High powered integrated amp recommendations

[gmgraves]

On 6/10/2018 at 1:45 PM, Kimo said:

I am considering auditioning some higher powered electronics with my Alta Audio Celesta FRM-2 monitors.  They are of a nominal 4 ohm load.  I am only interested in integrated amps.  So far I have come up with 2 candidates.

 

1. Pass Labs INT 250

2. Jeff Rowland Continuum S2

 

I have ruled out a few brands already for various reasons:  Accuphase, Ayre, Boulder, Chord, Devialet, and Musical Fidelity.

 

Looking for suggestions and at least 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms.  Market seems smaller than I had thought.  I am done with heavy separates and monoblocks, though obviously the Pass isn't very easy on the back.

Yeah, most integrateds are 150 WPC or less. I'd recommend the Parasound Halo integrated at 160 WPC @8Ω if you weren't in need of 200 WPC or greater into 8Ω because it sounds fabulous. 

[gmgraves]

On 11/19/2018 at 9:15 AM, bos said:

I have recently purchased the AUDIA FLIGHT FLS10 integrated amp.

A truly magnificent sounding amp.

Audia FLS 10 

The new integrated stereo amplifier is completely designed and made in Italy.

The design incorporates the elegant and functional lines from the new generation of production of the Italian house Audia;

a lot of time has been devoted to the design to make the command operations and ergonomics so ergonomic

pleasing their visualization.

The particularity of the FLS 10 is also given by the presence of two rear doors, where it is possible to insert different types of optional cards: Phono and DAC.

The integrated amplifier FLS10 has a power of 200Wrms on 8ohm, aluminum chassis, 32 transistors only for the output stages, toroidal 2000W transformer, unbalanced and balanced inputs and outputs, headphone output and many other features that put it at the top of its category.

 

It's certainly stylish and looks very well made. Looks like gorgeous audio equipment (speakers, electronics, turntables) is another thing besides building expensive sports cars, shotguns, replica firearms, aircraft, etc. that the Northern Italians are good at!

[gmgraves]

On 12/7/2018 at 10:51 AM, Kimo said:

I settled upon an option.  Working on getting it to the house.  Not an integrated, per se, but a DAC/Preamp & Power Amp combo from the same maker.  150 into 8 ohms, 250 into 4 ohms, and fine with a 2 ohm load.  First 20 watts class A, with an enormous SNR.  Not a Benchmark combo.

 

Will review and update upon audition.  

Have you considered the Parasound Integrated? Recently upgraded, it has a John Curl designed power amplifier section. Sounds mighty good.

[gmgraves]

7 hours ago, Kimo said:

 

Thanks.  I am set with the Linnenberg equipment, likely for one of our lives, mine or the amp's.  It sits in the super amp territory, at least as far as my price points go.  Lateral mosfet with current.  High bandwidth.  Sort of like getting a hand made German version of the Swiss audio experience.  

 

Now I am actually starting to look a bit into audiophile cabling to go with it and the Innuos.  You know, don't want to choke the performance sort of thing.  

 

I wonder if there is any advantage to using a certain type of cabling with a high bandwidth design?  Probably not, but I will try Google anyway.

Your speakers might require a certain type of cable to sound their best, and then again they might not. Ask the speaker’s manufacturer. They have the best chance of knowing whether the speakers require a certain brand or model of speaker cable or whether they’re happy with 14 gauge zip cord. Chances are, you’ll not find it on your own. There are too many brands for you to stumble on the right one accidentally.

 

On the other hand, all coaxial cable interconnects have several orders of magnitude more bandwidth than audio requires, so don’t worry about that. As for different brands of interconnects sounding different, there is no scientific evidence that there is any reason for different coaxial interconnects to have any sound of their own. Many here will tell you that all interconnects sound different, and under certain listening conditions they can “sound different”, but laws of physics, as they apply to conductors, which is what interconnects are, say that such differences are impossible. My experience with wire as well as my engineering background, tell me that when people say that they hear a difference with different interconnects, it only exists in their imagination, and is the result of expectational and outcome-based bias. They expect that an expensive cable must sound better than a cheap one and their imagination makes sure that it does!

