integrated amp with phone for graham ls6 under $4000 new


looking for an integrated amp with phono stage under $4000 for my graham audio ls6 speakers to be used with a rega p3 with haha sh and node x. considering naim xs3 and marantz 30. anyone made a comparison, especially the phono stage? marantz 30 can play mc or mm cartridges so i’m leaning that way. also supposed to have a great phono stage. also considering (but it is a bit more) the Exposure 3510 Integrated Amplifier with phono or sugden with a cheap external mc/mm phono like Cambridge Audio Alva Duo. looking for a new product, so around $4000 new is my price point. mostly listen to jazz and classic rock in a medium sized room. thanks!

matsel

I have those speakers, which I purchased from Gene Rubin. I have heard them with the Belles Aria (standard version), LFD LE VI, and the Exposure 3510. All are great pieces of kit and each has its strengths, but my personal favorite overall when paired with the LS6s is probably the Exposure. Gene’s a great guy and will steer you in the right direction depending on your budget, room, needs, etc.

As for a phono stage, I’ve yet to find something that significantly bests my Heed Quasar for under $3K. I had my Exposure outfitted with their internal MC phono pre board, which is quite good, but the Quasar beats it by a wide margin. YMMV. You can occasionally find an older model Quasar (mine is a Mk2) for $600-700 used, in which case it’s a no-brainer. I personally could barely tell the difference between the Mk2 and Mk3 (currently model) when I considered upgrading.

Bottom line: Can’t go wrong with the Exposure, or doing business with Gene (I have no financial interest here...just happy with the experience).

thank you for all the advice. i’m gonna go listen to both the exposure 2510 and 3510. based on lots of reviews (and price), leaning towards the 2510 with mm phono and then when ready to move to mc, buying an external mc phone stage at that point. anyone compare the 2510 and 3510? seems some people prefer the 2510 and i’m wondering if the extra $1500 for the 3510 with mm phono is that big a difference to justify the price. would love the moonriver but out of my price point 

any speaker wire recommendations for exposure 2510 to ls6s? the ones i’ve seen are 5 meters which seems quite long

What do you mean “the ones I’ve seen?”  How long do you need?  Personally, I would just start with Belden 12 from Blue Jeans cables and listen for a few months until everything breaks in. Then you can try something else to see if you like it better. 

i meant when looking at wires for sale, most say 3.5mm or 5mm. i wasn’t sure if there was a danger of damaging amp or speaker if using the wrong type or wrong length, is there? currently i have about 6 feet each from my old amp to each speaker  of this cheap wire “wire path bulk wire by snap pan speaker14awg 2c 105 strand oxygen free copper”. would that work for the time being or think i should get the blue jeans?