Going from separates to an integrated. Have you been satisfied?
- Thread starter techguy0192
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E2
Addicted Member
I don't have the 308. I either don't have the money when one rarely turns up, or they aren't available when I do. Or overpriced.
I have a Sansui AU 919 that needs a refresh, and same to a lesser extent for a Yamaha CR 2040, so those need to be done first.
I have seen, and heard the 308 in person and was impressed.
Will continue to roll with a Denon 980R. I may pursue one of Denon's Anniversary Edition Integrated's from a few years ago. Denon has made some impressive Integrateds for 30 years now but they don't get the interest. Hence better availability and prices. Of course they probably made more than MF as well.
One thing is for sure, my $20 980R paired with my $30 Totem Mani 2's playing my $25 Pioneer PL 530 sound excellent at the moment.
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Sometimes in separates one stumbles onto synergy that is not from the same manufacturer. My vintage rig is YamahaC70/Accurus A200 and the main rig is ARC, Aragon and Quicksilver.
That being said the Avionic restored Yamaha CA800 is a fine integrated I could live with easily powering my Yamaha NS690MkI Speakers though it would not power my Magnapan MGIIIa Speakers. Diferent horses for different courses as they say.
Regards,
Jim
That being said the Avionic restored Yamaha CA800 is a fine integrated I could live with easily powering my Yamaha NS690MkI Speakers though it would not power my Magnapan MGIIIa Speakers. Diferent horses for different courses as they say.
Regards,
Jim
Dogum
Livin' the dream, then woke up...
I will second that. Synergy is our best friend and worst enemy.
I listen to 99% vinyl and often times, but not always, the phono preamp is overlooked in a receiver or integrated system. I do have a few integrated amps with good phono sections that I keep in rotation.
If starting out there are often home theater systems which have good stereo and phono sections for cheap.
KevinCorr
Super Member
I prefer integrated amps for less interconnects. The less cables the better. With all the discussion of cables, it makes sense to simply eliminate them.
My last separate system was Haffler and it really had big power. I traded it for an Onix AO21s and never went back from integrated amps.
Maybe if I had higher end, or more expensive speakers I could appreciate an improvement. I don't see being able to afford speakers that don't sound great with an integrated amp.
I have a pair of Penaudio Cenya with a Sonneteer Orton integrated amp and it is the best I have owned.
My 2d best is a Belles Aria Integrated with Spendor A6 speakers. If I were to upgrade I would just go with the more expensive Belles integrated, not separates.
I have a pair of LS3/5a with a Rega Brio. To improve those speakers I would simply use my Orton or Belles integrated.
I have owned Vintage Japanese receivers and integrated amps from Onyx, Rotel, Marantz, Harmon Kardon, NAD, Rega, Sonneteer etc.
My last separate system was Haffler and it really had big power. I traded it for an Onix AO21s and never went back from integrated amps.
Maybe if I had higher end, or more expensive speakers I could appreciate an improvement. I don't see being able to afford speakers that don't sound great with an integrated amp.
I have a pair of Penaudio Cenya with a Sonneteer Orton integrated amp and it is the best I have owned.
My 2d best is a Belles Aria Integrated with Spendor A6 speakers. If I were to upgrade I would just go with the more expensive Belles integrated, not separates.
I have a pair of LS3/5a with a Rega Brio. To improve those speakers I would simply use my Orton or Belles integrated.
I have owned Vintage Japanese receivers and integrated amps from Onyx, Rotel, Marantz, Harmon Kardon, NAD, Rega, Sonneteer etc.
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
I'm not sure why it would matter either way, at least in terms of sound quality. There are some really high end integrated amps, much of which I'd wager sound better than many separates. There's a better augment, I think that either of these, at least beyond very low budget offerings have better performance than receivers and I say that as someone who uses a receiver for my main system...
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"Outstanding" doesn't even come close, to me "Holy Grail" is the best descriptive. It's an audio icon and one of the best examples of the Japanese technical prowess of the day. I keep wondering what would have happened in the '80's had the yen had not reached such a value that made it impossible for them to export while remaining competitive, outstanding Kenwoods continued to be manufactured in Japan but only for the domestic market. What we got was schlitz made by generic companies in southern Asia and branded Kenwood. A shame really. The Kennys brought back from Japan by vets had nothing to envy from 70's since they were built with the same quality standards. Lots of interesting ones from Japan on Ebay but shipping fees are
exorbitant. They come in two flavors: Kenwood and Trio.
