Audiophilepure

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1839-rotel-michi-x5-series-2-integrated-amplifier-dac

As someone who has heard his share of integrated amplifiers—I’ve been reviewing components since 2006—I can say unequivocally that Michi’s X5 S2 offers a lot for the money. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had been told that it cost $15K. There are integrated amplifiers on the market with a larger set of features: room correction, bass management, and network streaming, among others. However, apart from Musical Fidelity’s M8xi (reviewed by Roger Kanno in 2020), which boasts a whopping 550Wpc into 8 ohms and an obscene 870Wpc into 4 ohms, no other integrated amplifier that I am aware of can claim 350Wpc into 8 ohms and 600Wpc into 4 ohms. With its power and premium parts and design, that the Michi X5 S2 sells for $8K has me shaking my head in disbelief. If you’re in the market for a high-powered integrated amplifier with a top-notch DAC and phono stage that rival standalone separates, the Michi X5 S2 is peerless.

Well, enough of the chatter about history and specs and time to discuss the sound of this little system. By my calculations this system would go for right about $21,000 and some change. That gives you a very symbiotic system sans front end. With a budget of $2000-3000 for a entry turntable, cartridge, phono stage, and another $2000 for a good streamer you are around $25-26,000 for a complete system. Twenty eight years ago I did a huge upgrade to my stereo system. I bought my Quicksilver KT88s, Golden Sound Tube Preamp with phono stage, a VPI 19JR upgraded to a MKIII, with a Sumiko Blue Point Evo cartridge, Parasound CD player, and Totem Mani-two speakers, all strung with Kimber Kable throughout. In today’s money that system would be roughly the same as this Von Gaylord system and it was a wonderful system in the day but I began almost immediately upgrading to the point where I am now. 

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/1123/Bella_Sound_Hanalei_Monoblock_Amplifier_Review.htm

The Bella Sound Hanalei monoblocks’ prodigious amount of power resulted in not only being able to reproduce the album as loud as I desired without a hint of overload distortion but also being able to reproduce the album’s colossal dynamic peaks with zero overload. The Sound Lab electrostatic speakers in my reference system are more than a cut above most electrostatic speakers in that they can play very loudly without breaking up. But they can’t defy the laws of physics, nor are my ears indestructible. I was quick to discover that both the monoblocks and the speakers were able to play louder than I could withstand.

Unlike the Bruckner symphony above, this Opeth album takes the real music recorded in a real space adage in a different direction. The Bella Sound Hanalei monoblocks expertly reproduced this multitrack recording. I would bet my last dollar that I was hearing a version of this album as close to the sound of the master tape as possible. With the Hanalei’s extended frequency response, combined with its marvelous soundstage and imaging prowess, I could put this album on repeat and listen to it all day with no “listener fatigue” setting in until it was very late at night.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1123/AGD_Audion_MkIII_Monoblock_Amplifier_Review.htm

The new Audion Mk III, whether you buy it brand new or simply upgrade the GaNFET Class D power tube in an earlier version, represents a major advancement in this classic amplifier. While the outstanding Blue Note ratings below are only slightly improved from the Mk I and Mk II reviews, rest assured that the Mk III is an even greater advance than the Mk II. And a better value as well, despite the price increase. The Mk I and Mk II both received an annual Blue Note Award, so that should tell you where this one is headed.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/electrocompaniet-aw-800-m-stereomonoblock-power-amplifier

The AW 800 M’s unique voice is perhaps best described by returning to where I started, with soup. In the most miraculous miso soup I ever tasted, meticulously cut, carefully proportioned, and impeccably arranged vegetables and herbs floated free from each other in a clear, savory broth. Each morsel had its own unique flavor, as did the broth itself. Because no taste overpowered any other, the entire bouquet of flavors was there to savor.

Many humans would gladly exchange that miso masterpiece for a bowl of the Atlantic Fish Company’s finest Boston Clam Chowder. Need I begin to recount how different they are in taste, consistency, subtlety of flavors (or lack thereof), and appearance?

Which is superior? Our frequent online critics will be all too eager to either supply a definitive answer or to state that only by measuring certain viscous parameters can you be sure which soup is best. I, in turn, would advise you, unless you have specific allergies or sensitivities, to stick with taste. As different as they are, you may find you crave both. And even if you prefer one over the other, you’ll be richer for the experience—as you will for tasting the Electrocompaniet AW 800 M Reference mono

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1208-chord-electronics-ultima-6-power-amplifier

In terms of detail retrieval, transparency, bandwidth, soundstage, and stability, the Ultima 6 is up there with power amplifiers at the top of its price class. I absolutely loved it, especially when driven by my Naim NAC 82 preamp, which added a little more exuberance to the sound. Partnered with the matching Ultima Pre 3, the combination was also deeply impressive, and offered a superb insight into the music. This combination was particularly notable for the way it handled low-level detail, such as ambient cues, the sound of fingers on guitar, or the subtle inflections in the vocal performance of an artist. The sound was never fatiguing, and always absolutely natural. It’s easy to see why the BBC uses Chord amplification.