Which integrated amp for better musicality - Parasound Hint vs Primaluna vs ???

I really don’t want to spend more than the Dialogue Premium HP which is about $4300

Parasound's Hint 6 is about $3,000 which leaves room to add a DAC if needed. So that's a consideration as well. 

I suppose it's not a surprise that the overall vote is the Primaluna! I really would like to try it out and having heard such good things about Kevin Deal's customer service, I don't think I risk much with the Primaluna. 

With my setup including the Dialogue HP, do I need an additional DAC? Theoretically, I guess my Oppo can do that work if I am playing my Apple TV and bluray/SACD media through an optical cable?

Another theoretical question... what if the choice were between the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP and a McIntosh MA5300 or a Naim XS 2? I heard the Naim XS 2 today and it was fantastic. 

@bradf thanks for the suggestions. I have Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers and the Horizon Center (all with the RAAL ribbon tweeter). I haven’t heard of Decware before but will certainly check it out.

@avanti1960 @meadowman I’ll have to do some research on Rogue. Have you compared those to the Primaluna’s and the McIntosh’s?

@kearny @musicloversaudio so many great suggestions. I will have to do some research on both the Octave as well as the Luxman as I have not heard those but have heard the Primaluna, Parasound, and Naim. The more I think about it, the Parasound has more features than I need and I want to focus on what's important to me which is enjoyment from my music. 

The Rogue Audio Pharaoh sounds like a great option as well - includes HT bypass?

Line Magnetic LM508
@waltersalas @plga some very convincing arguments for the LM508. @waltersalas are you selling yours? The only concern I have is the lack of ht bypass. I have a center channel that I like to run for movies and the like and I would like to be able to continue utilizing a 3.1 setup for those times. 

@bradf I am liking what I am hearing about the Decware. Sounds like only good things said about this one. 

This thread has been eye opening. I originally went in considering Primaluna as my tube choice but I'm seeing that there are other great options in that price range including Rogue Audio, Line Magnetic and Decware. 

No worries all  - I appreciate hearing everyone's opinion and do not look at differing opinions as one usurping the other. Rogue sounds like they make some amazing product based on several threads that I have read including this one. 

I may have a chance to go to an authorized dealer to take a listen to both the Rogue and the Line Magnetics... definitely looking forward to it. 

@auxinput thank you for the very detailed response. You are right, the Anthem is sonically, surprisingly good. Clarity and resolution is great but I can't help but think that an integrated amp for music will bring that to another level. 

Other than Parasound, have you heard the Naim Supernait 2 or McIntosh MA5200/5300? Curious to hear your thoughts on those if you have heard them. 

Interesting, thanks @auxinput I only heard the MA8900 in the store once with a pair of Sonus Fabers and it was excellent but almost a bit bright. Could have been anything from the room setup to the speakers though. I was impressed but not exactly wow'd if that makes sense. 

I'm not worried about power. My speaker specs are here (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRT/srtspecs.html) but I also do not play at extreme volumes. I'm not worried about power output from the Primaluna or the McIntosh. I think they would power my speakers fine there. 

Let's not let this conversation deviate. I appreciate everyone's comments here. 

Right now, I think it is down to... 

• 1. Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP ($4.4)
  2. Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II ($2.5) or Pharaoh ($3.5)
  3. Line Magnetic 508ia (used for around $3.5-4)
  4. McIntosh MA5300 ($5)
  5. Naim XS 2 ($3.7) or Supernait 2 ($5.7)
  6. Audio Research VSI75 ($5)
  
  

My local dealer provided some fantastic customer service and gave me the LM 805ia to demo at home. Looking forward to listening to this amp extensively! 

@soundermn I look forward to trying out the Primaluna. Very curious to see how it matches up against the LM. Great to hear another good review for the piece I'm eyeing. It sounds like you changed to the KT150's - do you think it is a must? 

@jamesvail Having just tried the speakers with the LM, I can say it sounds fantastic. They were also great with the solid state AVR but this tube makes them shine. Very happy with this experiment. 

So after 2 nights with the Line Magnetic 805ia, I have come away very impressed. The speakers just sing and have reacted very well to this heavy, heavy (42kg) addition to the system. Very musical and full of vibrance/life - especially noticeable for vocal heavy music or jazz (sax, piano, symbols). Clarity has not been lost and the notes are full rather than feeling any semblance of thin. Plenty of power to drive my speaker setup as well. Leaves nothing to be desired, really. Price is something that I have to consider but it is not too far off the Primaluna pricing if I get the HP.

I'm going to test the Primaluna HP at home and compare it to the 805ia. I'll make a choice after that.

In the meantime, I got a PS Audio Directstream Junior to use as a DAC and streamer going forward. Can't wait to hear it!

@shkong78 I am based in the US and I got the 805ia from my audio shop here so it should be available in the US :) 

After trying out the LM 805ia for about a week, I returned it (since I was only borrowing it) and I now have the Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP. It sounded great out of the box but without the clarity and sparkle that the 805ia. We are not talking world's apart but there is a slight difference. Still, the Primaluna is only hours old so far so I suspect there is a bit of a burn in period. I'll reserve judgement until after 100 hours or so. 

I am very happy with it so far! 

@cakyol if only - the Int-250 is over $10k :) I'd rather spend that money (at least for now) on a new set of speakers. I would love to have a listen of the Pass Labs in the future though. 

@1graber2 Thanks for the response! I have started to move away from the Oppo now. I found it to be a great piece of hardware and I don't have an issue with it at all however I got a PS Audio Directstream Junior streamer/DAC and that has been fantastic for me. No itch to upgrade at all now.