"your best bang for the buck" and "I have one for sale" sounds like a great deal because you know it firsthand.
Integrated Amp Shopping Decisions
Looking to replace my 1987 NAD 1240 preamp and Adcom 535ll. They have served me well for years but are now both very long in the tooth and probably time for caps but not interested in investing as it would be a poor investment to update them. So I am looking to go integrated. Have a Technics 1210GR and Music Hall 7 so vinyl is a given. Also need USB for my Dead flac files. So my needs are decent MM phone preamp, USB and can run either RCA or coax out from my Rotel Tribute CD. Don't really need Bluetooth. Preferable to have tone controls. I am looking at a new speaker purchase which may likely be Wharfedale Lintons or Evos. Price point around $1800 max.
So, I have a list of possibles. Cambridge CXA81 but no tone controls or phonestage so not sure about this one, Parasound HINT6 preowned puts me $1800 (Its got the phono and DAC, ) Bel Canto C5i gives me phono and DAC (if I can find preowned) Rogue Sphinx (plus add Schitt Mani DAC) Musical Fidelity M5si (preowned), Yamaha S801 gets good reviews but lower price scares me. Any contenders I am missing? Thoughts?
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I have had both Parsound and Musical Fidelity brands. I have the A21 amp and the M6 500i (MF integrated). I like both brands. I think the MF has a dual mono amp and that would be an enormous advantage in sound. If I were shopping, the MF would be at the top of my list of the ones you are looking at. Also I have Odyssey products and would not buy them again. Way too much hype on that brand...IMO. |
@2psyop After much looking and reading, the MF M3si looks like a top contender. It gets high marks for the phono stage and has USB and some nice reviews. No tone controls though. The Hint 6 is also still a contender as is the Denon 1600 or 1700NE. They have what I am looking for. Had a Denon cassette deck back when I bought my NAD (1987) and it ran for years. Checked out the Belles Aria but found very little about it. Even their own website has no specs. Seems very strange to me. No write ups to speak of either. Seems like a ghost product so I think I'll scratch that one. |
You really need to hear this IA . I would pick it over all others in your range.
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