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Please help - WHICH INTEGRATED AMP?

Hello everyone!

I've just registered a moment ago to ask you good folks for your opinions. I need to buy a new integrated amp.

I listen all sorts of music, but predominantly 70's and 80's rock, metal, disco and synth-pop. I listen a lot of orchestral soundtracks too.

I have Sonus faber Toy Towers which I generally like very much, but in my room of 19 square meters they tend to produce a bit too much bass with my old amp (Magnum IA.170) and Kimber 8 PR speaker cables.

I've recently sold Magnum and I want to change speaker cables. I still have no idea about cables, but regarding the amplifier - right now, here where I live in central Europe, there are 4 used integrated amps in second-hand market, which are interesting to me.

They are all similarly priced, similarly old, all in allegedly fantastic condition. Since I never heard any of them, and since they all have excellent reviews, I thought that I might try to ask here for a help, which one to choose:
1) Krell KAV-300i - around 20 years old, $870
2) Densen DM-10 - around 18 years old, $970
3) Electrocompaniet ECI-4 - around 14 years old, $1100
4) Accuphase E-212 - around 14 years old, $1200

The 5th option would be to buy a new JOB INTegrated - or - JOB 225 power amplifier in combination with some head-amp which would primarily serve as preamp (like Marantz HD-DAC1 or Naim DAC-V1). Both JOBs have a price of $1700 and that is the highest price I am able to pay for amp.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this.
audiosonicsound
freediver
585 posts
 
OP,don't worry about power in your size room!Until a recent upgrade to all tube EL34 integrated I have been blissfully running my TT's with a 20wpc.hybrid 12AX7/MOSFET amp which sounded about as good as you can get with SS amps.All the amps on your list have plenty of power,just different presentations of it's use.
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
Freediver, I was thinking the same thing. The ECI-4 would be delivering 120 watts @8 ohms, and that amp has claimed peak current of 80amps which is a lot. There will be plenty of current to control the drivers, and unless you listen at insane listening volumes, the Electro should not run out of puff.
freediver
585 posts
 
80 FREAKIN AMPS!!!I could easily weld with that amp!
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
4,966 posts
 

These tests are measured by Sound & Vision and HT Labs, and you’ll nearly always find that in depth tests differ sometimes quite a lot to the average mean specs manufactures print, you just need to look at Stereophiles in depth bench test and compare to the manufacturers quoted spec.

Here is a bit more to look at from the Toy Tower test as done by Sound & Vision HT Labs.

"The Toy Tower’s listening-window response (a five-point average of axial and +/–15-degree horizontal and vertical responses) measures +0.99/–3.79 decibels from 200 hertz to 10 kilohertz. The –3-dB point is at 84 Hz, and the –6-dB point is at 61 Hz. Impedance reaches a minimum of 4.96 ohms at 141 Hz and a phase angle of –56.28 degrees at 69 Hz. L/R Sensitivity: 87 dB from 500 Hz to 2 kHz"


Cheers George




audiosonicsound OP
32 posts
 
After seeing your thoughts here, and after talking to one elderly constructor of audio equipment, I'm much closer to reaching my decision. Most likely that will be new amplifier, either JOB 225 or JOB INT. If I don't buy JOB, then I will go with Electrocompaniet.
It seems that Krell KAV-300i was not an extremely succesful design, bearing a little in common with prior classic Krells.
While both Densen and Accuphase ARE great amplifiers, they are both too old. Their age now is such that problems can be expected in near future, and repairing them would be too expensive and too difficult, especially here where I live.
While the 14-years old Electrocompaniet is by far the best choice among these 4 used amps, a new JOB would be even better choice.
If you agree or disagree, you're welcome to comment if you feel like it. Especially if you're familiar with JOB AND Electrocompaniet .
Thank you all for reading and contributing to this little thread.
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