Looking for a SS integrated Amplifier recommendation going into a new system

I went with Luxman, they have both A and AB. My speakers are only 87db efficient,  but can easily get driven to 90+. I listen to everything, but female vocals and Jazz were important to me. There are plenty of great choices, I choose Luxman over others not just for their sound but also their looks and features. My room is 12x16x8. Hope this helps. 

Budget is everything?

@deanhead1000,

Thank you for the input.  I have been seriously consider Luxman L590AXII for a while, but curious which Luxman model you would recommend?



@geof3,

Good question, I have not yet set a budget, but would like to keep it under 10K.

Oh boy, that’s a big box to play in. What, if any, bells and whistles are you looking at? DAC/Streaming, phono, simple inputs, single ended or both? Lots and lots of options.

Not much other features to consider, for sure no need for DAC, streaming, or phono.  I use server I build as source, have separate DAC already, as well as dedicated network setup for steaming, so the integrated amp I hope to get will just be driving the speakers.

Three right off the top,

Hegel H390
Pass Labs Int 60
Pass Labs Int 25 (pure class A single ended only)

Simaudio 600i would be a great choice as well.

All are within, or close to your budget.

Thank you.  I will check them out, and Pass Labs Int 25 has been high on my list, since I could try it with my headphone as well.

What sound characteristics are most important to you?

Sound characters important to me are good detail, natural, but can be a bit warm, sound stage, air, and the ability to reporduce the original recording. I invest lots of effort to improve my source, and I am hoping the result will show thorugh the integrated amp I end up getting.

Sound characters important to me are good detail, natural, but can be a bit warm, sound stage, air, and the ability to reporduce the original recording. I invest lots of effort to improve my source, and I am hoping the result will show through the integrated amp I end up getting.

I know your title says SS, but everything you’ve mentioned from your listening volumes, to music types, audio objectives, and sonic preferences suggests you should at least consider tube integrated amp, or maybe a hybrid. There’s a very good reason so many die-hard tube fans exist....it’s not just nostalgic foolishness or blind loyalty. I’m guilty of having not heard many of the modern offerings of decent SS integrated amps, but my previous long history with many SS and tube amps has led me down the road to tubes to get that natural detail and warmth with a hear-through holographic character, unrivaled clarity, micro dynamics and deep soundstage that brings me into the venue. Cayin, Raven Audio, Willsenton, Doge, Carver, Reisong, Dared, Muzishare, Yaqin, Prima Luna, Vincent, among others, have excellent options.

There’s some downside with tubes regarding heat, and fairly logical learning curve, but it’s well rewarded. With an SS amp, you get what you get, and hope it’s what you wanted. With a tube amp, rolling a single tube can change the character of the amp, which gives you the ability to tailor the sound exactly to your liking. Though many just set and forget their tubes for years and enjoy what the factory sent. There are legitimate sonic benefits from tubes that many of us just don’t want to go without. Food for thought.

A friend of mine, whose ears I trust, bought the LFD NCSE (~$7500) and thinks it is fabulous.  And he was sold on tubes before that.  I haven't heard it yet myself. No remote, if that matters.  BTW, he bought it from Gene Rubin, who is great to deal with.  Sounds like it could be a good choice for someone who values tone over "slam".  I hate that word. 

This is a great integrated amp - Luxman L-595A se

I ordered one and hope to have it by year end. A little over your budget, but worth it IMO.

http://www.luxman.com/product/detail.php?id=38

knotscott said what I was thinking to ask: have you ever tried tubes?

I would also think about features: remote volume; remote balance; tone controls. depending on your habits, a 'loudness' circuit for boosting bass when listening at low volumes;

for future flexibility, you might want pre-in. that could be used for anything with it's own volume control.

and, consider future use with a stereo pair of subs. you would want pre-out and main in so both the amp and the main speakers get relieved of low bass production

SS with highs not rolled off?  Fast and articulate? Non abrasive and immersive?  Audionet Watt.

Thinking Long, future options, I might make a short list of integrated amps that also had HT Bypass INPUT. You never know .....

Move, get tubes some day, new speakers, ...

That would allow this current unit to preform ’front stereo’ work in a Video System, working separately as 2 channel music or together with an AVR that has front pre-out.

The Luxman 590AXII is a very nice unit and will be able to meet your needs with the speakers you mentioned under most situations.
What is the size of your listening room?
I own a Luxman 590AXII and like it very much, I have not heard what other Luxman integrated A/B units sound like compared to the 590AXII.

I have the RAAL SR1a headphones and have tried a lot of amps with the RAAL. The very best by far was the KRELL K-300i.

First 90 watts in Class A. Huge bass and so smooth. Look at what Stereophile says about this unit and compared to the Boulder 866 and a few others.

Another vote for the Luxman L-590AXII. After more than 20 years of messing around with more than a dozen of amp combinations both integrated and pre/power, the Luxman beats them all for sheer simplicity in a one-box (minus extra cables) and of course, sound quality. It is high quality at a price that’s not too astronomical. I also own a Naim separates system and another integrated amp but the Luxman is the new reference that gets to stay in the main system.

Good luck.

