What Integrated Amps Are You Using (or what have you tried?)

[robfine]

Another PrimaLuna here. I got a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium Integrated Amp from Ivan about a year and a half ago. It's been a very nice year and a half.

[Randy Myers]

I have had several integrated amps over the years. Pioneer way back when, Yamaha... a few others I don't even recall.... Currently have a McIntosh MXA70.

[Formerly YB-2]

Just picked up a BAT VK-300XSE. Will compare to the Cary SLI-80 and keep the one the sounds the best to my ears.

[Tony11]

Hello Glenn,
Find out yet which one is best for your ears. I am on the market for one of those too.

[roboss38]

I just received a Line Magnetic 518ia. Beautiful looking and excellent build quality. Sounds good right out of the box, and I'm sure that will improve with about 300 hours use.

[wgb113]

I'm using a McIntosh MA6300 in my main system and a Yamaha A-S501 down in the basement bar area.

I've had integrateds from NAD and Musical Fidelity in the past as well. I like the simplicity of a one-box solution.

If I were buying today the Parasound Halo Integrated would be on my shortlist.

[Venere]

Hegel H80 driving Sonus Faber Venere 3.0s via Transparent cables. Budget driven system (certainly compared to most others on this forum) but very musical and satisfying. But....always looking for upgrades and improvements.

[Dr Tone]

I ran a Simaudio 600i for years. Now I use a Devialet 200.

[jmw31]

I am the proud owner of a Mark Levinson 585 and loving it. Another great purchase from Masterlu!

[M-D-Z]

Hello everybody! I'm new here, and after reading this entire thread, (and several others) what I have missed is more elaboration regarding just what it is about your choices that has made each piece particularly great, not great, or even unremarkable to your needs and expectations.
The thing is, I'm a fellow who has not even heard of most of the models and brands mentioned, and would like to expand my range of understanding as to what components might be chosen to improve my system.

In the early seventies I dreamed of owning an entire sound system from McIntosh, but this fantasy remained well beyond my means.
Today my non-Mac system fulfills my needs very well, but now that I can afford selecting pieces from a broader scope of better components, I find that I don't know enough about them to make intelligent selections.
That is why I say I am missing expanded discussion of what makes you feel that a selected model is exactly the right component.
I believe that there are a great many folks here who actually know precisely what performance characteristics make each piece the best choice for their specific needs.

........

I've had two integrateds, only one of which I felt worth keeping.
Upon recommendations from a (mid-fi) stereo salesman in 1975, I bought an Onkyo A-7055 and it's companion tuner T-4055.
The salesman claimed it was a true performer, and a bargain as well, considering my limited resources.
He said The Absolute Sound magazine had very high praise for this Onkyo tuner.
I do not remember being impressed with either, so they were soon traded in toward a pair of ESS AMT-1a monitors which needed way more current to drive.

The other integrated amp, which I do still have, is a Sansui AU-919.
It is in a secondary system with it's matching tuner, the excellent TU-919.
This amp is driving a pair of original Allison Eight oak speakers (consecutive serial numbers) which I've refurbished. This is a decent sounding vintage system. Politely accurate, in the standard and traditionally New England sense.