My last Integrated Amp: $5-10,000?

Have a month on my Coda Csib. The most affordable new amp among your choices. With the money saved you can buy a pair of Townshend Fractal F1 speaker cables. You will be all set. 
 

In your price range, you could bump up to a McIntosh 8950 which has 200 watts and their autoformers. Great unit and you can’t beat the resale value. 

I didnt see speaker setup.  For Class A, Luxman L590 AXII will be your last integrated needed. Dealing with a company that been in business for over 70yrs. Build quailty is superb. Will be hard to find. 

"This will be my last amplifier for quite a while"  

So, it may NOT be your Last amplifier.  We all have said this will be the last one.  Years later another.  Unless, heaven forbid, you have a year to live.  Maybe. 

I myself have said "I'm done with it".  Got rid of everything.  Climbed out of the rabbit hole.  20 years later, I jumped back in.

Lyngdorf would be on my short list.

Also check out the Esoteric integrateds. Not sure how many dealers they have here in the US now, Overture is one. I’ve listened to the F-07 (100 W/ch, 8 ohms) extensively at my dealer (Fidelis AV, they are no longer carrying Esoteric) and had the F-05 (120 W/ch, doubles to 240W into 4 ohms) in my system for about a year and a half before getting sucked back into the separates game. Speakers were Dynaudio Confidence 30. Either of those models are within your price range new and should be good deals if found used. There is also the F-03 which is more expensive and pure Class A at 30W/ch. And of course on top of that is the Grandioso integrated. Rock solid construction on all of these models, excellent performance. Very clean and dynamic. They also have tone controls and built-in phono stages (MM and MC) if that’s important to you. IMO their looks are exceptional, very much audio jewelry. Amazing feel to the controls. If you’d like more feedback on my experience with the F-05 shoot me a message.

Preferably used, but only 2-3 years old.

Ditto on the Luxman 

I have replaced my Naim Audio multiboxes (282+250.2) with the Luxman AX 590 II, and I am very happy with it. (driving Triangle Magellan Quatuor).

Belles "Aria Signature". I also have a Bel Canto C6i  in one room of my home but the latest purchase was the Aria Signature. I have been purchasing components from Dave Belles since 1984 being a very good value for my needs.

@kingsleuy , couldn't agree more.  Who hasn't bought x amount of amps? Nonetheless, has a main rig and a second rig or third system to listen to.  There is casual listening, and then sometimes high quality listening.  There's time I come after work and just want to listen to my radio station leaving my emotiva setup (pt100/A300) for 6+ hours.  It wouldn't make sense to turn on my Luxman.  cheers :)  

Last amplifier for awhile?

This piece got 20 year warranty.

hmmm... well, the Marantz Ruby KI integrated can be had for $3k right now on Music Direct website... stellar reviews all around.  A valedictory "pet project" of Ken Ishitawa (KI) And, let me point out one advantage of a "big' company like Marantz: because of economies of scale, they can procure the parts more inexpensively than smaller manufacturers (or make them themselves as they do w some parts)... so while the Ruby msrp is 4k, some estimates suggest that equivalent build, parts, etc. from a smaller company would push it perhaps twice that, so it's in your "range" from that perspective.

+1 for the Aesthetix Mimas. Internal DAC card and phono card are optional though both are really good if you decide you want those. Good Luck

Any of the Pass Integrated amps, those that aren’t class A give you about the first 20 watts in Class A. They should give you the sound you want but as always audition at least what you think are your top three. Have fun happy listening.

Huge price range ? Like saying "I'm looking at a KIA Telluride for 50k or Porsche Cayenne S for 110k". I'd narrow your price range and then look within it.

Bryston B135 cubed integrated.  The cost for a new unit is less than 7K and it has a great warranty!  Extreme clarity and detail!  Highly recommended! 

So many great choices.  I'd recommend Modwright.    I have a Modwright KWI-200 in one system and its made a huge improvement from the Rogue Sphnix I had, though I loved the Rogue.    Perhaps the KWI-225.  Its a Hybrid amp, with a triode preamp section with 225 w/ch - the first 25w are class A.

Lots of good ones out there.  Had a BAT Integrated VK-3500 before I went to separates.  I was very happy with it.  Those 6H30 tubes are magic.  I would look for a used one.  

