Integrated Amp Choices
I also own an ARC VSi60 as well ass the Leben. Both highly recommended, but very different amps. The ARC is noticeably more powerful, and quite a beast in terms of grunt for its rated output. Typical ARC sound - incredibly accurate, very clear and open, almost solid state, but with a bit of added tube ‘bloom‘. Great all round performer. The Leben compensates for its lower power with a greater degree of finesse, and sheer musicality (probably the best commercial amp I have heard in that respect). Can still rock it out with efficient speakers. Hope this helps. |
pesky_wabbit - excellent, yes, thanks!
arcam88 - How do you like those passive ATC scm 40's? I audition the same model in actives but didn't pay a lot of attention to them when I found I needed a pre-amp to run them, not to mention their almost twice the price of the passives. This (passive) is another speaker that is very difficult to hear around this neck of the woods. I see Music Direct carries them... |
| Post removed |
| Post removed |
If I could sum up the difference between the Hegel and the Leben it would be otherworldly drive, control and poise vs otherworldly finesse and sheer musicality. 250W of sheer adrenaline vs 30W of nectar. The differences couldn’t be clearer. You have to like one or the other (or both). The choice is obviously very speaker dependent - and it‘s not just about outright efficiency. |
| Post removed |
One thing that might surprise you: at moderate listening levels the Leben is probably the more rhythmically adroit. It‘s not a soft, slow and cuddly amp at all. It sparkles with life and musical drive. The CS600 has been replaced by the CS600X due to.the dwindling supply of the pre-splitter tubes employed. Otherwise identical. Some say different, some say outright better. |
hi-amp - my ATC's sound amazing! They are low sensitivity speakers (85 db) but the Anthem has no problem taking control of the drivers. Solid bass, great soundstageand and depth, Three dementional at times (with the right recording) Also the Anthem has ARC (Anthem Room Correction) that helps a great deal to optimize the sound for your room🍻 |
I have a Krell K-300i 4K which I bought as a demo ($5K) paired with Kef R300 speakers along with 2 Rel subs & to my ears the sound is truly "fantastic". I also have the Kef R700's which is the generation before the R11's. The combination of Krell & Kef sounds really sweet. The DAC on the Krell is really good for an integrated amp. You can hook it up directly to a desktop or laptop & being Roon Ready the computer will recognize the Krell on Spotify & 1 click to select it & you are ready to go. Music from the computer sounds really good, similar to CD quality. I think you could enjoy many years of high quality music using the DAC in the Krell. You can also use the Krell in place of the TV speakers by running a hi-def HDMI cable from the Krell to the eArc input on the TV. The broadcast sound is really good & it often sounds like a multitude of channels is being delivered & played from just 2 speakers. I also have a McIntosh MX160 11 channel home theater system & in all honesty the Krell sounds much better for music than the MAC. Finally, over time you can consider adding 1 or 2 Rel subs as you can hook them up via the Hi-level inputs on the subs. This will further enhance the musicality & soundstage of the entire system. Overall, I really like & enjoy the Krell & highly recommend it especially if you can find one in the 5K range where it represents excellent value. |
docmrmike - excellent advice thanks so much for contributing! |
arcam88 - 👍 |
I understand your reservations about Class D and I also understand that you were not looking for more suggestions, but only for the observations of those who have listened to the particular pairings the you listed, @hi-amp. But in case you might find it useful and you can find one in your area to audition I am going to throw the Primare I35 out there as something you may consider. https://primare.net/product/i35-dac-modular-integrated-amplfiier-and-digital-to-analog-converter/ As you can see it has a DAC and you can also add a streamer module. It is also within your budget. I have the I32 and love it. I hope to upgrade sometime. The advantage of these is that they are not at all picky about the speakers they drive, so matching is much less of an issue. Whatever you decide, I hope you are overjoyed with the result. |
2channel8 - thanks, Primare is great stuff, I once had their stand alone DAC, great build quality. I will check out the I35, but pretty sure no one locally carry’s it. |
ja_kub_sz - I am honored, your first post, welcome! I will definitely check out the Anthem (if I can find one around here?) Years ago, I had a McIntosh MA6600, it was good, but not as musical as my Coda CSIB, but if looks could kill... And, yes of course, pictures will go up for sure, maybe be a while though. Still awaiting permits for my remodel and with Covid, everything County related is going at a snail's pace. |
anotherbob - that M33 has got some pretty rave reviews, but I'm not sure if I am completely ready for a all-in-one box solution. It was even tough for me to go to an integrated amp (ex CSiB). That's why I am quizzing everybody's use of the onboard DACs that come with some of these amps. Maybe if they are upgradeable, that's OK. My last music server was just a simple Roon Nucleus, hooked up via USB to my DAC and that's it. I could stream Tidal, search Roon for any music I so desired and could store my ripped CD's on an internal hard drive, al for $1,300. Worked flawlessly, but yes, it didn't have that slick display of the M33. |
High amp- here is my two cents - I have been running a Krell K300i in my main system for over a year now - the integrated sounds amazing and pushes my Maggie 1.7i with no issues - will handle your speakers without a problem. I have used Krell integrated amps for over twenty years - they all ran / run great, and when service was needed - Krell was always there to back up the product. My Krell K300 i does not have the internal DAC - for streaming I use LUMIN. hope this helps - Happy Listening! |
Another vote here for the M33.Had mine for several months now and it still blows me away, playing out to a pair of GoldenEar Triton Ones. It's recently (finally!) been Roon certified and that has just made the icing on the cake for this slick and sleek all-in-one. The BlueOS is a matter of personal taste (I quite liked it - no big issues) but other's mileage may vary there - but with Roon you can by-pass that anyway..it'll love your Roon Nucleus...especially if used with ethernet. |
ljutic - sounds sweet! I finally bit the bullet and went with yysantabarbara's Krell K300i. Thanks too all that contributed here and made recommendations. It was a lot of fun learning about so many integrated amps and getting to know a bit about all your systems and what works good for you! |
