The next level integrated amplifier.

[xie67]

NWell things have moved along somewhat since my first introduction post.

So Set a budget on a multipurpose system to get some action happening and to avoid emotions and expense running away wild, as it can easily do.

After it was all said and done I ended up with  Rega P1 and Bias 2 cartridge ( to involve the younger members if the family) Yamaha A-S701 integrated amplifier, Yamaha WXAD-10 for the family to stream Spotify from their iPhones and all out through a lovely pair of Acoustic Energy AE500 standmounts.

The time has now come to donated the P1 and A-S701 to my son's system.

The new TT will be  Rega P3, however I am a bit lost on what to shortlist for the next step up the integrated amplifier ladder.

In an effort not to over capitalise I am looking in the $2,000-$2,600 range. 
so far I have only got the Rega Elex R and Audiolab 8300A on the list, I should also add the Music Fidelity M3si

Does anyone have an opinion on either or an alternative.

Thanks

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by xie67

[2Brix]

Wow @xie67 you have a lucky son indeed.    How much did you like the A-S701, and have you considered going to a higher model in the Yamaha range ?

 

Cheers

2B

[xie67]

HLimited time with the Yamaha but I did like the sound but the AE500 have a lot more to offer. I did have the a Music Fidelity M3si connected when I was auditioning the AE500 and the sound was quite noticeably different to when the Yamaha A-S701 was connected. The Yamaha is a good amplifier but at. touch over $1000 we are down the bottom end of the scale.

yes I have considered a higher end MOSFET Yamaha but $$$$ is beyond me Atm

Edited April 6, 2021 by xie67

[2Brix]

Thanks for that feedback.  I have a mate who is considering the A-S701, which should be a noticeable step up from his existing amp, and there seems to be some run-out pricing around atm.

 

Chrs

2B

[xie67]

VVYep for the price they have a lot to offer. On a side note I also ran the Yamaha into the popular Wharfedale evo 4.2 and 4.4 with little effort, but the sound of the evo is another thread in itself.

apologies  for the average text, I am really struggling with this iPad tonight.

Edited April 6, 2021 by xie67

[Wimbo]

This could be a nice purchase but depends on how loud you play (87db speakers) and doesnt have a Phono stage.

[Guest DrSK]

There may still be an Electrocompaniet ECI 3 2nd hand in the classifieds on here. They were $5k retail and $3.5k on sale. 

 

I admit to being very underwhelmed hearing anything Yamaha in the sub $3k range, dull and no dynamics. Many 1970s and 1980s stuff can be better for under $300 second hand. 

 

EDIT: two for sale at the moment and an ECI 4 as well. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by DrSK

[xie67]

 Would not call the A-S701 dull as it has plenty of grunt to it’s delivery and is not forced upon you or harsh as some suggest. However it does lack the  tonal quality and dynamic range that the AE500 seek.

[xie67]

9 minutes ago, Wimbo said:

This could be a nice purchase but depends on how loud you play (87db speakers) and doesnt have a Phono stage.

 

Don’t know if I wanna go down the valve rabbit hole just yet.

 

[Guest DrSK]

3 minutes ago, xie67 said:

 Would not call the A-S701 dull as it has plenty of grunt to it’s delivery and is not forced upon you or harsh as some suggest. However it does lack the  tonal quality and dynamic range that the AE500 seek.

 

All I can say is when I moved up from Yamaha and away from auditions of their lower end range it was like a wet beach towel had been removed from the front of the speakers. 

[xie67]

1 minute ago, DrSK said:

 

All I can say is when I moved up from Yamaha and away from auditions of their lower end range it was like a wet beach towel had been removed from the front of the speakers. 

What would you suggest for a shortlist in the sub $3,000 range to compliment my other components ?

[Guest DrSK]

34 minutes ago, xie67 said:

What would you suggest for a shortlist in the sub $3,000 range to compliment my other components ?

 

I've already suggested at least checking out the three Electrocompaniet integrateds on here second hand. There are two ECI 3s and an ECI 4.

 

I haven't heard them but run a couple of Electrocompaniet power amps. I recommended an ECI 3 with Lenehan ML2 Reference, all second hand, to a mate as a starter system and he's very happy and has my system to compare to.

 

The rated power my seem low on the ECI 3, but they dump a lot of quick current for dynamics compared to lesser amps. Eg one of my other power amps is 100W but drives my speakers way better than the 130W Yamaha, a different world. Head room is rather important for dynamics and isn't obvious from the rated power. In terms of average noise levels 100W and 70W etc is barely noticeable. Or 130W vs 100W. On rated power my EC power amp would give 16Amps continous, but on peaks it puts out over 100Amps per channel. By comparison the Yamaha basically just clipped the peak dynamics even at moderate levels. The difference even for vocals was night and day. Drum hits, astounding. 

 

EDIT: Just noted the ECI 3 and 4 don't have phono input. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by DrSK

[Irek]

If brand new I would be struggling to choose between:

Rega Elex R

Exposure 2510

March audio P252 + Topping Pre90

[xie67]

The ECI-3 listed in the classifieds for $1,800 could be a good option with the addition of a phono pre amplifier and it is local too. Now to decide on what that phono pre amp should be.

[rantan]

 

There is also an ECI-5 for sale here and I think it is worth the extra spend. IIRC it is listed for $2600

[RankStranger]

I’ll be listing my Kinki Studio EX-M1 for sale shortly, well in your budget. @rantan can attest to it’s performance because it used to be his  

[xie67]

I needed to take a step back and revisit the original purpose of this system, as my desires were starting to bound forward into the rabbit hole.

The need was for a system accessible to the whole family, not just my vinyl pleasure.

So the beautiful AE500 stay along with the stands and speaker cables and interconnects.

The P1 has gone and in comes the   P3 with an Exact cartridge.

Out goes the A-S701 and WXAD-10, these to be replaced by an every so easy to use Quad Venna II Play @ $1,650 (half the family is 90%  bluetooth stream). I can see I will want to add a dual mono power amplifier in the not to distant future.

It has been an expensive exercise to get to here, however the son is happy as his 'bedroom' system has improved considerably with the addition of the Rega P1 with Bias 2 cartridge and the Yamaha A-S701 with the WXAD-10 for  bluetooth streaming. Not to mention the wife is most pleased as the amplifier will nicely slide in the existing TV furniture and the behemoth of a rack is gone from the lounge area.

Edited April 10, 2021 by xie67

[xie67]

So what started out 10 months ago as lower budget and simple to operate (for the wife) multipurpose setup, has seen quite e few changes at some avoidable expense.

Anyways my son is happy with his setup based on a few of the hand me downs and I finally have configured all my components, save a few more tweaks and fine tuning, which due to some draconian actions by certain head of state leaders will have to wait for a bit longer yet.

To date I have only experienced this setup over a 8 day period.

It appears to be a nice compliment of components and delivers a very pleasant end result suited to my needs.

Configuration consists of Audiolab6000A, Audiolab6000CDT

Rega P3 running a Les Davis 33 1/3D mat with a Rega Exact cartridge and a Moon 110LPv2 for phono pre amp duties.

Also utilising a Bluesound Node 2i with a digital feed into the onboard DAC of the 6000A for now to take care of the streaming side of things.

Final sound output is via pair of Acoustic Energy AE500 on some pretty nice affordable Sonken SP6 stands.

Afterr much deliberation and the desire for a component rack to not overtake the entire room. I settled for a three tier Ben Burton unit, with a TT platform shelf on the way.

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by xie67
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