Based on earlier videos, this confirms my choice of the TA1 as my first audiophile amp. Paired with other videos’ recommendations of the Debut 3.0 65 and the 10E RSL Speedwoofer, I just love the sound of this system! Thanks Randy for all the analyses of these products!
Cambridge Audio AXR100 as well. $599, 100wx2 into 8ohms, decent built-in DAC, phono stage, AM/FM tuner, tone controls, subwoofer out, tape out. Basically all the things the AXR35 doesn't have. If you don't need the DAC, then get the AXR85.
@@wallacestewart5305I've had the 100 and the 35. As far as sound, the 35 has a much better signature but am dumbfounded as to why they couldn't have given it a little more power. It's still one of the best for what it does, no doubt.
Four years ago I bought the newly released CA AXA35, a great solid simple amp but I returned it in favour of the Denon pma 600NE because I wanted an all in one bt and dac amp but I regret it even now. They sounded the same warm lush punchy. This year I wanted to change the Denon for the Rotel A10 mk2 but it sold out so I didn't have the patience and went with Marantz 6007, and it sounds great. Another 450 eu/usd great option. I am pleased with it.
Others worth considering are the superb NAD 316BEE, on sale at Crutchfield for $399, the Rotel A8 for $449, and the sensational Arcam SA10, an $880 amp, on sale for $499!
Wot, no NAD C-316BEE V2? It's got: BEE's PowerDrive, thru-hole parts, excellent tonality & gets great reviews. It's the only class AB amp remaining in NAD's lineup. Buy it for $350 while you still can! I agree with you regarding Yamaha, Marantz & Denon internals, the're a scary mess compared with other brands!
Just as it was discontinued, I bought the CXA61 for $599.00. Great amp, no phono stage but a very good DAC, sub out, pre out and a bunch of digital and analogue inputs and 2 sets of speakers terminals. Solid construction and good remote, very happy with it.
absolutely love my yamaha as301...have it paired with a schiit modi+ and a pair of klipsch kg 5.5 with crites titanium tweeters and crites crossovers. this combo is pure magic!
I have the v385, with a pair of Klipsch rb81s. Nice thing about it is the built in crossover and speaker configurations. Although I only use it in 2 or 3 channel. No complaints with the Yamaha.
Owned the Rotel A8 $449 for two weeks. Sounded great with that typical Rotel sound. Gave it 5 stars on crutchfield then it immediately broke, sent it back.
@@Carl-bd1rf That's sad though not uncommon with many venerated Mfg'ers it's a quality control issue. Typically there is a basic standard that a certain percentage will get past that threshold. It is something like 3% is considered as a 100% success rate. As in life nothing is 100%.
SMSL AO300 Home DAC Amp, CS43131 & MA5332MS, 165W*2 Power Amp, BT/USB/OPT/COAX/HDMI(ARC)/RCA to Speaker/Subwoofer DAC Amplifier with 4.4mm/6.35mm Headphone Output, MQA DAC Amplifier (Silver). previously highly recommended on this channel, bought one, the best £172.24 pounds UK I have spent on an amp. An Amazon day special reduced from 259.00 pounds.
I had a AS301 with KG 4.2’s and it seemed it lacked some power when turned up- I ended up returning and going a different direction. i have a 501 in the office with Epic CF2’s and its absolutely stunning sound- very clean, love all the details in the upper mid to highs also with solid defined bass. When looking for a intergrated amp, I skipped Denon actuallly due to the internal pic. Looked sloppy. Have to agree with other posters no NAD 316?
Agree with you on the 501, better then A10, Arcam, Rega Brio, Cambridge, Denon, in same price bracket or more. I A/B'ed all oh them on 3 different bookshelf and was amazed by the fact it was more precise, cleaner while imaging good. I wish I could afford the Yam 3200, a masterpiece of an amp!
Enjoyed your review and I’m in the market for a new small integrated to go with my old Linn Kans in the kitchen, would the Emotiva be a good pairing? I have a lot of friends who are looking at buying easy to use small systems to enjoy and your channel is perfect for them! Many thanks again, London Steve
If you could just increase your budget to $650 dollars, I'm sure that you could get the marantz 6007 amp, which I believe would beat all these amps. It also has a great DAC. I own one and visitors who haven't heard it are blown away when I demo it. It is so punchy. Award winning amp. And fully featured.
I have a slightly different model of the Yamaha at home. It's been awesome. Wife is the audiophile, we have kilipsch tower speakers, but she has been very pleased.
That emotiva looks wonderful. Wish it wasnt so big though im trying to strealine, but might be hard to pass up. With that amazing sale its also hard not to buy now, but with Black Friday upon us i wonder if the sale will get even better? Is this the lowest the TA1 has been or has it been known to be lower?