I understand @techguy0192 original premise of streamlining his system, albeit at a very high end. It is called the “KISS” theory, or “Keep it simple stupid.” I have given it some thought as the wife and I get older. Do I really want to stand in front of my system in a decade or so and wonder what function I need to use for this streaming service or my cdp? I also am a fan of Integrated amps dating back to the last century. So for me an Integrated amp offers me all I need, even now.
I am currently using an Integrated as my pre-amp. It offers everything I need as far as flexibility. I run a CDP, a Blu-Ray player with a Firestick plugged into the hdmi input for streaming Amazon Music, a 5 disc cd changer, all through RCA line inputs, an Apple TV and my tv connected through toslink cables in to the optical inputs. I don’t have a turntable in my main rig, I know the horror, nor a tuner but I could if needs be.
As I age, the power amp will be taken out of the system. Just not necessary. Perhaps with some luck I can upgrade to a new and better Integrated down the road. Just remember, Keep It Simple Stupid.
I am currently using an Integrated as my pre-amp. It offers everything I need as far as flexibility. I run a CDP, a Blu-Ray player with a Firestick plugged into the hdmi input for streaming Amazon Music, a 5 disc cd changer, all through RCA line inputs, an Apple TV and my tv connected through toslink cables in to the optical inputs. I don’t have a turntable in my main rig, I know the horror, nor a tuner but I could if needs be.
As I age, the power amp will be taken out of the system. Just not necessary. Perhaps with some luck I can upgrade to a new and better Integrated down the road. Just remember, Keep It Simple Stupid.
KevinCorr
Super Member
I like the retro styling a lot now with HDMI, a dac it seems like a nice one. 75 watts is what my Belles Aria has but without the HDMI and dac. I don't need that because I use Bluesound streamers for HDMI and outboard dac. You could add a less expensive streamer to the Leak, eg WiimPro or Pro Plus which are good.
There is so much competition for integrated amps now it is hard to choose. Also so many features are repeated in the different components. Amps w/dac, streamers w/dac, and stand alone dacs which I like to use even with streamer dacs.
www.stereophile.com
There is so much competition for integrated amps now it is hard to choose. Also so many features are repeated in the different components. Amps w/dac, streamers w/dac, and stand alone dacs which I like to use even with streamer dacs.
Leak Stereo 230 integrated amplifier
Sometimes I think expensive componentsI'll let you decide what constitutes expensiveshould come with a big red sticker on the box that reads "WARNING! This product will probably not meet your expectations!" That's because when you spend a lot of money on something, you expect that something to...
www.stereophile.com
Bill Ferris
Lunatic Member
After multi decades of using separates in my electronic repair work shop for all day playing back ground music, with first a early version of Crown IC-150 preamp driving a Crown D-150 power amp, that I picked up inexpensively a few yrs. before, when offered to me.
I reworked both enough to meet factory specs. before installing in a lightweight SKB brand 2 &1/2 ft. in height rack.
This provided reasonably decent SQ for that environment driving the pair of RS Minimus 7 speakers after being high pass fed from a Cerwin Vega 12" dual VC floor firing passive subwoofer`s crossover.
A few yrs. later I was inexpensively offered the later upgraded Crown IC-150A preamp, so reworked that unit before swapping out the older version, and that seem to upgrade the music`s SQ out in the shop.
About 20 yrs. later my self employed body shop friend down the street from me was given a Mc. MA-6100 integrated amp by one of his long time customers along with some speakers, and had no use for it (the MA-6100) as he already had some receiver driving his shop`s speakers.
I offered to purchase the 6100 from him, but he said he would rather give it to me instead, out of consideration for all the computer work that I had helped him with since I was introduced to him at no charge.
Anyway the MA-6100 was cosmetically perfect, but had some leaking outputs in one of it`s channels, so I replaced them and ran that integrated for 24 hrs. on the bench, and then fully checked it out on my bench.
It passed all the published specs, which greatly pleased me.
