@oddiofyl I appreciate that way of thinking too, and try not to buy 'cheap.' Not that spending a lot of money results in tangible improvements necessarily, but by choosing something that has comparable specs to more expensive equipment but perhaps gives up some feature that I probably wouldnt use anyway because of the way I listen. And while I know this may open up a bag of worms with some who might read this, all of my old equipment had bass and treble controls that could be invoked with any source connected to the system and I appreciate the subtle effect that can have. All of the new receivers or pre/processors I have seen have no tone control other than some kind of built-in room correction. Lets be clear, I am talking about a 5.2 surround system. I wont be doing ceiling speakers for atmos. No one seems to offer this most basic form of tone shaping for ANY surround sound system. Using room correction software is inconvenient because, as far as I know, none of those response shaping tools can be invoked on the fly while listening, unlike a bass and treble control. I purchased an Emotiva MR-1L receiver to test out the concept of using room correction software and see first hand how well or poorly it worked. Lets just say I am NOT a fan. Too time consuming, less than wonderful results, channel balance is awful, I can do better by ear but it takes a LOT of tweaking to get to a place where the response corrections fit a curve that sounds good, Overall its a great receiver with a few quirks that irk me, I will have to spend clearly more, a lot more, to get functionality that doesn't irk me. Due to the generally poor amplifiers in most receivers offered today, particularly at MR-1L's price point, its clear I am going to have to go upscale quite a bit...The only one that appears to tick all the boxes is the Marantz AV-10. And then add amplifiers to suit. By the time I have done that, I have close to 10K in just a processor and amplification.....Or go completely in the other direction and by the Schiit 5.1 channel processor for $400 that does everything in analog and follows NONE of the modern formats. It converts any 2 channel source into 5.1 in the analog domain and provides a satisfactory listening experience for movies (if you believe the reviews) and music as well. Not sure how much Schiit I would be buying if I went that route, but the idea of not having to keep up with the ever more complicated Dolby standards and yet have a pleasant and rewarding movie experience anyway is more than a little appealing. Certainly financially and possibly sonically. So its a quandary...with either choice external amps are required. I could be all in on the amplifiers via Emotiva for about $2000 if I was willing to settle for 200 wpc, and nearly $4000 to double that and have the Schitt processors for 400 and be all in for something over half the price of the $7000 Marantz. Or marry digital and analog together by buying an Emotiva TA1...to use as a DAC - It gives me FM radio, A phono input, an optical input, real tone controls, preamp ouputs to send to the Schitt processor and then to the amps and I am in for most of the electronics I need for under $3000 or $5000 with high power amps. So I could have FM, TV, and another source (streaming or CD) plus Phono and be a modern 'old school' mostly analog and never have to concern myself with whatever the latest video codec is and whether I can decode it. The speakers in this system are yet to be decided and should be the topic of yet another post...so what would you guys do and why? Would you buy up to the AV-10 or buy some Schitt? Or go the Emotiva DAC route?
Help me find my ideal Stereo Integrated Amp
Hi all. Do you know of a Stereo Integrated Amps with these features?
1) $10,000 or less
2) DAC
3) Streamer
4) Phonostage
5) XLR connections (does not have to be truly balanced)
6) 200 Watts at 8 ohms/400 Watts at 8 ohms
7) Optical/Coaxial/HDMI digital inputs
Thank you in advanced for your help.
+1 to @jomonhifi for the Diablo recommendation, that will sound fantastic. Unfortunately, that path can be a bit of a Snipe hunt because there aren't very many 300s that come up used. Another consideration would be a new Hegel H400 (no phono stage) and add the Hegel V10 phone stage, all in new for $8700. I have a lot of friends with very high end vinyl rigs and they love the sound and flexibility of the Hegel phono stage. Keep in mind that most built in phono stages are more of a convenience than a critical listening path. Good luck and cheers. |
+1 on Anthem STR integrated. My son has one and it’s great sound with very good DAC and phono pre. He streams from a node but uses the digital out b/c he prefers the Anthem’s DAC. Has a boatload of digital inputs and RCA XLR analog. Around half your budget but Stereophile Class A. Easy to set up and use. Worth a listen. |
Maybe underpowered at 150W into 8 ohms, <1% THD; 280W into 4 ohms, but I’m going to suggest Aesthetix Mimas. Most integrated DACs are okay to subpar, so it usually best to get a separate DAC. Integrated phono is usually minimally satisfactory. But the Aesthitix Mimas optional DAC and phono cards are sonically superior. Aesthetix has been around a long time with a great sonic reputation. Missing is the streamer option, but extremely few audiophile quality integrates have it. The Hegel H390/H590 has good DACs, the H600 an notably better DAC, but don’t offer phono or streaming. Other integrated choices at the 10k price point the DAC sonics would be notably inferior, maybe a good trade off if the OP decides that features (having DAC, phono, streamer in one case) are more important than best sonics. |
Hi from New Zealand :) If you are willing to adjust your price target a bit, I think the new T+A R2500R from Germany is everything you could ever want in a single box unit. Best all in one I have ever heard! Great streamer, dedicated PCM and DSD DAC’s, HDMI, Phono, very good relay volume control & class AB that can handle 2 ohm no trouble. T+A also offer streaming hardware upgrades, which ensures future proofing for all-in-one units with the ever changing streaming landscape. Yes, higher price than you asked for, but well worth the stretch if you can in my opinion. Different league to Hegel (Ive owned the H390) Happy Listening :) |
I know they don't have phone inputs, but if I were in your shoes, I'd strongly look at the new Hegel H400 and H600 integrated amps. I've heard the H390 a lot at a client's house, and just got to hear the new H600 which he upgraded to. Speakers were Revel Salon 2s, and Tannoy Kensingtons. At this point in my life I prefer separates, but I could live with the H600. |