Integrated Amp $1200 or less

@willgolf I had the Nighthawk MKIII here with a various assortment of NOS tubes in the Preamp section and was very underwhelmed.
To my ears, in my system, I found my Hegel Rost superior in pretty much every regard. Also, my speakers fell right in the middle of the Nighthawk’s spec sheet on Raven’s website...90db. They list the Nighthawk to be used with speakers 85-95db.

I currently use a Yamamoto DAC but before I acquired that I was using the Rost as an all-in-one and I was AMAZED at how good the DAC is inside. So good in fact, that I was on the fence for months about getting a standalone DAC.

What’s also amazing, to me anyway, is the performance of its headphone amp. I was blown away with it driving my Hifiman Arya. I liked it better than my Burson Conductor V2+ so I sold the Burson.

I bought my Hegel Rost brand new, unopened from a dealer for $1,400. It retailed for $3,000 so the deals are out there. It was discontinued which is why I got the deal, but I’m just saying...

Another vote for a used Hegel. I have an H160, and am very pleased.

B_limo, I agree  with the thought of upgrading to a separate DAC and delaying the purchase of a new integrated until more funds are available.  Many on this forum have declared true improvements when upgrading from the DAC within the Node. You have speakers you like, ones which will respond to improvements upstream. 

I would not let speaker cable termination determine an amplifier purchase when that time comes. 

The best to you and enjoy your search. 

I had a Cambridge Audio Topaz SR 20 (sadly discontinued) integrated amp hooked up to my Bluesound Node 2i And it sounded great.  Cambridge Audio products, as well as NAD products, apparently pair well with Bluesound products.  However, I went a different way:  I upgraded to the PowerNode 2i with HDMI.  This was due to space issues, but I figured the extra $350 was work it. 

I saw that somebody mentioned the Wyred 4 Sound Integrated sold by Underwood Wally. If you want to buy new,the 500 Mk II would be a great buy! One of my good Audio buddies purchased the original 500. I believe he got it for $700 on this site. I was shocked at how good it was. Have never been a huge fan of class D, but listening to the W4S changed my mind. My friend sold it to another friend who will never let it go. He likes it that much! I also thought the Peactree Nova 220 SE was an excellent sounding integrated. Wally closed them out at $999. They are a class D/tube hybrid. You can switch the tube in and out. They also come with a very nice built in DAC.