2. amps-preamps
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Upgrade advice from Parasound P5/A23 combo to an integrated amp solution?

Greetings-this is my first post on Audiogon. I've purchased several pieces of gear here, and greatly appreciate the lively forum interactions and passion for great sound. I come from the broadcast industry, and have been involved with professional sound for my entire 30 year plus career. However high end audio at home is a more recent pursuit, I have much to learn, and have a very modest start to this new found hobby.

We live in a small home where my "listening space" is also our main living area, so the aesthetic appearance of the gear is important to us. Tube gear is a "no go" for us. The small living space also means no option for floor standing speakers unfortunately. 

I currently have the Parasound P5 preamp and A23 amp connected to Monitor Audio Gold 100 speakers. I have a REL T5i subwoofer. Sources are a Rega Planar 3 turntable with a Nagaoka MP 110 cartridge, Marantz CD6006 CD player, an Audio Engine B1 Bluetooth receiver, as well as the optical out of the TV connected to an AppleTV device. The P5 serves as DAC and phono preamp.

In an effort to cut down on cabling and minimize my audio footprint, I am considering an integrated amp. My ability to audition gear is almost non-existent, so I am asking here for advice about gear I have read about online, but have no first hand listening knowledge of. 

Would the Marantz PM KI Ruby be an upgrade in sound quality over my Parasound gear? How about the Anthem STR integrated? Or the Luxman L505-UXII? Or Hegel H190? Musical Fidelity M6i? Some day I would love to have something like the Mark Levinson 5805, but that is way out of my league right now.

I realize these pieces of gear have varying features, some with phono stages, some with DACs, some are class A/B amps, the Marantz is class D. I am interested in evaluation of sound quality from those who have them, or have heard them. What is the sound stage like, the dynamics, and tonality? I appreciate your advice and knowledgeable ears in advance-thank you!
jpipes
9 responses Add your response
erik_squires
16,049 posts
 
I had kind of the same setup.  I had the P7 and A21.

I upgraded to a Luxman and have been deliriously happy in the sound quality. I went from Parasound to Class D to Luxman. The first two were, for me, equivalent, except in non-audible parameters (i.e. cost, size, heat).  The liquidity of the Luxman's mid/top end along with significantly better bass extension was a big win for me.

I've heard Marantz and they're just OK. Not heard the Anthem, but the room correction is a really interesting feature if your listening room is acoustically constrained.
geof3
1,129 posts
 
If you like the Parasound sound, the Hint 6 is their newest integrated, or the older Halo is a good option too. I’m in a similar situation and have the Halo. Great integrated for the $$$.
jackd
1,068 posts
 
Kinki EX-M1
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drrsutliff
858 posts
 
Ayre QX8, but an additional phono pre would be required.  
jpipes OP
28 posts
 
Thank you all for your help!
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gimmeroc
17 posts
 
If you are still interested in the Levinson 5805 let me know.  I have had one for the last six months but ended up going to tubes on that setup, so it is in good shape.I am new here as well so I have not posted it yet.  I was planning on using it in trade with my current hifi supplier.
jpipes OP
28 posts
 
Greetings-quick follow up 6 months later-I opted for the Marantz PM KI Ruby integrated and am very pleased. Excellent sound, plenty of power, outstanding build quality. Very happy with this choice.

I hope you are all healthy and doing OK during these odd times.All the best
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
Are you at all tempted by the matching Ruby CD-player?  It's at least as good as the integrated, if not even better.
jpipes OP
28 posts
 
I am interested in the SA KI Ruby player and DAC. Again, the build quality on these products is at another level compared to my previous Marantz experience. I have also considered the ND8006 with its streaming capability. Not sure which I'll go with.
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