Are you sure you want an integrated amp?  For your budget you could put together a better performing system with individual amp and preamp.  Especially a quality tube preamp with class A solid state amp with no power tube short life or heat headaches.  

If you must go integrated I recently heard the new Luxman L 507Z and the sound paired with Harbeth 30XD speakers was very nice.  

see post 74.  

Lux and Pass are both great I have Pass Labs myself leave them on 24/7 when I am home.

While I don't own it, I believe the Pass-Labs Int-60 would be a terrific integrated amp.  I have the XP-22 preamp and had the 30.8 amp and both are superb powerful and detailed.  The Int-60 is also high biased in class-A.  A great single box solution if you don't have too inefficient speakers.  Pass is a long time well-respected name and their products are super reliable.  

BAT VK300XSE. Very satisfied. Bought it used, original list was $6,495. Easy to contact the builder via email, Very helpful guy. Powering a pair of Odyessey Loreleis w/kismet upgrade. Full, detailed but not analytical, great presence.

Chinook,

While of a different mold than what you are likely expecting to hear about here, I would suggest you look at the Linn Akurate Exaktbox i.  I paid $7900 for mine new at the dealer in March 2021.  It accepts only digital inputs.  Mine is paired with a LinnAkurate System Hub ($4000, also in March 2021), and provides 6 channels of very clean, very conservatively rated 100W output.  The integrated itself (the Exaktbox i)  is below your max price, but the combination is above your max price, and includes a first-class streamer to boot.  In my case, this is used to drive two AV 5140 floor standers in "aktiv" mode, and the results are stunning.  Except as forced to do so by further technical advances, I do not intend to mess with this setup again for the rest of my life.  I have that "in love" feeling every time I switch this system on.

Maybe the Krell 300i integrated Amp  

Mfg link to Krell 300i amp

$5-$10 grand!

For a pocket of silver that big, consider either the 340i X, or the 600i v2, Integrated Amplifier from Sim Moon Audio. Both give you plenty of head room for driving most speaker loads.

Sim Moon are known to be detailed, transparent & built like tanks.

@chinook9 

H.

just saw your post. I had the 590 AX II. I did enjoy it for vocals very much. Listened to lots of vinyl with it as it has a built in phono stage. Vocals were really nice with the amp. It is not in any way a powerful amp. I know people talk about specs, and it isn’t a “weak” amp but for rock I found that when pushed the sound pressed and sort of screamed. A little like being to fast in 3rd gear. Classical def didn’t have enough power. Jazz and vocals are nice. So if you like to rock out I would maybe go with a bit more power. I have spent time with the levinson 585 and that def has more bass and power. For sure. It is more neutral sounding, a tad colder than the 590 but it has more guts and sounds good. The Luxman 509 to me has nothing in common with the 590. Totally different color as it is designed AB vs class A. To my ears the 509 was not nearly as nice as the 590 or the 585. Somebody mentioned pass, the INT 60 would be much more powerful than either Luxman. Pass puts out lots of power in their class A designes. I also listened to Boulder , Ayre . Someone mentioned gryphon 120. I actually do believe that will be your amp because of the vocals and rock. The 120 is considered to be a fantastic integrated with a slightly warm color. I sold my 590 AX II luxman because it just didn’t have the power I needed for classical.

OP:

Some questions that I have not seen answers from you.

1. What type of speakers do you anticipate using? Efficient, sealed, high power, Tower, bookshelf, etc

2. Do you want balanced inputs/outputs

3. Solid state or tube

I had an Audio Research GSi75 a couple years ago.  It was phenomenal with a superb DAC and phonostage.  My large space and fairly inefficient Wilson Sophias simply needed more so I went back to separates.  I then later dabbled again with the ML 5805 and 585.5.  The 5805 impressed me a LOT!  It was definitely stronger than the GSi75 and my Sophias were very happy.  I knew that I would not be happy having a mid-line model so returned the B-stock item to Crutchfield and found a demo 585.5 from a dealer.  A few weeks had passes but when I first listened I was disappointed.  It didn't impress the way the 5805 did and there is no logical explanation for that.  It also had a bad capacitor and was picking up a Spanish AM station.  Nothing wrong with a little festive Spanish music but that wasn't going to work either.  I did not want to have a newly purchased item serviced so thankfully the dealer took it back.  Hope that little bit of experience helps and good luck in the search.

