A full or integrated amplifier, when both a power amplifier and a preamp are combined in one device, is the most popular product on the Hi-Fi electronics market. In most cases, a DAC is also added to such a component, so the user only has to add speakers – and the installation is ready. Today we are choosing the best integrated amplifiers of 2024 .
8. Audiolab 9000A
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 100 W | Weight – 11.2 kg | DAC – yes
Pros – decent speaker control, fundamental sound
Cons – slightly dark sound character
Verdict – a device with an excellent price/quality ratio
With a maximum current of 15 Amps, an output power of 100 W per channel and a digital-to-analog converter based on the 32-bit ES9038Pro chip, this integrated amplifier easily puts its competitors to shame in terms of sound power and resolution. The model is equipped with an 800 x 480 color IPS display with arrows and has a built-in phono stage using discrete JFET transistors. Everything is good here – from a toroidal transformer with a power of 320 VA to four capacitors of 15,000 μF each and a circuit with complementary feedback CFB, which allows you to make the quiescent current independent of the temperature of the output transistors.
7. HiFi Rose RS520
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 250 W | Weight – 8.1 kg | DAC – yes
Pros – all imaginable and inconceivable streaming capabilities, high power
Cons – sometimes you want more texture “from below”
Verdict – Swiss army knife for sound
HiFi Rose RS520 boasts a frequency response from 10 to 83,000 Hz, easily reaches 250 W of power (GaN based Class AD Amplifier is used) and demonstrates a very beautiful presentation – sparkling and effective. We add a fantastic appearance with a 12.6” touchscreen screen 1920 x 515 pixels, a DAC based on ES9038Pro and a chic streamer (all the necessary clients are built in, if necessary, Android 7.1 allows you to add what you need) – and we get a full-fledged best buy.
6. Rotel Michi X3 S2
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 200 W | Weight – 28.9 kg | DAC – yes
Pros – Fantastic stage size, excellent dynamics
Cons – Purists may lack refinement
Verdict – the iconic device has become even better in version S2
In the Rotel Michi X3 S2 integrated speaker , the company has made a clear step forward in terms of sound quality – the stage has expanded further, and the dynamic range of the model has become completely crazy. The very lively, musical performance of the device makes your feet dance on their own – for comparable money it is absolutely impossible to find anything more interesting on the modern market. Almost 29 kg of weight, a dumping factor of 350 units, a DAC on an 8-channel ESS ES9028PRO chip with MQA support, a built-in MM phono stage – all this is worth a lot.
5. AVM Ovation A 6.2 ME
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 180 W AB, 2 x 10 W A | Weight – 22 kg | DAC – no
Pros – mercurial sound, excellent tone processing
Cons – nothing significant
Verdict – German quality
The latest version of the German AVM Ovation A 6.2 ME integrated amplifier offers a cohesive, agile and refined sound that clearly goes beyond the traditional hi-fi category. The model operates on the basis of MOSFET transistors and operates partially in class A (the first 10 W), its volume control is made on a Cirrus Logic CS3310 IC chip with 256 steps. Everything in the design screams about quality – there’s simply no point in making any complaints.
4. Boulder 866
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 200 W | Weight – 24.5 kg | DAC – option
Pros – “shock and awe” – explosive dynamics and drive
Cons – none
Verdict – one of the best integrated circuits on the market
With a stunning bandwidth of 0.015 to 150,000 Hz, an optional DAC and streamer module (Ethernet, USB, AES3, S/PDIF and Wi-Fi) that achieves true 18-bit resolution, measured power even above 200 W, the Boulder 866 easily is becoming one of the most prominent integrated devices on the modern market. Moreover, it’s hard not to fall in love with the sound of the device, which is more like a steel fist in a velvet glove.
3. Audio Note Meishu Phono 300B Tonmeister
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 4.8 | Weight – 29.5 kg | DAC – no
Pros – sound transparency unattainable by competitors
Cons – low power
Verdict – a tube device that will make you believe in the impossible
Built on the iconic 300B tubes and operating in pure Class A with zero feedback, the Audio Note Meishu Phono 300B Tonmeister can only deliver a real 4.8W of power at 3% distortion into an 8 ohm load. However, in terms of transparency, texture and reliability of sound, it has few equals in any price group – we can only applaud Peter Qvortrup.
2. Vitus SIA-025 MK.II
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 150 W AB 2 x 25 A | Weight – 37 kg | DAC – no
Pros – warm and rich sound, reference detailing
The only downside is the price…
Verdict – MK.II version of this device grabs the stars from the sky
The updated Vitus SIA-025 MK.II uses its own preliminary and final amplification circuit, operates in the frequency response from 0 to 800,000 (!) Hz and achieves a signal-to-noise ratio of 100 dB with 0.01% distortion. The thirty-seven-kilogram mastodon takes out the competitors in the group with one left hand – his delivery is more like a window open to the street.
1. Aavik I-880
Output power at 8 ohms – 2 x 200 W A | Weight – 36 kg | DAC – no
Pros: record power in class A, absolutely natural sound
Cons – the price is high even by High End standards
Verdict – revolutionary device
Aavik’s flagship integrated amplifier, the I-880, has moved from digital amplification to Class A operation – delivering 200 watts into an 8 ohm load with negligible 0.007% distortion. The innovative design, which uses four 500-watt power supplies to support Class A output stages no matter how much current the load needs to deliver, really works—the model’s delivery is indistinguishable from a real musical performance, and it’s powerful enough to handle it. to cope even with electrostatic speakers. We add a volume control based on the Light Dependent Resistor, which has a low noise level due to the absence of switches and relays, and we get the leader in the rating.