Lively, fast & open sounding integrated under 3k?

McIntosh??

no2
forward soundstage (begins at the listening position and extends beyond the speakers)

I have no idea what this means, and I’ve never experienced a soundstage that begins at the listening position — except with headphones. 

I would look at the Musical Fidelity M6si.  Doesn't quite double into 4 ohms but it is comfortable driving speakers with lower impedance.  

Lively sound that will be forward without being bright.  It is a dual mono design though it doesn't have two power supplies.  Made in Taiwan which is why it is relatively inexpensive.  In that price range it would be my first choice.  

A buddy of mine has the Krell and is pretty happy with it.  It replaced a Nord.  He loves it and it should deliver on what you are looking for.  

I haven't heard the other three and have no POV.  

I am an MF dealer.  PM me if you are interested.  

I was thinking Musical Fidelity also based on what you are looking for

I don't think I would recommend the Krell s300i integrated for this scenario.  The Krell really smooths the highs and it's not as open as others.

Music Fidelity would be a good candidate.  I would also look at Hegel integrateds and even Yamaha integrateds.  Those are both very fast and high resolution.

Thank you auxinput.

Btw. The 3.5ohm are a mistake. I have learned my speakers have a minimum of 5.3ohms with a maximum of 50ohms. So tube amps are a possibility as well. I have a eye on the 17W (in 8 and 4 ohm) quad va-one ei84 Push pull amp.

zuio OP
Lively, fast & open sounding integrated under 3k?

The Triangle signature Theta’s can go down to 4ohms, and to me sounded like they needed to be livened up  

A used John Curl designed Parasound Halo Hint integrated, you should be able to pickup for $3k or less, it’ll drive almost anything even has a ESS Sabre dac in it as well as a phono stage if you need it.
https://parasound.com/hint.php

$2.5K https://www.ebay.com/itm/Parasound-Halo-Integrated-Amplifier/324200768315?hash=item4b7bdf233b:g:RjkAAOSwTO9eSf3s

$1.4K!!! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Parasound-Halo-Integrated/124201839309?hash=item1ceb01aacd:g:hBgAAOSwSiVezmXD

Cheers George

Parasound Halo is voiced just slightly on the warm side of neutral, so it is not going to be as open or high resolution as stuff like Hegel, Music Fidelity, Yamaha.

Parasound Halo is voiced just slightly on the warm side of neutral

Not from what I’ve heard, that may apply to the Halo JC1’s etc, switched into high Class-A bias mode, but the standard a/b lower bias mode is definitely a cooler more etched sound.

Cheers George

I was going to recommend the Kinki Studio M-1 but it's not small and weighs in at around 50 lbs. It does all the things you mentioned with aplomb and one eye closed and one hand tied behind it's back.

From what I've read from a reviewer who's owned the Crayon and the Kinki, and who thinks they have that same Swiss sound, check out the Crayon.

All the best,
Nonoise

Hegel?

Not from what I’ve heard, that may apply to the Halo JC1’s etc, switched into high Class-A bias mode, but the standard a/b lower bias mode is definitely a cooler more etched sound.

I have owned the JC1 monoblocks as well as the A21 stereo amps.  Yes, when JC1 is switched into high bias mode, it becomes very warm.  However, the standard low-bias sound of the JC1, A21 as well as the A23 and Halo Integrated are all still slightly on the warm side of neutral.  It is not at all like Hegel, Music fidelity, Yamaha (and probably Kinki).

@nonoise - when are you going to get some Burson V6 Vivid op amps to put in your Kinki? lol

@auxinput,
I was on the fence about that and even a professional reviewer here ( I believe it was Doug Schrodeer) recommended I do it but after I got my Audioquest Niagara 1200, everything improved to the point where I now find it unnecessary to change anything.

The sound is fuller, has more body, the highs lost some of that tizzy edge and the base goes way down and is tighter and more defined.

Oh well and all the best,
Nonoise

This Belles Aria might fit the bill!!
https://www.hifichoice.com/content/belles-aria

The Hegel seems a bit too warm, dense and overdamped - not lively.

MF sounds unnatural to me.

I try to find a belles aria.

