In search of the right SS integrated amp

BAT VK-300X Special Edition.That will hit the ball out of the park.

They fly WAY under the radar here in the U.S., but you might also want to consider Coda’s CSi-B integrated. It’s 5,800 factory direct and compares favorably to units costing multiples of its asking price. In fact, my friends and I compared it to the Pass INT-150, and we all agreed that the Coda was the better amp. A buddy also compared it to his Boulder 865 and said it was VERY close, the Boulder perhaps slightly besting the Coda in overall resolution but the Coda sounding more engaging. It’s very smooth and fluid in its presentation—almost tube-like in that regard—but it’s got gobs of power in reserve. So much, in fact, that it loafs along with almost any speaker it’s paired with. Coda will even up the Class A bias upon request. That’s pretty good attention to the customer.

Odyssey Audio offers the cyclops direct to the consumer for a real bargain. Check it out online....use the savings for another upgrade or music:O)

I'll second the Mac suggestion and also add the MA6600. A friend just picked up the 6600 with the optional tuner module, making it a receiver, where he replaced his Bel Canto separates, separates that stood the test against others that came and went. He is as pleased with the Mac as he ever has with any gear.

The MA7000 is their top dog, but it lacks a couple niceties of the MA6600, such as the alpha numeric display, silky smooth digital volume control and the ability to add the tuner module. It all depends on how important those things are to you.

Regarding Rowland Continuum 500, we do not have a completely authoritative review of this device yet. If I recall correctly, the unit was in the reviewer's possession for a very limited time the first time the review was prepared. . . one or 2 days perhaps. Unit was rereviewed later on, and some more time was allowed for the unit to settle in. Unfortunately, class D amps like the Continuum 500 are notorious bears to break in, often requiring more than 700 hours to settle down.
From a purely technical point of view, Continuum 500 is very advanced, as its power supply is front ended by an AC2DC converter that utilizes both Power Factor Correction and a capacitor bank to feed 185V DC to the system. The idea is similar to what Bel canto has recently adopted. . . the Virtual Battery. . . the idea is that if a device is compatible, DC provides much cleaner energy to the circuit than AC, and improves efficiency and linearity.
If memory serves, all inputs are transformer coupled for isolation, and te output circuits are augmented by a capacitor bank to maximize authority.

Unfortunately I have listened to C500 only for a few minutes at RMAF in a noisy room, with tracks I am not familiar with, not enough to form a personal opinion of its musical prowess.

So, in the end, I suggest that rather than C500 being a tier 3 device, its tierage should probably be unassigned. . . a question mark of some kind. Knowing the designer personally, I suspect C500 is a device worth investigating at some length.

G.