Best inexpensive integrated for PSB Gold speakers.

I have been extremely impressed with the Nad 370. I am using the 370 to drive the new Audio Physic Virgo 3's ($5500) and have been astounded by this amp. I bought it to tide me over until the new Bel Canto eVo integrated comes out later this month ($3200). I have been using it with a modified 9000es with a lot of SACD's the resolution power and control of this amp is amazing. In the latest Stereophile the measurements show it at 178W per Channel at 8ohms. If you need more power you can biamp with the NAD 270 power amp giving you 300W per channel The 270 can be had for a street price of around $500 and Qaudio.com has the 370 for $549 unbelievable.
For an inexpensive powerful integrated this is hands down the way to go ! This new Nad is so much better than the 317 and other previous Nad gear I have heard including pre-pow combos

Chelillingworth, have you had the chance to compare the NAD to similarly priced Rotel RB 1070(120W) or 1080(200W)? Reason I am asking is I'm in market for an inexpensive SS myself. I have been impressed w/ the Rotel but have not listened to the new NAD.

Thanks
I remain,

No I haven't I have been using Rogue Audio Madnum gear but sold it off because I needed some that I could leave on all the time and wouldn't create so much heat and for that I am waiting for the Bel Canto eVo integrated. I got a good deal on the NAD and am using to fill the time before the evo is released. I am just stunned out how good it is, I haven't done dircet comparisons and I know rotel makes good stuff but I don't think anyone can touch the 370 at this price, I paid $550 ym Satori speaker cables are $600 this is nuts !

...and you wouldn't catch me trying to power these boys with something under 100watts. My current SS amp is an EAD PowerMaster 2000, which dynamically steers power to the necessary channels. So, according to the manual, I'm delivering 2x3500 watts into the 4ohm speakers. They sound pretty good. Not GREAT, but in terms of price:performance, you'd be pretty impressed.

Before this, I've tried an Adcom 350x2 watt amp (cant remember the name), a 5x125watt multichannel amp i borrowed for a while (cant remember the name), a Denon AVR3600 and another Sony receiver. I've also heard the Golds through Brystons, Parasounds, and other EAD amps. In all cases, the speakers would not open up. Period. The Golds demand high levels of power, and really, really are not suitable for integrated or SS amps with power ratings below 150/channel. Even then, these guys need tons of power to really shine.

If you're interested in tubes, I'd suggest you first purchase a pair of speakers that can support both your tube and SS needs.

This is a great discussion! I am quite surprised that several people have chimed in that the Golds don't really open up until you mate them with massive amounts of power. I don't know the speaker well, but I'm very curious about this phenomenon. What exactly changes when you go to big power? I'm driving my Proac 2.5's w/ 150 watts/side, and I wonder if I would hear the same magic you describe for the Golds if I upped the power ante with the Proacs. --Dan