Article: Review | Boulder 866 Integrated Amp

[firedog]

The album with Stern/Kansas City Symphony album you mentioned - I believe it's called "Britten's Orchestra" doesn't seem to be available. If anyone knows how to find it - especially a download - let us know. 

[firedog]

5 hours ago, VincentvM said:

Hey Chris, 

 

Thank you very much for the review, but for me it feels that when reviewing products from firms like Boulder, Tidal, Nagra, DaTtZeel, Goldmund and other companies you are breathing the same rarified air as they are exuding.

Some audio producties and firms are very established, but not intertersting.

You pay. You Get. Simple. Safe. Boring.

I respect the rebranding, but I miss the passion. Yes ,Bentleys are nice to drive now that they're Bavarian, bt the reporting should be about the outside next hot thing.

Preferably cheap and rediculously overchieving.

Boulder is neither.

Please challenge us with outfield discoveries instead and leave you comfort zone.

 

Kind regards,

Vincent

Follower of yours since your first inception, but my account got purged.

T+A Guy

Chris is looking for a digital - analog integrated (one box) that's high quality enough for those phones and has all the features he needs. He's also going to review the Parasound, which I believe retails for $3000. So not cheap, but not rarefied air for such an integrated.

There aren't lots of boxes like that on the market, actually. I guess he could try something like the Mytek or one of the Topping units, but that puts him in the same price neighborhood as the Parasound, so it doesn't really make a huge difference.

One caveat -  I would be interested to see how a good Class D amp sounds with his phones-it might be a way for some people to get good results for much less money.

[firedog]

$15K is an insane amount to pay for audio to most people and enough by itself for an very good complete system, even by audiophile standards. 

On the other hand, "high end" audio is so high priced these days that $14K for a high quality fully integrated electronics centerpiece - just add speakers- is considered "modestly priced".

I'm sure this piece is good enough to match with any speakers you'd want - relatively modest or even some that cost several times it's price, so in that narrow sense it is a "bargain". Compare it to some other Boulder stuff and it doesn't seem so high priced.