A lot of great choice and recommendations.
I Second the Simaudio 600i recommendation and you should also look at  Belles Aria Integrated Amplifier from Power Modules. https://powermodules.com/aria-integrated-1

Well, if you’re in the market for a true end-game piece and open to used, here’s a Vitus integrated that retailed for $27k available for $11k that’ll nail all your hot buttons and you’re set even if you upgrade your speakers significantly in the future...

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649766445-vitus-sia-025-mki-integrated-amp/

Thank you all for the recommendations.  I am going to take time review some of the items.

Regarding the tube amp possibility, I have my share of tube amps before, but limited to just flea power category where the maximum power output I have is 8W (300B), and some even lower at 1.5 to 2W (45).  I might revisit the possibility of trying higher power tube amps, but for now, I prefer staying with SS.

Meanwhile, appreciate the inputs on other features I might need.  They look to be very useful and have more flexibility for future setup.

Good to know  Luxman 590AXII gets so many positive votes.  That is one of the choice very high on my list.

IHave owned Pas Labs ,Luxman, and the Coda  CSIB integrated 
amp has many class leading parts in their build in the $10 k
or under range the others do not ,like a potted 3 kva transformer 
120 amp on demand.and 3 power choices.

OP- I have the 590AXII, Nothing against Pass or Hegel as I was able to listen to them also,  just liked the features and sound a bit more and the phono pre (MC for me) in it is fantastic. FYI, Luxman rates it 30 watts pure class A, some reviews have measured it as high as 90. Regardless, I traded in a well-regarded 200 watt Class D and do not miss it at all. Best of luck in whatever you choose. 

I own the Hegel 390.  It's starting to break in and it's awesome. Owned lots of stuff in the not real tweeky AP realm,  it's wonderful!

Marantz PM-10.  Nice speed, full realistic sound when playing classical music.  Excellent mid range on vocals.  Can also rock out.

The Pass Int-25 delivers the sound qualities you desire and gives you up to about 100 watts into 4 ohms. Drawbacks: takes about an hour to sound its best, gets up to about 50 degrees C, and is not the greenest of gear. 

Another tube suggestion, Mike Sanders' Quicksilver Integrated Amplifier. It is rated at 20W and drives Focal Aria 906s, rated 89.5 dB, just fine. The Quicksilver replaced a Yamaha A-S501. My music sources and room source are close to yours.

@Op,
I had the exact same Sierra towers with raal and ran them first with a marantz pm-15s2 and later on with a parasound halo a23. I thought I loved the sound of both until I got a pair of PBN speakers which opened my ears to the fact that the raal tweeters were just to thin in their presentation even so they gave a great sense of space. Mainly they did not sound strong enough to fill the room with a solid realistic sound. After experiencing the solid live like sound of the PBN Montana XPS, I could not ever go back to the light beautifully airy sound of the Sierra towers. However they were a great step up in my audiophile journey. If I could do it over I would pair them with a leaning dark sounding amp for sure.

Have a look at AVM from Germany. I just got their SA8.2 power amp, which I am currently driving direct from my PS Audio DS Dac. Sounds absolutely amazing. Warm, luscious, detailed but not fatiguing. I am using them to drive focal sopra 3s. Was previously using the Anthem STR integrated but the AVM is in another league. 

I recently put together a system using Pass INT 60 and really love it. It has 30 w/ch pure class A and another 30 class A/B. More than enough power to drive my Volti Razz speakers. New the INT 60 is 9,000 but used ones can be found on the used market. I paid 6,500 for a 6 yo unit and it is flawless.

I have the Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers w/RAAL and I run 2 different amps.
SS - Peachtree GaN400 ampTube - Raven Blackhawk Mk. 3.1
Both amps sound good with those speakers.

the rega brio R sounded class A "tubey warm" to me when i gave it an extended listen. 50 watts per side. totally unharsh with waveform-rounding circuitry at max power to avoid clipping. acts somewhat like an SET in that respect. runs somewhat warm, just like a typical class SET. sweet trebles. round bass. compact. 

Hegel H590, maybe a bit overkill unless planning for future component upgrades.

I have similar musical tastes to yourself and home demoed a few SS integrated amps. It is worth trying to hear a few as some, to my ears, are over-detailed and fairly dry sounding compared to the sound signature you describe that you prefer.  I would recommend Vitus for a very natural, slightly warm, very rich sound, especially the SIA-025 which is class A. Or for a warmer, more velvety, but less detailed, sound then the Luxman range. 
Personally I preferred the Vitus as the Luxman sound was a bit too dampened, but on certain music it shone. Given the warmth of a 50s Sinatra recording and the Luxman was to die for. But move to a classical piece and the Vitus shone brighter.  Overall to my ears the Vitus has the best of all with little compromise. 
I have not heard Pass amps but hear good things. 

The musical fidelity mx8i or a second hand Daniel Hertz. But the mf is much bether than the luxman.

Thank you all, again, for all the great inputs.

