Stereo Integrated with Power Amp inputs

[admin_exported]

Interested in adding an integrated stereo amp for the front pair in my setup. Would use it for home cinema duties too, so it would need a power amp facility, where the pre-outs from my Onkyo or whatever receiver I'm using can be fed into it and given a fixed amount of amplification (i.e. acting as a power amp and ideally sidestepping all pre-amp circuitry).

Anyone have any views on the best compliment for my Dali Ikon 6 loudspeakers which may one day be upgraded to something around the £1500 mark. Source, most likely to be the Sony BDP-S5000es though could be the Denon DVD3800BD but at the moment my Pioneer BDP-51FD is doing CD and 2ch duties.

Which integrated amps would fit the bill and what would you recommend. Between £500 and £1000 but with reasons as to why if you can!

 

[Andrew Everard]

It'll only work if the amp has a means of splitting the preamp and power amp, either by internal switching or by removing some jumpers, either externally or internally.

The best-known example of an amp able to do this is the probably the Audiolab 8000S, thanks to the mode switch in the centre - see below. But other amps have a unity gain facility, effectively bypassing the preamp and feeding the signal straight to the power section.

 

[Anonymous]

ooooh any that you could mention Andrew? And how good is the Audiolab? I had an Audiolab 7 channel power amp and it was quite good, but sold it now. Using the Onk 905 instead but be great to make some major improvements to stereo sound if I can.

 

[Andrew Everard]

I really like the 8000S, and have done since first time around. What else has unity gain? Oh, off the top of my head and IIRC, some Naims, a few Musical Fidelities, various Arcams...

 

[Anonymous]

Well that sets the field then. Perhaps a nice second hand Musical Fidelity will do the trick. Now the person who seems to have owned several is the Thaiman. Where's he gone, haven't seen him post for a while.

The Audiolab I take it is the new model. Or are you talking about the model from before the TAG McLaren days. These were very much loved but can you control them by remote? This is quite important. I don't want to go back to the days of having to raise my sorry backside from the sofa to change the volume or swap over to power-amp mode.

 

[Anonymous]

The roksan kandy K2 has unity gain as does the CA 840 both fit the bill in terms of price

 

[Andrew Everard]

Will Harris:The Audiolab I take it is the new model. Or are you talking about the model from before the TAG McLaren days.

Both.

Will Harris:These
were very much loved but can you control them by remote? This is quite
important. I don't want to go back to the days of having to raise my
sorry backside from the sofa to change the volume or swap over to
power-amp mode.

IIRC the amp has remote control, but not of the mode switch

 

[Anonymous]

I had been planning on buying either an Onkyo 906 or a Sony 5400es amp when the prices come back down. But I'm now starting to wonder whether it wouldn't be better, for sound quality, to buy an Onkyo 876 for £600 which you can now find it for and use the money saved for an integrated 2 channel amp for the front pair. I don't really need the networking features of the 906. Will I notice any difficiency over my current 905 if I buy an 876? It seems like too good a price to pass up. I can certainly use the saving towards a better disc spinner!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Will Harris:Will I notice any difficiency over my current 905 if I buy an 876?

Yes, it'll be a step down.

 

[Anonymous]

That is such a shame as financially it would be a good move. Perhaps better off looking to the Sony 5000es and 5400es combo and have done with it.

 

[ESP2009]

Andrew Everard:

Will Harris:The Audiolab I take it is the new model. Or are you talking about the model from before the TAG McLaren days.

Both.

Will Harris:These were very much loved but can you control them by remote? This is quite important. I don't want to go back to the days of having to raise my sorry backside from the sofa to change the volume or swap over to power-amp mode.

IIRC the amp has remote control, but not of the mode switch

The Audiolab 8000S (pre-TAG) definitely has a remote (I was using mine last night) but I don't think it has the facility to switch modes via remote.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Thanks - thought I was correct on that one. The current one is just the same.

 

[ESP2009]

Perhaps a long-handled grab-stick (similar to those used by 'environmental technicians') is in order?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Or a bamboo cane with a blob of Blu-Tack on the end?

 

[ESP2009]

No, tried that - not strong enough!