I believe there is still an Ayre AX-7e up here...it's an integrated with great reviews and noted as having a tube like sound with solid state punch. It's not terribly more powerful than your Patek at i think 60w but it's a solid 60w and Ayre is known for their excellent customer service and relatively affordable upgrade paths.
replacing Patek integrated with more powerful amp?
I'm looking for a more powerful alternative to the Audio Sector Patek integrated amp I'm presently using. Speakers are similar to Legacy Focus though the replacement amp would only drive the midbass,midrange, and tweeters. The mids and tweeters are Eton metal domes so nothing thin or bright, please. The Patek is rated at 50w.
The Patek replaced a bridged pair of Pathos Classic One MKIII. Certainly the Pathi were warmer and fuller with a more expansive soundstage but the Patek is much more transparent and every bit as resolving. So, what I'm looking for is an amp (preferably integrated) that has the transparency of the Patek but with more power. I believe the major issue is a lack of transparency in active preamps so passive preamps would be preferred unless, of course, you have experience with integrateds with active line stages than are as tranparent as the passives.
I'm a student and will be doing clinicals at years end (which means I get to work 40+ hrs/wk for 16 weeks unpaid)so my funds are quite limited. Let's say $2000 as an absolute upper limit and I'm probably looking to go no more than $1500 ideally.
Just for the record, I've tried ICE amps-Wyred ST-500, and find them lacking in transparency. I also was disappointed with a SIM Audio I-5LE. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!
The Patek replaced a bridged pair of Pathos Classic One MKIII. Certainly the Pathi were warmer and fuller with a more expansive soundstage but the Patek is much more transparent and every bit as resolving. So, what I'm looking for is an amp (preferably integrated) that has the transparency of the Patek but with more power. I believe the major issue is a lack of transparency in active preamps so passive preamps would be preferred unless, of course, you have experience with integrateds with active line stages than are as tranparent as the passives.
I'm a student and will be doing clinicals at years end (which means I get to work 40+ hrs/wk for 16 weeks unpaid)so my funds are quite limited. Let's say $2000 as an absolute upper limit and I'm probably looking to go no more than $1500 ideally.
Just for the record, I've tried ICE amps-Wyred ST-500, and find them lacking in transparency. I also was disappointed with a SIM Audio I-5LE. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!