best budget integrated amp?

[funnyhat]

Thanks for help on cd player vs amp. Now I am trying to determine the best choice for a integrated amp under 500, or if possible, under 4 or 3. any ideas are great! Thanks.

[JohnMichael]

I own the Cambridge Azur 640A and have been very pleased with the sound and dependability of the unit. I am using it in my main system to replace an old Rotel unit that is now in the bedroom. IMO it sounds better than the Rotel but I do not know if the Rotel is up to original standards. The 640A is very detailed and balanced accross the frequency range. I would recommend the 640A highly. I would also suggest you look at NAD and Rotel for quality int. amps in your price range.

[RGA]

I have had a bit of a change of heart on my view of this over the last year or so. Budget solid state integrateds generally are not better enough over receivers to justify the price of losing a significant amount of features. I like the Rotel RA-02 as a budget unit but it's not soooo much better than a comprably priced receiver from Yamaha or Denon or Marantz to live without all these units bring to the table.

I think if I were looking in this price range I would be exploring a number of tube amp options that while not the best examples of tubes can still bring about a better sense of the music.

Jolida makes a number of tube amps -- the 102b is about $600.00Cad or $500.00US list (it may be less though) the 202a is $750.00Cad but I have seen them significantly cheaper http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/models/jd202a.shtml
http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/models/jd102b.shtml

If you have speakers say 89db 8 ohms then those two should have more than enough power to drive them well. Another one that is nice is the ASL http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...mp-1-2001.html
You'd have to go used on this one -- the new models are $1k but you may find one for sale on Audiogon or some other ebay like outfit.

[Jamie]

For what it's worth, I have seen a lot of Jolida owners sit in silence when their units go down, and a lot of them have.
Now understand, I have NOT owned a Jolida myself, but know a lot of folks, and a lot more online, that have had dependability issues with Jolida.
But they DO sound really good, the cdp especially, with the tubes and all.

[funnyhat]

Thanks for the info so far. I have been considering the Cambridge and the NAD 320 BEE, but am confused as reading other forums, people mention the Cambridge as being less than the NAD, but I usually see the NAD for 400, and the Cambridge for around 6. Am I misreading or maybe thinking of other models? Also, preferences between the Cambridge and NAD, I have Paradigm studio 20s. Thanks.

[funnyhat]

More specifically, Cambridge 340 or 540 versus NAD 320 BEE? Thanks

[Resident Loser]

...on a few things, the Marantz PM7200 and the Yamaha AX-497...I think both are MSRPd around $500USD...

jimHJJ(...FYI...)

[ECMJazz]

Thanks for help on cd player vs amp. Now I am trying to determine the best choice for a integrated amp under 500, or if possible, under 4 or 3. any ideas are great! Thanks.

The Jolida 1501 is a hybrid integrated with a tube preamp and 100w/ch MOSFET power amp. With he right tubes this amp will perform better than MUCH more expensive equipment. You do need to upgrade the stock Chinese tubes though. I've been using Sovtek12AX7LPS tubes with awesome results. These are inexspensive tubes as well.

I've had no reliability issues after 3 months of use. I have not heard of any reliability issues with these amps. They have huge/massive toroidal transformers. The unit itself HEAVILY built.

I have had no experience with the pure tube integrated amps from Jolida. A previous poster implied reliability issues with Jolida amps. I think he may have been refering to the pure tube integrateds by Jolida.

[abulgan]

any advice for Tube Amp can be used with Kef İQ3 (89db) or B&W 602 S3 (90db) in a small room

[MM622]

You may consider some China made trube amp

[Poultrygeist]

For the money you won't be able beat this EL34 Yaqin tube amp. It's easy to bias and you can low ball their buy-it-now price. I've owned two tube hybrids and sold them both. Why not start out with a tube amp as we all eventually end up there, no matter how many solid states we go through on the way.

http://cgi.ebay.com/YAQIN-MC-10L-Int...item27bd188cae

[markw]

Why not start out with a tube amp as we all eventually end up there, no matter how many solid states we go through on the way

No, we don't. That's a lie.

Besides, this thread is five years old.

[JohnMichael]

No tubes for me. I love my Krell and dynamic driver speakers. I once listened to some PMC speakers with a McIntosh tube amp. I kept thinking the bass would be better with some good solid state power.

[frenchmon]

No tubes for me. I love my Krell and dynamic driver speakers. I once listened to some PMC speakers with a McIntosh tube amp. I kept thinking the bass would be better with some good solid state power.

