With seven analog inputs—including a high-quality phonostage—and preamp outs, the A19 has plenty of room for all of your sources and won’t break the bank. U.S. design and manufacture? A quietly elegant, self-effacing component, it offers performance far exceeding its price. Rather than convert digital signals to analog and then amplify those analog signals with multiple conventional gain stages, the C 390 DD takes in digital data at any resolution up to 192kHz/24-bit and converts the PCM data directly to the pulse code signal that turns the output transistors on and off. An exceptionally neutral and musical product. Constellation Inspiration Stereo and Mono $11,000 and $11,000 each This 250Wpc stereo amplifier is based on the same circuit as Constellation’s $190k Hercules. In a world of à la carte audio, the Evo 100A is an entrée with all the fixings. Copyright © 2021 The Absolute Sound. Press Esc to cancel. nadelectronics.com, NuPrime IDA-16 $2600 A do-everything DAC coupled with a 200Wpc Class D integrated amplifier in a sleek package that would look good in any system, the IDA-16 plays music files ranging up to 384kHz PCM and DSD256—which includes all currently available albums. Here is what I have 1- Budget - strictly under $5000 2- Listening Area - Living Room - 13ftX20ft 3- Turntable - Rega P2 4- Phono pre amp … Its DAC supports USB 384kHz/32-bit and DSD256, and is also capable of decoding DoP (DSD over PCM) via coaxial and optical inputs. A creation from the celebrated Japanese master Miura-san of Air Tight, this rare gem of an amp is meticulously hand-crafted in Osaka, Japan, and manually point-to-point wired. The Sphinx integrated amplifier may be the most roguish of the lot. The 200 Integrated was in fact derived by the simple expedient of sliding a class-D stereo power amp sourced from Danish class-D amp … So I want to get opinions from people who have similar setups or are better aware of what works. A hybrid tube/solid-state amplifier, it combines the harmonic richness and subtlety of fine tube designs—especially … The soundstage is quite wide, with instruments realistically distributed between the speakers. No, it does not have the seamless liquidity, high resolution, and fundamental solidity of the more expensive stuff, but it gets you enough of the high-end essence to be more than a great place to start. It is a tube roller’s delight as it dispenses with the bother of having to deal with biasing issues. Luscious, velvety, silken, gorgeous, it’s the kind of sound around which audio cults develop, and it’s easy to imagine its owners years, even decades hence treasuring the Bia the way others do classic McIntoshes and Marantzes. By the time you get up into this price range, there are so many options and such … The H30 can be operated in bridged mode for 1000W, but some of the midrange magic disappears and resolution slightly diminishes. The amplifiers belie their rated power, and drive low-efficiency loudspeakers with ease. Tubes? And the more I read the more confusing it gets. Amplifiers Best power amplifiers under $3,000 Loudspeakers Best Bookshelf/Monitor Loudspeakers under $400 Best Loudspeakers under $500 Best Loudspeakers under $1,000 Best Floorstanding Loudspeakers under $3,000 Best … RD knows tube amplifiers can sound great but fears their downsides. George favors tube technology, and the 300s reflect his current thinking on how to make tubes state-of-the-art today. The amplifier has five digital inputs and one analog input, and an analog output to drive subwoofers. McIntosh Labs MC275 VI $5500 The sixth version of this most classic of all McIntosh amplifiers is by far the best, boasting greater tonal neutrality yet without losing the beautifully solid, rounded, dimensional, and natural musicality of its tube origins. There are virtually no tonal imbalances, rhythmic lagging, slurred transients, dynamic compression, image flattening, distortion, or strain. But like some of the best power amplifiers around, that sonic character is exceptionally limited. For someone looking to indulge in the tube experience, with most of the drawbacks superbly minimized, GW cannot recommend the 70Wpc (40Wpc in triode) PrimaLuna DiaLogue Premium HP highly enough. Its front panel offers a convenient menu-system for input selection and crossover point, the latter feature allowing the amp to easily mate with a subwoofer. Hats off to this Boulder, Colorado, firm for producing a receiver anyone can enjoy—and that is small and light enough to tote in a handbag. This new unit benefits from three years of additional R&D and more features, including a modular design in which most of the digital inputs are on replaceable cards to accommodate changing technology. Throw in an automated program that removes the worst bass peaks and dips and you have an extremely capable and compelling product. There’s an inner light to images, plus a huge soundstage and cavernous dimensionality. Q Acoustics 3020i Bookshelf Speaker– If you want a speaker that is a little more refined