Re streamlining, i bought a keces e40 a few years back black Friday sale. Small, fantastic SQ with pre outs for sub. Bought another nib at discount just to have it. Recently picked up a Van alstine ca 1 and surprised how well the keces does against it. These both stand up well to much more expensive gear only limited by power.
Going for "cheap" power nothing beats open box units. You can get a $1000 amp open box for as low as $500. I just picked up a Arcam SA10 for $375 as a open box from Best buy. Audio equipment depreciates hard and fast.
It seems like Mosimo/sound United is focusing more on home theater with their Denon brand and is leaving the two channel gear for their Marantz brand. It would be nice if they would release an integrated under $800 though.
I have a Sony DH590 that I’ve had for like eight years. Would the Emotiva be much of an upgrade? Sound wise bc I know there’s no hdmi offered from the emotiva.
Wish you would have stated more about the sound quality side a little bit more and which one has the best sound quality regardless of missing features etc. I'm after a more holographic sound and I want an amp that can do that please what would you recommend for me?
An honorable mention should be the Crown XLS 1002 or the bigger brothers. I have good results with it, especially when driving power-hungry speakers. It has a neutral and not the most refined sound and is ugly, but it hit all the areas of good sound quality with disency. For the price, if you have a good DAC with balance output, it will probably smoke this list when it comes to value$$, power, and good sound.
Just spit balling: in the past you Randy had an episode where you hinted of hooking up a TA1 with the ZA3's. Have you tried this and how did it sound? Taking it another step in the thought process, would changing the ZA3's to a pair of Outlaw Audio 2220 and using the Bluesound Node Nano a good step up from a reference of the Wiim Ultra? One more Q4U - does the speakers need to match the system? Putting a $500 or $1k into the amp+ streamer/turntable would aesthetically need $1k speakers, I mean wouldn't CSS5's seem out of place for a small room (12x14)? Wouldn't a Focal Theva fit the rest of it over an Elac or QAccoustics?
How does the HTA200 from Dayton Audio compare to these. Would be nice to include for the tube pre-amp section option and it looks awesome! $399.98 on Daytona Website. American company.
I have one an absolutely love it. Only thing is you really don't want to count in it's phono stage. Kind of a bummer because it only has one other analog input, so if you run a phono preamp, you're out of luck on additional analog inputs. But I also have a CD player and hooked it up via the optical in and it sounds great and I also run a laptop into it for streaming. It has a really rich, warm sound you'd expect from tube. Looks really cool too.
Strong competitors could also be the Advance Acoustic Xi-50BT (phono, pre out, bluetooth) and the Cambridge AXR85 (phono, sub out and tuner). Apart from the (not that much) price difference, I can't see why anyone would choose the AXR35 over the 85.
Aliens! That's an easy one. One of my favorite franchises. I think Bill Paxton was the only actor to be killed by an xenomorph, a predator, and a terminator. I might be making that up, but I think I'm right.
whoa.... that legit just blew my mind. I had to think hard about the terminator until I remembered he was in literally the first scene with the spiked hair... I'm going to use that if you'll let me!
LOL! “Looks like my living room… “ ha ha ha ha! We have a 6-year-old girl, so I think our living room looks like the inside of a Denon amp as well! Instead of transistors and caps, it’s plushies and art supplies.
I do not understand why nobody makes an decent Stereo Amplifier with 1 HDMI ARC a couple analogs in and good power output. WITHOUT internet, wireless, streaming, spotify, blutetooth in bluetooth out, Wi-Fi out and in and whatever here and there. How about something simple, and the controller, oh man, there is so many bad controllers too. But if it has HDMI ARC you do not need to use it that much. Because of the lack of simple, but not too simple stuff, is the reason I still have my Surround Receiver, everytime I look for something new I come to the conclusion that I probably have enough power and it is really expensive to upgrade to something that is better on paper.
