Integrated that blew 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?

The new Buchardts E50 connected to my HEGAL 390 is blowing me away. Smooth, wide soundstage, incredible bass, very articulate highs. I have 4 other integrated and hoping my Pass 250 will go to an even higher level. 

Belles Aria Integrated would be my recommendation, but it depends upon what speaker you want to pair with it.

Bob