Poll: Best Looking Stereo Integrated Amp

[watchnerd]

This little guy is kind of cute:

 

[orangejello]

Indeed. OK, how's this animal? https://shop.musicteck.com/collecti...e-integrated-amplifier?variant=31616196313150
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. Don’t know. But I got one of these from the same company. Like it better aesthetically. The build quality on these is absolutely superb. Extremely low noise, nice to look at and fun to tube roll. The cage is glass and aluminum. The top of the cage is mesh to allow the heat to get out. You couldn’t get something like this from anywhere but China for less than 15 large. I bought it used for $1800. It appeals to me aesthetically more than any integrated I have seen. Aside from the circuit to control the remote (the volume knob rotates when remote is used to change volume) it is all point to point wired and the electronic components and solder joints (which are gleaming droplets) puts me in mind of a Swiss watch. It weights about 75 lbs so a pain to lug around.

 

[watchnerd]

. Don’t know. But I got one of these from the same company. Like it better aesthetically. The build quality on these is absolutely superb. Extremely low noise, nice to look at and fun to tube roll. The cage is glass and aluminum. The top of the cage is mesh to allow the heat to get out. You couldn’t get something like this from anywhere but China for less than 15 large. I bought it used for $1800. It appeals to me aesthetically more than any integrated I have seen. Aside from the circuit to control the remote (the volume knob rotates when remote is used to change volume) it is all point to point wired and the electronic components and solder joints (which are gleaming droplets) puts me in mind of a Swiss watch. It weights about 75 lbs so a pain to lug around.

Is that a Cayin?

If so, I don't see it in their current product line up:

https://en.cayin.cn/products?cid=1#s10

 

[Chrispy]

Those look to be monoblocks instead of an integrated amp.

As well as just a teensy bit out of budget....

 

[orangejello]

Is that a Cayin?

If so, I don't see it in their current product line up:

https://en.cayin.cn/products?cid=1#s10

Yes it is. It is available in Europe and Asia. It is a VP100i. KT88 (or EL34 and it’s variants) 6SL7s and 6SN7s, easy biasing. Ultra linear or triode operation. You can’t see it but the chassis is a combo of matte black steel, aluminum, and touches of shiny black acrylic. It looks better in person than in the photo. I think they gave up on the US market. Their stuff is the very best I’ve seen out of China. I think their parent company (Spark Electronics) make some of the ”European designed”tube gear that sells for high dollars. Ayon perhaps? Cayin is designed and built in house by Chinese engineers. A great way to own a stellar tube amp. That said, I like my NAD M22 v2.

 

[bomhifi]

Leben CS1000P. Best in class for sub10k. It is a stereo amp with alps potentiometer so works like an integrate with 1 RCA input. 100watts in pentode and 70watts in triode mode. Stock in KT 120 but can roll KT88s. Owned and designed by Hyodo san, ex Luxman engineer. Japanese handcrafted beauty. Point to point wiring and high grade japanese audiophile parts. Future classic.

 

[watchnerd]

Leben CS1000P. Best in class for sub10k. I

In what way is it best in class for sub 10k?

And what is the definition of class, in this case?

In may be best in class for sub 10K, but the class it's in is "power amp", not "integrated amp".

 

[orangejello]

Leben CS1000P. Best in class for sub10k. It is a stereo amp with alps potentiometer so works like an integrate with 1 RCA input. 100watts in pentode and 70watts in triode mode. Stock in KT 120 but can roll KT88s. Owned and designed by Hyodo san, ex Luxman engineer. Japanese handcrafted beauty. Point to point wiring and high grade japanese audiophile parts. Future classic.

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Much prefer my Cayin. And the internals look at least as nice as this one. Never did much care for Japanese aesthetics when comes to audio stuff. in particular I don’t care for the incorporation of wood. It looks dissonant to me.

 

[watchnerd]

Point to point wiring

Why is this a good thing?

 

[orangejello]

Why is this a good thing?

Easy repair and tweaking. Plus old school looks cool. And when well done very nice on the eyeballs. Some say it sounds better. I wouldn’t go that far...

