2. amps-preamps
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Which integrated for Wilson Sabrina's

HI audio friends,

Considering decluttering my main system and moving from pre and power to a high end integrated.  I currently have the Coda Continuum power amp, LTA reference 2 preamp, hifi rose streamer and Wilson Sabrina's.  

Cabling, set up and all the tedium of pre and power feels unnecessary when i consider some of the excellent integrated options available.  I have always been impressed by BAT engineering and their vk 80i has had some great reviews, but  I don't think the 55w is enough for the wilsons.  The vk 3500 would definitely have enough grunt, but i'm curious what everyone thinks and am open to other options.  

Thoughts?

cshadow

Showing 2 responses by panzrwagn

panzrwagn's avatar
panzrwagn
597 posts
 

The Mark Levison 5805 250 W/ch 4 Ohms dual mono intrgrated. Impeccably designed and built, fully specced analog, mm/mc phono, and digital including 32/384, 11.2 mbits/sec DSD and MQA. At 62 lbs it lacks for nothing on the front end or power amp and sounds terrific. Listing for $10,500 it's a bit over your $9,000 budget, but every dollar is accounted for, and deals have been known to be made. It is a fantastic match for your Sabrinas in every way.

panzrwagn's avatar
panzrwagn
597 posts
 

@audphile 1

1) People buy integrated amps specifically for the simplicity and integration, and to avoid having piles of boxes and cables. The 5805 has a full feature set of rather uncompromised design including analog, digital, linestage, headphone, and power amp. What would you add, change, or delete?

2) No, by listening to a very similar setup, a 5805 driving a pair of Non-X Sabrinas. The analog front end was a VPI HRX and Koetsu Rosewood. We didn’t use any CDs or streaming. The amplifier demands of all Wilson speakers all center around stability into low impedance loads and high current capability - which the 5805 has in abundance.

3) The OP specified a budget of $9,000. The Pass XA60.8 alone is $14,250, The entry level XP-12 line stage is $6,100, the XP-15 Phono preamp $3,800, and the HPA-1 Headphone amp another $3,675. Plus 3 cable sets and a DAC, at least another $5,000 there. That’s a total of $32,825. Not only have you ignored the budget, but you have ignored the fundamental user requirement of an integrated amp.

You may not be a fan of Integrated amps, however many people are, for the reasons stated - simplicity and value. Many integrated amps are compromised for various reasons. The 5805 is not.

I provided a solution to the OP requirements. You apparently are seeking some kind of validation for your equipment. It’s fine. I get it. I’ve been a fan of Nelson Pass since the Adcom GFA-series high-bias MOSFET amps in the mid-80s, and still use GFA-5800s as subwoofer amps in my dedicated home theatre, and a GFA-535 in my office system. But the current Pass Labs offerings, irrespective of quality, offer no solution in this case.

 

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