Integrated Search

[darcman]

I have been pondering an integrated amp. The Hegel H360 seems to be one of the better bang for buck. I have Dynaudio Focus 340 speakers and I hear the Hegel and the Dynaudio have great synergy. Another integrated that I would like is the Simaudio 700i but, its most likely out of my budget.

Another couple integrated that I am curious about are almost at opposite ends are the over budget AVM Ovation A 6.2 and the value buster Atoll Electonique IN300. Does anyone have any experience with either...I know they are fairly new.

[Mike]

Hi darcman!


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[darcman]

Hi Mike You have some awesome toys

[asiufy]

Hi darcman!

I've heard the new Dynaudio Contours with the Hegel integrateds (H360 and the new Röst), and it's indeed a wonderful pairing, very musical and yet very detailed and nuanced as well.

I don't have any meaningful experience with the other brands you've mentioned, but if you can manage an audition with the Hegels, I'm sure you'll be quite pleased!

cheers,
alex

[darcman]

Maybe nobody in North America has the AVM Ovation A 6.2.
It is 9000 euros, the build looks killer, fairaudio in Germany did a review on it. It would probably cost me twice as much as a Hegel H360.

The Atoll IN300 is 2800 euros which is less the a Hegel H160 and it has dual transformers and more capacitors, looks dam good for the money

[octadyndude]

Does it have to be solid state? Octave is a great match with Dyn's. I had an Octave V70se followed with a V110 when I had Dyn C1's. The difference in power meant a hair better 'control' of the music with the more power of the V110 (70W vs 110W).

[Jaws]

Another great integrated amp is the Gato Audio DIA-250S or DIA-400S. (250 watt vs. 400 watt)
http://gato-audio.com/dia-250S.php

I got one of those.

It was better than a Hegel 160, Parasound Halo Integrated, Arcam FJM A39, and just as good as the Devialet 120, at a much lower price when i compared amps, before i bought the Gato Audio.

And its the best looking Integrated out there.

Cheers
Bo

[KeithR]

I had C1s and thought the BAT integrated worked nicely on them. They did like some juice.

I have never heard a compelling Dyn/Sim combo despite the numerous pairings at shows.

[darcman]

Another great integrated amp is the Gato Audio DIA-250 or DIA-400. (250 watt vs. 400 watt)

I got one of those.

It was better than a Hegel 160, Parasound Halo Integrated, Arcam FJM A39, and just as good as the Devialet 120, at a much lower price when i compared amps, before i bought the Gato Audio.

And its the best looking Integrated out there.

Cheers
Bo

I was very close to buying a Gato Audio DIA-400S. There was a brand new open box one on ebay from Canada that was being sold for $2495 US, with shipping that would have been about $3500 Canadian dollars. I didn't buy it because it wasn't from an authorized dealer, so no warranty. That would have been a great deal, but what if you had issues with it.

I am using a Oppo 95 directly into a classdaudio SDS-470 with the upgraded PS. That's why I seriously considered the Gato as no furnace heat class Ds are nice.

[darcman]

I had C1s and thought the BAT integrated worked nicely on them. They did like some juice.

I have never heard a compelling Dyn/Sim combo despite the numerous pairings at shows.

So not compelling, I heard Simaudio and Dynaudio worked, do you think it was just a preference thing. I am still thinking Hegel H360, In Canada they are about $6500 + tax. A Simaudio 700i in Canada must be double that? The Sim has no DAC, but you can do more with it, maybe more refined....just not sure if the higher price is worth it. Its funny you didn't like the Sim/Dyn combo.

[darcman]

Does it have to be solid state? Octave is a great match with Dyn's. I had an Octave V70se followed with a V110 when I had Dyn C1's. The difference in power meant a hair better 'control' of the music with the more power of the V110 (70W vs 110W).

I was leaning toward solid state, I guess it doesn't have to be...I will do some reading on the Octave, thanks

[Anatta]

Try a Benchmark AHB2 if you use the Oppo for volume control.

