Poll: Best Looking Stereo Integrated Amp

[Doodski]

View attachment 99024

https://onahighernote.com/shop/integrated-amps/moonriver-audio-404-integrated-power-amplifier/

Moonriver 404. Shame there's no XLR.

View attachment 99025

Schiit Ragnarok 2

That Moon River Audio amp looks lean and mean. I like.

 

[tuga]

A rather personal call... This one may be my favourite design but you'll need horns (0.4wpc into 8 ohms in class A, 38 wpc at 8 ohm in class A/B):

 

[watchnerd]

View attachment 99025

Schiit Ragnarok 2

Oh hell no. I'm never buying Schiit again.

I have boxes in the closet of Schiit gear I don't use and/or broke on me.

 

[watchnerd]

A rather personal call... This one may be my favourite design but you'll need horns (0.4wpc into 8 ohms in class A, 38 wpc at 8 ohm in class A/B):

Is the Model Three still produced?

The XA-INT on the other hand would look great:

The handle knurling matches my barbells.

14K euros, though.

43kg.

 

[StefaanE]

Aesthetically, tubes are probably not the right choice given my other components, if I'm going to have consistency.

My turntable and reel to reel deck are from the late 1980s.

Tube amps are too far back in time to match, really.

Yeah, the cusp of the digital paradigm shift The old guard's last stand, like this Philips “I wanna play with the big boys” rack from 1983:

 

[Frank Dernie]

Always used to fancy one of these

 

[watchnerd]

Yeah, the cusp of the digital paradigm shift The old guard's last stand, like this Philips “I wanna play with the big boys” rack from 1983:

Exactly.

My RTR decks were end of the line models for Studer. And my Gyro SE was the last major iteration on the concept by Michell.

Even my modern SME M2-9R is just a rebirth of the 3009 that was ubiquitous in that era.

 

[Ilkless]

Is the Model Three still produced?

The XA-INT on the other hand would look great:

The handle knurling matches my barbells.

14K euros, though.

43kg.

Price should take a huge hit on the resale market. The XA pre and power amp pair has been changing hands with ~60% depreciation on my local market.

 

[Helicopter]

I am still running the Contour 20s.

But...

The new Heritage Special comes in at the end of December.

So I might side-grade to those.

Those are pretty. I would be cautious buying a speaker with a 1st order crossover. They might make it work well, but probably best to wait and see.

 

[Kuppenbender]

Yeah, the cusp of the digital paradigm shift The old guard's last stand, like this Philips “I wanna play with the big boys” rack from 1983:
View attachment 99031

I think Philips peaked a few years earlier with the gorgeous Black Tulip system.

 

[watchnerd]

Price should take a huge hit on the resale market. The XA pre and power amp pair has been changing hands with ~60% depreciation on my local market.

This power output has to be a typo:

• 2 x 53 Watt (@ 18 Ohm)
• Output power CLASS A-Mode: 2 x 1.1 Watt (@ 18 Ohm)

Who specifies power in 18 ohms?

Also 1.1 Watt in Class A mode....great if you have 100 dB sens speakers.

I guess it must be specifically made for Avant Garde's giant horn speakers.

 

[BDWoody]

Yeah, the cusp of the digital paradigm shift The old guard's last stand, like this Philips “I wanna play with the big boys” rack from 1983:
View attachment 99031

I liked the Nakamichi system one stack.
I have the tuner/preamp from this set, and it's one of my favorites. Too cheap for proper bling purposes, but they are cool for a backup setup.

 

[watchnerd]

I liked the Nakamichi system one stack.
I have the tuner/preamp from this set, and it's one of my favorites. Too cheap for proper bling purposes, but they are cool for a backup setup.

View attachment 99036

Now that's a stack.

The tuner is top most, the tape deck and power and are obvious. But what are the two in the middle with the giant knob and the 30 push buttons?

 

[watchnerd]

Those are pretty. I would be cautious buying a speaker with a 1st order crossover. They might make it work well, but probably best to wait and see.

Dynaudio has experience doing 1st order crossovers for like 40 years. My first Dynaudio speakers were all 1st order.

Given they make their own drivers, they can make it acoustically higher order, even if it's electrically simpler.

It's only recently that they stopped using them by default -- the Contour 20 has 2nd order.

 

[BDWoody]

Now that's a stack.

The tuner is top most, the tape deck and power and are obvious. But what are the two in the middle with the giant knob and the 30 push buttons?

Actually, not sure what the top thing is, the next one is another preamp, next is the tuner, then the power amps.

Here's my tuner:

The contour control is the best thing about it. The FM tuner is actually very highly rated as far as they go, and I use it for that almost as much as music.
I usually have one of my TT's connected, but rearranging things a bit.

 

[watchnerd]

If we're swapping out the Technics because of incompatible VU colors, should the Yamaha A-S3200 come back?

I just don't know if it brings anything to the party that the Luxman and Accuphase don't already have covered.

 

[watchnerd]

Actually, not sure what the top thing is, the next one is another preamp, next is the tuner, then the power amps.

Here's my tuner:
View attachment 99038

The contour control is the best thing about it. The FM tuner is actually very highly rated as far as they go, and I use it for that almost as much as music.
I usually have one of my TT's connected, but rearranging things a bit.

View attachment 99043

Good lord.

Why is it so huge if it's just a tuner / preamp?

In college I had a little Adcom GTP-400 that was like 1U tall.

 

[BDWoody]

Good lord.

Why is it so huge if it's just a tuner / preamp?

In college I had a little Adcom GTP-400 that was like 1U tall.

Great question... Probably wouldn't look as good in the stack.

It's also a bit weirdly shaped:

But at least a little adjustability on the phono input is welcome:

 

[Wes]

If we're swapping out the Technics because of incompatible VU colors, should the Yamaha A-S3200 come back?

I just don't know if it brings anything to the party that the Luxman and Accuphase don't already have covered.

Less color, more silver, and a lower price

also those switches...

 

[StefaanE]

I think Philips peaked a few years earlier with the gorgeous Black Tulip system.View attachment 99035

That’s a beauty indeed. I wouldn’t mind being back in those days. Unfortunately, with the obvious advantage of me being in my twenties would come the significant drawback of me being unable to afford such a nice rack .