@ Randy. Great video! Nice comparison even though I do think some of the amplifiers are pretty expensive for what they are. I have been looking hard at the Emotiva TA-1 myself and that does seem to come in at a reasonable price, especially if it is currently on sale for $399. The Rotel looks nicely built, but as pointed out, it is very basic and I feel it is overpriced. I think this should be a $450 amp at best. The Yamaha looks like it would be a better bang for the buck than the Rotel, but it is as you said. Yamaha's can be very sterile sounding in the mid-high range. They have great lows and a good build quality too, but again, it does seem a bit high for what you get. Now, don't get me started on the Cambridge AXA35. As with all Cambridge units they are WAY overpriced for what they are. I mean compared to all the other units, this one has the least power from the get go. This should be a $200 to $250 unit at best. Why I say this? Well, lets go to the facts, shall we? Zip along down to 17:34 and pause. Okay so on the specs here, the power figure line, you have 35 watts per channel at 8 ohms 20 to 20k at .15% distortion. That is the highest distortion figure of all the other amplifiers, but wait! ..it gets worse. Look at what it says after that. The distortion figure is at 80% power? So who knows what it really is at rated power. I NEVER see a (higher end) company rate an amplifier this way. I bet at the full output of 35wpc, it is probably around .5 to .9 distortion. Some might argue that the average human ear cannot hear that, but again we are looking at what you are getting for the price and Cambridge Audio supposed to be hi-end, right? Now, I am not done yet. Move down one line to the signal to noise ratio, which is 82db? I am HOPING that is just for the phono stage because if that is the SNR for the whole unit, that isn't very good. Most of the other amplifiers have over 90db for a line stage and even 85db for a phono stage. So, I would have to agree with you here that for overall general use, the Emotiva TA-1 definitely gets the seal of approval from me. Then comes the Wiim amp because of the features you get for the price. Really the Wiim Amp and the Emotiva TA-1 seem like the really only good values here. The others seem to lack features and/or are overpriced.
So if I get it right in the end of the day all those 200$ smsl-topping-naim amps are good enough for the price, but they can not fight this old gang, are not they? I am talking about pure sound right now and do not touch anything above.
This is a perfect video for me. I'm a newbie, and I try to select my first amp. I was thinking about Emotiva and Yamaha and I think this video helped me to make a final decision. Now speakers... I'm thinking about Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II and ELAC Debut Reference B6.2. Any suggestions?
His video On the Klipsch RB 61 ii vs RP-600M II convinced me to get the RB 61 ii's He said there was very little difference is sound quality to justify the price difference.. I'm more than happy with them, I'm no "audiophile" but I do know good clean sound.... You could save a few bucks unless you just WANT the RP-600M.... I understand that too.... LOL
@@robertgworek2497 Unfortunately the RB-61's are back up to $350. from the $250. I paid... But black Friday and cyber Monday are coming up, maybe they'll go on sale...
I'm torn between an integrated or going dual-mono Fosi. Either way, there's a WIIM Ultra front and center. In the day, I was Yamaha/Klipsch as my perfect warm sound. Suggestions?
"It looks like **I** made it." LOL. I get exactly what you mean. Hey, I solder. I know what all the components do. I can cobble this together... But it will look like hell. Randy, did you ever do any Heath Kit projects back in the day?
i have an Emotiva PT-2 pre-amp and an A2 amp, i will say i love the Emotiva's but the built-in phono stage and the internal dac are way under powered, meaning compared to my outboard phono pre and my geshelli j2s dac or fiio k11, they are way quiet and i have to turn the volume to 55-60 vs. 40-45 from my outboard gear to get anywhere near the same spl's. plus the internal dac is not great. get a Fiio K11 r2r for $130 and you're in business. just my opinion.
I owned a Yamaha as 500, thought the bass wasn't the greatest, no mention of the wobbly binding posts on the back either, had the Cambridge AXA 35 for a short time, good sounding amp, ruined by the terrible tone controls that on went up/down in increments of 2!, so could never get quite the tone I wanted, I've been using the Denon PMA 800ne for 3+ years now, built with better parts than the 600ne, a hidden gem as far as I'm concerned, also still using a rotel a11 tribute for when I want a change of sound, both the denon, rotel make for a great used option if your on a budget, surprised the marantz pm 6007 wasn't included in this list, not a fan of the v curve sound, so haven't owned one yet😉
Thought I would check out Bryston and they seem to only be interested in trade shows. Go figure why near nobody on RUclips reviews their products. Too bad as their equipment is hand made with the best electronics on the market and comes with a 20 year warranty. Haha, plus if someone's equipment is 40 + years old they will rebuild it. I found out a while ago that they were bought out roughly 3 years ago by the speaker manufacturer that custom made their speaker line. One would think they would promote more in this tube and they are made in Canada/The $ exchange rate with the US typically works out to about $0.74 in the dollar.
i bought a ta1 based on glowing reviews from you and the audio philiac. ive been disappointed in its shrill sound...only the Robinson guy pointed it out. after i realized its not hifi, but rather a damn good way to stream background music off your phone i understood its niche
I don’t trust US companies anymore. It’s usually very expensive just because US infrastructure is very lacking compared to China If buy a Topping, Ayma etc. You get exactly what you paid for
Well, an afterthought speaker pairing also plays into that sound signature... That could be as much an issue as that niche Andrew made reference to. Just saying as many if not all the other reviewers I follow make that point.. pointedly Tarun the British Audiophile, Thomas and Stereo, are just a few. You might consider if you haven't already barrow some speakers from friends and check into it...just saying. Another issue not pointed out as often as it should is ears are fairly individual as are our perceptions of what we hear. Some people are more or less susceptible to cret frequencies causing listener fatigue, but that too is again a sign ears are different as not all of us sense the same issue at the exact same frequency.
