@mofojo : most US sellers will not ship to Canada due to additional border hassles. I can buy from an American manufacturer (like Power Module) but I will have to pay 15% tax on arrival ... If I order a device not made in North America (Mexico / US / Canada) then I have to also pay import duty, which can greatly increase the price ...
A decent integrated amp under 2K ...
I'm looking for an INTEGRATED AMP. My speakers are Altec 620A (100 db efficiency) and my listening room is 14 x 21. I mainly listen to digital files from my DAC (Metrum) but sometimes I feel less lazy and put on a vinyl on my Garrard. I don't need a phono stage, I use the one from another integrated amplifier (Spendor D40). Here's my shortlist:
1) Belles Aria Integrated (slightly powerful for my needs)
2) Croft phono integrated (since I don't need a phono stage, I think it's a shame to burn tubes for nothing)
3) Rogue Sphinx V3 (too powerful for my needs)
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS: I can live with tubes but only in the PREAMP section and I try to avoid Class A due to the heat. I'm open to Class D (proof: the Rogue) but the choice is limited and these devices come with a bunch of stuff I don't need. I rather spend my $ where it will make a difference.
regards
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Hi, Al: Yes! The JBL 4435’s are amazing speakers, they have great bass and transient response and very low distortion and have a better low midrange then the 4430’s which I previously owned. The 4430 and 4435 are very coherent speakers. When the 4435’s are actively BI-AMPED, they sound even better. I use them for home HI-FI listening, Great imaging and sound stage. I also have a pair of JBL 4425’s that are nice little speakers. FWIW, Valveglow did a nice review on the 4435’s.
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@gwangler15 : I just wrote to Glen to find out if it was possible to use the device without the tubes dedicated to the phono stage or to put a switch to turn them on and off whenever required ... I'll let you kwow what his answers is... thx for suggesting me to get in touch with him ... |
OP, well, I didn’t read your full post, so I missed ’no tubes in output stage’, I was ready to get my butt outta this chair, I just wanted to let you know how terrific the Cayin sounds in case you didn’t know. IMO it’s a terrific value and one of the best sounding amps I have heard, sure glad I tried it. people give me contrarian advice, I do the same, so no offence, but with those efficient speakers, and modern integrated tube amps with easy and safe bias meters, I have to ask: Is it possible you are limiting the ’sound’, what it’s all about, for practical considerations? Based on past experiences when you perhaps knew less, had too much power/heat .... IOW, things are different with your current setup. Your speakers will easily fill the space with a 25 wpc amp, that ain’t too much heat, tubes or SS. Tubes can last 10,000 hrs, for me that’s around 14 years. We can blow em, and we all want quad matched, but even so, it’s not a big deal. Not having confidence about your tubes IS a big deal, pre or amp stage, which is why I always recommend you get a simple inexpensive tube tester. You test what you buy, check annually, check if problem suspected, most often get reassured it ain’t the tubes, ... It’s not that your wrong, but you might not be right!
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- 109 posts total