What speakers do you have if you think Hegel sounds warm?

Yes, when JC1 is switched into high bias mode, it becomes very warm.

Not to me they become invisible like the speakers have left the room, and the music just washes over you in a 3D sound stage, that you swear you can get up and walk into. 
And I've built many, some very big ones over the last 30 years, even a self contained 120w-8ohm pure class-A water cooled one that could double down to 2ohm, that was two man lift, the size of a coffee table.  

zuio OP
MF sounds unnatural to me.

+1 They MF sound, are even more cooler, etched, than the JC1’s in low bias mode.
Never like them, definitely a MF house sound (very high gain used?), even their old little A1, A100 so called "Class-A’s" had the same sound, which btw were lucky to be measured to be even 10w of Class-A
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zPkAAOSwvbZeiOjN/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/12/08/0a/12080aff826bd67d14bac6c74bd9b4b4.jpg

Cheers George

What are your speakers? Maybe your speakers are the culprit to the unnatural warm sound you are getting. Not so much about the amp.

Not to me they become invisible like the speakers have left the room, and the music just washes over you in a 3D sound stage, that you swear you can get up and walk into.
And I've built many, some very big ones over the last 30 years, even a self contained 120w-8ohm pure class-A water cooled one that could double down to 2ohm, that was two man lift, the size of a coffee table. 

It must be a personal taste thing.  While I can appreciate the Parasound stuff and the Halo have an incredibly clean midrange, they just do not have the high frequency extension that other amps do.

Parasound stuff and the Halo have an incredibly clean midrange, they just do not have the high frequency extension that other amps do.

I think you may not like the sound of Class-A as that’s what the highs would be running as with the bias they have on them. As they sure are not rolled off as far as frequency bandwidth goes.

Parasound:
Frequency Response
2 Hz - 120 kHz, +0/-2 dB
20 Hz - 20 kHz, +0/-0.25 dB

About the same

Stereophile
was down by 3dB just below 100kHz!!

Cheers George

Sorry, but all amps pretty much have specs like this.  It comes down to listening.  It may seem to you that the high frequencies are not rolled off, but if you put the A21 side by side with something like a Krell Evolution amp, it becomes very apparent that the Parasound is lacking in high frequency detail.

As I’ve said I’ve heard the Parasound, and they do not lack in HF to me. Maybe you listened to a dud one.

As these are comments made on the highs, from reviews.

The sound was anything but mellow with the Spendors’ tweeters firing at ear level, but joined the Spendor’s crispness to the Hint 6’s wholeness and refinement. It almost felt as if I were leaning into the Trondheim Soloists’ performance of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C

.

Parasound never pushed the Quads’ ribbons into dangerous territory. Instead, music sounded brilliant and tangible, with a pulsating energy that made the strings of the Trondheim Soloists absolutely breathtaking. The sound was exhilarating. The Quads revealed the upper air of the Fitzgerald LP, with horns, hi-hat

Parasound was no exception. This combo was magical. The leading edges of voices, tenor saxophones, and drums reached out to caress my ears. A joyous sense of upper-treble air made all music exhilarating, transparent

There was something else wrong when you hear it.

Cheers George

I don't pay attention to reviews much anymore because they really don't tell you anything.  I have owned three different JC1 amps, one of them was brand new (and burned in 500 hours).  The A21 was also brand new.  I have owned a variety of different amps and have compared these Parasound side-by-side with other amps.

Exposure 3010S2D.  Excellent sounding, well-built, will last a long time.

Crown class D 1002 or 2502.Check out The Audiophillac’s review.349.00

+1 on Belles Aria. Good fit for your requirements. Just reacquired one for my 2nd system.

+1 on Hegel as a bad choice. While I wouldn't call it warm (nor would I call Aria warm), I do agree that it’s overly damped & flat/dense sounding

(Have owned both).

+1 Exposure 3010S2D.  Don't be fooled by its plain appearance.

Try Demo - Denon 1600 NE , 2500 NE 

Try  ATC SIA 2-150 originally created for ATC speakers (power hungry)

" The ATC produces a spine-tingling connection between the listener and the music, not just with rock, but whatever your musical poison."

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