I put off upgrading my MA Silvers for over 2 years after adding the Luxman 509x to my system. It woke them up like nobody's business, and sent me down the rabbit hole likely forever. I'd strongly suggest that combo.....509x used is plentiful inventory wise, should be right around your budget if you shop around. Endgame piece for many.
Integrated Amp - Narrowing Down to 2
Keeping the story short. Reset up the analog system and three zones about 5 years back. Have Two Marantz AV units doing the work (not exactly my choice). Time to upgrade.
Looking to stay in the 4k range (have other stuff to add yet and should be another upgrade in 4-5 years). Am looking for an integrated amp to power the Monitor Silver 300's i have. Will basically run Phono & CD - maybe in future streaming, but not likely. I do use phones a lot, current have Audeze MM-500's
Will add a new 3 zone AV (as olders are only two zone) for TV, Kitchen and outdoors but will likely use towers for TV as well so integrated should have pass though capabilities.
Somewhat narrowed down to Hegel 190V and Parasound Hint 6....leaning one way or the other given the random time of day.
Thoughts would be welcomed on these or other alternative.
Thanks!
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I had looked at the MF M6si....will look bit into the MA5300 and the Moon. |
@kinglek the last time I upgraded my amplification source, a couple of knowledgeable audiophile friends told me that I'd have to spend, at least, 8 to 10K to obtain significantly superior sound quality over today's more reasonably priced integrated amplifiers. I think they were/are right. Here are 3 integrated amps that I've spent serious seat-time with that I would encourage you to audition with your MA Silver, which I have also spent some serious seat-time with (those are sweet speakers): Simaudio Moon Neo 340 IX + Musical Fidelity M6si + McIntosh MA5300. Good Luck! |
I have always liked Parasound but find their Hint6 to be a little unexciting … doesn’t do anything wrong but just does not stand out in any way.. slightly warm in its presentation and easy to match with a variety of speakers.. but when it comes to Parasound, I would stretch a little and go for their separates which are on a totally different level (and probably stay close to your budget) instead of the integrated solution. As far as the Hegel, it is more of a Swiss Army knife in terms of its functionality— do you really need/want all of that— very nice integrated amp but I think at its price point you are getting into Luxman L-505uXII territory which could also be a consideration if you do not need all the functionality the Hegel provides..If just choosing between Hint6 and Hegel 190v, I would go with Hegel |