Integrateds: Why do they all SUCK?

I just took delivery of a Viva Solistino IA, it will replace my Modwright
LS-100  PA and KWA 150SE amp. The Viva is an 845 SET with 18 W class  'A'. So far it's not lacking anything and is driving my speakers just fine. I am a big fan of Modwright gear, also had the KWI-200, and was nervous about replacing my MW gear with an all tube based IA system.  To be fair, I'm still getting accustomed to the Viva performance but glad  I made the move a good designed and built IA can and will compete with seperates. It comes down to individual personal preference. 

Try TOL vintage Japanese. Lyman, Kenwood Supreme, Sansui, Accuphase, and Pioneer all have the things you desire. They will simply need a complete refurb. A good refurb should run $500 +. Enjoy.

+1 dadatl
Big fan of vintage TOTL Sansui and Kenwood here. I currently use Kenwood L-02A and have heard L-A1, Sansui alpha 907 limited and MR. Absolute wonderful pieces of
equipment. If money is not an issue, Accuphase E-600 is a terrific pure class-A amp. 

I have had BAT, Pass, Bel Canto, Simaudio gear ... and would suggest, depending on budget:
.  BAT 300xSE (Ist version, used prices 50% of msrp, as stated above). hybrid tube/SS design. 150w, good bottom end, but not as much grip as Pass 150.5. Used = $2500
.  the next gen BAT 3000xSE 
.  Simaudio 150wpc, tried and true solid state Sim equipment. i think they still have a 10-20 year warranty. Used = $4000 or so
.  Bel Canto: the c5i is a good choice. if you can swing it, go for the bigger brother, the 7 series
.  What about Naim? I just sold my Naim Nait 5i (i in italics) integrated for $750, only 5 years old, and 1/2 the msrp. 

OP, we are actually in the golden age of audio IMO, meaning that there has never been so much good gear at such good used prices. The technology had to catch up to become equal to separates, and we arrived there about 10 years ago if you have a fat wallet, or 5 years ago if your wallet is a bit thinner (like me). 

madavid0 OP78 posts02-07-2018 9:07pmWhat about PrimaLunas? Are these things really the giant monster-killers a lot of people claim they are?"
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I have the PrimaLuna (PL) HP dialogue HP tube integrated.
For $4k, its a GREAT deal, as far as bang for the buck.

But after 1.5 years with the PL, I will say that the 6 stock preamp tubes, and the stock 8 EL34 tubes are good, but did not "knock it out of the park" for me. The BEST thing I did was replace the 2 main preamp input tubes with NOS tubes from Upscale Audio, and move from EL34 tubs in the amp section to a well-reputed KT-88 model.

So my last opinion of the PL integrated is that it is a great integrated to grow with,
to play with different tubes and even different speakers.

It is an awesome Blueprint of an integrated amp for you to build upon and customize to your own ears.
But this requires a process (love it and/or hate it, like me) to listen, tube roll, learn, tube roll,
get input from forums, try a different speakers, etc ... you know how the hobby goes.

In the end, I paid $4k for the PL from Upscale, $200 on NOS preamp tubes, and $500 on an octet of KT-88s.
Total = $4700.
best, let us know what you decide