Steve is about ready to retire and wanted to update his hi-fi system. He’ll finally have time to enjoy music in his dedicated man cave.
A few years ago he bought a Cambridge streamer and integrated amp online. That was feeding his old bookshelf speakers. It was quick and easy. He was OK with it for the price and time.
He visited this spring to start the update process with speakers. He’s a voracious reader so he had MANY prospects on his list. Audio Emporium had Magnepan and Klipsch, both of which were on his extensive CHART.
After a few visits and much listening, he decided Magnepan MG.7s were ideal for him, so that’s where the new journey started.
Next on the to-do list was to upgrade his integrated amp. He is familiar with the Cambridge streamer’s operation and just wants to stick with it. No problem, I get it.
As with speakers, Steve created a shopping CHART of integrated amps. His chart looked like baseball statistics. He had over a dozen models with pricing, power and features. His chart reflected hours of reading and “research.”
The problem with all the “research” he had done, is that he couldn’t tie any of these specs to how amplifiers actually SOUND.
Sound is based on the CONSTRUCTION choices. You can’t derive sonic flavor simply from specs.
After you know what to look for, which goes well beyond stats, you CAN derive a reasonable picture of how a product will sound- based on the nuts and bolts used in your prospective amp. Here is where Audio Emporium can help you make sense out of the great wide world out there.
Music
Steve likes acoustic music first and foremost. Whether pop, jazz, bluegrass or chamber, he wants pianos, strings and drum skins to sound clear and full. He doesn’t play at crazy volume levels. He chuckles that he’s been there, done that, and doesn’t need to go back. He plays classic rock too, but mostly of the Neil Young, Steely Dan and Eagles variety. He’s not so much interested in wailing electric guitars like The Who and The Stones.
Options
Steve’s chart had a wide variety of integrated amps. He had read good things about all of these. Further, Steve had actually called most of the manufacturers or importers before coming back in to visit. Steve wanted to get a sense as to who would actually spend a few minutes with him on the phone, inferring that their commitment to service would be commensurate.
Like most of us, Steve wants to spend his money wisely. He wants the best sound and doesn’t want to over pay. His shopping MO is right up my alley!
Here’s the list, alphabetically.
ARC i50, $6500 (50×2) US, Transformer outputs
Atoll IN300 Signature, $4500 (150×2) France, Class AB
Bryston B135, $7500 (135×2) Canada, Class AB
Cambridge Audio Edge A, $6500 (100×2) China
Hegel H190v, $4200 (150×2) China
HiFi Rose RA180, $7000 (200×4) S Korea, Class D
McIntosh MA8950 $9000 (200×2) US, Transformer outputs
Musical Fidelity M8xi $7400 (500×2) China
NAD M33 $5000 (200×2) China
Parasound Hint 6, $4000 (160×2) China
Pass Labs INT25, $7500 (25×2) US, Class A
Prima Luna Evo 400, $5600 (70×2) China
Rogue Cronus Magnum 3, $3500 (100×2) US, Transformer outputs
Rogue Pharaoh 2, $4000 (250×2) US, Class D
Rotel RA1592 Mk2, $3500 (200×2) China
The Process
Steve asked me where I would start in paring down this list of 15 nice integrateds.
China = NO
First of all, I don’t want to buy a Chinese built amplifier. They are often NOT built by the company whose name is on the face plate. They’re often built by job houses. This ties you into the epitome of mass production and spotty reliability. Company A’s name is on the face plate. But it was built by job house B. When it gets to the US and breaks, it has to be repaired by outfit C, which could simply be A GUY with a soldering iron. He’ll do his best with whatever paper work company A supplies, but make no mistake, this is not like working with an owner/operator company that is based on TLC and proud of their reputation.
Further, I don’t want to support China. I want to support products made in N America or Europe. During Covid China kept cranking out products, while N America & Europe abided by health restrictions. In the process of playing fair, N America and Europe got crushed by the Chinese who kept punching out gear and played fast and loose with price gouging tricks. When Covid’s impact lessened in early 2022, our N American and Euro companies got back on the horse and they’re making the best gear in the world. I want to support THEM. Oh, and there’s that issue of China’s support of Russia and threats of absorbing Taiwan… Let’s not send our jobs and money there.
Eliminating China takes the following off the list: Cambridge, Hegel, Musical Fidelity, NAD, Parasound, Prima Luna & Rotel.
Nuts & Bolts
Now we’re down to the fun stuff. If we could have all of these products in the same room for a relaxed listening session, that would be ideal. But of course, that isn’t possible. So let’s make sense of how various amps are likely to sound, given what’s inside of them. We’ll still want to listen.