I agreed with @ghdprentice , besides the price, these different amplifier sound very differently.which sound you like? we do not know and you do not know.you can't purchase with blind eye. You got come to the dealer and demo listen your favorite music, longer than one hour for each brand  and you decide.

No one mentioned Jeff Rowland class-D Continuum S2?

 I love mine very much

Many terrific suggestions here, the only (obvious) thing I’ll add is your choice of amp will narrow the selection of speakers that are best suited to your system and tastes, so it’s good to factor what your starting point speaker will be. I don’t think there’s a right approach to building your system around the amp vs speaker but speakers are far more variable so I tend to build around the speaker once I find one I like. And FWIW my amps have changed at about 5x the frequency of my speakers - I had my first set (Merlin TSM) for nearly 20 years, though with a few upgrades along the way, went through an experimentation phase with 2 transitional speakers (but honestly the real factor was I had more means), and I don’t intend to change my current ones probably for the next 10 years. Amps are also far easier to trade on the used market than speakers which makes swapping more straightforward.

(Also FWIW, my first choice integrated for my next system is the Gryphon Diablo 120 but that is also because it works exceptionally well with my favored speakers.) 

I’m very very happy with my Aesthetix Mimas. 

Luxman. 

I missed the speaker brand (would like to know) but likely still going to answer Luxman, Pass, Gryphon or Hegel.  Mac 5300 isn't in same range as much of what we are describing here.  As someone else said move up the line 1-2 notches if you can.  

I use Luxman 509x and this review really spoke to me.,,,would be curious where you OP or others come out on this continuum:  

For argument and sake of reference point, if you were to put Boulder amplifiers (and we still had the 1100 series here for comparison) as straight-up natural at 12 o’clock – adding nor subtracting nothing, with no sense of added tonal saturation, our reference Pass XS Pre/XA 200.8 is probably at about 10:30. With going to the left a bit on the warm/saturated side. The Luxman 900 series was about 11:30, with our tube references the PrimaLuna EVO 400 and VAC i170 coming in at about  9:00 and 9:30. I’d put the recent Esoteric integrated about 12:30 – slightly to the cold side, and the last few Simaudio amplifiers we’ve reviewed about 1:00 – even more clinical. The L-509x, like it’s larger separates has that same touch of warmth/saturation, without being slow or non-resolving. I wish I would have had the ability to listen to them both side-by-side and suspect that the L-509x comes very, very close to the 900 series in terms of sonic performance.

@mtbiker29 

I have the Luxman 595ase and could not be happier. The 509ax is a world-class amplifier. Luxman is just a quality outfit thru and thru.

just saw your post. I had the 590 AX II. I did enjoy it for vocals very much. Listened to lots of vinyl with it as it has a built in phono stage. Vocals were really nice with the amp. It is not in any way a powerful amp. I know people talk about specs, and it isn’t a “weak” amp but for rock I found that when pushed the sound pressed and sort of screamed. A little like being to fast in 3rd gear. Classical def didn’t have enough power. Jazz and vocals are nice. So if you like to rock out I would maybe go with a bit more power. I have spent time with the levinson 585 and that def has more bass and power. For sure. It is more neutral sounding, a tad colder than the 590 but it has more guts and sounds good. The Luxman 509 to me has nothing in common with the 590. Totally different color as it is designed AB vs class A. To my ears the 509 was not nearly as nice as the 590 or the 585. Somebody mentioned pass, the INT 60 would be much more powerful than either Luxman. Pass puts out lots of power in their class A designes. I also listened to Boulder , Ayre . Someone mentioned gryphon 120. I actually do believe that will be your amp because of the vocals and rock. The 120 is considered to be a fantastic integrated with a slightly warm color. I sold my 590 AX II luxman because it just didn’t have the power I needed for classical.

Dancarlson10,

Good information. I believe the speakers play a huge role in the amp selection. May I ask on the speakers that were matched with the Luxman L-590AXII and 509X? I have not listened to the 509X but own the 590AXII. The 590AXII to me is a wonderful amp when matched with appropriate speakers. It’s currently the best sounding integrated amp below $10k I’ve owned after more than 25 years of messing around in this hobby. I’ve had it matched with Marten Duke 2 and it’s a wonderful sounding combination - smooth, slightly warm but delicate and refined with good clarity and detail. It’s not easy to achieve smooth and warm with refined and detail at the same time but the 590AXII managed to deliver this result. Most smooth or warm amps/systems sound soft and wooly, lacking in detail, dynamics and drive but the Luxman combines everything together and delivers the sound as a whole package.

