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Integrated: Plinus 8150 vs Concentra II

My system: Meridian 508.24 + Sonus Faber Cremona + Plinius 8150.

When my Cremonas arrived I thought that maybe my Plinus 8150 was not good enough to drive them. With so many good reviews on the new Concentra II I have decided to try it on my system (in Europe the Concentra costs 3 times more than the Plinius). I was surprised since I was expecting that the Concentra would beat the Plinius in every aspect. Well, it did not.

The Concentra has a wonderful (huge) soundstage, lots of air between the instruments and it's very musical. On these items, it sounds MUCH better than the Plinius, yes. BUT, the Plinius has clearly a deeper bass (possibly a litle boomy) plus the highs are much softer. But the main difference is in dynamics: the Plinius is much faster. The Concentra is slow so voices tend to sound unhappy.

So, is there any other (integrated) solution? Feel free to suggest. But, please, cost does matter to me...

Thanks in advance.
lisbon
warrenh's avatar
warrenh
2,299 posts
 
I liked the YBA Passion Integre better the Concentra II. Never heard the Plinius. I own the Passion. You can read my review. It's one hellava SS with some of the benefits of tubes. Beautifully made, lean and mean, 100 glorious watts, and competitively priced, especially compared to some of the other big boy integrateds. FWIW, I also listen to the ML, MF Nu Vista and the Mac. I'm not saying the Passion is better; I'm saying I liked it best. peace, warren
sherod
1,690 posts
 
Warren, I really admire your passion for the Passion. Your sincere enthusiam and love of this unit is inspiring. I have never heard the Passion ( I have an Audio Refinement Complete in my 2nd system. It is very musical) but your passion makes me want to hear the Passion.
adamslaw
10 posts
 
tgm, the Plinius 8200 Mk II is supposed to be a significant upgrade from the 8150/8200 versions and used ones appear now and then. I haven't heard the 8150 or 8200, but they are supposed to sound very similar to the 8100, which I owned before the 8200 Mk II (my system is Marantz SA14 > Plinius 8200 Mk II > Meadowlark Heron i's). To my ears and in my system the 8200 Mk II retains the Plinius house sound (e.g., the harmonically rich character), but extends the frequencies, with tighter bass and a wider soundstage. YMMV, but it's definitely worth a listen. The Concentra II was my other choice. It looks better and has more features, but as I recall it was quite a bit more money and, as you pointed out, it's not a perfect fit for everyone either. The comments of John Marks in Stereophile and the Absolute Sound convinced me that I couldn't go wrong with the Plinius and that it was a good buy. Good luck.

Adam
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