lot of listening yet. My first impression was: WOW! I didn’t expect such a huge improvement from my system. By the law of diminishing return, I was expecting minor to moderate improvement. But it turned out to be something huge. I am sorry to say this; but I didn’t miss my old amp at all. I’ll do more listening this week and continue to report back to this group.

Guys thanks for being patient with me. I received the Vitus about 3 weeks ago but haven't bee able to listen to it enough until this week. There are already quite a bit of published reviews and forum threads that discussed the sound quality and characteristics of the RI-100. My impression is consistent with what the professional reviewers and forum threads said. First of all, this amp produces very well-balanced frequencies over all spectrum. Tube-like silk smooth high when I listened to the violins. Natural and life-like female Jazz vocals. The bass is deep and tight and that makes RI-100 stands out among its competitors. The amp paints a wide and deep sound stage and the instrument separation is excellent. Most importantly, it doesn't cause fatigue after long listening sessions. Like I said, this is the first week which I have a chance to spend enough time listening to the amp. Will do more listening in the next few weeks and keep you posted. In general, I'm very happy with this amp. 

@jond Thank you! Very happy indeed. Time to listen to more music :) 

I'm using TWL 8+. Will have a chance to try Masterbuilt this weekend. That may give the Vitus a big boost I guess.