YBA Integre DT Integrated Amplifiers

YBA Integre DT Integrated Amplifiers 

DESCRIPTION

Integrated amplifier

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 51  
[Jan 21, 2020]
alfreel


Strength:

It is simply really good hi-fi.Own one for 23 years and not a single problem nothing it is always switched on and running. Very reliable. The phono stage is fantastic, better than some separate phono stages costing twice the amount. This amplifier is used as a reference by some hi-fi magazines.

Weakness:

The remote is fitting for something below $200 . It is cheap junk.

Price Paid:
4300
Purchased:
New  
Model Year:
1997
OVERALL
RATING
5
[Aug 31, 2008]
audiophile_0120
AudioPhile

Strength:

solid build, no BS construction, great sonic balance, supremely musical and transparent, gives a good glimpse of the high end sound, holds its value very well over time

Weakness:

minimalist may not be to everyone's likng, original is no longer in production, can be a bit expensive, will need high quality partnering electronics to truly sing

AMEN AMEN AMEN to all the last 3 reviews below...this amp is the real deal....more than 15 years since its introduction, and still the benchmark against which all new comers in the integrated amp categoy (and even some separates) are compared.

truly a classic and i can count on one hand the current crop of integrtated amps that can rival it for over-all musicality and engaging sound.

some tips i discovered along the way to coax the best from this masterpiece:

- invest in a better power cord and plug it straight to the wall (the difference is not small and for the better)
- experiment using the bi-amping options ( in my experience, it sounds way better that using one just one of either pair at the back)--it gives a more articulate and liquid band, the highs are tamed with more harmonic texture than zing. the downside is softer bass which is not as solid sounding...

Similar Products Used:

naim, arcam, denon, rotel

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 04, 2008]
denjo
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Tibral accuracy, brings emotion to music, dynamic and more powerful than 50 watts would suggest, excels with micro details, realistic soundstage that is wide and quite deep! Brought out the bass from my Thiels! Small footprint, extremely well made. Layout is well thought. The tripods make isolation tweaking unnecessary. Should be left "ON" all the time. Integrated design means one less equipment on your rack - the preamp.

Weakness:

No remote. No HT bypass. Other than these trivial foibles, none that I can think of!

I bought the YBA Integre DT Delta to be used in my bedroom, having read Sam Tellig's glowing review. YBA's advice to leave the amplifier "ON" all the time suited my needs since it would be very easy for my wife to use the system. My lounge system has mainly been pre/power combos, as I mistakenly thought were mandatory to drive my Thiel 2.4 floorstanders. Recently, I unhooked the YBA from my bedroom to dust the shelves and a thought crossed my mind to pair the YBA with my Thiels. Surprise #1: the Integre had no difficulty driving the Thiels to the usual listening sound levels and has shown no signs of clipping. Surprise #2: the Integre managed to draw me to the music in a way that my 600 watter could not! I simply sat listening to familiar tracks. The Integre has a beautiful midrange and bass lines are easy to follow. The timbral accuracy of the Integre is excellent! Brass and horns simply shine, hi-hat and cymbals are failthfully reproduced and pianos and violins sound realistically real and true to life. How can such a small integrated sound so good and powerful, I asked!

I am now questioning whether the complications of pre/power, massive watts and huge amplifiers are really necessary to bring me musical enjoyment! The Integre forces me to forget about the system and to concentrate on the listening and the enjoyment. I wish I had realised this much sooner - it would have saved me tons, saved me time and heartaches and stopped me from the endless upgrade path which seems always to leave me dissatisfied and disappointed.

I now realise why Yves-Barnard Andre refers to his products as "Music Instruments". The YBA Integre DT is one of the most musically engaging SS amplifier that I have ever heard and partnered with the right gear, is outstanding.

Customer Service

Excellent but expensive. The amplifier has been biased once but other than that has remained flawless and fuss-free!

Similar Products Used:

McCormack, AudioNote (Oto, Soro, Meishu), CIAudio D*200 Monos, Sanders ESL 300, Audiolab 8000, Arcam Delta 290, Musical Fidelity A1, A2 and A1 (Final Edition), Onkyo midi system, Threshold Stasis, Krell 650 FBP (monos)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Nov 24, 2006]
beken
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Very high resolution without sounding harsh. Very enjoyable to listen to music through.

Weakness:

Exposes poorly recorded material. Also requires equivalent or better quality equipment in the rest of your system.

I've had this unit for quite awhile now and have not found anything else I like that I would pay good money for that I can afford. I have augmented the bass with a small high quality subwoofer. The music comes out so clean, it does expose weaknesses in lesser quality speakers or source equipment. So you do need to match this unit up with high quality equipment. I blew out a fuse once due to a power surge during a lightning storm. The fuses are sand filled (!!!) and very expensive. Turned out a transistor got fried. I called YBA and they covered everything under warranty. They even claimed to have done a few minor updates to some of the components. HOWEVER, in my area, the local service center had just changed to somebody else and the new service center refused to service my amp. I had to send it to YBA directly myself. I did complain and got an apology from YBA. I listen to all kinds of music with this amp. Well recorded material, including pop an rock sound great. But the amp also exposes poorly recorded material for what they are.

