In the thread title a request is made for the best integrated amplifier. No consensus will ever be reached on that subject.
The one I have been using for the past year is the Jeff Rowland Continuum S2. It is surely the best built and probably the most ergonomically sensitive with the exception of the inexcusably cheesy plastic remote. The amp itself is a beautifully crafted, solid aluminum chassis which you can order with a terrific phono section, an onboard DAC, or neither.
The look and feel of this unit are both to die for. It is powered by a Pascal amplifier module providing 400 watts per channel and it rivals any separates on the market, even the Rowland flagship gear. The only real problem with it is the price tag which comes in just under $10K. Of course, you have to expect that kind of pricing when you are discussing "the best" of anything.
The one I have been using for the past year is the Jeff Rowland Continuum S2. It is surely the best built and probably the most ergonomically sensitive with the exception of the inexcusably cheesy plastic remote. The amp itself is a beautifully crafted, solid aluminum chassis which you can order with a terrific phono section, an onboard DAC, or neither.
The look and feel of this unit are both to die for. It is powered by a Pascal amplifier module providing 400 watts per channel and it rivals any separates on the market, even the Rowland flagship gear. The only real problem with it is the price tag which comes in just under $10K. Of course, you have to expect that kind of pricing when you are discussing "the best" of anything.