Integrated Amplifier, Pre/Power or Receiver - POLL

[Binkman]

Realistic STA-2300 #310-3010

Well it's iffy on the integrated because I can use the main in pre out connectors.. just put it as integrated for poll sakes.

If you come a across one snap it up!! or the earlier 2100D with the analog meters. They go real fast. These amps are way under rated where listing will use the canned 20hz-20khz where in fact its 15-25khz Power: closer to 125 watts per channel. THD at 70 watts RMS per channel: 0.03%
Frequency Response at 10 watts: 15 Hz to 25 kHz
IM Distortion at 3 dB below full output: 0.05%

The huge Elna caps on the output amp. provides a really clean signal.
The receiver is pretty sweet. too with 3 gangs and auto lock. (I know not top line but pretty decent.)

[Alec124c41]

I had a RS 2100. I think it had a linear volume control. It was scary powerful! 100 watts output at 12 o'clock. Would not play really quietly, even with the 10 db filter.
I still have a Yamaha CR-1020 and CR-2020, a Sansui 9090,d a Technics 5570, and a Marantz 2275. The 1020 and the 2275 aren't monsters, being under 100 watts/side, but that's no problem.

Cheers,
Alec

[Binkman]

forgive us.. off the poll...

Yeah the 2100 (120w per channel) was a bit meaner for the loud crowd but basically identical. the 2300 was the led version of the analog meters and some adjustments to the guts. I rarely pop mine open takes about 10 watts just to get the led's to blink on the low power setting but for quiet listening below that it's still very responsive. I built my own speakers after some Ar 2s and I think that has a lot to do with it, too, as I like it near flat.

[JollyJeweller]

For the last 20 years I've been searching for Audio Nirvana, changed my pre/power/phono stage countless times, literally , and spent/lost so much money on upgrades , I could single handedly save Greece with it.
Last month I thought , f**k it, time to simplify my kit.
Sold the pre , power and phono, and bought a nice little valve integrated amp with a built in phono stage, and I'm loving it.
Less is more.

[Binkman]

You wouldn't be related to Jolly's Jeweler's in Raleigh NC?

LOL buy out Greece!
Your speakers are probably best matched to that amp. I can just imagine all the swaps and upgrades. There's a lot of guys out there with a side winder mono amp. driving a pair of full range drivers in home built custom cabs.

[JollyJeweller]

No amigo, I am A Jolly Jeweller as opposed to Jolly's Jewellers
I was worried the 25W valve amp wouldn't drive the speakers, they are a 6 way full range, but the Lux has big current and every thing is singing nicely!
Valves give a different sound to solid state....took a bit of getting used to!

[youngdand]

I am using this little thing: Yarland FV34c III

its little and on 12watts but it makes very sweet music even though its only running a cheap set of sovteks. I have had a quad 33 and 303 sitting in the floor next to it for nearly six months that has never been plugged in as this one sounds so good.

[petroulop]

LUXMAN L 590AII Integrated with internal phono.

[jrobby]

Exposure XV integrated. Bought it in 1993 and haven't looked back.
Also use in other systems: HH Scott 299a int. Marantz 2216B rec.
and a NAD 7020E receiver.

[LPM]

I suddenly realised that I've been so busy reading and enjoying such a variety of choices in this thread, that I hadn't even mentioned mine.

For many, many years, I had an Hitachi SR903 integrated stereo amp. I bought it new in the late 70s. It sounded good. Class G and lots of grunt so I never really felt I wanted more. It looked the part in black and seemed to me to have a very good internal phono stage as well. However, time had caught up with it somewhat and in the late 90's, it needed a recap and health check etc. Never actually got around to that so packed it away and side tracked myself with multichannel gear for a while that never really pushed my stereo buttons. Hence in about 2006 I decided to go the pre/power route for stereo as I'd heard some good gear from a local (Melbourne) manufacturer called Aspen who made AKSA kits and some fully built Aspen items.

Ended up with a lovely sounding Aspen Soraya SS amp and a tubed Aspen GK1 pre. Very happy with this SS/tube combo as to me, it provides the perfect balance of everything I respect from both the SS and tube amplification worlds. Final nice change was when I added in an A.N.T. Kora 3T MM phono stage to replace an SS phono stage for the TT source side of things. Really sweet FET sound. For me, the real benefits of going pre/power was that I could set up a system that was synergistic and suited my taste and extra boxes were not a downside for me. So yes, I think my current amplification sounds stunning (I would wouldn't I ) but for that 20 years or so the SR903 was in the system, I was always perfectly happy and not looking to change.

[brighton123]

Using Myst TMA3 integrated as a MM phono preamp, using Onkyo TX 309 in plain stereo mode as an active power amp in order to drive my huge Elvins transmission line speakers, This shouldnt work very well but in effect sounds lovely, subtelty from the Myst with added grunt and dare I say it ? Tone control from the Onk. So I guess Im using an integrated and a reciever as a pre/power ?

[zebra100]

DIY dual gain stage Op Amp (NE5532)based pre, with transistor output stage biased into class A. Volume control taken care of by an Alps Blue 47k dual log pot shunted by a 50k metal film resistor

DIY Dual Mono LM3875 Gainclone takes care of the power.

I also have a DIY single MOSFET driven Class A headphone amp driving Sennheiser HD515's.

[MonkeyBoy]

I never did say just what I have. I'm using an Ayre v-5xe pre and k-5xe power amp with my Vienna Acoustics Strauss speakers. It's a really nice match. The speakers need the oomph the k-5xe puts out due to the 4 ohm load. I just can't see switching to anything else. The only amps I've ever heard that sounded as good to me were Audio Note amps. (UK)Life is good!

[Paraneer]

Parasound 2100 Pre-amp & Parasound 5125 power amp driving a pair of Vienna Acoustics Bach Grands and a REL T1 subwoofer for 2 channel listening. Very pleased with this combination.