T+A's new R 2500 R integrated amp
**Not to be confused with earlier T+A products that have similar names.**
Does anybody have hands-on experience with this incredibly flexible integrated amp? It’s been shipping in the US for just a couple of months, & has not yet been reviewed in the Tier One audiophile press
It’s absolutely not possible for me to hear the R 2500 R before buying, and at nearly $19,000, I’m hesitant to pull the trigger blind. But it sure sounds impressive on paper, boasting one of T+A’s world-class DAC/streamers, several hundred Class AB wpc, 31-lb weight, discrete headphone amp, some of the most comprehensive connectivity on the market, firmware-upgradability, a friendly UI, and, of course, T+A’s reputation for impeccable sound quality. It even includes a CD transport & FM tuner, as well as HDMI w/ARC I/O for integration into a home theater. Whew.
I normally wouldn’t consider an embedded DAC/streamer, but, heck, this is T+A, the company that made its name throughout Europe for its no-holds-barred DAC technology. And I understand that the R 2500’s internal DAC is an updated (albeit "merely" 512DSD) version of the company’s highly regarded $7500 1-bit standalone model.
Given all that, I’d love to speak with anyone who managed to score one of the first batch (now sold out at many dealerships); or even to a golden ear who plans to audition this amp at AXPONA.
If you ultimately decide upon purchasing the T+A unit, I suggest you connect with Juan @blisshifi. I purchased my DAC200 from him and had a particularly good experience. He’s not pushy, and is pretty thoughtful about helping a customer get to the right place. I can comfortably recommended him as a dealer. Best, |
I to have nothing but good things to say about Jaun@blisshifi. I was looking for a better USB cable and he actually sent me to the company, because they had a sale on. He didn’t make a dime of of it. |
@blisshifi I would tend to agree with you comparing the two. I felt the AP20 and Wilson combo to be a bit of a truth teller. Very clear dynamic and detailed (some heat from the highs and lows as you describe), a little dry for my taste. The T+A sounded warm and cozy, yet open and expansive. I felt more of that in your soul feel. Of course the sources were different.. streaming for the Aurender and analog for the T+A, so there's that. I'm not a streamer at home. (MOFI Ultra with a Hanna ML, and Line Magnetic disc player into Cary SLI80HS into Volti Razz). I think if I had the cash and were looking I'd be leaning toward the T+A |
@mgrif104 @cundare2 Thank you both for your kind comments and advocacy. It’s greatly appreciated. :) @doyle3433 Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the two rooms. I’m glad your findings matched my experiences and assumptions. With the Aurender room, I would have definitely picked a different cable loom and speakers to make the end result more soulful. I’ve not had an issue accomplishing that with the AP20. I would love to hear that unit with something like a Joseph Audio Pearl 2 Graphene. I’m sure that would be an incredible match. |
***FINAL RESOLUTION*** Well, my R 2500 R arrived a few days ago and is burning in. My initial reaction is very positive, even using lower-grade cables until my new, longer cables arrive. The sonics are everything I was promised, and they're a great match for my Harbeths with no other components in the signal path. When I use the R 2500 R to drive just the the FL & FR speakers in a 5.1 home theater, the increase in realism is jaw-dropping. Last night, I was almost knocked out of my seat when I sure that I heard a door slam in an adjacent room. But the best thing about this incredibly well-designed box is its functionality. (I never thought I’d say something like that.) In addition to outstanding amp & preamp sections, it includes a 2023-designed dual PCM/DSD T+A DAC (similar to its $8000 model, I’m told), an integrated streamer with a very good Android interface, a TON of connectivity (including HDMI in & out), and even Internet radio / FM / DAB & a CD transport. And a lot more. I’m finding the rest of my components to be functionally, not only sonically, limited in comparison. For example, my $2000 Marantz receiver can’t output digital and analog signals at the same time (which would let me, e.g., send a digital signal to the T+A and analog to my rear & center amps when watching something like 5.1 Netflix). The T+A doesn't seem to have such limitations. I know that some people have negative knee-jerk reactions to integrated form factors (and I've posted at length about why those reactions sometimes don't make sense), but I spent months searching for an integrated that did not have the most commonly cited downsides. When the smoke cleared, only two or three made the cut. This new T+A model was clearly the best choice, as perfect a fit with my complicated topology as I could expect to find: beautifully conceived, designed, and built. One last thing: A TENK YOU VEDDY MUCH shout-out to Juan from Bliss HiFi (he’s actually participated in this thread), who originally turned me on to the R 2500 R, and who has provided such outstanding pre-sales and post-sales support. I wish every dealer had Juan’s knowledge, experience, and customer-support skills. I can’t recommend Bliss too highly.
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