Customer Service

Very good customer service. When I had a problem with it, YBA fixed it with no problems. HOWEVER, there was the confusion of where to get the unit fixed due to a change in the local service center in my area.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[May 03, 2003]
ecpninja
Audio Enthusiast

I have had this Integrated amp for more than a year now, every time I audtion a new piece of gear I realize just how good this amp really is. Over the past year and a half I have auditioned quite a few source components and I am always amazed at how the yba integrated holds it ground and really becomes the strong link in my audio chain. It would be very easy to build a competent system around this amp, one which could easily withstand many upgrades in source and speaker upgrades and still not out grow its potental. I have had a few integrated amps which run very hot when pushed, I have yet to push this amp to any kind of overheating which leads me to believe that it is a very well designed amp which operates well within its limits. Rated at 50 watts I have never felt that it has run out of steam. Some people would consider the price of this amp to be excessive, however when you compare the parts quality , attention to detail and design philosphy then you realize you are getting quality and a piece of audio equipment with stlye and class. Cheers!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 23, 2002]
joesixpack
Casual Listener

Strength:

smooth and refined presentation, good cosmetics and ample features.

Weakness:

an anorexic tonal balance that sounds horrid on rock, but quite good with classic/ chamber.

this is the second integre dt that i''''ve owned; the first one threw a hissyfit and died. although i''''ve found the yba to have a smooth sound throughout the frequency spectrum, somehow there always seemed to be a glassy edge attached to the notes especialy on pop tunes. rockers can forget about the yba as an option; it''''s bass is weak, albiet accurate, and i''''ve found the whole bass/midrange areas to be thin sounding. coupled to suitable speakers, the treble regions were right on the money- reveiling yet natural. i''''ll give this int. 4 stars becouse it''''s obvious that it''''s a refined presentation, but like so many other products, it tends to dictate what styles of music it prefers. ultimately i''''m much happier with my exposure intigrated which possesses a more even balance,and more forceful bottom octave. oh; and also dont pass up the chance to audition a electrocompaniet eci-3, for this is a terrific integrated boasting a full, rich and refined sound, that''''s suitable for all music genres and basicaly crapps on the yba....sorry but its true.

Similar Products Used:

exposure, rega, sonic fr., electrocompaniet.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Apr 13, 2002]
Gemeaux
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Everything except for....b

Weakness:

Price.

I will second all of the positive reviews I have read about this amp. After having home and store auditioned many, including Classe Cap 101/151, Rega, Musical Fidelity A3/A300, Creek 5350, Bryston B60 etc. I have now found an integrated amp that has all the finesse and power I need. This amp is truly a musical instrument. I have heard many criticisms about the bass. I may be crazy but I find that this amp has the tightest and most musically defined bass of all the integrateds that I have listened to. On bass heavy tracks such as ST. Geramin TOURIST or ARABIAN TRAVELS this little amp along with my two way standmount JMLabs shake the entire room at very loud levels. On clean bass tracks at normal listening levels such as Gary Peacock and Ralph Towner''s Oracle the bass notes have wonderful attack and tone. If I turn the volume up the bass player is in my living room. I do find that the bass becomes thin at very low listening levels, a sub would probably help here. My only caveat is the price. I was very fortunate to get a demo Delta model with remote for the price mentioned above in Canadian dollars, otherwise I do not think that I could have afforded it. All in all in my 6 month search for an integrated amp, this one is only one that not only does all the audiophile things like soundstage, transparency, dynamics, detail, but it manages to be an absolute joy to listen to on all types of music for very long hours. I have rediscovered why I wanted to be a musician many years ago. o

Similar Products Used:

Classe Cap 101/151, Rega, Musical Fidelity A3/A300, Creek 5350, Bryston B60 etc."

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 19, 2002]
Marylandphile
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sweet and clear as a bell.

Weakness:

Cross talk heard on unused line inputs.

Ditto to all the positive comments below. My old integrated was nice Stereophile Class C. This Class A YBA is a big step up. Upgrading the power cord helped also. I am using a Blue Circle BC61. Mine has the MM phono stage which now lists for $2500. Worth it.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 13, 2002]
Luv Music
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Uncolored and smooth sounding.

Weakness:

Click setting of volume control, left side of the amp tend to be overly heavy. For deep deep bass lover, this may not be your choice.

This amp is smooth and smooth sounding, yet not compromising on the resolution. Power is very sufficient, have seen it driving big Martin Logan spks before. If you have this amp, do wire according to what the manual suggests; i.e. warm output to the high freq of spk, and the neutral output to the lo freq. In this case, you get the warmth of tube amp, yet retaining the dynamics and bass of ss amp. An excellent integrated amp, considering its price.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 16, 2000]
Jim
Audiophile

Strength:

Excellent mimic of tube sound, yet still maintaining a high level of tranparency and details. Optional remote control and never need turning off.

Weakness:

Maybe the price tag

This DT has a very unique sound. You really should try to go out and audition it yourself if you can. The soundstage, the liquidity, the details, the pacing, the dynamics, and the authority (despite just 50 WPC). They're all there.
The unit has two speaker output options: 'tubelike sound' or 'standard sound'. Both sounds good in their own way. I personally listen to mostly jazz vocals at moderate volume and find the tube options to be more appropriate because it adds a touch of warmth and lushness to the music. The standard option offers more dynamics and pace, perhaps more appropriate for symphonies and anthems. By the way, some of the reviews below doesn't sound right. Again, if you have an interest in this unit, go out and audition it yourself. But if you're a hardcore solid state guy and like listening to your music with eyes wide "open", well.. then maybe skip it. Either you like jetting around the racetrack with 450 horses or .. catching some ocean breeze with your face on a summer evening with the top down, only you know.

Similar Products Used:

Anthem 2, Audio Refinement, Sim Audio Moon, Manley Stingray, Cary, Bryston

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 1-10 of 51  

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