Looking for a ‘’No braine’r Integrated amplifier under 7500 or so


hello all!

I’m looking for ideas on a ‘slam dunk’ flexible high value solidly performing INTEGRATED amp for an office system, but one that for a while can be my ‘go to’ or primary unit and is a bit above entry level.

preference is to buy new, but preowned in the right scenario works for me as well.

Pesently I’m starting all over in amassing gear and felt to initiate the project by wading into the water slowly.

I have on hannd remnants of my former   efforts in a then very good line stage preamp and DAC, though the DA age is showing and well behind current popular trends  and support for new formats.

also on hand are some ‘so so’ amps, and several pairs of speakers and I just added a Blue Sound Noede 2I.

ultimately I see nearly everything being replaced but felt starting with a very nice Integrated seems as good a starting point as any.

topology is as such, not too too imoportant. decent power however is key as speakers being paired here are as yet unknown. likelyhood here is a pair of monitors and a sub.

the music playback will likely be streaming from providers and NAS files.

Aesthewtix Mimas has peaked my interest currently. and having owned bAT their INT is interesting too. apart from these two I’m wide open to suggestions on current one box amp solutions..

glass or sand power here makes little difference apart from thereafter mating speakers to the INT power constraints..

your thoughts, and expieriences here are vastly appreciated. THX
blindjim
Here is why Coda is the best bargain for sure at $6500,Their CSIB integrated amplifier is a steal it is literally a #8 amplifier 
with 3 options, 150-300 wpc 1st 18 watts pure class A option 1
option-2 - 250-500wpc 12 first watts in classA
option3- 400-800wpc-8 first  watts ,
a scaled down version of their  great #7  preamp in pure class A.
Huge power transformer 3kva and 80k uf in power capacitors.Nobody even close to that and it’s a potted shielded Torroid the competition ,No.
The latest Jfet input stage,Nmosfet gain stage and 20 matched Bipolar resistors per Channel  on the output , up to 120 amps on demand for short peaks Nothing even at $10 k has transformers and current of this  magnitude, and 
a 10 year warranty parts,and labor ,the 1st year if there is a fault they will pay shipping up and back the 1st year, 5 year Transferrable warranty ,Stereo times best of 2020, and a great review due out soon ,they refuse to play politics with some of the advertisers out there regarding $$ reviews.Highly Recommended !!
And yysantabarbara owned both the coda Csib and the krell k300i (7k msrp) and sold the coda, kept the krell (which is beaten by many integrateds unddr 10k), haha. 

I would consider going with a Marantz integrated amp.  Should be able to get in under your price point.
Krell K300i...with or without a digital board DAC/Streamer!  Reviews are unanimously glowing, product of the year winner and I can vouch for it being as good as it gets short of $20k D’Agostino Momentum kit!
Luxmans 509 and 590 under 10k destroy the krell. 
The krell has two fans. I don’t want to listen to fans humming along
There are no cooling fans on the KRELL K-300i, at least none that I see or hear. I will check if there are any near the vents. I bought it recently and it is a great integrated. Better for my needs than the Luxman 509x which I feel is a bit limp. The Luxman m900 is much better than the 509x and the KRELL K-300i is in that league.

The KRELL has some serious bass power and it is buttery smooth. I am a Benchmark guy and yet I love the sound of this KRELL. I compared it to the CODA CSiB which was also amazing and another one I would take over the Luxman 509x. I sold the CSiB and kept the KRELL K-300i. Though I did recently buy the CODA 07x preamp for another system based on the sound of the CSiB. I am trying not to buy the CODA #8 amp to pair with the 07x.

I plan on hooking up Yamaha NS5000s, with it’s 12 inch woofer onto the KRELL. That will be a killer system. The KRELL’s internal DAC is so-so but I plan on using it because it is so convenient to have just 1 unit for music.

BTW - the reason I sold the CODA over the KRELL was because I needed to sell one and I had an offer to buy the CODA anytime I was willing to sell it. Both are great but I needed the rack space and the money to try other things. I used to think the Mark Levinson 580 was the best integrated I had heard but the CODA and KRELL were more impressive to me.

BTW2 -  Just checked the KRELL with a flashlight and magnifying glass. I see no fans inside that unit. I do understand that fans usually are on the back but I wanted to double check.
There are. See bottom right of cutaway view. Either two or three fans. Plus I remember reading a review (trying to find the review) that mentioned the fans.  But anyway the review below clearly shows the fans. 

https://www.absolutesounds.com/pdf/main/press/HFN%20Jul%20Krell%20K-300i%20Reprint-LOW.pdf
In the cutout photo, those 2 things near the display could be fans. Though I do not hear anything there. This unit is played for most of the day in the living room and at the end of the day the unit is warm but I still do not hear any fans.