We have to start by recognizing that this prospective amp is going to be driving Magnepans of 86dB SPL, not Klipschorns of 105dB. The Magnepans are a 4 ohm load. This requires some consideration. We need to appreciate that Steve wants detailed, gritty bass with great string texture.
Any amp that uses output transformers will sound softer than tighter. When you’re after the best bass grip, it’s not going to happen with amps that use output transformers. Mac, ARC and Rogue Cronus come off the list.
With achieving this tight, FULL FIGURED bass with Magnepans in mind, we should avoid the class D designs. The D designs sound smooth- and they’re almost abusive proof with great reliability. But they don’t swing a sledgehammer like balls out AB designs. Off the list come Hi-Fi Rose and Rogue’s Pharaoh.
Whittling It Down
We’re down to three amps on the list of 15. All three are manufactured by owner/operators. He couldn’t lose with any of them. But let’s run through them to choose the best for Steve.
The Pass runs Class A, 25×2. That is REALLY LIGHT for Magnepans. I’ve heard it. It’s lovely sounding. But delivering impactful bass from a stand up bass fiddle or big drum kit into Pans… is out of its weight class. The Pans need more.
Atoll & Bryston
Let me brag up, straight out, it is NO COINCIDENCE that Audio Emporium is a dealer for Atoll and Bryston. We have been down this path many times. Steve’s chart isn’t our first rodeo. We know where many shoppers are headed. You simply can’t do better than Atoll or Bryston.
Atoll is made in France by brothers Stephane and Emmanuel Dubrueil. They started the company in 1996. Bryston is made in Canada, founded in 1963. Bryston is also an owner operator company. CEO James Tanner has been with Bryston since 1976.
Both Atoll and Bryston are dual mono construction. That means they use TWO power transformers, one per channel. Both are Class AB designs and run large reserves of filter capacitance. Both are built exquisitely with very little running wire. Both are constructed with through hole parts as opposed to surface mount parts. Both deliver a big kick and maintain a tight grip on all speakers- especially Magnepans which are Steve’s choice.
Bryston’s B135 sold for $7500 in line stage configuration, $8700 with DAC. It’s fabulous, but discontinued. It’s being replaced by BI200, $8500 in line stage configuration. BI200 won’t have a DAC option. Release is scheduled for this summer.
Last Man Standing: Atoll
The Atoll IN300 Signature is the last amp on the list. It checks every box that makes sense for Magnepans, or virtually any other speaker by the way. Let’s study up.
It uses two huge 440VA transformers that Atoll has custom made for them in Spain. They’re made of a steel case and include absorbing resin to thwart extraneous resonances.
IN300 Sig is a true dual mono design from the outset.
It uses 86,400uF of filter caps. These caps aren’t bought off a shelf at a parts house. Atoll has these caps custom made for them in Japan to achieve state of the art ESR (speed).
The dual mono design, with large transformers and filter caps, give the amp an extremely robust sound with breathy dynamics and a big kick. If ya wanna swing the sledgehammer, feel free.
Hand created in France, the circuit boards are a work of art which contribute to high resolution. There is no mass of spaghetti carrying signal here/there and attracting RFI in the process. Atoll uses Mundorf capacitors, shielded in their own metal boxes to avoid RFI. Atoll uses Absolue Creations high-end cable. Atoll uses top level ALPS volume controls for precise channel tracking.
IN300 Signature uses a third transformer devoted to its on board DAC.
Atoll goes to further TLC in its output transistor usage. Atoll measures every output transistor and runs them in matched configurations. Precious few competitors do this. The other guys buy thousands of transistors and install them. Since transistors have different distortion characteristics, UNMATCHED transistors will sound harsh, or grainy. Atoll avoids this problem by running matched transistors- to attain a smooth sound without irritating hard edges.
Vinyl?
Steve’s not interested in vinyl right now. But if he goes there, we can install a phono board (MM $130, MM/MC $190) right here in our shop in 15 minutes. The phono board sounds great within IN300 Sig because the meticulous infrastructure is already there. That’s why the boards aren’t expensive. He won’t have to pay fancy for a big power supply, additional chassis, knobs, jacks and buttons.
The Verdict Please
Steve listened to many amps in his hunt. In fact, when he bought his Maggies here a few months back, he listened through Atoll. And when it came time to vote with his wallet and build his end game hi-fi system, Steve purchased the $4500 Atoll IN300 Signature integrated amp with built in DAC.
Did you notice that IN300 Sig is among the least expensive on the chart? Please note, it comes with a terrific sounding DAC on board.