Any of the recent McIntosh or Classe integrateds have HT bypass. Preouts too - and the Mcs even have amp in. If you like soft, enjoyable, liquid music then check them out. Used ones will be in your price range and they can kick more than their power ratings make you think. Arthur
Integrated Amp with HT bypass
I posted this over in the Amp section and I was not getting many replies so I thought I would try the HT section. Here is my question; Looking for a good integrated amp for music listening. At the time I own a Harman Kardon AVR520 receiver which works very well for HT and it is not that bad for music but I would like it to be better. I will be driving a pair of the new Silver 8 series Monitor Audio speakers. These speakers sound very good at the time but I think they can be optimized with a good tube or SS/hybrid integrated amp. I would like the amp to have a bypass loop so I can use my HK for home theater and the integrated for music. Not sure if this makes much sense. I am not interested in opinions about interconects so please limit the discussion to amps or other similar products. I would like to keep the price under 1500, preferably under 1K and used is fine. Any suggestions on what I should look for would be greatly appreciated.