Columns Retired Columns & Blogs |
Integrateds have come an extremely long way in the past 510 years. Back then, I would probably have to give the proverbial nod to a pre/power setup but in today's market, you can spend considerably less on a great integrated, and in some instances, get great sound that may end up costing you three or four times more in a pre/power arrangement. You just can't beat that kind of quality for your buck. They're made by companies like Creek, Bryston, Magnum Dynalab, Musical Fidelity, Cary, Conrad Johnson, Rega, and the list goes on. Companies like these have answered the audiophile call for great affordable sound and the technology in integrateds has advanced to a point where it is really hard to tell which could be more advantageous in todays market. But after recently getting a chance to hear the new Mark Levinson 383 integrated and seeing (and hearing) how great an integrated component has become in its advanced design and overall presentation of sound reproduction, I may never go back to pre/power.