Best Integrated, period.


Has anyone compared, Gryphon Diablo, Gamut Di150, Vitus SS101, Krell FBI, APL UA-S1 Jeff Rowland Continuum 500? Please add what you found to be best integrated.
perrew
I received my new VAC Phi Beta 110i yesterday. Apart from the PITA of lugging the bulky 100 lb main unit upstairs to my listening room, installation was a snap.

A few initial comments:

1) From a functional standpoint, and for my particular circumstances, this is absolutely perfect

2) Aesthetics - also perfect. Even my distinctly non-audiophile wife says it's 'pretty'.

3) And the most important bit, the sound - I can only say that I am very, very tired this morning, as I was up until after 2am listening. I'm not one to make snap judgments, but I can tell you that after it was well warmed up, my impression is that this is the finest amplification I've ever heard. I've owned various combinations of gear over the past 30 years (including Atma-Sphere, Aesthetix, CAT, Supratek, Ayre MX-R, Messenger, even a CTC Blowtorch), but nothing has blown me away at first listen the way this did. I'll reserve further comments until I get the full measure of the amp.
Its hard to decide which is the best. There are great brands out there, the NAD C320bee is a giant killer.
I'm sure the Dartzeel is an awesome piece. It was just reviewed by "What Hi-Fi?" which is rather strange. They liked it, but they certainly weren't in love with it. How is it that they reviewed a Dartzeel piece? That's way outside of their normal reviews.