For integrateds look at the T+A PA2000R/2500R.

http://www.rutherfordaudio.com/shop/...amplifier.html

http://www.rutherfordaudio.com/shop/...amplifier.html

A review and comparison with the Hegel 360.

http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index....ated-amplifier

[darcman]

Try a Benchmark AHB2 if you use the Oppo for volume control.

For integrateds look at the T+A PA2000R/2500R.


A review and comparison with the Hegel 360.

The T+A stuff looks awesome...still the H360 might be better bang for buck
Ya Rutherford Audio isn't that far away from me either. T+A has some even better integrateds, but they are like $26,000 CAD T+A = German Good Ya... AVM Ovation A 6.2 is also German....I cant post the fairaudio review link because I don't have enough posts yet...the build looks very nice

[Jack]

Another option is the Modwright KWI-200.

[darcman]

Another option is the Modwright KWI-200.

I think the Modwright is a pretty scookum build, the reviews are good, but not great.
I really like the looks of the Modwright, that and the AVM are my favs aesthetically...and the Gamut

[Melbguy1]

If you're happy to consider a mint 2nd hand amp, you can find Boulder 865's and Vitus RI-100's within your budget. The Boulder has a strong psu & sounds neutral and natural. The Vitus has even more RMS power, sounds rich and has a touch of warmth, but is on the dark side. Hence if your Dyns sound a bit mellow, the Boulder would be the better choice. Build quality for both amps is excellent.

[darcman]

If you're happy to consider a mint 2nd hand amp, you can find Boulder 865's and Vitus RI-100's within your budget. The Boulder has a strong psu & sounds neutral and natural. The Vitus has even more RMS power, sounds rich and has a touch of warmth, but is on the dark side. Hence if your Dyns sound a bit mellow, the Boulder would be the better choice. Build quality for both amps is excellent.

Excellent build on both of those, I also want a HT bypass....I don't if I'm man enough to lift the Vitus anymore lol

[Melbguy1]

Excellent build on both of those, I also want a HT bypass....I don't if I'm man enough to lift the Vitus anymore lol

The Boulder has HT bypass mode.

[darcman]

The Boulder has HT bypass mode.

I looked at the balanced inputs and assumed no HT Bypass, but yes you are right it does.
I would need to convert to the balanced inputs. There is no denying the Boulder build,
Its not my favorite aesthetically, I could live with it...I don't know if it comes in black though.

[darcman]

Ok I have 10 posts, Here is the review for the AVM Ovation A 6.2....I really like the looks in black, nice build, no DAC and a little more than I wanted to spend

https://translate.google.ca/translat...ml&prev=search


What does everybody think of this German beauty?

[Jack]

So these AVM products are sold through the Canadian Canton distributor? How are they going to handle warranty and service. I looked at their website and no mention of anything but Canton.

[darcman]

So these AVM products are sold through the Canadian Canton distributor? How are they going to handle warranty and service. I looked at their website and no mention of anything but Canton.

I know I looked at the distributors site too, maybe they don't even carry AVM stuff. Well there goes that idea LOL

[Jack]

Just be patient, plenty of quality integrated amps on the market with dealers and service. What do the Canadian manufacturers like Classe', Bryston and others offer that would fit the bill? Not really sure what speakers you need to drive with this purchase.

[nile49]

Coda Technologies is a company that flies under the radar but I recently picked up a CSIb from them and am really liking it with Magnepans.




Although my system and room has changed, in the past I used to own the Simaudio I-7 and had the Vitus RI-100 on loan for a week. I would say the Coda is on par or better (if I had to guess) than the Simaudio which was quite noisy. (Audible hiss at the seated position but otherwise very good. The 700i likely resolved this). The Vitus is immensely powerful and made me want to throw a dance party, but I never connected with it emotionally.

I really liked the Luxman 507u that I had, just a wonderful presentation of music from it. The only drawback with it was slightly polite although excellently defined bass. Last but not least I am selling my Luxman 590aX which is awesome in the right setup and will drive any load but may not have enough watts to truly bring the lower sensitivity dyns to life.

