Even advising someone who is an inveterate stereo proponent, I think a preamp + amp solution will prevent headaches down the road.
I had always used integrated amps, but when my Cambridge Audio integrated started flaking out last year, I did not get a new one.
The main reason for that was that in my experience integrated amps will generally fail on the volume and channel selector knobs, and the amplification will go to waste.
So instead I bought a Hypex amp and a small preamp.
Recently I bought my first sub. An RCA splitter out of the preamp was all I needed to start experimenting.
I see so many queries at ASR from people with integrated amps about subwoofer integration.
And there is no good answer for them, because the real problem is the high-pass filtering of the main speakers.
Instead, if you have a preamp + amp, easy, you put a miniDSP 2x4 out of the preamp to handle the high-pass filtering and the subwoofer-out.
If you have an amp only, then a miniDSP flex is a one-stop box.
Today, many people can be well served with a small DSP with volume, or mix and match if they want phono, analog-in etc.
With one of those, even if you later decide to get an AVR, your small preamp / DSP with volume can find good use for a desktop system or to feed actives.
Are integrated amps still a god idea?
I had always used integrated amps, but when my Cambridge Audio integrated started flaking out last year, I did not get a new one.
The main reason for that was that in my experience integrated amps will generally fail on the volume and channel selector knobs, and the amplification will go to waste.
So instead I bought a Hypex amp and a small preamp.
Recently I bought my first sub. An RCA splitter out of the preamp was all I needed to start experimenting.
I see so many queries at ASR from people with integrated amps about subwoofer integration.
And there is no good answer for them, because the real problem is the high-pass filtering of the main speakers.
Instead, if you have a preamp + amp, easy, you put a miniDSP 2x4 out of the preamp to handle the high-pass filtering and the subwoofer-out.
If you have an amp only, then a miniDSP flex is a one-stop box.
Today, many people can be well served with a small DSP with volume, or mix and match if they want phono, analog-in etc.
With one of those, even if you later decide to get an AVR, your small preamp / DSP with volume can find good use for a desktop system or to feed actives.
Are integrated amps still a god idea?
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