High End Integrated Amp
Discussion
Folks
I have a Moon 600i and 680D DAC driving a pair of WA Sabrina X floor standers.
I have made the mistake of borrowing a Constellation 1.0 Integrated which is simply in another league. My problem is I hate the design of it.
Has anyone listened to another integrated or pre-power combo in the 10-25k range that competes with the Constellation?
I have a Moon 600i and 680D DAC driving a pair of WA Sabrina X floor standers.
I have made the mistake of borrowing a Constellation 1.0 Integrated which is simply in another league. My problem is I hate the design of it.
Has anyone listened to another integrated or pre-power combo in the 10-25k range that competes with the Constellation?
JEA1K said:
Thats not something you hear very often ... but I personally totally get where you are coming from.
Another love or hate in terms of design is McIntosh .... something like the MA7200?
Indeed, very first-world problem! Funny, I've been reading a ton of forums and a lot of McIntosh recommendations.Another love or hate in terms of design is McIntosh .... something like the MA7200?
FMOB said:
Worth looking at the Hegel h600, bottom of your budget though but a pre-amp and separate PA combo at £24k should make a good dent in your budget.
I do agree about the Constellation looks, it does rather look like a 1970's car stereo stuck in a silver box from a kit car.
Yes, and it's even worse inside the box, but without doubt the best-sounding integrated amplifier I have heard. Makes my Moon AMP sound brittle. I do agree about the Constellation looks, it does rather look like a 1970's car stereo stuck in a silver box from a kit car.
OldSkoolRS said:
Surely that's more a case of buying hifi with your eyes and not your ears though? If it's the best-sounding integrated amplifier you've heard, though I guess spending that much on a single item in your rack I can kind of understand wanting something that looks nice. My solution is that all my gear is out of sight, so I don't care what it looks like, only what the audio and video quality is that it produces.
My most expensive single item is probably my Lumagen video processor and it's an ugly black 1U rack mount unit with a single LED on the front, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better product for what it does to the picture and great support for years after purchase.
As per my thread I can't really determine such details as your 'brittle' comment, but even so it does seem to sound like you've found the device that does the job best to your ears. At that end of the budget I'd fully expect you to be able to have a unit on home loan for a week or two (I did similar last month for a fraction of your intended budget).
It appears to have a purer class-A quality compared to my 600i, especially in the treble. I'm well aware of the importance of component matching, so this seems to be a synergistic sweet spot. I just learned Wilson Audio opts for Constellation when showcasing their speakers.My most expensive single item is probably my Lumagen video processor and it's an ugly black 1U rack mount unit with a single LED on the front, but you'll be hard pressed to find a better product for what it does to the picture and great support for years after purchase.
As per my thread I can't really determine such details as your 'brittle' comment, but even so it does seem to sound like you've found the device that does the job best to your ears. At that end of the budget I'd fully expect you to be able to have a unit on home loan for a week or two (I did similar last month for a fraction of your intended budget).
RowntreesCabana said:
That budget's a bit wide, making me wonder if this is actually serious?
However, if it is, being a 25 year veteran of the Bristol HiFi show I have to say that 99% of the time the best sounding setups each year have been powered by high end Naim amps.
Yes, it's serious. The wide band is more a function of diminishing returns - there's some sHowever, if it is, being a 25 year veteran of the Bristol HiFi show I have to say that 99% of the time the best sounding setups each year have been powered by high end Naim amps.
Edited by RowntreesCabana on Wednesday 28th February 09:53
te out there that's very expensive, also some real 'bargains'. I am waiting to hear the new Moon range before I pull the plug, but my shortlist now consists of D'Ag, Moon, Accuphase and AudioNote. I prefer the one-box solution as I've no space.
I haven't listened to any NAIM kit for more than a decade. Do they have an integrated that plays in this space?
Edited by 981C on Friday 1st March 09:49
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