Integrated amp for B&W 805S under $1200?

>>With your stuff I think you should try a tube integrated. I like the Pathos a lot. Art Audio just came out with one too.<<

Well that's bad information as the Art Audio Lissa is a solid state (chip) amp, not tubed.

Pathos integrated tube amps range from $2700 to $10,000, which seems a little out of the $1200 limit.

You really need to check out this amp.

Myriad reviews here.

Thank you all for your feedback. Much appreciated! I thought I'd update you with what I'm going to try next. I found a Classe CAP 150 (sonically the same as a CAP 151) on here for sale, and it should be arriving tomorrow. I'll post my review once I've had time to listen to it and compare it to my YBA YA 201.

I'm hesitant to go to the separates world, so I decided to stick with integrated. I don't have room for separates in my small entertainment unit in my apartment. I'm also a bit hesitant about tubes or hybrids: I'd like to try them out in my system but I don't want to commit to buying one. It seems tubes lack the dynamics of SS and that's important to me in orchestral works.

In terms of my short list. A lot of people say Bryston and Krell are harsh so I'm staying away. The Naim Nait 5 is very highly recommended, and I may try a unit if I find one here that lasts for more than 5 minutes! But I wonder if it's enough to drive my 805S. I called Joe from Portal Panache, who was incredibly helpful and nice. There's a 12 week wait on the Panache! The Marantz PM15S1 is new and I'd feel more comfortable seeing more reviews online before buying it.

Thanks all!

Good luck with the Classe, they can sound pretty nice with the right speakers and often end up matched with B&Ws because they have the same distributor.

I would not shy away from trying the PimaLuna ProLogue 2 if you can find one used within your budget. Along with the Naim Nait 5i, it is the most memorable listen I have had in the $1500 range. Here is what Ed Kobesky from Positive Feedback said about it:

"When the music started, the ProLogue Two surprised—no, shocked—me by painting a smooth sonic picture that was also controlled and coherent. Many tube amps I've heard are slow in the midrange, dull on top, and loosey-goosey on the bottom. Not the ProLogue Two. It can't compete with solid-state amps in terms of tightness and fastness, but it never sacrifices detail to provide a warm, soothing presentation. It just sounds good, and not in a deliberately tube-like way. Music is presented in its entirety. At moderate to medium-high volumes, it does a remarkable job of sorting out instrumental lines, right down to the individual notes. I'd have no qualms about pairing it with sources and speakers that cost many times its absurdly low price. It also brought out the very best in budget gear. Whether fed the signal from my NAD C521i CD player or a $50 Sony CD Walkman, the results were musical. The ProLogue Two can be alternately forgiving and revealing. That, in a word, is magic."

Yeah, what he said.

Finally, I am intrigued as all get out with Johnyb53's suggestion of the new Denon integrated for $1199 new.

Try the high end rega product.

Other ideas

Unison or Pass