If a cable actually does sound different than another make or model, it is because one cable or both have been engineered to attenuate some portion of the audio spectrum to purposely be different from the competition. Cable is passive. It can only subtract information from the signal it’s passing, it has no active circuitry so, by definition, it cannot add anything! Ideal ones do not alter the signal they’re passing AT ALL. What you want is a cable that’s honestly, completely neutral. If it isn’t, in my opinion, (and by definition) it’s subtracting something from the signal that it’s supposed to be passing, unchanged and that’s not it’s purpose. Again, buying expensive, so called “boutique” interconnects is a waste of money. Again, I council you to buy well made cables made with quality coax such as RG-59 and forget the expensive spread! In the long run you’ll be happier for it.

Many here will tell you that I am wrong and that interconnects between components are crucial. Well, that’s their opinion, and they are certainly entitled to it. I have science on my side and a master’s degree in electronics engineering; plus I worked in the cable specifying, testing and measuring division of a large aerospace corporation for years, and I know what I’m talking about. Compare this to others here. Guys and gals who are mostly really nice and helpful people, but who are naive audiophiles whose opinions are formed solely from what they think they hear.

Above all, make up your own mind, just be mindful of both sides of the issue.

[gmgraves]

2 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

parasound just showed some new items - may not be ultimate SQ, but his stuff is always well worth a look...

It has been my experience that any audio component that John Curl designs is, pretty much, by definition, S.O.T.A.! This is especially true for the latest revision of the Parasound INT-6, their integrated amp. For the first time since I got it, The sonic quality of the Parasound has me thinking about replacing my Harman-Kardon HK-990! They are very similar units in that both have similar power, phono preamps for both MM and MC phono, built-in 24-bit DACs, and separate, controllable subwoofer outputs (I don’t use the built-in DAC in my H-K, and wouldn’t use the DAC in the Parasound either. I think that the DAC is one piece of equipment that shouldn’t be integrated into an integrated. There are so many different flavors of DAC available (and they all sound so different) that I believe that this device should be left to the choice of the individual audiophile,). The amp on the Parasound sounds a bit better to my ears than the amp in the H-K. However, the H-K has something built-in that the Parasound lacks... DSP room correction. It makes my subwoofers blend seamlessly with my Martin-Logans, a feature that I fear I would miss were I to trade the H-K for the Parasound.

[gmgraves]

20 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

Agreed, but IIRC this is a budget line

I guess that one could say that the Parasound and the Harman-Kardon Integrated amps are “budget” products, but since selling price and audio quality seldom track (IOW, expenditure has little to do with sound quality these days, except perhaps at the very bottom of the scale). Most premium products have as much (or more) production costs tied up in fancy CNC machined case-work as is tied up in circuitry. Most of today’s high-end audio components are wildly overpriced. The reason for this are many; greed (I.E, all that traffic will allow) the fact that such equipment is generally built in very low numbers, which means that every step of the process costs more than if the component were made in large numbers*, the aforementioned fancy casework, etc.

 

* In the electronics business, everything is based on volume. Generally the more of a component that one buys, the cheaper each component is (and the difference is not trivial). For instance a capacitor that costs $7 individually or in small quantities might cost less than a dollar in lots of 10,000!**The fancy CNC case for a high-end product might cost thousands each in the tiny quantities needed by a high-end audio manufacturer, but the same design might only cost several hundred dollars if bought in huge quantities. This price scale effect applies to PC boards, power and output transformers, knobs, input and output jacks, power cords, etc. It applies whether the cases, knobs, transformers, etc. are made in house, or bought from outside suppliers. Most audiophiles would be flabbergasted if they knew how much a multi-thousand dollar pair of Nordstrom Valhalla 1-meter interconnects cost to make, vs the retail selling price.At each stage of the retail chain, the mark-up on such items is staggering. One reason that hi-fi salons push fancy cables on their customers, is because they are likely the highest margin items in the store!

 

** Also, high volume purchasers get top priority with regards to shipping. If a manufacturer of parts becomes capacity limited (this happens more than one might think), whose order do you this gets top priority? A Pass labs who buys several hundred of that part a year, or a Cisco Systems who uses several hundred to several thousands a day?