Integrated that blew you away

@gochurchgo 

FYI - I own the Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp and am genuinely surprised by how good it sounds-I’m very happy with my decision. The M6si delivers excellent performance, features, and power. According to Musical Fidelity, “Internally, the M6si is configured as two independent monobloc power amps with a separate preamp. It is, in fact, a preamp with two monobloc power amps that just happen to share the same casework. The M6si has 220wpc, very low distortion, outstanding noise ratio, and an extremely flat frequency response”.

Synergy between components is key to a great audio system, and in my setup, the M6si is clearly a perfect match for my PMC speakers. Its high power, stability, and versatility makes It a “destination product” that rivals much more expensive amplifiers. I hope this helps. 

@gochurchgo 

This is an amazing hobby! You asked for “an integrated amp that blew you away” and received 21 high-quality amplifier suggestions, including mine. Interestingly, I didn’t notice a single duplicate among the recommendations.

My experience is that the sound quality of any amplifier depends not only on the amp itself, but also on everything else in your system-including your room.

i suggest choosing an amplifier that appeals to you and demoing it in your own setup to hear how ‘everything comes together’. As I mentioned before, it’s the synergy of all your components working together that truly “blows you away”.

The new Soulution 331 integrated. This is the best-sounding component I have heard in over 35 years in this hobby. It easily competes and surpasses separates costing many thousands more. It was auditioned through a pair of Magico A5s which I think actually held back the 331s performance. 

Here's three, plus a fourth ringer. 

1) McIntosh MA-252 100W/ch Tube/Solid state Hybrid. For $4500, and a whole lot of retro styling and a decent MM phono input, this is hands down, a bargain. 

2) Luxman 509Z. At $12,495, its the top of the Luxman integrated line. The 509Z has 120 W/ch, an excellent mm/mc phono section, impeccable pedigree and execution, plus flexibility not many integrateds offer.

3) Mark Levinson 5805 $10,500 125/250 W/Ch (8/4 Ohms) Fully equipped with both an excellent DAC and MM/MC phono stage. This is 62 Lbs of very solid hardware. And, with onboard DAC and phono stages,  it can save you a small fortune in interconnects. Add to that the Levinson/Harman/Samsung ownership chain, your chances of being hung out by the manufacturer away are as low as it gets.

I haven't gone into the SQ of any of these. Suffice to say, all three are in the 'Excellent' category, but how well each ... integrates ... with your speakers will depend on your speaker choice. Personally, tough call, but I'd probably go with the Levinson, unless i was on a budget, then the McIntosh. Not slighting the Luxman, I've had and enjoyed their gear, just not my cup of tea here. 

The fourth 'ringer' would be the NAD M33 Masters Series. 200W/380 W/ch Streaming Integrated  Amp. A $6,499 electronic Swiss Army Knife, with streamer, DAC, MM/MC phono, DIRAC room correction, analog and digitsl inputs, plus XLR Balanced, HDMI, USB, inputs and Bluetooth, it's all here. If you can't connect to this amp. It can't be connected to. But it may be a little too integrated for some. It's o ly real question marks are it digitizes all inputs, including phono, your thoughts on Class D amps, and the lack of balanced preamp outputs. 

@lalitk  I keep seeing Accuphase described as “dark” and recently someone said only their class A sound that way. I have no Accuphase dealer here but I’m hoping that’s not true.

@hgeifman  it is! The amp I decide to go with will affect speakers down the line.

@panzrwagn  the 5805 has been high on my list but I have no way to audition. Can you describe the sound and your experience with it?