Any good Integrated Amp Roundups ~$600?

[jmanlp]

Can anyone point me to any good roundups of mid-low priced integrated amps at around $600? I just got my brother setup with a Nad C352 and now I'm thinking of getting an amp for myself but want to see whats out there. I tried searching the web but I'm not coming up with anything.

 

[corysmith01]

There's a number out there that would fit that budget. The first that came to mind for me was the Rotel RA-1062:

http://www.rotel.com/products/specs/ra1062.htm

It's a little more at $699, but my guess is you could get it down from that a little, closer to your $600 mark.

Another that popped into my head is the Onix A60 or A120 ($495 and $695 respectively). Mark and the guys over at AV123 are known for making some solid products and it's internet direct, so you're probably getting a bit more for your money:

http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=processors&product=20.1

Aside from that, if you're not opposed to it, I'm sure you could find quite a few things on Audiogon. Might be a way to spend $600 but get something that was 2x that much when purchased new. For instance, this wicked Onix SP3 tube amp: http://www.av123.com/products_product.php?section=processors&product=26.1

for nearly half price: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatube&1133562719


Hope that helps some. Good luck in your search.

 

[jaxvon]

I belive Rip Van Woofer (a member here) is selling is SP3. You might want to check out the classifieds section. That is if you want to buy it.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I'll second (or third) the recommendation for the Onix SP3. They sell for $999 new, but if you split a Ref 1/SP3 combo (like I did), you can get one for about $650. I'm considering selling mine, too, but not because I don't like it. I love it, but I'm thinking of trying a Bel Canto eVo 2i Gen II, which costs three times as much.

The Onix is a great amp, but bear in mind that it has no remote and has only two inputs. These are the main reasons I'm considering buying something else. But for a simple CD or PC based music system the SP3 really shines, provided you can get by with 38 wpc.

 

[hukkfinn]

SP3 - bass response?

I'll second (or third) the recommendation for the Onix SP3.

You know how tube amps are often a little "slow" in the bass dept? I mean, the bass might be loud, but if a bass player is doing something with a lot of quick attack, a SS amp will usually produce it much better than a tube amp, which can lag behind, or blur things.

How does the SP3 stack up in this dept? The reviewers all seem to ignore it. But it's the key problem that many SS lovers have with tube amps.

Thanks!
Hukk

 

[furrycute]

Unless you are willing to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a decent tube amp, I wouldn't bother with it with a $600 budget.

Get a good solid state integrated. At your present budget, that's all you really need at this point.

Yamaha makes a fantastic integrated, AX-596. You can get it on audiogon used for about $250.

 

[furrycute]

I'm considering selling mine, too, but not because I don't like it. I love it, but I'm thinking of trying a Bel Canto eVo 2i Gen II, which costs three times as much.

Isn't that the same thing as saying you don't find the SP3 adequate for your needs? We always upgrade for a reason.

 

[markw]

This might be worth a look see

http://www.audioadvisor.com/store/productdetail.asp?sku=MARAPM7200&product_name=PM7200 Integrated Amplifier - Black

 

[Rob Babcock]

Isn't that the same thing as saying you don't find the SP3 adequate for your needs? We always upgrade for a reason.

Not really. In this hobby I've mostly found we all upgrade willy-nilly every time something else catches our eye. Anyway, I've sorta swung back towards the other end, and I'm thinking of keeping the SP3 and just swapping it in when I want to use it. We'll see.

The bass of the SP3 is very very good, with lots of slam. All the cliche's about flabby tube bass should not be applied here. If you can believe any of the pro reviews (like Srajen at 6moons.com) or us owners, the little Onix will hold its own very well against those $2k tube amps. Build quality is more like what you'd see in a Cary than a Best Buy receiver. For the price I don't see how anyone could go wrong.

 

[furrycute]

Yes, and the good folks at 6moons have given favorable reviews to audiophile grade fuses, porcelain stands that lift speaker wires off the ground, etc.

I especially like that review of the audiophile grade fuse, the 6moons reviewer said that it "...substantially improved the soundstage, imaging, clarity...of the music..."

I don't know about the rest of you folks, bu I usually take reviews from folks who favorably review fuses with a grain of salt. Now if the good folks at 6moons decides to give favorable reviews to salt crystals, then I may think differently of them, again...

