Synthesis A100 Titan. It will drive just about any speaker out there, including yours, and it has a very nice onboard DAC. I've owned a bunch of integrateds over the years, and this one is simply above and beyond.
New Integrated amp recommendation
Greetings:
I’m looking to upgrade my Yamaha 801 to drive my Revel 328s
Unfortunately I live in South Carolina and auditioning equipment requires a fair amount of time and travel.
The room is 20x25 loft open to one side to a staircase and 11 foot ceilings (not ideal but limited amount of conditioning will follow)
Almost always classic rock and contemporary jazz never above 80db Vinyl/CD and streaming
I’ve read a number outstanding reviews on Luxman integrateds and that is the first question..Is the 505z a good fit? If so does stretching the budget to the 507z offer a sonic difference? If not Luxman any other recommendations. I’m not necessarily looking to color the sound of the Revels but the Yamaha and maybe the room lack a bit of low end clarity and maybe a bit of fatigue from the Be tweeters.
Finally has anyone had experience buying direct from Japan? Can I assume the transformer is going to add unwanted noise?
Appreciate any thoughts love the forum. Learn from it everyday.
Thank you
JF
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- 57 posts total
Few years ago went thru 3 Luxman receivers , all had reliability issues and there is no parts for them. I have a McIntosh MA7900 integrated 200 WPC into 8 ohms great soundstage , has it all. They were mfg 2013- 2017 and you can probably find one for about $6,000. The newer model MA8900 great also. No need to demo it but you will need a study table it weighs 75 pounds and has a 5 band graphic equalizer built in also. I pair it among other things with a McIntosh MR-71 tube FM tuner the finest sounding radio I've ever heard. There are many other choices but with the Mac you know it's quality , parts are available , repair shops that specialize in them and a solid resale value. I'd pesonally never buy anything from Japan. Shipping , returns can all be a problem and it's all 100 volt over there unless made for U.S. market. Happy listening. |
Let's see. The OP states he never listens above 80db. His speakers need less than 1/2 watt on average to achieve his goal. Even allowing for huge peaks, he could achieve his goal with a quality low wattage/high current design. Yet post after post is for high powered unliftable mega-amps. (i.e. let me tell you about my favorite amp that you don't need). Brother. |
Personally, I like Accuphase. But if you like Yamaha gear, I’m a big fan of their heavyweight integrateds, all together different animals from your 801. The A-S2200 and A-S3200 are very, very good. Simple, straightforward gear, quality parts, real knobs & switches, and, yup, meters! Any Accuphase and these two Yamahas are rock solid, and could easily be the last integrated you ever buy. |
@gemoody +1 Except last sentence could be age dependent. |
- 57 posts total