The L-590AXII matches well with efficient or relatively easy to drive speakers. If the speakers are a demanding load or there is a requirement to fill a large room with sound. then perhaps there will be other more appropriate options as you have brought up. More powerful amps such as Pass Labs INT-60 or INT-250 etc.

If you must go integrated I recently heard the new Luxman L 507Z and the sound paired with Harbeth 30XD speakers was very nice.  

see post 74.  

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/axpona-2022.1143328/page-3

Looking good. Let me paste the photos here. 

What about an Accuphase...?  e-380 perhaps?  

I have the Primaluna EVO running DYI speakers. A Blusound Node 2i and an innuos Mini mk 3. Around your price range.  The Prinma Luna is build like a tank to last a lifetime.  It is forgiving with the majority of speakers. You can change tubes to tailor sound to a certain degree which you cannot to with solid state.   I love the quaily of the EVO 100. They have more integrated amps in that line.  I like the protection curcuitry to shut off if a tube shorts. Also, energy saving in idle, auto biasing for any compatible tube. Quality remote. I suggest you go listen. I bought mine after comparing it side by side with a Hegel H390.  I like sound as if I were there.

Accuphase, Gryphon, Vitus or Boulder. You would have to audition them all or guess wildly.

Thank you for the input folks.

After much reading, and checking to see what is available, I ordered a Coda CISB. I’ll let you know what I think.

The new speakers are Q Acoustics Concept 500 using TIDAL Premium through Optical Rendu and Denafrips Pontus.

The Concept 500s were apparently shown by the manufacturer and designer using Marantz PM10 (Class D, I believe) and Naim amps. I couldn’t bring myself to go with either one at this point.

Audio Research I-50 😃

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0cCHTVpfyk

rick2000, Thanks for the heads-up on the I50.  I'll check it out in the future.  Good price for a tube amp that I might like.

After going through about 10-12 high end integrated amps  have been looking also for my last integrated as I’m getting older and space, $, is getting to be a premium.also tired of trying, testing and changing; so ended up with a couple of choices, 2 of them with exorbitant pricing, then my recommendation is for a pricey amp and not ridiculous, that sounds as good or maybe better in some regards to the big $$ amps, here are some examples of what I’ve tried so far.

DartZeel, Ypsilon, Gryphon, CH Accuphase, Luxman, and others I’ve tried, including a couple of hybrid and all tube amps.

my choice of value for $ and there is no hint of any hardness or harshness of any kind. Was the Accuphase integrated, I had an E-650, while very good in all regards a little lo wish in power for healthy headroom in dynamic and bass peaks. So went to E-800, then also purchased an E-480 to get a good grip on more powerful amps and the E-5000. 
they are all fantastic cakes for the $ and will greatly depend on your speakers, if you have speakers with sensitivity of 89 dB or less I defenestro y recommend the E-480 for medium to later room, if you have an even bigger room definitely go for the E-5000 if you can fit the budget.

I feel the Gryphon Diablo 300 came fairly close but with my large ribbon tweeters I could hear some hardness in the upper mids that bothered me a little bit.

then the Ypsilon Phaeton but at $35k did not sound the best in my system and of course price was way out there and performance seemed not better than the others I was considering sometimes not even on par. I was expecting sincerely quite a bit more of the more expensive guys….

my recommendation, take a listen to either the Accuphase e-480 or the e-5000  depending on room and $.

hope this helps a little bit 

One suggested Simaudio 340i Or 600iv2 the new AR is very nice also check out Norma Audio very nice integrated.

I am enjoying my Auris Fortissimo integrated tube amp from Serbia it doesn't have a large exposure in North America 100 watts classA/AB there are 2 reviews online at Part Time Audiophile and Stereo Life Magazine they make my Audiovector r6 Arrete sing  also using Goldnote DS10 and Goldnote PSU Evo 10 just waiting for my Nordost loom and Wireworld platinum 8 Eclipse XLR the amp is at your max budget