 

[Sleestack]

Unless you are willing to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a decent tube amp, I wouldn't bother with it with a $600 budget.

Get a good solid state integrated. At your present budget, that's all you really need at this point.

Yamaha makes a fantastic integrated, AX-596. You can get it on audiogon used for about $250.

Do you actually have any experience with the SP3? You are way off base here. I have equipment ranging from the SP3 to the EAR V20 as far as tube amps go and Denon PMA IVR 2000 to Classe monoblocks as far as solid state aps go. The SP3 is an excellent amp that completely belies its $600 price tag. It is an excellent choice and and incredible value.

jmanlp: As far as tube amps go I can't think of a better choice than the SP3 in your price range.

As far as integrated amps go, see if you can pick up a Denon PMAIVR2000. It tends to price new at about $900, but you might get lucky and find one for about $600. Excellent amp with great build quality and superb sonics. I have recommended one to someone on this board. A few months later, the board member wrote me gushing about his love for the Denon. It is a diamond in the rough.

 

[furrycute]

No, I have not heard the SP3. But I have heard cheap tube amps before. And I did not like what I heard.

Onix is the same company that markets Rockets line of speakers. And those speakers have been praised ad nauseum all over the net. I have heard the Rockets towers, and I did not like what I heard.

Onix tends to engage in "exaggerated" internet advertising, with their Rockets line of speakers, and I suspect with this tube amp as well.

You get what you pay for. You cannot get the sound of a pair of $6,000 speakers in a $600 package. And you cannot get the sound of a $6,000 tube amp in a $600 package. The workmanship cost is there, the materials cost is there, the manufacturing cost is there. For $600, you have to cut corners somewhere.

And please don't bring up this whole "internet direct sales" sales pitch again. Those internet direct companies have as much markup if not more compared to traditional B&M brands.

 

[mulester7]

.....some components, are considered, "breakthrough for the price", and rip to shreds, a few price-levels above it....this is what good-ole'-boy awdeofiles look for, in stages of stepping up....guys, if you make a move on cheaper but still quality watts-continuous, first, you might keep those speakers....you can always send the amp back, and I'll pay the shipping back, on the first claim here among us, right hand raised....hey, I know what it does....Jason Coleman is a music lover, because I could tell from his report, the music had come to life for him, with his not just noticing only a little lower frequency response, or a little higher, but life.....I'm so very thankful, that music has always been able to have me in tears quickly, or make my chest be about to burst with sterling pride and emotional involvement.....Jason, if you read this one, let it be decreed, you owe me a report of, '"before and after 200 watts per"....your friend, mule....PS....Jason, I got a friend who can maybe get you published, so do your best, haha....

 

[Rob Babcock]

Yeah, "you get what you paid for" is a good slogan- problem is there's often no truth to it. I've heard lots of expensive stuff that sucked and vice versa. If you don't trust reviews, fine. But trotting out tired cliches like "I've heard cheap gear and I didn't like it" is no better. It's like wine; taste it before you look at the price. I'd be especially wary of someone warning you off of something he's never heard (even tho I think Furry is a good guy...).

Anyway, I have no axe to grind. If I hated the amp, I'd say that, too. But I really love it. Still, you can try the SP3 with the assurance that if you don't like it you can send it back. You'll find hundreds of guys who can vouch for the way AV123 conducts their business, even if you don't like the gear. Mark's a stand up guy.

 

[Rob Babcock]

And please don't bring up this whole "internet direct sales" sales pitch again. Those internet direct companies have as much markup if not more compared to traditional B&M brands.

No offense, but that's a complete fantasy- you're just plain dreaming! Have you seriously never made a purchase online? You can save a ton by not going thru B&M stores. I'd put my Hsu subs, for example, up against anything you could buy in a store for even 50% more $.

 

[furrycute]

I make most of my purchases online. But what I usually purchase online are B&M brand products, such as Panasonic, Sony, JBL, Infinity, etc., brands that have long established histories.

The new breed of internet direct companies are different from traditional online retailers that sell B&M brands. These new internet direct companies distribute and market their own household brands. Often, their prices are comparable to, and if not higher, than similar products offered by B&M brands.

