hmmm... well, the Marantz Ruby KI integrated can be had for $3k right now on Music Direct website... stellar reviews all around. A valedictory "pet project" of Ken Ishitawa (KI) And, let me point out one advantage of a "big' company like Marantz: because of economies of scale, they can procure the parts more inexpensively than smaller manufacturers (or make them themselves as they do w some parts)... so while the Ruby msrp is 4k, some estimates suggest that equivalent build, parts, etc. from a smaller company would push it perhaps twice that, so it's in your "range" from that perspective.
My last Integrated Amp: $5-10,000?
I would like to hear recommendations regarding integrated amplifiers costing between $5-10,000. This will be my last amplifier for quite a while. I prefer to buy used when I can but also prefer no older that 2-3 years. My speakers are likely to change every couple of years and I may keep more than one pair.
I like a detailed and transparent sound with air and the ability to easily to pick out the location of the instruments/singers. I have liked the class A that I’ve heard and I’ve liked the tubes that I’ve heard but I don’t want to mess with tubes. Also, I do not want a streaming device and I’d rather not have a built in DAC but I can live with it.
My music preferences are vocals and 70-90s rock.
So far I have identified the following possibilities that are available.
Mark Levinson: No 585 at $8400 and ML-5805 at $6550. The latter is a new model and I have read that there have been teething problems. I don’t know if ML have corrected this situation.
Luxman L-590AXII $7250 has a good reputation and longevity but is relatively low powered.
McIntosh MA5300, Coda CISB, and Gryphon Diablo 120 are also possibilities if available.