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Review 1 of 1
Price Paid:
$730.00
from A friend, second han Summary:
I have tried this amplifier and its smaller brothers (Integra 8 and Megarus 928) over several visits to stores for the last 2 years.
I recently got a killer bargain on the Integra 8 Anniversary Edition (A.E.) and now I am the lucky owner of a model with the black aluminium faceplate. I would have preferred the wood faceplate, but I just couldn't refuse when I got the offer.
I will start this review by describing the amp itself, and then describe its sound.
The amp:
The Holfi Integra 8 A.E is a rather large, integrated amplifier w/ 5 line inputs. Although one is marked 'phono', no RIAA is included as Holfi believes sensitive circuits such as RIAAs should be kept outside the cabinet.
The Integra weighs just over 11 kilograms (about 25 pounds) and is built like a tank. The faceplate (on this model) is thick aluminium, the volume control and channel selector are "silver" aluminum and it sports a power switvh on the back and a standby switch and green led on the front.
The RCAs on the back are gold-plated and of good quality and the speaker posts are of the renowned WBT type and of excellent quality. You get the feeling that you could pull the amp over the floor by the speaker cables.
The sound:
Holfi dictates a long warm-up period of 4-5 hours, but being eager I jumped right in, and I must say that it was every bit as good as I remembered it.
From the first moment on, this amp made its presence felt. It plays with an ease and authority that has to be heard to be believed. The notes are quick, defined and dynamic. It is warm without being too laid-back, the background inky black and the midrange is to die for.
I first played some Dire Straits from the Sultans of Swing album. The guitar from "private investigations" is so vivid that you almost feel as if you could reach out and touch it, male voices have a nice timbre and the sense of the crowd in "Your Latest Trick" and "Local Hero" is very convincing.
This amp just feels big. Its massive power supply enables it to sound authorative, controlled and assuring. Bass notes are firm, taut and well defined. The dynamics are top notch and the transients are so, well transient, that I have actually managed to be startled on several occasions when listening to music I was not familiar to.
Overall this amplifier is nothing less than superb. The sound is involving and vivid, and it looks great, with the exception of the bland knobs on the aluminium version. They feel fine, but they are boring and clash with the otherwise stunning looks.
If you get the chance to listen to this amp, do it. It amazing value for money and probably the best thing I have done for my overall sound.
If you have any questions of any sort, feel free to mail me. Strengths:
Beatiful, engaging and authorative sound.
Well-proportioned power supply sporting 2x100W in ohms with 100,000 uF capacitance enabling the Integra 8 A.E. to drive even very difficult speaker loads.
Great quality of build. (excepting the knobs)
WBT speaker binding posts, usually seen on much more expensive products.
Detachable, IEC-standard, power cord enabling future experiments with power cables. Weaknesses:
Bland plastic knobs on faceplate.
No built-in RIAA
Only volume control on the remote control.
Long warm-up period. Similar Products Used:
Holfi Integra 8 (lower powerrating and power supply)
Holfi Megarus 928 (same, but to a higher degree)
Both of these are the lesser models, and are great value, but cant quite match the Anniversary Edition
Exposure XVII/TacT SDA2175 - Extremely powerful combination, but it lacks the warmth of the Holfis and will cost you alot more.
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