is the Unico enough?

Having read an article by Ken Kessler in an English HiFi magazine on the Unico amp, I waited for the matching hybrid CD-player and bought the pair along with the Spendor S3/5se's which had vg write-ups in Gramophone and Steriophile. (KK had said the Unico's should "adore certain small Spendor monitors".) Room 16ft x 11ft. I find this set up magical and I can only wind the wick up 3-4 notches (out of 10) before I have to worry about the neighbours. For nearfield listening, the music fills the room as much as you could possibly want. Go for it!

Steve, the Unico looks very impressive and the price seems reasonable. The wooden remote is unique. You're absolutely right about power supply and current capabilities. If you decide to try this int. amp out, please post a follow-up as I'm a big fan of int. amps. and this one has me curious. Thanks, Bill.

i am using a unico with a pair of sonus faber concerto, original version which is only 86 db at 8 ohms. my room is about 12x18x8 but it is opened to the rest of the house which is about 40 feet long. i don't listen to music that loud but i never have to turn the volume past a third of the way. it is a very smooth and refine amp. you will not be disappointed. i don't even think mine is fully broken in yet and i have gotten to tube rolling yet. can not wait to put in some nos mullards or telefunkens. good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your posting regarding the Rotel, however, I'm searching for components that have a little more sophistication than that product line. You are correct in that my speakers would do well with higher power, however in their case, they are more reliant on current reserves. I have already driven them with a Bryston 4bst which I was going to use along with a HQ preamp, but I decided to go with a higher quality integrated instead (I'm trying to get away from separates b/c there are sooo many excellent integrateds out there)

Never have been and never will be a fan of Rotel (even though I have owned some of their products and actually currently use a Rotel cd player as a transport).

thanks for the replies thus far.

Steve

I'm not familiar w/the NHT's but may I suggest you consider
a seperate amp/pre-amp combination. A Rotel RB-990 (200w.) would probably be a great amp to use. Used around $450. What I've heard this is a great amp. Perhaps a Rotel RTC-940/950 pre-amp/tuner or a tube pre-amp to warm/mellow out the sound? I have the feeling (after reading your last
paragraph) you're going to need more power.

Anyone else???

I use the Unico with a pair of Spendor S3/5 (84 dB sens. 8 ohm) loudspeakers in a small room (10'6"W x 12'2"L x 8'2"H). I don't listen at extremely loud levels but the Unico is more than sufficient for me and not lacking in any area.

The Unico is probably enough. Without knowing how loud you like to listen to your music ... I am using a NAD C 320 BEE (50 wpc; $400 list) to drive a pair of Acoustic Research 302 speakers (85 db sensitivity; Ken Kantor/NHT design) in a slightly larger sized room and at the 10 o'clock position it is pretty loud in there (btw, I live in an apartment and try to keep the peace and my music tastes are folk-rock; americana; jazz; blues). If you feel that you may require more watts and the Unico's price tag is a bit steep and you are buying new ... look at the NAD C 370 (120wpc; $700 list; $520 new, but damaged carton at www.yawaonline.com). The C370 has been reviewed favorably by both Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, so you can track down the reviews. I have not heard the Unico, but I have read only good things about it and it is/ may be a solid notch above the NAD. Regards, Rich