2. amps-preamps
  3. 1136848549

Is There any Truly "High End" Integrated Amp?


I'm a reasonably well experienced audio nut and have tried a number of "good" integrated amps. I wonder, though, if there are integrated amps that are good enough for the "best", most revealing speakers. (Think Avalon Eidolon, Verity Parsifal, various JM Lab Utopias, and a variety of other fine speakers that do not have mammoth power requirements.)

People talk about the Levinson, the Musical Fidelity KW-500 and the lesser MF amps, the BAT integrated, The Rowland Concerto, etc. etc. etc.

I would like to hear from people who have actually tried the top tier of integrated amps and would be very interested in learning of their findings.

Don't need to be the most expensive. Could be the YBA Passion, Classe, MacIntosh 6900, Krell 400i, or any of a number of integrated amps that are supposed to sound good.

Hope to hear some good feedback.

Thanks very much.
jprice

Showing 2 responses by sounds_great

sounds_great
2 posts
 

I recently heard the Jeff Rowland Concerto Integrated Amp in my system and I am stunned. I am convinced that this amplifier is surely one of the best sounding piece of audio gear I've ever heard.

The build quality is phenomenal, has plenty of inputs, at 250 watts per channel, it will drive 'most anything, phono stage is as good as many of the "best" separates.

If there was ever a piece of equipment that I feel will successfully replace separate components in a high end system, this is it.
sounds_great
2 posts
 

There have been many, many excellent integrated amps named in this forum thread. It seems to me, though, that the "best" amps are also the most expensive. (example the VAC Phi Beta).

Are these extraordinarily expensive integrated amps really "that much" better than the "for the rest of us" amps, or are they just "incrementally" better. Is, the VAC Phi Beta really three times better than a Musical Fidelity KW-500 or Rowland Concerto?

WHAT IS THE BEST INTEGRATED AMP "FOR THE MONEY" ? (If there is such a thing.)

I would love to find a top-notch integrated amplifier for under $5,000, or under $2500 or maybe even less.

Thanks for continued input.
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