Integrated amp suggestions.
Audition one of these with a Super Black Box. I don't know much about the company but auditioned a unit at the RMAF and if I had the budget I would be considering one. https://www.stereophile.com/content/octave-audio-v-80-se-integrated-amplifier |
dan d was krell’s main man before his current outfit bearing his name i have not heard his current super duper expensive stuff at any length but if it still has the same sonic signature as krell then it would be classic clean sharp bass slammy solid state... can be lean and sizzly if matched poorly to source and transducer ayre’s house sound is somewhat different, a little warmer, sweeter, a little less bass slam a little more air and subtlety also suggest hegel and belles - excellent sounding units, very good spatial capabilities |
3952rsalmaxGreat speaker, have been said to be a hard load a bit like the Amati's which can dive down to nearly 2ohm in the low bass. For those you want the very best integrated, and to me that will be the Gryphon Diablo 300, it will get the very best out of them. Or the Diablo 120 if you can afford the 300. https://gryphon-audio.dk/shop/integrated-amplifiers/gryphon-diablo-300-integrated-amplifier/ Cheers George |
Vitus are a Danish high-end company who make three fabulous integrated amps. I have demoed all three and own two of them and all sound wonderful. Their latest, the SIA-030, has received numerous awards in Asia and Europe recently. Class A to 30W and AB to 200W, it is an extraordinary amp. The Vitus ’sound’ is neutral although with a slightly warm, analogue sound. Not the velvety smoothness of a Luxman, and more precise than a McIntosh, but not the dry Hi-Fi sound of a D’Agostino. Think a more valve sound In the mids and top end but with rigid tight and deep bass. I demoed Sonas Faber speakers with the Vitus SIA-025 and the combination was wonderful, especially with Classical music where the instruments were precisely located in 3 dimensional space and the sound was almost ’live’. |
Ayre has a certain darkness, like it pulls noise out of the room. It's kind of a funny effect. Very smooth, touch warm in the sense of Parasound. Luxman is closer to D'Agostino. Extended on both ends, liquid midrange. Have never heard Simaudio so I can't help you. The Luxman/D'Agostino/Ayre triad represent amps I'd be happy with for the rest of my life. |
There's a great selection of integrated amps these days. McIntosh has both solid state and tube - if you are willing to consider them. Not sure about your CD transport but most likely one remote could operate them both if that's important to you. My experience with Simaudio is related to their DAC - I have the 280D. I'd consider their other components and my McIntosh C2600 and MC 301 are relatively new and I'm extremely happy with them at this time. If you like tubes, I've been impressed with a Rogue demo. The store I frequent decided not to renew the AR contract because of the performance and customer reaction to Rogue. Good luck and happy listening. |
I have owned a Simaudio Neo Ace 240i for well over a year, and I like it it a lot, playing into Dali 5's and a Dynaudio subwoofer. It has a built in DAC that sounds pretty good to me as well, a tiny bit better than the DAC within my Innuos Zen Mini, in case you change your mind and downsize all those CDs and rip them, as I did. The Simaudio was a demo model, and my local dealer sold it to me for a fair price. At 50W/ch, I do not know how well it will drive your big Sonus Faber Novas, but if you have a chance to find one to audition, it is worth a try. My same same local dealer has a Vinnie Rossi L2i integrated amp, playing into Dynaudio Confidence 20s and 50s. I think it is some of the best sound I have ever heard, but the Vinnie Rossi, even without the DAC or phono stage cards that are add-ons, still costs over $12,000. I don't know what your budget looks like. If the price of the Vinnie does not scare you off, I would highly recommend an audition if you can arrange it. There is a Vinnie Rossi L2i-SE, the fully loaded big brother, for sale on Audiogon right now for 21K (no disclaimers: I do not know the owner of said amplifier at all or have any interest in its sale, other than I like to look at it on Audiogon and will be saddened to see it dropped as a listing). Good luck in the hunt. I wish you well. Keep us updated! |
I would look at The Krell K-300i Nice match for your speakers. The Audio Research VSI 75 would be another match. Based on your current configuration you owe it to yourself to give the MC 300 watt Integrated. The MC sound is unique and it is a matter of preference. Making the move to an integrated took me a little while to get used to. The good news is you have the most significant part of your system . The speakers are phenomenal!! On your speakers you will be able to evaluate the amp that suits your preference. |
@erik_squires "Ayre has a certain darkness, like it pulls noise out of the room. It’s kind of a funny effect. Very smooth, touch warm in the sense of Parasound." very apt description of what ayre does... so true... i wouldn't call it a drak sound, but there is a blackness to the background that is quite unique |
@russhealy primaluna redid their product naming - used to be prologue was entry level, dialogue higher line now all evo, but 100-200-300-400 more or less 100-200 is renaming for prologue, 300-400 dialogue, then higher number in each is the old 'premium' sub-designation pretty much same stuff underneath though (not that the stuff is bad... it's good) |
Gryphon Diablo 300 is pretty stellar and worth a listen if you have the opportunity. I was going to “upgrade” my Pass separates to the Diablo until I decided to splurge on Gryphon separates. The descriptions of Ayre sound above are interesting and a little different from my experience - I find Ayre (at least their integrateds) very incisive and fast, but a bit lean and light in the bass, with a bit of highlighting to leading edges and the upper midrange that makes some things a bit pronounced. I suspect this might be due to the topologies they use that tend to have more 3rd harmonics in the THD. They are definitely quiet though and pull out a lot of detail without sounding bright - really good with warmer speakers like Sonus Faber and Vandersteen, not so much for, say, Magico or Focal IMO. |
@taww regarding ayre gear, i would agree that the sound signature is - deep dark dark black background, from which detail emerges very naturally without a sense of brightness or emphasis - not the last word in deep bass slam/extension, although it is very rhythmic and tuneful - natural, nuanced, even a little warm midrange... not a fat midrange, but to my ears it is not lean (like alot of other solid state), exceptional smooth, but without loss of tonality - very good speed and flow to the music, well timed and once again, just natural sounding, easeful without seeming at all lazy - outstanding spatial capabilities - deep wide layered... i think this is one ayre’s great strengths agree that matching with speakers and ancillaries key (as is always the case) - but it is special, outstanding gear cheers |
I would like to add yet another recommendation for the Ayre AX-5 Twenty, especially paired with the Sonus Faber Olympcia Nova V speakers. I auditioned this very combination last month, and it was stunningly good. That setup also included a dCS Bartok streamer/DAC. We also tried a Luxman L550 integrated in the setup, but some of the magic was clearly lost. I have also recently auditioned the McIntosh MA7200 integrated with a Linn streaner/DAC ($10K), and Olympicia Nova III speakers. I did not like this combination nearly as much as the Ayre with the Nova III, and the Ayre with the Nova V was in a completely different class. I liked the Ayre AX-5 Twenty so much I purchased one. Now to add the Nova V's! |
I am inclined to add the Cary Audio SI-300.2d to this list for consideration. Class A/B 300W RMS into 8 ohms, and 450W RMS into 4ohms, this unit is a beast. Modern/digital features galore, including wifi and Bluetooth, and an excellent remote. It does get hot, so needs room to breathe, but it will drive any speakers you throw at it. It is meant to be played loud, but I guess with highly-efficient speakers it would still sound okay at lower volumes. My only gripe is no headphone jack :) |
Build quality, fast, finesse, articulate (oversized dual-mono power supply) and grunt. Treat yourself, audition a Sim Moon, you won’t be disappointed. https://simaudio.com/en/product/700i-integrated-amplifier/ |