Funny. I did the same and absolutely love it. But trusted reviews on speakers and hated them. You really have to listen before you know, especially since many you tubers have a financial interest through their links, etc.
Listening to hifi or music seriously is a whole skill in itself. You must use your ears. I say grab the 3 best speakers in your price range and look at them properly and try to understand the build quality, weight, materials etc and isten to them all with one amp and see what you like in general. Then you change the amp and see how that changes anything. But tbh this is a laborious process but enjoyable for serious hifi lovers. No one takes it that seriously. So called music lovers of today haven't heard any decent gear in their life.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Emotiva TA1 bit.ly/3AMpV4r (affiliate)
Cambridge AXA 35 howl.link/clIpROSwbYH (affiliate)
Yamaha AS301 howl.link/cjWnduNs1ib (affiliate)
Rotel A10 mk ii howl.link/clgnccSdaf4 (affiliate)
Wiim Amp Pro howl.link/amt5habpj1xph (affiliate)
Denon PMA600NE howl.link/iu96b5zgfvh0f (affiliate)
The Denon has a tape loop so it HAS pre-outs ,, you can definitely hook up an EQ.
Cambridge AXA35 has tone controls. You need to press the menu button to access it
Based on earlier videos, this confirms my choice of the TA1 as my first audiophile amp. Paired with other videos’ recommendations of the Debut 3.0 65 and the 10E RSL Speedwoofer, I just love the sound of this system! Thanks Randy for all the analyses of these products!
Thanks!
Cambridge Audio AXR100 as well. $599, 100wx2 into 8ohms, decent built-in DAC, phono stage, AM/FM tuner, tone controls, subwoofer out, tape out. Basically all the things the AXR35 doesn't have. If you don't need the DAC, then get the AXR85.
Another receiver and not a very good one at that. I particularly dislike the remote and the gain structure. PITA to use.
I have the AXR100 and love it!
That is a Receiver, not an integrated amp. Just saying 😅
@@wallacestewart5305I've had the 100 and the 35. As far as sound, the 35 has a much better signature but am dumbfounded as to why they couldn't have given it a little more power. It's still one of the best for what it does, no doubt.
Aliens! One of my favorite movies of all time! RIP Bill Paxton.
Nailed it
mine too ;)
Four years ago I bought the newly released CA AXA35, a great solid simple amp but I returned it in favour of the Denon pma 600NE because I wanted an all in one bt and dac amp but I regret it even now.
They sounded the same warm lush punchy.
This year I wanted to change the Denon for the Rotel A10 mk2 but it sold out so I didn't have the patience and went with Marantz 6007, and it sounds great. Another 450 eu/usd great option.
I am pleased with it.
Got the Ta1 based on your recommendation a year ago, and still am amazed by it. Just awesome :-)
Others worth considering are the superb NAD 316BEE, on sale at Crutchfield for $399, the Rotel A8 for $449, and the sensational Arcam SA10, an $880 amp, on sale for $499!
Seems like the NAD C 316BEE should have been included on this list.
I just bought one and it’s absolutely stunning sound. I love the sound quality way more than my Yamaha AS801
Exactly what I was thinking. It‘s a great sounding and looking amp for the money. I love it, especially with the matching CD-Player
Wot, no NAD C-316BEE V2? It's got: BEE's PowerDrive, thru-hole parts, excellent tonality & gets great reviews. It's the only class AB amp remaining in NAD's lineup. Buy it for $350 while you still can!
I agree with you regarding Yamaha, Marantz & Denon internals, the're a scary mess compared with other brands!
Just as it was discontinued, I bought the CXA61 for $599.00. Great amp, no phono stage but a very good DAC, sub out, pre out and a bunch of digital and analogue inputs and 2 sets of speakers terminals. Solid construction and good remote, very happy with it.
AXA 35 does have tone controls , push the volume button to get bass, treble and balance
absolutely love my yamaha as301...have it paired with a schiit modi+ and a pair of klipsch kg 5.5 with crites titanium tweeters and crites crossovers. this combo is pure magic!
