I appreciate all the suggestions and detours :). It's a great time to be an audiophile. There are so many choices out there. Just wanted to update the thread -- the Hint6 is enroute! Ultimately, it checks all the boxes and is probably the easiest to integrate into my setup. It also frees up my bottlehead headphone amp for a 2nd listening station.
Best integrated for my purposes - help me choose 1 of 3!
I did a bunch of research over the weekend and narrowed down choices. My requirements: 2 channel amp that integrates well with my LS50 - ideally with HT Bypass. The Ls50s are also part of my HT system. I can use HT Bypass to send L/R to a 2 channel amp where all of my analog sources are pluged-in.
1. Outlaw Audio 2160II ($1k)
2. Parasound Hint6 ($3k)
3. Yamaha A-S1200 (or 2200) ($2-$3.5)
Ok, so right off the bat, the Outlaw will need a 2 amp / 1 speaker switcher - something from Niles maybe. For $1k it's hard not to consider. The Parasound is probably the most well recommended of all the choices - it's solid performer. Yamaha - buy once / cry once. I'd get years of use with the Yamaha even after the KEFs have been upgraded.
Cost is part of the consideration... Does the Parasound sound 3x better, not sure, but probably not. Yamaha 2x better? Maybe, I've never read a bad review. Steve Gutenberg suggests that the Outlaw is *very* good bang for buck!
Thoughts?
1. Outlaw Audio 2160II ($1k)
2. Parasound Hint6 ($3k)
3. Yamaha A-S1200 (or 2200) ($2-$3.5)
Ok, so right off the bat, the Outlaw will need a 2 amp / 1 speaker switcher - something from Niles maybe. For $1k it's hard not to consider. The Parasound is probably the most well recommended of all the choices - it's solid performer. Yamaha - buy once / cry once. I'd get years of use with the Yamaha even after the KEFs have been upgraded.
Cost is part of the consideration... Does the Parasound sound 3x better, not sure, but probably not. Yamaha 2x better? Maybe, I've never read a bad review. Steve Gutenberg suggests that the Outlaw is *very* good bang for buck!
Thoughts?
Showing 3 responses by martinman
Thanks everyone, HT bypass is a convenient feature for WAF that's all - kids too. Its not that high up on the list tbh, and I would't want to compromise 2-channel listening. But it would make for a nice and tidy setup. @millercarbon: I agree, i'm all for tubes. In fact, if they offered a DIY kit, I'd be all over it. I wouldn't necessarily need a line level switch. I was thinking of this: https://www.nilesaudio.com/product/amplifierspeaker-b-selector-FG00003 Slight bump in the signal chain though.. |
To answer a couple questions: Tubes... I'm all for tubes but only in specific applications. I've been building guitar tube amps for the past 10 years all PTP. I've yet to cross over into HiFi building (save for a bottlehead headphone amp kit). My current thought is this: tube preamp section / SS power section is the way to go. All tubes in the signal chain tend to warm things up too much IMO. BTW, i've run across old Fender tube amps with the tubes still chugging along. NOS tubes last a heck of a long time - that is, unless an audiophile comes along and has a tube rolling hobby (*guilty too!* :) ). I have no doubt that the Blackhawk sounds stellar. My bias with this choice is cost. You don't need to spend $4k on a PTP wired amp. I'm quite happy exploring assembly, soldering, component placement and tube rolling from a DIY perspective. I've 'stuffed' a few circuit boards (guitar pedals, haggermann phono stage) and it's a PITA. So, i'd rather pay for this type of assembly. So, just a personal preference. Interesting views on the Yamaha vs Parasound. The Yamaha is a stellar choice but as someone mentioned the transformer change in this model year... I know from the amp building that this is a major foundational aspect of the design. Not sure any of the reviews floating around are valid anymore. This will introduce change for sure. The parasound ticks all the boxes and I just recently talked with Mr. Weinhardt :). We'll see! |