Affordable integrated pure class A?


Any recommendations on a pure class A integrated under 2k? Is the Belles Arias Class A?
stuff_jones
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Assuming you meant 85db, not 85hz, you're correct that those are low efficiency speakers and will need plenty of power. It could be class A, but that would cost you a pretty penny, for sure, especially if you go tubes. If you are on a modest budget, considering easier to drive speakers will make things much easier on your amp choice. 
FWIW, I have 85db Sound Lab electrostatics and also love the sound of many class A amps. I spent over $3k on a used Krell FBP-300, which is a fraction of the cost of other tube amps that I used with the SLs previously. At 85db, you want to be pretty committed to the speakers, as I am, knowing that amp matching will always be important and relatively expensive. Cheers,
Spencer
A really great sounding inexpensive integrated is a Tandberg TIA3012.  It’ll set you back $300-350 and is heavily biased into class A as it runs very warm to the touch.  I had one for a few years and loved it.  Kept it on all the time with about 4-5” of ventilation on top.  100 wpc, MOSFET outputs, very warm and tubey sounding.  I would take one anyway over NAD or many others mentioned.  Only sold it to go to separates.
Looks like I'm a little late to the party, but might I suggest trying to find a Yamaha R-9 receiver? It has a front-panel button for 'Auto Class A', which gives you about 30 watts of beautiful, pure Class A power (about 15 w/ch), beyond which it seamlessly transitions into Class A/B mode up to full rated power (conservatively rated 125 w/ch into 8 ohms, 20-20kHz @ .015 THD).

I've had an R-9 since new, bought back around 1985. The R-9 was Yamaha's flagship receiver, and I've never had the slightest problem with it - built well, and still looks and works like the day I bought it. Currently, my main system's preamp feeds the R-9 to power four sets of indoor and outdoor speakers around the house.

The R-9 is especially great if you have speakers efficient enough to keep the amp running in Class A mode most of the time - even those who aren't big Yamaha 'Natural Sound' fans say that the R-9 in Class A mode is a totally different animal. (Just be sure you have good ventilation, or even a small fan - 'Auto Class A' kicks off enough heat to fry eggs on the top of the receiver!)

From my experience, the R-9 was a very good, solidly built receiver that just never seemed to get enough respect, especially given its fairly unique Class A capabilities. A quick check on eBay shows several fully functional R-9s going for prices between $75 and $200, although one described as "fully restored" was priced around $1300.

A decent R-9 might be a good way to get your feet wet in the "Class A waters" without a mid four-figure outlay. If desired, you could then make a more confident investment into one of the more expensive alternatives, and easily resell the R-9 for whatever you paid for it.