I have the v385, with a pair of Klipsch rb81s. Nice thing about it is the built in crossover and speaker configurations. Although I only use it in 2 or 3 channel. No complaints with the Yamaha.
The Denon pma600ne is one of my all time favorite integrated amps for sure....
Cambridge still sells AXR100 for around $400 on eBay store. Best value Int. Amp.
good show,need to check the NAD 316 out,thanks for great show
Owned the Rotel A8 $449 for two weeks. Sounded great with that typical Rotel sound. Gave it 5 stars on crutchfield then it immediately broke, sent it back.
@@Carl-bd1rf That's sad though not uncommon with many venerated Mfg'ers it's a quality control issue. Typically there is a basic standard that a certain percentage will get past that threshold. It is something like 3% is considered as a 100% success rate. As in life nothing is 100%.
I suppose.
But there are two things that are 100% in life: taxes and death!😂
I have a Rotel amplifier and Preamplifier I bought exactly 30 years ago and it’s still working fine.
Hey Randy, thanks for this. You mentioned the early 80s Pioneer sound, still got my A400, sonic gold!
Aliens sequel to Alien .. love those Xenomorphs…. RIP Mr. Paxton!
SMSL AO300 Home DAC Amp, CS43131 & MA5332MS, 165W*2 Power Amp, BT/USB/OPT/COAX/HDMI(ARC)/RCA to Speaker/Subwoofer DAC Amplifier with 4.4mm/6.35mm Headphone Output, MQA DAC Amplifier (Silver). previously highly recommended on this channel, bought one, the best £172.24 pounds UK I have spent on an amp. An Amazon day special reduced from 259.00 pounds.
I had a AS301 with KG 4.2’s and it seemed it lacked some power when turned up- I ended up returning and going a different direction. i have a 501 in the office with Epic CF2’s and its absolutely stunning sound- very clean, love all the details in the upper mid to highs also with solid defined bass.
When looking for a intergrated amp, I skipped Denon actuallly due to the internal pic. Looked sloppy.
Have to agree with other posters no NAD 316?
Agree with you on the 501, better then A10, Arcam, Rega Brio, Cambridge, Denon, in same price bracket or more. I A/B'ed all oh them on 3 different bookshelf and was amazed by the fact it was more precise, cleaner while imaging good. I wish I could afford the Yam 3200, a masterpiece of an amp!
Aliens, Bill Paxton just kills it, and nice impersonation btw. Thanks for the very informative video.
Enjoyed your review and I’m in the market for a new small integrated to go with my old Linn Kans in the kitchen, would the Emotiva be a good pairing? I have a lot of friends who are looking at buying easy to use small systems to enjoy and your channel is perfect for them! Many thanks again, London Steve
If you could just increase your budget to $650 dollars, I'm sure that you could get the marantz 6007 amp, which I believe would beat all these amps. It also has a great DAC. I own one and visitors who haven't heard it are blown away when I demo it. It is so punchy. Award winning amp. And fully featured.
That is much cheaper in Europe right now on sale around 400 Euro
I have a slightly different model of the Yamaha at home. It's been awesome. Wife is the audiophile, we have kilipsch tower speakers, but she has been very pleased.
Two presses on the remote and your into the tone settings on the Emotiva, I don’t understand how it could be any easier!
TA-2 owner... Agreed.
Cool video thanks .
Silly question can you poot a Pre-amp between a DAC (rme ADI 2) and an integrated amp?
It's a bug hunt!
Hudson!!!!
Bill Paxton gold, right there!
How would this compare to spending the same level of money on say a 2X Fosi ZA3 (mono) and Fosi ZD3 with Sparkos Op Amps?
I have no problem with the wiim amps power, q acoustics sounds great with it, especially with streaming and cds.
That's it, game over man, game over. What're we gonna do? What're we gonna do? RIP Bill Paxton. Aliens will forever be a classic.
That emotiva looks wonderful. Wish it wasnt so big though im trying to strealine, but might be hard to pass up. With that amazing sale its also hard not to buy now, but with Black Friday upon us i wonder if the sale will get even better? Is this the lowest the TA1 has been or has it been known to be lower?
Re streamlining, i bought a keces e40 a few years back black Friday sale. Small, fantastic SQ with pre outs for sub. Bought another nib at discount just to have it. Recently picked up a Van alstine ca 1 and surprised how well the keces does against it. These both stand up well to much more expensive gear only limited by power.
Any alternative for the sound of the Rotel a10 but with dac and sub out? Think that would suit me best for my needs.
What do you mean by needing a "front end" for the axa 35? Can you not just plug speakers into the back and a turntable?