with a little … The 8000A integrated sounds as crisp and detailed today as it did in 1983, and its internal phono pre-amplifier was considered to be one of the best in an affordable amplifier. rogueaudio.com, Hegel H80 $1995 Those who are (sometimes justifiably) frustrated with escalating prices, take heart; Hegel’s 75Wpc, solid-state H80 integrated amplifier with onboard 24/192 DAC answers the call for high-performing audio kit at a very reasonable price. PS Audio BHK Signature 300 $14,998/pr. Technics has complemented the approach with a gallium-nitride FET drive stage that’s so efficient it eliminates parallel output transistors. The 7B³’s bass extension and stability during demanding musical passages, coupled with relatively low noise, impart an admirable sense of ease to the presentation. The midrange, in particular, is highly vivid and present without sounding the least bit pushy or forward, infusing the presentation with a palpability and directness of expression previously unheard in any amplifier near the H30’s price. The Absolute Sound’s Buyer’s Guide to Loudspeakers 2018. Characterized by … The amp currently ships with two pairs of Russian KT77s, though the EL34 power pentode may also be used. Sonic strengths include extremely wide dynamics with a sense of ease on even the most demanding peaks, tight and powerful bass, and a treble that errs on the side of smoothness rather than resolution (a good thing when partnered with many mid-priced loudspeakers). But it doesn’t. The Absolute Sound is the world’s preeminent source of expert reviews, features, and commentary on high-performance audio and music. Bass is also extended, with tons of impact. Our Virginia-based experts love helping folks find the right gear. Think of the M300 as a modern version of the Western Electric WE 91A, complete with a 274B rectifier, a pair of 310A receiving pentodes, and a Psvane WE300B. Why a surprise? Marantz PM6006. nuprimeaudio.com, Arcam A19 $1000 Need an affordable integrated amp that offers enough inputs for the whole family? This 300W (into 8 ohms) hybrid (tube input stage/MOSFET output stage) monoblock is the distillation of all that celebrated electronics designer Bascom H. King has learned about amplifier circuits. There is no sonic mystery that these are tube amplifiers; tonal colors are rich and full-bodied with a lifelike warmth that never devolves into softness or syrup. This “Direct Digital Amplifier” technology debuted in the $6000 M2 and now trickles down to the C 390DD. For $1300? The result is a component so rich, natural, and highly resolving that reviewer Anthony H. Cordesman bought the review samples. There is nothing fancy about the casework to distract from the fact that this amp just wants to get down to business. A genuine masterpiece from an Old Master. Zesto Audio Bia 120 $10,000 Zesto’s new Bia 60Wpc Class A all‑tube power amplifier, with styling to match the company’s Zeto linestage and Andros phonostage, brings the designers the trifecta. The well-conceived IDA-8 delivers substance with plenty of gusto—and does so from an astonishingly quiet background. Digital amps haven’t taken hold in the high end, but their design inherently confers major advantages to digital sources. A powerful amplifier capable … Top-tier performance at a price that won't break the bank. The Magtech “sounds as if it had infinite power into anything with total stability,” said REG. JM was astonished by the detail and fullness of the sound, even when playing music back via her iPhone using Bluetooth. Featuring a superb combination of poise, densely textured midband timbre, and dynamically authoritative energy, the 3010S2D offers a compelling musical foundation; plus, its low noise floor reveals the ambient riches that live between musical passages. Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Thouston, Jan 9, 2019. Class G topology significantly bumps up the power over its 50A sibling, but it’s the addition of the superb 24/96 Ruby DAC module with multiple digital inputs and FM tuner that makes the 100A pop for today’s listeners. Ayre's EX-8 integrated amplifier is available as an analog-only base unit for $5990; the $7850 fully loaded Integrated Hub version that JA wrote about in the February 2019 Stereophile adds … Look no further than the Arcam A19, which is built like a tank, outputs a healthy 50Wpc, and employs parts from Arcam’s much more expensive integrated amps. The Sphinx integrated amplifier may be the most roguish of the lot. Sonically, this is a beauty of an amplifier, with highly natural tonal and textural delivery, an impressive layering of dynamics, as well as nice drive and transient pop, and a strong degree of transparency back to the original session. If that’s not enough, this is the first Class D amplifier (actually a hybrid with a pair of 12AU7 tubes in the preamp section) that RD feels offers true world-class sonics. It’s powerful enough to drive a big speaker like the Wilson XLF. 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