Strengths: dynamic range, soundstage, tonality, very low distortion, musical, no clinical/analytical bias, its just simply a pleasure for those with small budgets who love audiophile entry-level sound
Weaknesses: it runs warmer than recommended with more difficult to drive spealers, hence this matching should be avoided. Supplied powercord takes a lot away from the true potential of this amp, get a GOOD one and you'll reap the rewards. I have mixed feelings about the remote operation when switching between CD player and amp ( I wish colour switched from yellow to blue instead of green, which from a distance appears yellow sometimes)
Bottom Line:
I cannot say enough about this amp, so much has already been said, and it's true, this little integrated amp is a pleasure to listen to. Unlike others here, I find that 50W/channel is adequate to drive my Martin Logan Clarity speakers. I never need to go past 9 o'clock, but I have gone up to 12 without any noticeable distortion. Very clean power, great detail, awesome instrument placement, this little integre has to be heard with electrostatics to show what it's capable of. It puts out a sensational soundstage in its price range, slightly forward but I have yet to play around with placement to see if that changes.
Ceramic feet upgrades did not produce an improvement here, except that it keeps it flat on surfaces (rubber feet wear on the side with more weight). Tonality is neutral. Aestheticaly, this integre looks better than most of its competition.
Interestingly, I found bass slam does decrease after it breaks in, about 60 hours for mine. Not to say that it lacks it, it just softens up and becomes much more musical, the transition becomes more subtle. But in terms of quantity of bass, this amp rocks.
Upgraded power cord made a BIG difference. Tonality improved (more neutral, with improved voice rendering) as well as bass (more rich) and the noise floor (hissing) is gone. I put an Audioquest NRG 5 powercord and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who has this amp. I use an NRG 2 on the CD player in the Complete series, again BIG improvement here in the low end punch. Nothing really bad to say about this player, I mean look at how much I paid for it. I've heard smoother sounding amps, richer, more detail at 16x the price, but in my opinion this gets to within 85% of the best out there for a fraction of the cost. I can't afford 100% quite yet, at 25 yrs of age I'm just glad I can enjoy what I have.
It also changes the signal very little because it's got a passive preamp, therefore really this is 90% an amplifier ... hence the very high gain on the volume control.
BTW, I drove a pair of PMC OB1's with the AR integre and I have to say that it did better than I expected. For those who know, the OB1's need about 200w/channel to really show their potential, but they did pretty good with this amp running at 12 o'clock. Sounded a little dark and reserved, but it's only rated at 50w/channel. Would not use it with the OB1's though. Good match with easy to drive speakers. And best of all it runs cool, unlike pure class A heaters.
I like it. I will never part with it unless I can go up to the true YBA line 2 or 1 or PASSION ... much more money for 10-20% more performance, is it worth it? That depends on what you can afford!
I gave it a 5 for value and a 5 overall, because it impressed me and I found it very affordable, but don't go selling your Linn amps to buy one of these because this is not better, it's just far better value for the money in my opinion for those with budgets.
My system:
AR Complete alpha CD player
AR Complete integre
Audioquest NRG-5 and NRG-2 powercords
Monster Sigma Retro Gold interconnects and speaker cables
Martin Logan Clarity speakers
Similar Products Used: Bryston, Arcam, Linn, Rotel, Musical Fidelity + some highend amp whose name I can't remember but that sounded amazing, and of course the HT ones but they don't really compare in 2 channel to AR anyway
Strengths: Transparency, soundstage, smooth high, hi-end sense with modest investment, build quality & cosmetics.
Weaknesses: Remote control is not included.
Mid-range could be fuller (Need careful matching with speaker).
Bottom Line:
What I mention below is about the alpha version.
Same as what advertised, the bass does improve with the new alpha version, while the original strengths such as transparency & natural soundstage are preserved. I even have to block the bass reflex port of my speaker to reduce the bass slam.
Capturing the essence of YBA, the AR just conveys music very relaxingly with a touch of elegance. Neither exceptionally analytical nor lush, it just lets music flow and never sounds harsh.
Though it's rated 50W only, the power should be adequate for most budget speaker with modest efficiency. Normally, I just needed to fill my 60 sq.ft listening space with 20% power.
Finally, I must give credit to its design and quality, the 8mm brushed allunium face plate is just beautiful to resist.
Strengths: Great top to bottom performance at an affordable price.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
Simply amazing for the price. Equals my previous integrated (Musical Fidelity A300) WITHOUT the occasional brightness.
Comes very close to all the strengths of my Cary tube setup, but more detail and a more realistic soundstage.
Similar Products Used: Current System:
Audio Refinement Complete
Cambridge Audio Azur 640A CDP
Tyler Acoustics Linbrook Signature Loudspeakers
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DMolisher
a Audio Enthusiast
from Rochester, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2003
Strengths: Very musical! Very detailed yet nonfatigueing sound. Excellent design, build quality, and cosmetics. Very quiet; no crosstalk, hum, or hiss.
Weaknesses: Search me.
Bottom Line:
This is one sweet and musical integrated amp! I traded in my 10-day-old NAD C320BEE entry-level integrated for this old, scratched demo, paying nearly double the price, and I have no regrets. With The Complete, you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the music. The NAD isn't a bad amp, but it just has a slightly artificial/dry sound by comparison --just not as musical, for lack of a more detailed description. Also the build quality and cosmetic appearance of The Complete far exceeds anything from NAD, save their expensive Silver Series products. The Complete really looks & feels like a high-end piece. Simply turning the volume knob brings me pleasure ;) Also, since this is for my bedroom system, where I listen at relatively low volumes, I noticed that the NAD didn't sound as even at low volumes, as if you had to turn it up to a minimum threshold before the balance even seemed correct. The Complete, however, seems very linear and smooth, all the way down. It also has nice, metal binding posts, not plastic ones. And there is no perceptible hiss or hum, even if you crank the volume all the way, which I thought was unusually good/quiet; similarly, I could hear NO crosstalk between inputs, even with the volume cranked. Highly recommended!