Pioneer A-40E series MIA, not good compared to the ones on your list?
Great evaluation across function and sound qualities.
Question. the emotiva cd player and preamp both have dacs. Which DAC processes?
Nice review 👍
No Marantz PM6007 or NAD C316BEE v2... on this list?! Oh well, the beat goes on...
Another excellent video , thanks
No Iota VX?
List invalid
Cambridge AXA35 has tone controls 7:35 !!!
Going for "cheap" power nothing beats open box units. You can get a $1000 amp open box for as low as $500. I just picked up a Arcam SA10 for $375 as a open box from Best buy. Audio equipment depreciates hard and fast.
Does WiiM sale amps that are rack lenght in size?
What amp gives you that holographic type of sound nowadays with imaging etc?
It seems like Mosimo/sound United is focusing more on home theater with their Denon brand and is leaving the two channel gear for their Marantz brand. It would be nice if they would release an integrated under $800 though.
I have a Emotiva A2 that I am going to pair with the TA1 at some point. Maybe it will be my christmas thing this year?
@
Just purchase the PT1 since you already have the amplifier!
@@johnstump2433 Okay. Yes, that makes sense.
@@johnstump2433 Just ordered the PT1. 20% discount at the moment and free shipping!
T2 is the best sequel ever, Aliens is up there for sure though.
My fav as well!
Am I correct you can now use the Wiim Amp as a pre-amp since the last update that made USB-audio-out available?
Hey Randy! which one would you recommend to power 4 ohm speakers (left and right ina 5.1 system) trhough an AVR??
The last part explained it a bit more👍🏾
Seems like maybe emotiva for me or maybe the Cambridge as I can get them cheaper in the UK👍🏾
Bring it Cheap Audio!
I have the Emotiva TA1 and just heard you mention the sale, so I grabbed the XB2 speakers for $399. Thanks.
I did also but ended up buying the Elac debut 3.0 65 speakers since the XB2’s were out of stock. Added the RSL 10E speed woofer and love the result!
I have a Sony DH590 that I’ve had for like eight years. Would the Emotiva be much of an upgrade? Sound wise bc I know there’s no hdmi offered from the emotiva.
Starke audio has 4 channels for 800$ on sale. This is well reviewed class d that is bridgeable with XLR.
I have the yamaha as501 I am curious to see if it sounds better on the mids and highs than the yamaha as301
I like this review, very good review. I like cheap class AB amps because I modify them to get something better without spending a fortune.
What do you do to mod them?
@@galessi1226 I put in better capacitors, increased the cap if I could, and changed the power cord.
Hk3490 was known to be modifiable.
if I wanted to hook up a TA-66 headphone amp to the TA-1 what's the best way?
Bill Paxton scene in "Aliens".
Wish you would have stated more about the sound quality side a little bit more and which one has the best sound quality regardless of missing features etc. I'm after a more holographic sound and I want an amp that can do that please what would you recommend for me?
An honorable mention should be the Crown XLS 1002 or the bigger brothers. I have good results with it, especially when driving power-hungry speakers. It has a neutral and not the most refined sound and is ugly, but it hit all the areas of good sound quality with disency. For the price, if you have a good DAC with balance output, it will probably smoke this list when it comes to value$$, power, and good sound.
$600.00 - Reverse the inflation on this to the 70's/Vintage. Just did and $128 USD
What’s happened with separate power amplifiers that are designed for the entry level market?
Just spit balling: in the past you Randy had an episode where you hinted of hooking up a TA1 with the ZA3's. Have you tried this and how did it sound? Taking it another step in the thought process, would changing the ZA3's to a pair of Outlaw Audio 2220 and using the Bluesound Node Nano a good step up from a reference of the Wiim Ultra? One more Q4U - does the speakers need to match the system? Putting a $500 or $1k into the amp+ streamer/turntable would aesthetically need $1k speakers, I mean wouldn't CSS5's seem out of place for a small room (12x14)? Wouldn't a Focal Theva fit the rest of it over an Elac or QAccoustics?
How does the HTA200 from Dayton Audio compare to these. Would be nice to include for the tube pre-amp section option and it looks awesome! $399.98 on Daytona Website. American company.
I have one an absolutely love it. Only thing is you really don't want to count in it's phono stage. Kind of a bummer because it only has one other analog input, so if you run a phono preamp, you're out of luck on additional analog inputs. But I also have a CD player and hooked it up via the optical in and it sounds great and I also run a laptop into it for streaming. It has a really rich, warm sound you'd expect from tube. Looks really cool too.
