If your budget is limited I would suggest you still go with seperates, but take advantage of some of the great buys to be found on sites such as Audiogon. There is some really wonderful used gear to be had for cheap that is no longer the latest and greatest, but was well reviewed and loved in the recent past, and let's face it, amps and preamps have not improved that much in the last 5 or even 8 years. Here are a couple of recommendations. I've seen Classe 70 amps on Audiogon for as little as $450. This amp was a steal at $1200 when it was new and very highly reviewed in The Absolute Sound. Great looks and build quality and a very sweet sounding amp that will drive all but the most demanding speakers to reasonable levels. I own two of these which I use in a surround system, but every once in a while I put one of them on my high end system (Aerial 10t's driven with a pair of BEL 1001 MK3a monos) and am amazed at how good they sound. Another great deal to be had is an Audio Research LS2 or LS2B preamp. These can be had for $7 or 800 in mint condition. I could give you many more examples, but you get the idea. I can just about guarantee these will well out-perform all but the most exotic integrated amps and at under $1500 that's hard to beat. And avoid the hype around cables. In the words of J. Gordon Holt they are just passive tone controls. Some of the older Monster Cable is quite cheap used and highly underrated. Enjoy!
Integrated Amps vs. Separates.
I'm curious what people think the better option is, integrated amp or seperates. It seems that integrated amps are a cost cutting measure, but do they also cut sonic quality? Assuming similiar price ranges, what would people here generally choose. Give me some examples/brands/models and comparisions from your experiences. Thnaks. Carter p.s. Is the Krell KAV 300i really the king of integrateds like many reviewers say (i.e not only better than all other integrated amps but better than most seperates)?