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help on choosing integrated amp for a pair of cornwall llls


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On 4/5/2017 at 12:21 PM, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

thank you very much for all your help bill.i really appreciate it.so i was just noticing how on the yamaha and marantz integrated amps i dont see any digital inputs like optical and coaxial on the back.is there a reason for this?

Both the Yamaha and Marantz amps are analog only, no DAC on board.  Many prefer it that way, some like to have it all in one.  I let my matching Yamaha CD-S1000 CD/SACD player handle the digital to analog conversion as well as my Chromecast Audio.  I am currently searching for an affordable outboard DAC to eventually pair up with the Chromecast Audio.

 

Bill

 

 

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On 4/4/2017 at 9:05 AM, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

i guess any 3 options on the amps.can you get NEW tube amps still? 

Oh yes. A good integrated starts at around 2K and it's kinda like owning a foreign sports car. You need to keep on top of the maintenance and tubes will need to be replaced at some point. But when you are humming along...there is nothing better. 

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9 hours ago, Derrick said:

I have a Marantz PM6006 with 2 optical inputs and a digital coax input. The 6006 is the little brother to the 8005 and I have been happy with it. Seems to be built well. The DAC is good. The only thing that I don't like is the fact that they use a single remote for many different products so you have a large remote with only a handful of functions that actually work for the amp. If you add other Marantz components I can see how this would turn into a good thing. 

Hi Derrick, It is clearly an obvious ploy by Marantz to sell more gear to make more buttons work on the remote.  I fell for it and bought the matching cd player -  now more buttons work.:) However it did help me with justification for more hi fi gear when I explained to my sweet wife the need for the new device so that more buttons would work, but I am not so sure she bought all that....

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9 hours ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

thank you adam2434, do you know where a good price is on the rotel?

 

I suggest you find a local Rotel dealer and ask them for a price.

 

I bought a Rotel amp from Hanson AV in Dayton, OH a couple years ago, and they provided a decent discount.

 

If you are interested in a tube integrated, might also check out the Jolida 3502S.

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10 hours ago, russ69 said:

Oh yes. A good integrated starts at around 2K and it's kinda like owning a foreign sports car. You need to keep on top of the maintenance and tubes will need to be replaced at some point. But when you are humming along...there is nothing better. 

Sorry to disagree Russ, but it isn't necessary to spend anything approaching $2k for such an amp.  As to maintenance, it all depends on the design- there are tube amps which are as maintenance free as SS equipment.  But, I do agree that there is nothing better in terms of sound!!!

 

Maynard

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7 hours ago, tube fanatic said:

Sorry to disagree Russ, but it isn't necessary to spend anything approaching $2k for such an amp.  As to maintenance, it all depends on the design- there are tube amps which are as maintenance free as SS equipment.  But, I do agree that there is nothing better in terms of sound!!!

 

Maynard

Maynard, I agree but for a first timer into tubes I like to recommend a well known brand mid-level integrated amp that can be serviced without problems. 2K is about the lower limit in my self imposed rule set. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy my 100 buck Wave AV8 amps but I can't recommend something like that  to greenhorns. 

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12 minutes ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

NAD integrated amps good? 

Yes they are.

 

13 minutes ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

do dealers exist?

Yes they do.

 

13 minutes ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

i couldnt find a site.

Not sure if any dealers local to you but here are a couple of authorized dealers.

 

http://www.spearitsound.com/Integrated_Amplifiers-NAD_C_375Bee_Refurbished.html

 

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_745C368/NAD-C-368.html

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

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On 6/9/2014 at 4:01 PM, joessportster said:

 

 

3 hours ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

NAD integrated amps good? do dealers exist? i couldnt find a site.

Sorry to differ but I've always found NAD Integrateds to sound a bit flat / boring . I've owned a couple (314, 720BEE) and heard several others including their home theater receivers and high end separated but apart from the high end combo,.. they never did it for me.YMMV .. So try and listen if you can .

 

Marantz,.  McIntosh .. , possibly Yamaha (haven't heard enough Yamaha separates to  make an opinion) that's where it's at for me .

 

Even better, find a $200 -$500 tube amp on Amazon or decware etc . You really don't need more than a handful of watts

 

The usual suspects in this range are single ended, push pull  el84, 6v6 or el34 amps (or their Russian equivalents). For a beginner, push pull would probably be more versatile than single ended till you figure out what you want. 

 

Some are configured as pentodes while others are configured as ultra-linear / triode (usually but not always better sounding ) .

If you can find something biased in class A or deep class AB , all the better

I like how 6v6 amps sound , for what it's worth

Edited by zobsky
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You know.....what integrated amp is a good question....

Definitely NOT Rotel 1570...a definite known internal issue that caused a popping or crackling sound.  It could start as soon as a week or as long as 5 months.

Nad...I agree about the lifelessness in some models...but I am not an expert on the brand

 

Id probably look into the Yamaha's.... Or maybe something different like Schiit Audio Ragnarok its only 50 watts....but after all we all use very efficient speakers.

 

I also am kind of shopping around for an integrated....but not in a hurry...My MX-800 is doing the job for now

 

George,

 

 

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2 minutes ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

i really need an integrated that does 100+watts a channel?

No and this is my own personal opinion (what else is there?). Since I gave up my 4 pair of Boze 901s in 1990 and went to Klipsch I have learned a few things and probably forgot most of them. My belief is that you need a very clean pre / amp / integrated machine that has low noise and has the reserve overhead to hit low notes. How much overhead? Depends on your personal listening habits, music and room.

I have had several 200-300 WPC amps that sounded really nice and had zero noise. I have had 500 WPC mono blocks that hissed at at me when they idled. I have used AVRs that were so sterile in 2 channel I hated them (but sounded just fine in HT mode). I have had older Mc 105 to 125 watt SS amps that worked just fine on both ends. I have had VRD amps both stereo and mono.

My current HT Marantz 8801 pre pro and Emotiva XPA-5 driving Belles and Khorns is fine in HT but didn't tap my toes in stereo. My McIntosh C2500 pre and MC275 amp does.

Wouldn't it be nice if you, I and all could have a variety of things to try in our habitat for a day or a month.....yea, we don't have that.

My opinion (here we go again):
Pre pro / AVR  in 2 channel: Marantz beats Denon and Onkyo; all three beat NAD hands down.
 

My old un-restored / un-anything bought out of the back of a traveling couple's sedan off CL Sansui integrated AU-5900 beats any off those ^^^^ above pre pro / AVRs for stereo.

I went back to what I had in the past and liked: McIntosh.

Why? Deals be deals but for the most part expensive so why again?

In no order of importance really but we do attempt to buy for sound first, right?
1) I like the sound with Klipsch

2) I like the looks

3) Reliable
4) If it fails it can be fixed

5) Resale value; while one off / boutique brands and models are great for use horn guys on the forum eh, ain't much happening in the wider market.

 

Dude you are on your own. It's your money but spend it like I did...over and over again and then

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5 minutes ago, PuMpKiNh3aD said:

this will be used MAINLY for 2 channel music.in that case, will an analog only integrated amplifier be good? im trying to pick between the marantz 8005 and the yamaha a-s1000

Yes

If I were to have to pick a pig in a poke having never experienced either I would go with the Yamaha

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