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?
981C said:
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?
Thats not something you hear very often ... but I personally totally get where you are coming from. 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?
Another love or hate in terms of design is McIntosh .... something like the MA7200?
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?
Maybe also worth considering a Gryphon Diablo 333 integrated or Essence Pre/Power? I have had both - albeit a Diablo 300 (the 333 is supposed to be a big step on), and when auditioning the Diablo I also listened to a McIntosh MA12000. I was distinctly underwhelmed by the McIntosh: it looked very eye catching though with it's VU meters and glowing valves, shame it didn't sound that good!
981C said:
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'm currently using a Yamaha C-5000 and M-5000 combo and they are truly spectacular. The power amp will drive anything and the preamp is sensational.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?
The power amplifier also has large power meters which, as everyone knows, improve sound quality by at least 7.4%
Interestingly, I am much in the same position as the OP with regard to my current Moon amplification and overall set-up. I was lucky enough to grab a bargain over the weekend, which was a bit of a no brainer. A year old, mint DA Progression Integrated at a little over half the new retail price. I am hoping it lives up to the hype. Will know at the end of the coming week.
The only unit in your price range that I am familiar with is the Anthem STR Pre/Power combination.
They really are amazing (I had to settle for the cheaper integrated STR myself).
Always try to get a home demonstration with any high end product. In the case of the Anthem try to make sure it's set up by someone really familiar with ARC Genesis.
They really are amazing (I had to settle for the cheaper integrated STR myself).
Always try to get a home demonstration with any high end product. In the case of the Anthem try to make sure it's set up by someone really familiar with ARC Genesis.
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.
981C said:
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.
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).
981C said:
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.
I did compare the Moon 240i against the Hegel 190 and the Hegel won hands down during a home demo.
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).
981C said:
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.
The new Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Integrated is lovely, albeit at half the cost. But, it does punch far higher than its price. A valve amp, but not a conventional valve amp.The Constellation amps have a softness to them, so the MF may be to your liking.
Pre/Power wise, Bryston and Chord Electronics are excellent, at your higher price point.
Where are you based?
Kyri
Edited by saveloy on Thursday 25th January 23:43
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