We're is the nad 316 ? It's very good😊
Strong competitors could also be the Advance Acoustic Xi-50BT (phono, pre out, bluetooth) and the Cambridge AXR85 (phono, sub out and tuner). Apart from the (not that much) price difference, I can't see why anyone would choose the AXR35 over the 85.
Just use a Rel sub with high level input with amps with no sub out. It's the better way to hook up a sub anyway.
Aliens! That's an easy one. One of my favorite franchises.
I think Bill Paxton was the only actor to be killed by an xenomorph, a predator, and a terminator. I might be making that up, but I think I'm right.
whoa.... that legit just blew my mind. I had to think hard about the terminator until I remembered he was in literally the first scene with the spiked hair... I'm going to use that if you'll let me!
LOL! “Looks like my living room… “ ha ha ha ha! We have a 6-year-old girl, so I think our living room looks like the inside of a Denon amp as well! Instead of transistors and caps, it’s plushies and art supplies.
Cambridge Audio AXR 85 and AXR 100?
Aliens was a great movie!
I missed which ones had pre out.
I do not understand why nobody makes an decent Stereo Amplifier with 1 HDMI ARC a couple analogs in and good power output. WITHOUT internet, wireless, streaming, spotify, blutetooth in bluetooth out, Wi-Fi out and in and whatever here and there.
How about something simple, and the controller, oh man, there is so many bad controllers too. But if it has HDMI ARC you do not need to use it that much.
Because of the lack of simple, but not too simple stuff, is the reason I still have my Surround Receiver, everytime I look for something new I come to the conclusion that I probably have enough power and it is really expensive to upgrade to something that is better on paper.
I love Aliens. Great movie.
@ Randy. Great video! Nice comparison even though I do think some of the amplifiers are pretty expensive for what they are. I have been looking hard at the Emotiva TA-1 myself and that does seem to come in at a reasonable price, especially if it is currently on sale for $399. The Rotel looks nicely built, but as pointed out, it is very basic and I feel it is overpriced. I think this should be a $450 amp at best. The Yamaha looks like it would be a better bang for the buck than the Rotel, but it is as you said. Yamaha's can be very sterile sounding in the mid-high range. They have great lows and a good build quality too, but again, it does seem a bit high for what you get. Now, don't get me started on the Cambridge AXA35. As with all Cambridge units they are WAY overpriced for what they are. I mean compared to all the other units, this one has the least power from the get go. This should be a $200 to $250 unit at best. Why I say this? Well, lets go to the facts, shall we? Zip along down to 17:34 and pause. Okay so on the specs here, the power figure line, you have 35 watts per channel at 8 ohms 20 to 20k at .15% distortion. That is the highest distortion figure of all the other amplifiers, but wait! ..it gets worse. Look at what it says after that. The distortion figure is at 80% power? So who knows what it really is at rated power. I NEVER see a (higher end) company rate an amplifier this way. I bet at the full output of 35wpc, it is probably around .5 to .9 distortion. Some might argue that the average human ear cannot hear that, but again we are looking at what you are getting for the price and Cambridge Audio supposed to be hi-end, right? Now, I am not done yet. Move down one line to the signal to noise ratio, which is 82db? I am HOPING that is just for the phono stage because if that is the SNR for the whole unit, that isn't very good. Most of the other amplifiers have over 90db for a line stage and even 85db for a phono stage. So, I would have to agree with you here that for overall general use, the Emotiva TA-1 definitely gets the seal of approval from me. Then comes the Wiim amp because of the features you get for the price. Really the Wiim Amp and the Emotiva TA-1 seem like the really only good values here. The others seem to lack features and/or are overpriced.
Please explain why you think a toroidal power supply is not linear. Please correct the error.
I thought the Yamaha was a bit bright I own one now the 501 it may be my speakers as well I have Bowers 706
So if I get it right in the end of the day all those 200$ smsl-topping-naim amps are good enough for the price, but they can not fight this old gang, are not they? I am talking about pure sound right now and do not touch anything above.
This is a perfect video for me. I'm a newbie, and I try to select my first amp. I was thinking about Emotiva and Yamaha and I think this video helped me to make a final decision. Now speakers... I'm thinking about Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II and ELAC Debut Reference B6.2. Any suggestions?
His video On the Klipsch RB 61 ii vs RP-600M II convinced me to get the RB 61 ii's
He said there was very little difference is sound quality to justify the price difference..
I'm more than happy with them, I'm no "audiophile" but I do know good clean sound....
You could save a few bucks unless you just WANT the RP-600M....
I understand that too.... LOL
@@2869may Thank you for this tip. I'm gonna search for that video in a moment.
