Plinius 8200 MkII -- best integrated ss amp?


I currently have a Plinius 8200MkII but lately, i have been considering an upgrade. However, whenever i read its reviews (in TAS) and the comments of other people, it seems that this is one of the best INTEGRATED amps for the money. I fear that once i purchase a more expensive amp I might just realize that the improvement (in there is any) is not worth it.

The reason for the desire to upgrade is that, last December, i bought a demo pair of JM Lab mini-utopia and a pre-owned Musical Fidelity Nu Vista 3D CD player. Thus, i now feel that i should upgrade my amp to the same level as the cd player and the speakers (in terms of price ratio that is). (Cables are analysis plus 9 and DH labs air matrix interconnects)

Some of the people in this site advised me to get a yba passion and i think it is really a good choice. But i want to know the comments of other people who have had a direct comparison of the 8200MKII with other more expensive integrated amps.

There might be some people who upgraded to another amp from their Plinus 8200 MkII OR their might be some who downgraded to it (in terms of price not sound) since they may believe that it comes close to the sound of the more expensive integrateds in the market. I want to know their views and comments on the matter.

I want to stick with integrateds so to those who have experienced the Plinius 8200Mk II sound, how does it compare with the following integrateds:

Mark Levinson 383
Jeff Rowland Concerta II
Yba Passion
Pathos Logos
Musical Fidelity TriVista (or Nuvista)
Krell KAV 300iL/500iL
Electrocompaniet ECI 4
Audio Analogue Maestro

I know that careful matching is a must. But unfortunately dealers here in the Philippines are not keen on allowing home demos so doing a home demo with my speakers is highly improbable. Thus, comments on this matter will be extremely appreciated.

Also, if any of you hava had a succesful match of an amp with the mini-utopias please feel free to reply to this thread.

Thanks.
jermometer
Try to listen to a MF NuVista 800 (hybrid). It is sublime. Will drive any speaker, built like a tank, and sounds fabulous.
burges511 posts01-08-2016 10:43amWhat is the difference between 8200 and 8200 MkII
 Not sure, exactly; however, the MkII does have an upgraded power supply.
Guys who are using the Mark Levinson-
do you compare against the Pass Labs integrated?
are you using a CD/SACD spinner? which one?

Keep me posted & Happy Listening!
Only compared the Plinius (which I own...and won't part with) to the Audio Analogue Puccini SE. The Plinius blows it away, but can't speak for the Maestro.
Check out BV-Audio. I have their preamp and if their integrated model is anything like it, it must be excellent. I had the Plinius Mk11 for a while and wasn't impressed. Also had a Unico. Ditto. You can do much better than these two, I'm sure.
You need to check out the BAT 300x. You can have the best of both world's with their hybrid models with the tube being in the preamp section. I did hear the BAT with JM labs speakers (don't know the model) and it sounded great. I compared the BAT with the Rowland and like the BAT better. You could not go wrong with either the BAT or Rowland. I have not heard the 383 but would assume it to be in the same league with BAT & Rowland. Good luck.
Providing info based on Stereophile's article at http://www.stereophile.com/showarchives.cgi?762

Brinkmann, Plinius and Jeff Rowland. According to the author, if your system match well with Concentra II, it will probably not with the Plinius. And Brinkmann's sound was described as in between.
I have owned the Jeff Rowland Concentra II and the Mark Levinson 383 of those mentioned - I downsized from a system that included the Utopias.

I never really cared for the Levinson sound in general BUT let me say that the Levinson 383 was the very best solid state integrated I could find.

The Rowland was perhaps the most beautiful piece of audio gear I have owned (and by no means the most expensive) and it had great build quality.

The Mark Levinson - and this is true of all the Levinson electronics in my opinion - is just unmatched in ergonomics and flexibility. The build is unsurpassed. It is a touch on the dark side of neutral and very detailed. At worst it lacks the texture of the Rowland and it can be "buttoned down" but in truth Mark Levinson equipment has come a long way (in my opinion) from the early, more sterile days....By the way, I have always preferred Krell to Levinson equipment (having owned a KSA 300s years ago) and I can tell you NOT to even bother with the Krell integrateds as they are not in the same league with either the Levinson or the Rowland (in my opinion). Can't Speak to the NuVista issue 'cause I haven't heard them.

If you can do tubes and have the money, the best Tubed integrated I have heard is the Tenor.

Marakanetz,
Thanks for the advice, unfortunately the JM Labs minis are not biwirable as there is only one pair of terminals at the back. But thanks for tip anyway.
I don't know if your speakers are bi-wirable, but you can get matching 8200P and biamp! Becides 8200 works in pretty large margin of class A(upto 15W before switching to B) you can double that pleasure!
You might also consider Bel Canto's eVo2i, a digital-switching solid-state with 120Wpc. Good review at 6moons.com. Anyone here with impressions?
The 383 is my pick. Overpriced? Not in my book. Setup and matched correctly, I personally love it. Part of the draw for the 383 is the features it offers. No integrated on the market can compete with its features. I also believe the sound quality to be top notch. Comparing the Plinius to the 383 is not fair, the plinius can't keep up. Just my opinion.
If you like the sound of solid state, then the YBA Passion is probably the way to go. If you would like something a little smoother (at least to my ears it was) and 110 watts is enough for the Utopias, I would recommend the Pathos Logos. I haven't heard every integrated out there but I have heard more than my share and the Logos to date is the best I personally have heard. It just brings more emotion out of the music than the others I have heard. It sounds like (what used to be known as)the Pathos Twin Towers with three times the power. At $4k, it ain't cheap but to me it was worth every penny. Regardless of what you are leaning towards, if it is at all possible go and listen to your choice(s) for yourself.
The Passion; lean? Soundwise? No way!! Physically? You bet. Lean and mean, for sure. 100 glorious, sweet ss watts.
The passion is amazing. Resolution out the ying yang. I wish I can give you a Plinius/YBA a-b, but I can't. And if anyone considers the YBA "thin", it's only because Yves has taken out the "fat".
check out accuphase...their built like a mac and sound incredible with any quality speaker system..they also don't change models every three minutes..
BTW: At one of the Audio shows, last year, JM Labs was using the Passion Integre to run one of their big babies. That should mean something. They don't want to drive those big boys with medicore electronics.
Mark Levinson 383 - this is overpriced stuff, though a nice match to your Mini U
Jeff Rowland Concerta II - good match, you may consider to grap.
Yba Passion - no idea, but YBA sounds thin from my years
Pathos Logos - cool look, shall be a good combo to MiniU
Musical Fidelity TriVista (or Nuvista) - this is more or less matching your other system, though I dont think it sounds better than Concentra II
Krell KAV 300iL/500iL - forget KAV series, out of range in terms of quality among amps mentioned above
Electrocompaniet ECI 4 - new model, quite powerful, your MiniU will be shaking.
Audio Analogue Maestro - over rated amp, HiFi Choice rating 3 out of 5 on sonic performance only.

Hope these help.
It's hard to beat it for the price offered. Beats lots of separates as well. Never compared against YBA integrated but Krell300iL KAV and AAMaestro don't even stand next to...
Upgrading in your case might involve looking into separates. But I wouldn't rely on magazine reviews or other's reccomendations. No one has your ears! Good luck- it's challenging...
Stick with escargot. In this case, it's a match made in heaven--with your Mini Utopias, that is. I'm Passion-ate over mine....peace, warren