 

[watchnerd]

Leben CS1000P. Best in class for sub10k. It is a stereo amp with alps potentiometer so works like an integrate with 1 RCA input. 100watts in pentode and 70watts in triode mode. Stock in KT 120 but can roll KT88s. Owned and designed by Hyodo san, ex Luxman engineer. Japanese handcrafted beauty. Point to point wiring and high grade japanese audiophile parts. Future classic.

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BTW...

It's a power amp, according to Leben.

https://lebenhifi.com/products/cs1000p.html

Which explains why it lacks an input selector and has only 1 pair of RCA inputs...

 

[watchnerd]

Easy repair and tweaking.

I don't tweak the guts inside my electronics, nor do I my own repairs*.

*caveat for reel to reel tape decks, where I have no choice.

 

[watchnerd]

And when well done very nice on the eyeballs. Some say it sounds better. I wouldn’t go that far...

Do you regularly listen to your amps with the case off and/or upside down so you can see the wiring?

 

[Helicopter]

Yamaha looks the best, then Technics. The SS McIntosh are OK. Lots of the Chinese tube amps are cool, but I would halve my budget for anything Chinese because the service part of the product mix is not comparable IME. An 845 SET amp with 300Bs and 6SN7s is a good looking combination. The thoriated filaments of 845 tubes are special.

Marantz 2270, 2325, 2240, 2230, and 2275 are also great looking. Too bad they do not follow Technics and Yamaha and resurrect their best aesthetics. You could get a restored one.

 

[JoshR778]

Yamaha looks the best, then Technics. The SS McIntosh are OK. Lots of the Chinese tube amps are cool, but I would halve my budget for anything Chinese because the service part of the product mix is not comparable IME. An 845 SET amp with 300Bs and 6SN7s is a good looking combination. The thoriated filaments of 845 tubes are special.

View attachment 97950

Marantz 2270, 2325, 2240, 2230, and 2275 are also great looking. Too bad they do not follow Technics and Yamaha and resurrect their best aesthetics. You could get a restored one.
amps
View attachment 97949

I was (and am) immensely pleased with this amplifier. (I have had some experience with Yamaha products. Prior to buying this one, I had owned two Yamaha home theater amplification units, one of which I still own and use. I also own a Yamaha Clavinova. So it was natural for me to buy another Yamaha product.) Still no regrets. And it looks very solid.

 

[orangejello]

Do you regularly listen to your amps with the case off and/or upside down so you can see the wiring?

What do you think? As a watch nerd I could ask the same question of you about movements. In any case, I did used to do a little tweaking on tube amps. Point to point was nice to play around with. Easy to trace a circuit without a schematic.

 

[Helicopter]

I was (and am) immensely pleased with this amplifier. (I have had some experience with Yamaha products. Prior to buying this one, I had owned two Yamaha home theater amplification units, one of which I still own and use. I also own a Yamaha Clavinova. So it was natural for me to buy another Yamaha product.) Still no regrets. And it looks very solid.

I have a late 90s AVR that is great, and other units. Restorer John says the new ones all have some stuff you cannot repair, and even board swapping may be a problem with firmware thay will brick your unit if you do not go to an authorized repair place. Since the OP only repairs reel decks, this should not be a problem though.

The AS 3000 etc are just outstandingly beautiful though. I am sure they soind great too.

 

[watchnerd]

What do you think? As a watch nerd I could ask the same question of you about movements. In any case, I did used to do a little tweaking on tube amps. Point to point was nice to play around with. Easy to trace a circuit without a schematic.

Well, some of my watches have see-through case backs.

For those, yes, I like the movement to look nice, with cotes de geneve, stippling, and engravings.

For the ones I can't see? I don't care what it looks like.

 

[watchnerd]

Yamaha looks the best, then Technics.

I'm trying to determine if either of them has adjustable crossover for the speakers and/or sub out crossover.

So far, doesn't look like it.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I had some of the early VTL 75/75 stereo amps. Point to point wiring? HA! Component lead to component lead wiring. There was one little space with a wire 2 1/4 inches long. One for each channel. Otherwise it was all component lead connections (and tube pins). Definitely easy to trace and troubleshoot should the need arise.