This is going to be an interesting journey in the next few months to see what works the best in my system.  So far, I am very high on the two class-A integrated amps recommended, the Pass Int 25 and Luxman  590AXII, mainly because I also plan to see how well they will drive my headphone that I listen to quite a bit.  Meanwhile, some other recommendations also got my attention, such as Hegel, Belles...etc., I will see what I can do to get some of these amps for a home audition.

On a separate note, how is Sugden integrated amp offering?  Is it worth to look into further?

The Boulder 866 gets stellar reviews.  Very neutral leaning slightly to the warm side. I have one on order to pair with Rockport Avior ii on order as well. A little above your price range new  so perhaps used. Good luck in your search! 

Hi
hard to select these days 
I just changed from 50 yrs of separates to
peachTree nova 150 and am v v v pleased.
no excessive heat since it’s class D!
not my first class D system!
the customer service is excellent as well!
the unit has great sound not bright and can listen for hours! Great sound stage
clean bass too
good luck

All this gear is great but room acoustics will make or break any system. I have owned 
Boulder
Belles
Dynaco
Mcintosh
Peachtree
Arcam

and I would suggest consider service too
my latest experience I was with Peachtree and service is excellent 
Any of the above combos will wott r k v well in a good room

currently I am using a Peachtree nova 150
and it’s excellent 

have fun

Have you ever auditioned Gryphon integrated amps…? I owned both the Diablo 120 and then upgraded to the Diablo 300. 
Talk about detail - iron fist control - speed - massive headroom - power - soundstage - gorgeous highs and chest thumping lows. I was driving a pair of Sonus Faber Serafino’s and at 90db sensitivity there was oodles of power. (600 watts per channel into 4ohms)
I did compare it to a McIntosh MA352 hybrid and my ears instantly preferred the Gryphon. They pop up used every once in a while, but I got my Diablo 300 brand new for $11,500 from “A Higher Note” in LA. 

Google reviews on both amps. 
Only draw back for me was I didn’t love they way they look. Darth Vader would have been proud to call the Diablo “My Son”…. but function over form…right..?

I should tell you that I have since sold the Diablo 300 for an ARC 160s and REF 6SE - Not a fair fight really, but maybe you should consider a tube piece of gear. Like me, sounds like your ear is leaning that way.

Anyway - I swear the Diablo blew away the 2-3 McIntosh amps I compared it to…and the only pieces I preferred were in the $30k price range.

good luck…!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CV6kvuFlYnI/?utm_medium=copy_link

Not sure if this link will work, but you’ll see my Diablo with a DCS Bartok and the Serafino’s…

Does your DAC/streamer already have decent source-switching and volume control? If so, could you possibly go with a power amp (or a pair of them) instead of an integrated?  

If Peachtree interests you (previous post), you may want to consider the Nova 300 (or Nova 500) integrated amps. They offer not only more power than the 150, but also more advanced DAC chips. That could matter if you want to feed the amp any digital inputs directly, instead of feeding them through your separate DAC.  For example, if you have two separate USB feeds and your DAC only receives 1. But all the Peachtree Novas have wooden enclosures, home theater bypass, loop I/O, phono (MM) input w/ground screw, and a noise-cancelling circuit to support direct input of iOS devices. No front panel displays (just LED indicator lights). Made in Canada.

Your new speakers ran you about $3,200 USD, right?  So from that perspective, maybe Peachtree pricing for an integrated amp ($1500-$3K) makes more sense than some of the much more expensive suggestions above.  If you wanted to go with a power amp, the Benchmark AHB2 (with phenomenal specs) goes for about $3K.

I like my Arcam SA 30

Tk21 is right, many of the amp recommendations here are disproportionate to your speakers price wise. I strongly recommend a tube integrated since you probably will eventually want to tone down the brightness of the raals. Look into prima luna and as needed you can switch tubes to some mullard type NOS. If you go SS, whatever brand, you will have zero future control over your raals. Wish someone had told me that back then. However I got pretty lucky with the Marantz  pm-15s2 since it was on the warm side.

BTW, The evo 100 integrated is $2,795. I now run the evo 100 preamp hooked to a parasound halo a21+ amp. Upgraded to NOS tubes and it does wonders in my house of stereo.

It's great if you can afford the Gryphon or Vitus which are priced above $10k with the higher models costing up to $20k. The Luxman at below $10k is "Best Buy". Great value and great sound for your dollar.

Just another 2 cent opinion. With those AMT tweeters and the dimensions of your sound room, I would recommend amplification that is a touch on the warm side, whether you go SS, tube or hybrid, especially if the sweet spot does not have any or much space behind the listener(s) (e. g.  chair or couch up against a wall, bookcase, etc.). Anything ruler flat accurate, I fear, will lead to listener fatigue in short order. McIntosh is a good bet, as well as Musical Fidelity, Luxman, Simaudio Moon and a few others. Good luck!

I just bought a Hegel H390 and am very pleased.  It has everything I need and is the quietest amp/integrated I have ever heard!  If you need more, the H590 might be good for you also.

All the best.

JD

I would take a close look at the Hegel lineup. I have the H190 and I’m very pleased with it and how it marries up with my B&W 702s2 speakers. That said, if your budget is up to $10k the H390 appears to be the sweet spot in the offering.