Difference of integrated vs separate

[newtohifijkt]

Hi,

i am currently using Rotel RA 6 + PMC TB2i + Marantz CD6004. I like the sound for fast-paced, energetic music but I miss the warmth of Bocelli's or Sade's voice. I think the Rotel is the culprit.......

I am wondering, if i want to upgrade the amp, should i buy an integrated amp or a separate pre/power combo? (at the same price bracket).. What are the advantages of a pre - power amp? Sound wise?

Lets say I have a budget of around USD2k.

Should i buy: Rotel RA1570 or Rotel RC + RB 15 series? Which one is better sounding? I understand that 1570 has a lots of new bells and whistles (built in DAC etc). In the context of previous Rotel products, will RC 06 + RB 06 do better than RA06?

I live in South East Asia and some dealers have both integrated and separates. I can do audition there. But your input will help in managing expectation while i slowly save some money for upgrading.

 

[floyd droid]

Lets say I have a budget of around USD2k.

With your budget I would be looking at integrateds.

 

[bluedroog]

There is no better or worse, it really just depends. Pre / power setups tend to be more expensive and as such as usually higher end but at the same price point that goes out of the window. At the cheaper end of the budget I'd be looking at integrated, higher up you just have more options.

The only real advantages are separate power supplies, better isolation of components and of course you can tailor the system more to your taste. Just pairing together a pre and power is no guarantee it will sound right, in fact you can get synergy and impendence mismatches that just don't work at all. Obviously if they are built to match this won't be the case.

I went for an integrated to pre / power and like the flexibility it offers me, if I upgrade in the future I could potentially use components in a 2nd system. I'm a big fan of using a valve preamp with a solid state power amp and as such went with a Croft 25 and Quad 909, for me this is an excellent solution. I bought them both new for £1,200 (good deal though) and would be happy to pit them against integrated amps costing a lot more.

 

[plastic penguin]

Think the Rotel is at fault - with PMCs I'd be looking at Naim or Arcam A38, both would work extremely well with your speakers. The only way to know for sure is track down a dealer and compare with your speakers.

 

[Al ears]

Personally I'd stick with integrateds. A great deal of cash goes into just the boxes and power supplies for seperates.

Ad plastic penguin suggests and possible add Creek into the equation.

 

[newtohifijkt]

does it mean the Rotel RC 06 pre amp has the same pre-amp circuitry with that of RA 06? Which means all the price differences reflect only the additional casing and power supply?

 

[newtohifijkt]

any recommendation for the integrated below $2k?

 

[Dommer]

Take a look at the Naim unitiQute (or Lite if you need CD) Alternatively Cyrus, Arcam, Musical Fidality and Linn also make good All-in-ones.

Sorry, I just realised you wanted an integrated amp not an all in one...

 

[davedotco]

Since the advent of CD and later digital sources, most of which interface at a level of 2 volts, the pre-amp function is now effectively redundant, ie there is no need for any gain so a pre-amp is no longer actually an amplifier.

Some of the best modern integrated amplifiers are, effectively a power amplifier with an input attenuator and some switchgear. The gain that used to be provided by the pre-amp is unnecessary as the 2 volt input of modern sources is more than enough to drive the power amp directly.

So, why have a separate pre-power combination at all, well there are reasons, including size and weight, extra connectivity and most importantly of all, extra bling.

There may be an advantage to be gained by manipulating some input signals such as phono level or digital inputs away from the power amplifier but most importantly, in high end systems the 'voicing' of different pre-amps can be used to fine tune.

 

[bigfish786]

any recommendation for the integrated below $2k?

there's gonna be quite a few to pick at in that price bracket. both new and 2nd hand.

you could start with Arcam, Naim,Creek,Rega, and see how you go.

everyone is going to have a different idea of what's best, as we all have differing tastes.