The shop`s separates (which in the meantime the Crown IC-150A preamp had been upgraded with a Mc. C-32 that I acquired at an attractive price a handful of yrs. prior) were removed and the MA-6100 installed in it`s place, with nothing else changed.
For whatever reason, that same output power as the 24/7/365 powered up Crown D-150, and well regarded Mc. C-32 preamp combination didn`t sound as full bodied good as the MA-6100, by a significant margin !
Ever since I installed the MA-6100, it has remained powered up 24/7/365 and has been playing very good sounding hard wire fed WAV. ripped music all day, as it currently doing.
I would have not really thought this would be the case changing from separates of very good quality to a fairly old non restored, and similar era integrated amp, and I was pleasantly surprised.
I reworked both enough to meet factory specs. before installing in a lightweight SKB brand 2 &1/2 ft. in height rack.
This provided reasonably decent SQ for that environment driving the pair of RS Minimus 7 speakers after being high pass fed from a Cerwin Vega 12" dual VC floor firing passive subwoofer`s crossover.
A few yrs. later I was inexpensively offered the later upgraded Crown IC-150A preamp, so reworked that unit before swapping out the older version, and that seem to upgrade the music`s SQ out in the shop.
About 20 yrs. later my self employed body shop friend down the street from me was given a Mc. MA-6100 integrated amp by one of his long time customers along with some speakers, and had no use for it (the MA-6100) as he already had some receiver driving his shop`s speakers.
I offered to purchase the 6100 from him, but he said he would rather give it to me instead, out of consideration for all the computer work that I had helped him with since I was introduced to him at no charge.
Anyway the MA-6100 was cosmetically perfect, but had some leaking outputs in one of it`s channels, so I replaced them and ran that integrated for 24 hrs. on the bench, and then fully checked it out on my bench.
It passed all the published specs, which greatly pleased me.
The shop`s separates (which in the meantime the Crown IC-150A preamp had been upgraded with a Mc. C-32 that I acquired at an attractive price a handful of yrs. prior) were removed and the MA-6100 installed in it`s place, with nothing else changed.
For whatever reason, that same output power as the 24/7/365 powered up Crown D-150, and well regarded Mc. C-32 preamp combination didn`t sound as full bodied good as the MA-6100, by a significant margin !
Ever since I installed the MA-6100, it has remained powered up 24/7/365 and has been playing very good sounding hard wire fed WAV. ripped music all day, as it currently doing.
I would have not really thought this would be the case changing from separates of very good quality to a fairly old non restored, and similar era integrated amp, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Bodhi1
Super Member
I went from this setup, incl: a modded/re-tubed Ayon CD-5S as linestage and Boulder 1060 to the setup you see below. The Marten Coltrane Alto's were 87db and needed a lot of power to make them sing like my old Renaissance 90's. The Boulder provided vice-like grip and deep bass, whilst the Ayon linestage added tube virtues of sweetness, liquidity and dimensionality. That was a nice combo..
To this setup which includes a Vitus SIA-025 and SCD-025Mk2 cdp. My Vitus gear sound natural/organic and musical. The SIA-025 running in Class A sounds tube-like after it fully warms up, and it's 1.4kVa in-house designed UI-core transformer and 144.000uF total capacitance has plenty of current to drive my Magico's which were rated by Martin Colloms as "fairly tough loading". So the short answer is, yes i'm a happy camper running my 025. Though I plan to upgrade to a Vitus SIA-030 integrated in the near future..
To this setup which includes a Vitus SIA-025 and SCD-025Mk2 cdp. My Vitus gear sound natural/organic and musical. The SIA-025 running in Class A sounds tube-like after it fully warms up, and it's 1.4kVa in-house designed UI-core transformer and 144.000uF total capacitance has plenty of current to drive my Magico's which were rated by Martin Colloms as "fairly tough loading". So the short answer is, yes i'm a happy camper running my 025. Though I plan to upgrade to a Vitus SIA-030 integrated in the near future..
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E2
Addicted Member
I have an early 90's Denon that's excellent. Used it for over two years with a pair of Totem Mani 2's. (Supposedly the speakers that need hundreds of watts to sound really good
)I am curious about Denon Anniversary
The Leak has me curious.