@@robertgworek2497 Unfortunately the RB-61's are back up to $350. from the $250. I paid... But black Friday and cyber Monday are coming up, maybe they'll go on sale...
"It looks like my living room" lmao 😂🤣
I'm torn between an integrated or going dual-mono Fosi. Either way, there's a WIIM Ultra front and center. In the day, I was Yamaha/Klipsch as my perfect warm sound. Suggestions?
Dual Fosi. I believe you can return them if you don't like them.
I have the Yamaha a s301 paired with Klipsch Heresy iii's and absolutely love the sound I get.
I know NAD has never been highly esteemed but I love mine and IMO could've easily made this list
Sabaj a30a should be here.
"It looks like **I** made it."
LOL. I get exactly what you mean. Hey, I solder. I know what all the components do. I can cobble this together... But it will look like hell.
Randy, did you ever do any Heath Kit projects back in the day?
You should try Sakura 739 integrated Amplifier
Right now you can get the Marantz PM6007 for around 400 euro's in the Netherlands (I think it is outgoing)
i have an Emotiva PT-2 pre-amp and an A2 amp, i will say i love the Emotiva's but the built-in phono stage and the internal dac are way under powered, meaning compared to my outboard phono pre and my geshelli j2s dac or fiio k11, they are way quiet and i have to turn the volume to 55-60 vs. 40-45 from my outboard gear to get anywhere near the same spl's. plus the internal dac is not great. get a Fiio K11 r2r for $130 and you're in business. just my opinion.
Kenwood KR-W8000SCD-B
Where is the nad c316bee ?
You didnt say a word about sound of wiim amp because is bad. Rega brio si missing in this liste.
“It looks like I made it.” 😂
I owned a Yamaha as 500, thought the bass wasn't the greatest, no mention of the wobbly binding posts on the back either, had the Cambridge AXA 35 for a short time, good sounding amp, ruined by the terrible tone controls that on went up/down in increments of 2!, so could never get quite the tone I wanted, I've been using the Denon PMA 800ne for 3+ years now, built with better parts than the 600ne, a hidden gem as far as I'm concerned, also still using a rotel a11 tribute for when I want a change of sound, both the denon, rotel make for a great used option if your on a budget, surprised the marantz pm 6007 wasn't included in this list, not a fan of the v curve sound, so haven't owned one yet😉
Thought I would check out Bryston and they seem to only be interested in trade shows. Go figure why near nobody on RUclips reviews their products. Too bad as their equipment is hand made with the best electronics on the market and comes with a 20 year warranty. Haha, plus if someone's equipment is 40 + years old they will rebuild it. I found out a while ago that they were bought out roughly 3 years ago by the speaker manufacturer that custom made their speaker line. One would think they would promote more in this tube and they are made in Canada/The $ exchange rate with the US typically works out to about $0.74 in the dollar.
I came here to see Integrated Amplifiers and the first thing you show is a "Receiver"!
Can't find Emotiva 20%. Where please?
Go to their website.
i bought a ta1 based on glowing reviews from you and the audio philiac. ive been disappointed in its shrill sound...only the Robinson guy pointed it out. after i realized its not hifi, but rather a damn good way to stream background music off your phone i understood its niche
I don’t trust US companies anymore. It’s usually very expensive just because US infrastructure is very lacking compared to China
If buy a Topping, Ayma etc. You get exactly what you paid for
Well, an afterthought speaker pairing also plays into that sound signature... That could be as much an issue as that niche Andrew made reference to. Just saying as many if not all the other reviewers I follow make that point.. pointedly Tarun the British Audiophile, Thomas and Stereo, are just a few. You might consider if you haven't already barrow some speakers from friends and check into it...just saying. Another issue not pointed out as often as it should is ears are fairly individual as are our perceptions of what we hear. Some people are more or less susceptible to cret frequencies causing listener fatigue, but that too is again a sign ears are different as not all of us sense the same issue at the exact same frequency.
Funny. I did the same and absolutely love it. But trusted reviews on speakers and hated them. You really have to listen before you know, especially since many you tubers have a financial interest through their links, etc.
@@richgrao yes, that was one of the earliest things I learned some 45 plus yrs ago 😂.
Listening to hifi or music seriously is a whole skill in itself. You must use your ears. I say grab the 3 best speakers in your price range and look at them properly and try to understand the build quality, weight, materials etc and isten to them all with one amp and see what you like in general. Then you change the amp and see how that changes anything. But tbh this is a laborious process but enjoyable for serious hifi lovers. No one takes it that seriously. So called music lovers of today haven't heard any decent gear in their life.
Mike Campbell has Dirty Knobs.
for 711 dolars you could get denon pma900hne in japan