Though on the pricy side the Pass Labs Int-250 might be of interest to you. I've seen demos at around the $9k mark.

Best of luck on your search! I do have a soft spot for integrateds.


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[aardvarkbark]

If you have nationalistic leanings, I suppose you should explore Moon, Classe and Bryston. If the 700i is too rich for your budget, the 600i is slightly less, and the neo 340i is less than half the price and can include a DAC and/or phono stage should you desire.

I have a PASS. If you wish to consider a foreign manufacturer, maybe consider their INT-60 (Mike is an AD). Previously, I had a Classe and was pleased with its quality and their customer service.

[darcman]

@nile49 I was making a list and the Coda CSib is on it...I heard they are excellent.

For Canadians to buy stuff from the US can be a pain in the a$$. I live close to the border so I get stuff shipped to one of those border handling places. They charge you $4 to use them as an address, which is pretty cheap. If you needed warranty work it would be a bit more of a pain to send something back to the US if there weren't any Canadian dealers.
I don't care what country something is made in (its nice to support your own country) We all want something that sounds great and gives you good value too. With my Dynaudio Focus 340s, I was really leaning towards the Hegel H360.

UPDATE

I actually did pull the trigger on an integrated...I bought a Simaudio Moon I-7 It is in really nice shape, one owner, etc.
I am really happy with it. I think it is an excellent pairing with my speakers and the oppo 95.
It does make some noise, but you have to put your ear right up to the tweeter, I would say its very quiet.
It has a huge soundstage width and fairly good depth. I would say voices aren't as center focused, but I think its due to the wide soundstage.
So far it runs warm, not hot though. The display is easy to read. It does a lot of nice things like disabling unused inputs, etc.

Maybe I will buy a DAC next. I thought about a chifi Audio-gd Master 7 NOS or Audio-gd NFB-7.38 or a Hegel

Hey one thing I was going to ask with the i-7 I am using a Wireworld Silver Electra power cord...any suggestion for something different/better
The interconnects between the i-7 and the Oppo 95 are balanced Harmonic Technology Magic Link IIs

[Jack]

darcman

Take a look at the Audio Sensibility cables made in Toronto. Really good OCC cables at a fair price.

[nile49]

Congrats on the I-7! I did really enjoy my time with it. I also wonder if the unit I had in particular was noisy or had some sort of unfavorable interaction with my system. That said I did send it to Simaudio to have it checked out before selling it and they reported no issues, that it was operating as normal.

As far as power cords go I think my Lessloss DFPC worked well on it. In my limited experience that cord is usually my favorite vs stock/entry level transparent/Audioquest.

Enjoy!


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[darcman]

Thanks Nile49 I have been browsing integrateds for a while, making a list checking it twice. A few months ago I read in an old thread where this guy had an i-7 and he was asking for speaker recommendations. Someone suggested a Dynaudio Focus 340 (my speakers) any ways he said he heard the i-7 with Dynaudio C1, C2, Focus 360, and Focus 340s and he liked the i-7/340 pairing the best. I made a mental note of it. I saw the i-7 come up for sale on CAM, so I bought it.

The synergy of the i-7 and the 340s is stellar, its everything I hoped it would be and more. My speakers were good before, but now they sound great. I would say I was maybe utilizing 85% or 90% of the 340s potential, now I bet I am at close to 100%...it just sounds right. Its like the sum is greater than the 2 parts. The more I listen I hate to change anything, including the power cord now. I might just leave the Wireworld Silver Electra in place, at least for a while. I know they aren't the best, but its like if it isn't broken don't fix it.

[Melbguy1]

Coda Technologies is a company that flies under the radar but I recently picked up a CSIb from them and am really liking it with Magnepans.

+ 1 on the Coda .

[hifinutt]

Another option is the Modwright KWI-200.

ah I was just going to suggest this amp. lovely build and good vfm