Case in point, you can take a look at speakers offered by Infinity, Klispch, Paradigm, and compare MSRP's to what av123, the distributor of the Rockets and Rockets reference line of speakers, are charging. The very favorably reviewed Paradigm Studio Reference 100 v3 carry a MSRP of $2,300. And if you factor in the 10% discount you usually get at dealers, you can get a pair of Studio Reference 100 v3 for just a little over $2,000.

Take a look at what av123 is charging for their flagship Reference model.

And would anyone dare say the Onix reference model is a better speaker than the Paradigm studio reference 100 v3? If someone does, than that same someone also has a bridge to sell you.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I'd personally have to rate those Paradigms about 1/2 step above Bose, but that's only because I've listened to them. They're crap, if you'll excuse my language, and that's only my own opinion, not that of AudioHolics. Simply junk for the price they ask.

I think the one universal is that no one will agree. But anyone that studied marketing in school will understand that each distributor will get a cut. That's not so complicated to understand. I'd like to see your business model in which the middleman does his bit for free.

No matter. Hopefully the original poster will see thru our rhetoric and choose for himself.

 

[dponeill]

And please don't bring up this whole "internet direct sales" sales pitch again. Those internet direct companies have as much markup if not more compared to traditional B&M brands.

This is what people fail to realize about "internet direct" sales. There is no guarantee that you are getting more value for your money. Look at it this way, say a speaker maunufacturer has a $100,000.00 in monthly expenses, including payroll, insurance, utilities, rent, etc. If they sell 100 pair speakers a month, those speakers have to sell for $1000.00 a pair just to cover expenses. If you think about this you will realize that, under these circumstances a pair speakers that had $50.00 in parts in them would sell for $1050.00 to break even. Then add in the profit that a manufacturer would make selling to a distributor (your "savings" is the markup from the distributor to the retailer) and you have a $1500.00 pair of speakers that have $50.00 worth of parts in them. Where is the value in that? I am not saying that internet direct product are junk, I'm saying that when you pay $500.00 for a pair of, for example, Axiom speakers, you are getting a $500.00 pair of speakers.

 

[corysmith01]

I haven't been in on this thread, and don't want to stir the pot, but to me it's really simple. Simple economics that is:

Internet-only companies = Money from customer purchase goes to paying for business operating expenses (overhead, payroll, etc) and profit margins.

B&M companies = Money from customer purchase goes to paying for business operating expenses and profit margins OF BOTH the speaker maker as well as the B&M store where purchase was made.

It's really simple. One company gets paid, or 2. With B&M your paying for the expenses of the speaker maker AND the store you bought it from. Those sales people aren't working for free. That store isn't there lease-free either. That store has to make a profit, and the speakers companies that they sell for also have to make a profit.

I didn't read that anyone said you get a better product, but just your money goes a little further...and that, to me anyway, is because you're only paying one party and not two.

And by the way, I'm not trying to champion internet only folks. The only thing I own from that route is an SVS sub. My speakers are B&W, my receiver Marantz, and my cd/dvd player is Sony...just so I'm not tagged the torch carrier for the internet only people.

 

[dponeill]

I haven't been in on this thread, and don't want to stir the pot, but to me it's really simple. Simple economics that is:

Internet-only companies = Money from customer purchase goes to paying for business operating expenses (overhead, payroll, etc) and profit margins.

B&M companies = Money from customer purchase goes to paying for business operating expenses and profit margins OF BOTH the speaker maker as well as the B&M store where purchase was made.

It's really simple. One company gets paid, or 2. With B&M your paying for the expenses of the speaker maker AND the store you bought it from. Those sales people aren't working for free. That store isn't there lease-free either. That store has to make a profit, and the speakers companies that they sell for also have to make a profit.

I didn't read that anyone said you get a better product, but just your money goes a little further...and that, to me anyway, is because you're only paying one party and not two.

And by the way, I'm not trying to champion internet only folks. The only thing I own from that route is an SVS sub. My speakers are B&W, my receiver Marantz, and my cd/dvd player is Sony...just so I'm not tagged the torch carrier for the internet only people.

What you are leaving out of the equation is volume. If the same manufacturers that supply the B&M stores sold directly to the end consumer, then what you are saying would be true. However, internet direct companies have much lower volume which means that the operating expenses have a much greater effect on the end cost of the product.