Integrated Amp Reviews

I'm waiting for a comparison follow-up review between Cary SLI-100 and Cambridge Edge A .......... The only thing common I can find between the two is, both company names start with the letter 'C' :-) ...........

"I like connecting headphones directly to the speaker binding posts on the backsides of power amplifiers."

So, just how does one do this? I've never heard of it … I've got a 2A3C integrated amp with 4 and 8 ohm taps.

Great review! If you're looking on a solid, reliable, and durable high-end speakers, you should check out ArtisanAcoustics – artisanacoustics.net/. Their speakers sound so good, and are reasonably priced for what you get. You'll thank me for this. Cheers!

... rather high levels of noise and distortion, a frequency response that is far from flat when driving a typical speaker load and that has at least one tube which is borderline defective?
Is it time to reprise the Carver challenge?

BTW, the Pass XA25 amp is capable of about a 100W peak output into a 6Ω load, as is typical of a Harbeth speaker.

"...I favor Leonard Bernstein's more poetically evocative interpretation with the New York Philharmonic..."

Subjectivity rules where musical preferences are concerned--yet I'd like to make the case that Bernstein's early New York Rite of Spring is not his best. And certainly not his most "poetically evocative"! That Rite, to my ears, is instead notable for its fierce energy and urgent forward momentum. For a classic Bernstein reading that equally succeeds in building tension and excitement when it should -- in the Dance of the Earth that concludes the first section -- while finding more poetry elsewhere, his Israel Philharmonic reading on DGG remains my favorite. The sound quality is also amazing, given its early digital provenance, being solid, weighty, colorful, and very spacious, yet virtually free digital glare. (Bernstein's 1972 London Symphony reading splits the difference, performance-wise, but is the most poorly recorded of the three.)

Phew, non-extrapolating descriptives.

Mr. HR just keeps getting better and better.

I know a Scotch Whisky Judge who romanticilly describes the various and myriad flavor tones of Aged Laphroaig by splashing word-shadings to it's taste qualities. Our Mr.HR seems to be getting dam close to those phraisy UK image illustrators .

Well, this is a delightful read, it makes me pine to experience the same sense of thrill.

But, I'm still experiencing delight from my Sennheiser HD600 Headphones. ( does anyone have a loudspeaker/amp that can outperform them? )

Tony in Michigan

ps. I'll be going to North Carolina to meed those Cary people, they'll probably help me own something useful.

..bought these bad boys over 20 yrs ago and have no plans to “upgrade”..

HR could review Rogue Audio Pharaoh integrated amp for comparison, $3,500 ........ It is a hybrid tube/class-D transistor design ......... Rated 185 WPC/8 ohms and 350 WPC/4 Ohms :-) ...........

The ST-100 is miles ahead of the Pharaoh (I've owned both), so I doubt Rogue will shoot themselves in the feet by submitting one for review.

would be the Cary against the Rogue Cronus Magnum II - less than half the price of the SLI-100.

At least the CMII manages to output power near that of the manufacturer's claim. It also appears to have better quality transformers than the Cary.

..I’ve just got some beautifully distorted sound on my pc for 5971$ less.

'Doubling' ........ double your pleasure with ............. :-) .........