recs on integrateds

ok i`d like t switch to a one box integrated from pre+mono`s (reduce box count).
what would you guys recommend? i`ve thought of krell 400xi or bel canto evo2 and sugden m/class although i don`t think the suggy would bang out hour after hour of party volume levels (detatched house, nearest neighbour 50yards either side! ) i`d probably have a budget of £1500 to £1800ish with the proceeds form the sale of my current amplification and would be buying used kit (more bang per buck)
cheers guys

 

Mmmmmm, Krell 400xi......

(sorry, but I'm with the yanks on this one!)

 

There are many advocates of the NAD S300 resident on this forum. I am one of them, though I had to sell mine when I moved to California (did I mention that I moved to California btw? :lol: )

I've not done the comparison myself, but I have heard it mentioned favourably in the same breath as the big Krells. Some say it beat the Krells, others just that it was comparable. Either way given that you could now pick one up for sub £1,000 you're onto a winner.

I personally chose the S300 over Talk Electronics pre-power and Arcam pre-power setups.

 

The NAD silverline sure do have a great rep and are very well built for the money. Never really understood why they didn't take off. Budget image problem with the NAD brand maybe?

I admit you do pay a lot just for the Krell badge.

 

I think there is quite a bit of "hi-fi snobbery" at the price point. People see the first rung of the "high-end" ladder and leap for it. You can impress your friends by saying you have a Krell, not so by saying you have a NAD. Guess it depends on whether you want the bottom of the top-end or the top of the low-end!

Though given that the S300 has been conclusively shown (through schematics, pictures, and even an e-mail from NAD) to be almost identical to the Gryphon Century Tabu integrated (barring transformers), it's actually pretty much up there in all but brand name.

 

...to me, now an advocate of the S300 resident on this forum.

Lovely piece of kit, the slight transformer hum notwithstanding - but if you can hear it, you obviously need to turn the volume up . That said I've got the world's least golden ears, so you might not like to take my word for it...

 

btw, what are your pre/power?

 

Search the forum for a thread about a comparison made between an S300 and a Krell KAV300i. Also michaelab has heard both the S300 and the 400xi.

 

Plinius 9200 if you can get one. Beats the Krell if a degree of warmth is amongst your criteria. Disregard the Martin Colloms review in HiFi News - I think he was listening to one that hadn't been broken in.

 

Yes, mucho snobbery - try telling people Audiolab/Tag amps sound great and see the reaction you get

Heard about the Gryphon/Silverline similarity. I wonder what their excuse is for charging four times more than NAD for more-or-less the same amp?

I think a lot of knowledgeable "insiders" snapped up the silverline gear and have kept very quiet about it. Their little secret maybe?

DT

 

Lavardin integrated amps seem to be well-regarded, but they aren't particularly high power. An Exposure 3010 (100 watts per channel) might suit. It's only a grand though.

 

an evo 2 would be good like you say. This gives you masses of clean power.

If you prefer things valvey, a used audio research integrated would give you 100w p/ch at that price.

there are so many choices though.

these would be good if you have inefficient speakers.

 

Cyrus c7 + psx-r with apa7.5 mono`s.

There is a guy on another forum who`s selling a Krell 400xi for around the £1700 mark (is this about right or a bargain?) but he`s 200+ miles away from me.

 

moon i-5. lots of fun. evo 2i - even more fun. both will out perform the cyrus and krell (though the 400 has its strengths)

 

Further to my search for a integrated amp (which has been muted somewhat due to other things going on this past week) i wonder how my current cd player will sound with the above mentioned recommendations? it is a Cyrus cd7q, i have the psx-r `upgrade` attatched to it. according to many people on various forums the Evo is very high on their list of recommendations but finding one for sale is proving difficult. i know it`s a long shot expecting someone to have heard my player with the integrated i`m hoping to purchase but you never know.
i think my speakers will begin to show themselves as a potential week link quite soon, they are B&W cdm1nt`s and i`ve often lusted over something like the Wilson Benesh Arcs to raise the level of the musical enjoyment and presentation, i run a MJ Acoustics ref100 sub to pick up the lack of bass from the cdm`s so standmounts would suffice me thinks.
What`ya think guys?

 

AVI lab series
Bryston B25

 

I was about to put in a vote for Bryston as well, but I have heard so many good things about the Evo I would defiantly go listen to that as well if I were you.