I maybe opening up the unit to make a speaker connector repair in the near future so I will be able to see for sure. I could also ask KRELL tomorrow when I talk to them about sending me a new speaker connector.

Though I am not concerned about any potential fan now after using it for weeks. I used to have this unit situated 1/2 foot from my sitting position when I had it in my office and still heard no fan.
I swear I read it somewhere in a review also but now I can’t find it. Stereophile review also shows cover off view with fans visible blowing right thru heat sinks. I’d guess they aren’t audible - was kinda joking about hearing the fans humming


plus lots of amps have fans. Was just trying to get a rise out of the krell fans(boys), haha

 

Helllo all!    

finally I’ve landed on my solution… well at least for now.

thanks so very much for all the insights and eXP and choices on the options that inundated this thread.

sorry for taking so long to finish out this decision but more than I had counted on went into the plan and its ultimate  outcome changed several times.

the original ambition  here was to arrange an ‘office’ system with a budget of around $7K or so  for the amp/streamer/DA itself and pair it with my new Joseph Audio Pulsar graphine monitors.

hoping aginst hope, all would fall in below $10K

well, so much for  ambitions. lol

The JA Pulsar IIs and their need for stands which wound up as Sound Ancors built specificaly  for them would  add another grand to the mix.

naturaly a sub would be in order  and that conversation led to purchasing a pair of sVS 3000s to augment the bottom octaves. 

pony up another $2400 for these and their associated ISO footers and cables ol’  sport!

back to the INT streamer bit… 

several options posted here came close to getting the trigger pulled but ultimately of them all I let  the hammer fall  on what would turn out to be ‘for me’ the exact wrong choice. 

initially desiring a one box power and streaming solution i went with the Bel Canto E1X integrated dA streamer.  nice enough unit. sounded just fine. the problem was I did  not  check out the BC IOS app beforehand. if i had simply downloaded it and tried using it initially Bel Canto would have been dismissed outright as a pick immediately! 

why? 

for whatever reason, the BC app  was not writen in compliance with Apple’s Voice Over accessibility  feature set which enables those with visual challenges to over come them and interact seamlessly with the app or its hardware as anyone else could.

the BC app did not work with VO at all.  nada. zip. zilch.

that bump in the road had its own cost. a substantial one as well, but I should have done a wee bit more investigation so I’ll not totally hang all of it on BC or myself.  perhaps just equal parts.

the BC E1X has of course,  left the building.

. detour ahead!

for the first time in my EXP putting together  tons of stereo outfits, I went basically off ‘ ‘ advice on these pages and that of other owners, and IMO some integral specs.  

All of this culminated late today when I ordered  the systems last few components, opting now for a ‘two box’ power and streaming’ affair. and a change in the speakerage to be used.

the Pulsars will only be a temporary visit in the office. they will or should land in the master bedroom when all is said and done.

a pair of totally rebuilt former flagship speakers from phase technologies (PC 10.5) 3 way towers will mate with the Rogue power house The PC 10.5s are hungry speakers which dip just below 4 ohms so the 250wpc hybrid Rogue is better  suited for them. their ten inch bass drivers too might preclude the need for subs in the smaller environmengt.

sheesh. 

i’m batting nearly a thousand so far in this hunt with what I am chasing and what actually  ends up happening. 

oil well. an audio nut has to do what an audio nut has to  do. right?

the power plant as said will be the latest revision  from Rogue Audio in its Pharro II hybrid amp.

the streamer will be a lumin T2.

the power line conditioner will be from Taurus  a passive 15a unit with 4 duplex outlets. I think its called the Max.

XLR cables to connect the Lumin and Rogue will be Kimber cables latest carbon.8’s. an active shielded pr of Synergistic Research bi wire spkr cables  with cardass connectors will carry the signal to  the Pulsars.

power cords for the moment will be from my inventory of VooDoo, Virtual Dynamics, Shunyata Research and Nirvana.

the rack is a one off custom built to ordewr all mahogany item with 4 levels, on casters and with a accessory drawer. 

the Rogue Pharoh II arrived today.

the balance of the outfit is ordered, ,  e.g., the T2, XLRs, and passive conditioner, and should be a late christmas party or they will herald in the New Year 

I definitely  toyed with  acquiring  items farther up the food chain such as 4the Lumin x1, a more upscale dA and an Aurender streamer. 

Sure,  I thought too about numerous other power plant solutions but in all 4had to reign in my STEADILY  rising ambitions and remind myself it is only an ‘OFFICE’’ RIG. .

… after the 2022 Fla Expo we will be undertaking the ‘main’ listning outfit. .project i fear that one will require a far deeper reach into the pocket and a bit more time for consideration to finalize it!

i will say some of that go to rig already has some pieces in the house. more on that later of course.

More on  listening  in the office coming asap.

again many thanks to those who took their time to point out so many fine options
  .