I've got that SS power in my hybrid....Well I've been going back and forth with the Vincent and Rotel SS. I can see why there are two camps. SS is a cleaner sound, while the distortion of the tubes is romantic. I was at a live concert Sunday and the guitar amps had tubes in them. I noticed that same distortion...

[markw]

SS is a cleaner sound, while the distortion of the tubes is romantic. I was at a live concert Sunday and the guitar amps had tubes in them. I noticed that same distortion...

Funny, I've spent my life trying to get rid of as much distortion as possible in my playback system. Now, to intentionally add it in across the board just sticks in my craw.

But, I can see where the distortion added by tubes can be a boon to music production, such as in wailing, screaming, guitars, fuzzy bass, and other intentionally added sound effects but that just seems to lead to this rusty old caveat:

"Tubes are great for some electronic music production but solid state is better for all music REproduction."

[Poultrygeist]

Negative feedback is used to lower distortion and in the case of solid state is often the only thing keeping the transitors from exploding. Triode amps OTOH do not employ negative feedback. Negative feedback is not a problem if you don't mind a 2 dimentional sound stage and time smearing.

[JohnMichael]

Negative feedback is used to lower distortion and in the case of solid state is often the only thing keeping the transitors from exploding. Triode amps OTOH do not employ negative feedback. Negative feedback is not a problem if you don't mind a 2 dimentional sound stage and time smearing.

Depends on how it is used. Some SS amps have low negative feedbak. During the spec wars they used large amounts of global feedback until someone discovered and measured TIM and then most designers reduced there amounts of feeedback and how it was applied.

Interesting that we are replying to a 5 year old thread. I hope the OP has found something by now.

[markw]

Triode amps OTOH do not employ negative feedback.

Well, that explains those high levels of the beloved even-order harmonics tube fans are so fond of. But, fear not. Negative feedback is, in fact, utilized in other classes of tube amps in order to minimize this.

As for "smearing" in SS amps, you should try using something of quality for a standard instead of those $40.00 T-amps you so love.

"To keep them from blowing up"??? Oh, come now. When you stoop to these levels of gross exaggeration, or just plain BS, you cast doubt on anything you say among those with any knowledge at all about this hobby.

[JohnMichael]

Well, that explains those high levels of the beloved even-order harmonics tube fans are so fond of. But, fear not. Negative feedback is, in fact, utilized in other classes of tube amps in order to minimize this.

As for "smearing" in SS amps, you should try using something of quality for a standard instead of those $40.00 T-amps you so love.

Yes he could try a Krell S-300i or a Nelson Pass integrated.

[frenchmon]

Well, that explains those high levels of the beloved even-order harmonics tube fans are so fond of. But, fear not. Negative feedback is, in fact, utilized in other classes of tube amps in order to minimize this.

As for "smearing" in SS amps, you should try using something of quality for a standard instead of those $40.00 T-amps you so love.

"To keep them from blowing up"??? Oh, come now. When you stoop to these levels of gross exaggeration, or just plain BS, you cast doubt on anything you say among those with any knowledge at all about this hobby.

Yes...or even a Rotel RB 1080 which is 2 or 3 years removed from production...great power amp..with no smearing...and combined with a good preamp and speakers... its good a low level listening.

[Poultrygeist]

I have heard the F1 driving back loaded horns and it is an exceptional amp. Most impressive was the amount of bass this 10 watt high current amp produced from a 4.5 inch Fostex driver.

[RGA]

Negative feedback = BAD
No Negative Feedback (from tube designs) = Good
Quasi designs using no feedback but not from tubes = some degree of mediocre - Sugden A21a SS Single Ended No feedback is good if you really don't want a tube amp and good for the money. However - better tube amps for the same money are available - like the Kit One.

Articles

http://www.hificritic.com/downloads/Archive_6.pdf

Audio Note

[frenchmon]

Hey RGA...send me those PM 150 monobocks to mate with the SA-T1...

[markw]

While we're generalizing, tube amps have more distortion then solid state amps and, as we all know, distortion is bad, except perhaps for Jimi Hendrix and the like.

Enjoy your Kool-aid, boys, Some people can sell it succesfully, like Jim Jones, but society hasn't bought it, and never will.

[frenchmon]

While we're generalizing, tube amps have more distortion then solid state amps and, as we all know, distortion is bad, except perhaps for Jimi Hendrix and the like.

Enjoy your Kool-aid, boys, Some people can sell it succesfully, like Jim Jones, but society hasn't bought it, and never will.

Well if the distortion is bad coming through my tube pre, some body sho in hell for got to tell my tube pre because its been going strong now for about 5 hours and she sounding really really good...no, excellent!