2023 Editors’ Choice: Best Integrated Amplifiers $10,000 – $20,000

Building on a long tradition of great-sounding integrated amplifiers, Simaudio has hit one out of the park with the 600i. This dual-mono, fully differential integrated delivers the sound quality of expensive separates with the convenience of a single chassis. The 600i’s presentation is rock-solid in the bass, unbelievably dynamic, with a slight forwardness in the midrange that increases lifelike presence. RH, 210

This highly advanced and innovative integrated amplifier with built-in streaming support produces 220Wpc (into 6 ohms) from its patented hybrid Class A/Class D output stage. The slim and stylish chassis is packed with sophisticated technology, among which is Speaker Active Matching (SAM) that monitors speaker behavior and changes the drive signal on the fly to correct for speaker shortcomings. (SAM works only with select speakers; check Devialet’s website for the list.) With a compatible speaker, SAM sounds fabulous. REG wrote: “I have seldom been so excited about an audio development as I was when hearing a middle-sized loudspeaker put out such a convincing facsimile of an orchestra at full tilt.” REG, 298

With its soft, understated lines, svelte controls, versatile connectivity, and jewelry-like finish, it’s easy to misjudge the depth, complexity, and sonic excellence of the C51—a 180Wpc, modified Class D tour de force. It has the touch of the classicist in the emphasis it places on the finest inner details; its resolution of acoustic space is almost eerie in specificity. Its top-end is top-notch—airily extended with none of early-era Class D’s darkness and constriction. A triumph in its category. NG, 243

With 250Wpc (500Wpc into 4 ohms), the muscular INT-250 embodies effortless dynamics, ultra-wide bandwidth, superb low-end control and grip, and effortless highs. Its soothing and seductive sonics are an ideal companion for analog LP playback—this Pass integrated just makes you want to spin vinyl endlessly. With musicality that is second to none, it operates at the outer limits of what is currently possible in today’s integrated amplifier marketplace. NG, 263

The highboy integrated amp in T+A’s vaunted R series, the 140Wpc PA 2500 R is a dual-mono, fully balanced, high-voltage design with a Class AB output stage biased into Class A for the first 20–25 watts. Clean and authoritative, and easy to operate, the PA 2500 R conveys the sense of a well-oiled machine. Its sonic signature is one of balance and control, with musical images rooted in space and vocals models of stability. Its most identifiable traits are wideband spectral response and dynamic extroversion. The PA 2500 R delivers big, high-intensity wattage that never seems to waver in responsiveness and extension regardless of load. Includes an excellent phonostage. Wunderbar! NG, 275

If you lust for Esoteric’s ultra-expensive Grandioso system but don’t have the requisite massive dough or massive space, the F-03A is the solution. This integrated is designed and built to the highest standards, with a modest power output of 30Wpc (60Wpc into 4 ohms). But those 30W are Class A, and some of the sweetest you’ll ever hear. When driving a speaker of appropriate sensitivity, the F-03A delivers the harmonic richness, transient fidelity, transparency, and musical resolution of much more expensive separates. This is ultra-high-end on a smaller scale. RH, 289

While we could debate whether trickle-down economics is a thing, the 866 serves as proof that trickle-down technology is real. Beginning with the digital side, the 866 has inherited its systematic technology from Boulder’s 2120 DAC. The 866 can be configured at the factory in two ways. The basic version is analog only, with three balanced XLR analog inputs. The digital version has a built-in DAC with SPDIF, TosLink, and AES/EBU inputs, as well as a Raspberry Pi/Ethernet streaming connection, so it will support Roon, Tidal, Qobuz, and other streaming sources. If you’ve been a fan of Boulder’s sonics and build-quality but unable to field the space for their generously sized components, the new 866 could be the component of your dreams, made into reality. SS, 327

The Western Electric 91E is a unique combination of old and new. The heart of the unit is the newly manufactured (in the USA) WE 300B tube, which is made to the same standards and specifications as the original WE 300B tube, but with some enhancements to the manufacturing process that increase the tube’s longevity. The 91E has all of the sonic benefits of the 300B without the shortcomings: SET with 20 watts per channel, well-controlled bass, a wonderful top end, and a five-year warranty on the 300B tubes. The 91E unit is groundbreaking, delivering an incredibly high standard at a relatively affordable price. RB was so impressed he purchased the review sample and listens to it daily. RB, 334

This very-high-end, all-tube integrated amplifier from Bulgaria sports a modular construction that allows you to tailor the product to your needs or to upgrade as your system expands. The Enyo can be fitted with a phono module ($1175) and/or a streaming DAC card ($3800). Fully loaded, the Enyo comes in at $20,175. Although compact, the unit weighs 60 pounds, and delivers a solid 50Wpc. The phono, digital, high-level-analog, preamp, and power-amplifier sections all offer high sound quality, and there is consistent voicing in the digital and phono modules. AHC, 319

This integrated amplifier combines the absolute best qualities of a tube linestage and tube power amp in a single chassis. It throws in some useful technology in the form of an app that enables your smartphone to serve as the remote control, and automatic bias setting for power output tubes. Ships with either KT88 or KT150 tubes (your choice, same power). With plenty of power to drive most speakers, the Corona delivers the best bass VF has heard from a tube amplifier. What few flaws it has are quite minor. VF, 302

The 60-watt Jadis integrated amplifier is no wallflower. An explosive performer it lays down the law with Jesuitical force. While the DA88S does not produce the very deepest notes, it excels at delivering prodigious and harmonically rich bottom end that has a propulsive quality. For all its warmth and bloom, the Jadis never truncates or blunts transients. It delivers cymbal swishes or the blat of a trumpet with extreme precision. Above all, it is the sheer wallop this unit delivers that distinguishes it from many of its competitors. JHb, 253

The firm’s most affordable effort and the third entry in Constellation’s Inspiration Series, the 100Wpc Integrated 1.0 has a tonal signature that is ever-so-slightly shaded to the cooler side of neutral; dynamically, it doesn’t give an inch to suppress or soften transients. Treble performance is equally exacting but open, with hints of air and sweetness and not a trace of grain. Unmistakably Constellation in its elegant, matte-finish aluminum casework and distinctive cross-drilled side panels, the Inspiration 1.0 is nothing short of a new high for Constellation’s entry level. NG, 283